Icknield Walk First School

Inspection Report Icknield Walk First School

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117278 Unique Reference Number HERTFORDSHIRE LEA LEA 280030 Inspection number 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Andrew Matthews LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Poplar Drive School address Primary Type of school SG8 7EZ Community School category 3 to 9 Age range of pupils 01763243392 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01763244764 Fax number 325 Number on roll Mr.Simon Seabrook Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms. Marilyn Jones Headteacher 7 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280030 7 February 2006 - 3 to 9 8 February 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average first school which has its own nursery. The school also has both a breakfast and an after school club. It serves a mixed residential area of Royston. The great majority of children are White British and no children speak English as an additional language. A below average number of children are eligible for free school meals and an average proportion of children have special educational needs. The school has achieved Healthy Schools status. Children's attainment on entry to the school is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors confirm the school's judgement that it is an effective school that provides good value for money and makes good use of its resources. Thorough self-evaluation procedures help the school to understand its strengths and weaknesses and to plan focused developments to improve its provision. As a result, children achieve well both academically and personally. They attain above average standards by Year 4 and make good progress through the school. Teaching is good and staff are knowledgeable about how to build on children's previous learning. However, some more able children are not consistently challenged in lessons and are not reaching the higher levels of which they are capable. Children are well cared for and feel safe and confident. They are very proud of their school, behave well and greatly enjoy their lessons. Parents are highly supportive of the school. The curriculum is well planned and areas of learning

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Grade: 2

are particularly well integrated in the Foundation Stage. Standards and the quality of the Foundation Stage are good. Targets set for children are generally challenging and children's progress is tracked carefully through the year. The school is part of a local group of schools where effective practice is shared. The leadership and management of the school are good because of the high quality strategic direction given by the headteacher, senior staff and governors. Performance management is successfully improving all staff's expertise and raising expectations. Subject co-ordinators regularly check children's progress but their expertise is not used to the full as they rarely have time to monitor learning in the classrooms. The school has improved well since the last inspection and is in a strong position to build on these improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure regular time is provided for co-ordinators to share their expertise in the classroom with other teachers. - Ensure there is consistent challenge for more able children.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Children enter the school with average attainment. They make particularly good progress in the nursery where the provision is very effective and they build well on their strong start in Reception. These children experience an exciting range of opportunities to learn through play and show impressive concentration when working independently. By the end of reception, the great majority meet the expected standards and a significant minority exceed them. Children continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and by the end of Year 2 have achieved standards that are consistently above average. However, the school could do more to ensure its more able children are consistently challenged and achieve the higher levels. Standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science have remained high at the end of Year 4 because children make consistently good progress from Year 2. Girls recently

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Grade: 2

have performed better than boys, but both now achieve similarly due to successful 2 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 intervention work to improve boys' writing. Challenging targets were met in 2005. Children achieve well overall because there is an expectation in every lesson that they will listen, behave well and work hard. Lower attaining children receive good assistance and encouragement from experienced assistants. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities receive well-focused support that ensures they are fully included in lessons and make good progress towards their targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are effective. Children's attitudes are very positive and have a beneficial impact on their learning. They are extremely enthusiastic learners and show a high level of confidence when answering questions. Their behaviour is good and this also has a very positive impact on their progress. Attendance is well above average and the school is effective in encouraging parents to understand the importance of good attendance. The school is very good at celebrating children's achievements and encourages the development of their self-esteem through praise and displays. For example, in reception, teachers use digital photographs to create a display recording what children can do. Talking to children and observing them in lessons confirms their tremendous enjoyment of all aspects of school life. The school ensures children know effectively about developing safe and healthy lifestyles. Children make a very positive contribution to the wider community

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Grade: 2

through a range of local and worldwide charity work. The school council also provides good opportunities for children to develop these skills. Children are well prepared for their future schooling and life outside school. This is achieved through their good personal and social development and through the development of a good level of basic skills. A real strength is the SPOT system which gives older children a range of responsibilities around the school based on trust. The children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is good. Their learning about multicultural aspects of society has improved since the last inspection because of its higher profile and more careful planning.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and has a major impact on the progress made by children. Particularly strong are the relationships created by teachers and other adults with the children. These give children confidence to ask and answer questions confidently and without fear of failure. Experienced teaching assistants give well focused support to children, especially those who find learning difficult. They work very closely with teachers and form effective teams. Teachers' planning is detailed and in the great majority of lessons effective use is made of assessments of the previous lesson and evaluations of children's progress. Teachers' marking is thorough and supportive and the very good practice observed is rightly to be used to develop the 3 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 school's assessment policy further. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is very

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Grade: 2

effective in developing children's basic skills and this has a clear impact on their attitudes to learning later on in the school. There are a few areas for improvement in the teaching. Some teachers do not consistently challenge their more able children and this results in lost opportunities for these children to reach the higher levels. Teachers work hard and undertake regular on-going training to help them make effective use of the recently installed interactive whiteboards.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is effective and meets children's needs well. Literacy and numeracy are taught effectively. Children make increasing use of their information and communication technology skills to support their learning. Their learning is enriched well through programmes such as Thinking Skills Day or guitar lessons for all children in Year 3. There is a good range of popular clubs and out-of-school activities. The curriculum is further enhanced by a very popular residential trip for the oldest children. The work that children do is well planned to ensure that it builds steadily each year, including through their transition to middle school. Children in the Foundation Stage have a very well planned programme to support their development and independence. The support for children who have learning difficulties has been recently improved and is now good. Children have clear targets and effective liaison is maintained with

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Grade: 2

parents. Gifted and talented children are identified and their progress is monitored carefully.

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are good. There are suitable procedures for child protection and for ensuring safety in school. Children are well supervised and feel well cared for. They are confident that adults will deal with their concerns. The school effectively raises children's awareness of bullying and how to deal with it through assemblies and events such as 'Feeling Good Week'. Teachers and support staff co-operate well to care for children who are vulnerable or causing concern. The school keeps parents well informed and makes good use of external agencies to provide additional support when necessary. Children's numeracy and literacy targets are shared with their parents and homework diaries are used effectively for two-way communication between home and school. The school has thorough procedures to monitor children's progress. There is good support for children when they join the school. Strong liaison with local middle

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Grade: 2

schools ensures that children are well prepared for this transition.

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Grade: 2

The school's leadership and management are effective. The headteacher provides very experienced and astute leadership which is clearly focused on raising standards and 4 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 promoting the personal development and well being of all the children. She and her new deputy form a very strong team and their leadership is enabling the school to improve its provision. Subject co-ordinators regularly monitor children's work in their books, but their expertise is not used to the full as they are rarely able to observe their colleagues teaching. Performance management is very effectively implemented and linked effectively to children's achievement. The school has very good self-evaluation procedures which take into account views of parents, children, staff and governors. The school knows itself very well and priorities in its present improvement plan are

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Grade: 2

very pertinent to its current needs. These are correctly focused on raising standards still further and ensuring that all children, particularly the more able, achieve as well as they can. New resources are carefully chosen to have maximum impact on the school's provision. For example, children are rightly excited about the new interactive white boards and the impact on their enjoyment and learning. The budget is tight but the school is aware of the need for renewing and updating many of its computers. Governance is now very good and governors provide a critical challenge to the school as well as giving knowledgeable support in such areas as finance and personnel. Their work has made a significant contribution to the effective improvements made since the last inspection and to the school's ability to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Icknield Walk First School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we came to inspect your school. We really enjoyed talking with you and watching you working with your teachers. It was good to speak with your teachers about how well you work at school. We also enjoyed your singing in assembly. We think that your school does many things well, but there are a few things it needs to do better. What we liked most about your school - you really enjoy school, work hard and most of you do really well - your behaviour is good and you get on very well with each other and your teachers - your headteacher is doing a good job and she knows how to make the school even better for you - the school looks after you well and those of you who find work hard are getting the right sort of help. What we have asked your school to do now - give other teachers more opportunities to watch you working in class - make sure those of you who are good at

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

work are given things to do which really make you think hard.

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