Harrietsham Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Harrietsham Church of England Primary School

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118622 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 280358 Inspection number 22 May 2006 to 22 May 2006 Inspection dates Roger Sadler AI Reporting inspector

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

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Ashford Road School address Primary Type of school Harrietsham Voluntary controlled School category Maidstone, Kent ME17 1AJ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01622 859261 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01622 859261 Fax number 136 Number on roll Mrs Einir Roberts Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Julie Silk Headteacher 1 October 2002 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280358 22 May 2006 - 4 to 11 22 May 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This popular small Church of England school, with a growing roll, serves the village of Harrietsham and the surrounding area. Almost all the pupils are of White British heritage and English is their first language. Children enter the school with a level of knowledge and skills that is broadly average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low. The school has an above average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties but an average proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs. The school is expecting to start next school year in new, purpose-built premises.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Harrietsham Church of England Primary is a good, improving school where all pupils, including those in Reception are making good progress. Throughout the school, standards are rising as effective leadership and management and better use of assessment improve pupils’ rates of progress. The current Year 6 pupils show average attainment but younger pupils are achieving at rates above expectations for their ages. Standards in science and information and communication technology (ICT) are not as good as in English and mathematics but the school is taking sensible steps to ensure improvements in these subjects, although the opportunities for pupils to practise their ICT skills are still restricted. Teaching is good and improving and enhanced by the good subject knowledge of teachers. However, opportunities are sometimes missed to help pupils learn through practical, investigative or independent work. Pupils’ personal development is good and they enjoy and feel safe in school. They

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Grade: 2

make a good contribution to the school and wider community but the school is aware that chances to reflect on their own lives and those of other cultures are limited. Although most attend well, a few pupils’ frequent absence means that overall attendance rates are average. The school is led and managed well and has an accurate perception of its strengths and weaknesses which matches that of the inspection. They are fully aware of areas requiring further development. Past improvement planning has been good and provides the school with good capacity for further improvement as it moves to the new site in September. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• improve the use of ICT in all subjects and provide more opportunities for pupils to practise their ICT skills • introduce more practical, independent and investigative work and enable pupils to reflect more on their own lives and those of other cultures • continue to work with particular parents to improve their children’s attendance.

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Grade: 2

Standards are average and achievement is good and improving. In Reception, most children make good progress due to the good quality of education they receive. Pupils continue to make good progress in Year 1 and attain above average standards by the end of Year 2. In 2005, Year 6 pupils’ national test results indicated that, although pupils made satisfactory progress, particularly in English and mathematics, their standards of attainment were below the national average. For example, in science, limited investigative skills meant that in 2005 too few pupils reached or exceeded expected national standards. However, both the school’s thorough analysis of pupils’ progress 2 Inspection Report: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 2006 and inspection evidence indicates that pupils are now achieving better throughout the school and their progress is good. Challenging targets are set for all pupils and

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Grade: 2

the vast majority are on track to either achieve or exceed these. The current pupils in Year 6 are attaining average standards in all subjects and many younger pupils are achieving above expected standards for their ages. Pupils with learning difficulties and higher attaining pupils also make good progress due to careful assessment and effective teaching by teachers and teaching assistants. Although effective direct teaching ensures that standards in ICT are satisfactory, limited resources for pupils to practise their skills is slowing progress. The school has an effective plan to capitalise on the much improved resources available shortly in the new building to help raise standards in ICT.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. In Reception, children work and play together happily, feeling safe and secure. Pupils across the school enjoy coming to school and respond with interest to their work, particularly when they are given practical experiences. For example, in a Year 3-4 lesson, pupils enjoyed learning to describe characters vividly in their writing after interacting in an exciting drama introduction based on Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’. Pupils’ attendance, which is close to the national average, is satisfactory. Pupils behave well and are confident in speaking and expressing their opinions. They relate to each other well and demonstrate that their social and moral development is good. Spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory, although opportunities for them to consider their own customs and those of other cultures are limited. Pupils make a valuable contribution to the life of the school through involvement in the

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Grade: 2

school council. Older pupils take responsibility for helping the school run smoothly and supporting younger pupils. Pupils support and organise fundraising themselves for a number of charities. Pupils demonstrate their good knowledge of leading healthy lives and understand the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. Their improving skills in English and mathematics and their ability to relate well to one another is preparing them well for the next stage of education and the world of work beyond.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good. Careful monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning ensures that the school has a clear view of where teaching is already strong and where improvements are needed. Additionally, effective assessment arrangements enable the headteacher and the staff to keep a close eye on the progress of each child. All teachers use the information gained from assessments well to plan 3 Inspection Report: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 2006 lessons to make sure that all pupils make good progress in their learning. Pupils have targets that help them focus their efforts to learn and are given continual feedback on their work in lessons. Teachers consistently mark work effectively and this also helps pupils see where they can improve. Pupils with learning difficulties are given good support by both teachers and teaching assistants, who help them join in with

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Grade: 2

their peers in whole-class sessions. Teaching in Reception is effective because it gives the children the opportunity to learn through investigative and structured play. There are lots of practical activities as well as good effective direct instruction. In the rest of the school, direct instruction, based on teachers having good subject knowledge, is consistently good and in Years 3 to 6 is supported by the confident use of interactive whiteboards to help present information and ideas clearly. Effective management of relationships helps pupils enjoy lessons, but the overall impact of teaching on learning is reduced by limited opportunities for independent, practical and investigative work.

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Grade: 3

The school has a satisfactory and improving curriculum that meets statutory requirements. Literacy and numeracy are taught effectively in line with the national strategies and account for the rising standards in these subjects. Other subjects are currently under review to ensure that coherent links are made between subjects and also to provide more practical activities to further engage pupils’ interests and help them learn. Opportunities to use ICT in lessons are often missed because the school currently lacks ICT resources. There is an effective plan to introduce the necessary changes and provide necessary resources in the new building. The school is successful in ensuring that the curriculum is tailored to meet the learning needs of all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and higher attaining pupils, and this helps all make good progress. Action such as booster work or catch-up programmes helps

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Grade: 3

to eradicate any potential underachievement. Pupils’ enjoyment of learning and their appreciation of the wider world are well fostered through a range of visits, school club and other experiences. There are good links with the community and pupils take part in a variety of local events.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school knows its pupils very well and supports their learning by taking account of the needs of all pupils. Parents and carers are kept well informed of their children’s progress and have regular opportunities to meet teachers. Attendance is also carefully monitored and appropriate action is taken to ensure improvements. Effective health and safety procedures are regularly reviewed, and there are good arrangements for child protection, and for ensuring that all staff are fully familiar with these. Very effective measures have been taken to deal with any incidents of aggressive 4 Inspection Report: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 2006 behaviour and, because staff act consistently as a team to implement the behaviour policy, behaviour is now good throughout the school. Pupils are helped and enabled to lead healthy lives. Very effective assessment arrangements ensure that support and guidance for pupils

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Grade: 2

in their academic work is good, and well constructed plans are carefully used to ensure that pupils with learning difficulties make good progress. The school also works well with relevant external agencies to provide appropriate help for pupils with specific problems.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good at all levels and mean that the school has improved since its last inspection and has the capacity to improve even further. The staff welcome the clear and ambitious direction provided by the headteacher. She has established secure methods of ascertaining where the school is already performing well and where further improvements are possible. Parents’ views are canvassed systematically as part of this process. Subject leaders know their subjects well and are helping bring about improvements. Comprehensive and accurate monitoring information is carefully analysed and used appropriately to direct the school improvement plan and staff development and training activities. Governors also know the school well. They have introduced much improved and systematic ways of both supporting the senior management team and of holding it to account for the school’s standards and the quality of education. Much work has been

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Grade: 2

done to maximise the increased learning opportunities presented by the move to the new building, but this work has not diverted attention from ensuring continual improvements in the quality of education that pupils receive on the current site. 5 Inspection Report: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 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: Harrietsham Church of England Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 22 May 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 3 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 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

We enjoyed visiting your school and meeting you. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. We agree with you that yours is a good school and liked many of the things we saw. Here are some of them: •you are making good progress with your work. •you behave well and show good attitudes to school and your work. •you are doing good work to keep fit and healthy. •your teachers help you do your best in your work and help you grow into mature and responsible people. •adults look after you well and your headteacher and staff lead the school well. There are some things that teachers need to do to make your school even better: •use information and communication technology more in all subjects and provide more practice in using computers to help you learn. •introduce more practical work and opportunities for you to carry out investigations. •enable you to reflect more on your own lives and those of people of other cultures. •continue to work with parents to ensure everybody’s attendance is good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We wish you all every success in the future as the school moves to the new site.

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