Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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118718 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 280380 Inspection number 3 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 Inspection dates Graeme Bassett AI Reporting inspector

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

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Hever School address Primary Type of school Edenbridge Voluntary aided School category Kent TN8 7NH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01732 862304 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01732 864 724 Fax number 86 Number on roll Rev Malcolm Griddle Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynette Watts Headteacher 20 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280380 3 May 2006 - 4 to 11 3 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 is a smaller-than-average-sized school and serves the villages of Hever, Mark Beech, Bough Beech and Cowden, with the majority of children coming from Edenbridge. Most children are White British and none speaks English as an additional language. The economic status of the local area is broadly average. There is an average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties. The school has been awarded an “ECO Award” for work in caring for wildlife and the school environment. The school has recently experienced significant staffing difficulties, which has caused substantial disruption. Currently there are three newly qualified teachers employed but only one has a permanent appointment.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 3

The inspectors agree with the school’s view that its overall effectiveness is satisfactory, with strengths in pupils’ personal development and well-being. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher provides good leadership and has a clear vision for future developments. However, the leadership and management responsibilities depend upon the efforts of the headteacher because of the inexperience of most other teachers. She is developing their skills effectively and is giving them good guidance and support. Overall she is managing a period of change well. Attainment has improved since the last inspection so that standards are now average and achievement is satisfactory. The school recognises that these need to improve through making better use of the information collected about each pupil’s progress. Teaching is satisfactory. There is good support for all pupils with learning difficulties

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Grade: 3

but some teachers do not always plan sufficiently demanding work for the more able pupils. Likewise, teachers’ marking does not always help the pupils to understand what they need to learn next. The curriculum is satisfactory but links are not yet fully developed across subject themes. The curriculum does not provide sufficient opportunities for developing pupils’ awareness of cultural diversity. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good as a result of the good provision made for their care, guidance and support. Behaviour is good and pupils’ moral development is excellent. Pupils show care and concern for others as well as for the wildlife in the grounds. The school provides a safe and secure environment. Improvements required following the last inspection have been made. However, with the high number of newly qualified teachers and new governors currently in the school,

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Grade: 3

the capacity for improvement and value for money is only satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the marking procedures and make better use of the information collected about each pupil’s progress in order to set challenging tasks that raise standards and improve achievement, especially of the more able pupils. • Improve the leadership and management by involving more teachers in the development and evaluation of subjects, particularly in increasing the links across subjects. • Raise pupils’ awareness of cultural diversity to prepare them for life in a multi-cultural world.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average. The small number of pupils in each year group makes direct comparison with the national average 2 Inspection Report: Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 unreliable but standards have improved from the below- average standards seen at the last inspection. There is no significant difference between the standards achieved by boys and girls. Standards on entry to the Foundation Stage are average and by the time they enter Year 1, all children make satisfactory progress, with most reaching the goals set for children of this age. Throughout the rest of the school, pupils, including those with learning difficulties, make satisfactory progress and standards overall and by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are average. The more able pupils do not do as well as they might, because tasks set are often not challenging

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Grade: 3

enough. This holds down the school’s overall performance. The targets set for Year 6 pupils in last year’s national tests were ambitious and were not met because results were adversely affected by the disruption in staffing and the addition of new children.

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. This is also apparent in the Foundation Stage, where children make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Pupils’ attitudes to school are positive and this is evident in their above-average attendance and their enthusiasm in lessons. They feel safe and know who to talk to if they have problems. Their social development is good and they behave well in and around the school. Pupils confirm that being rewarded the weekly time for their own choice of activity, known as “Golden Time,” is a real focus for developing friendships. Entries in the “Kindness Book” exemplify the way in which they show a true concern for each other’s feelings. They also have very conscientious, caring attitudes towards wildlife and the grounds. Pupils’ moral development is excellent and they are very aware of the difference between right and wrong. Frequent opportunities provided for pupils to reflect on

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Grade: 2

their own lives and especially upon the beauty of nature foster good spiritual development. Pupils are very aware of their own culture but have a limited awareness of life in a multi-cultural society. Pupils’ contributions to the local community are good. They know that sport is important in developing a healthy lifestyle. They are developing good workplace skills through carrying out simple responsibilities such as running the school shop.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, with strengths seen in the development of pupils’ personal development and well-being. Staff changes over the last year have been disruptive but with newly qualified teachers now appointed, the school has established more structure to planning lessons and for recording pupils’ progress. Nevertheless, there are occasions when the tasks set could be more challenging for more able pupils. The teachers all manage their classes well, encouraging pupils to 3 Inspection Report: Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 develop a willingness to have a go without fear of failing. Teachers and teaching assistants intervene effectively and pose searching questions, prompting pupils to make explanations which improve their understanding. The frequent assessments are becoming more detailed but teachers do not always make sufficient use of the

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Grade: 3

information they collect about pupils in order to set more demanding tasks. The school is exploring different systems for marking pupils’ work but currently feedback to pupils on their work is often not immediate enough. Insufficient use is made of written comments to help pupils understand what they need to learn next. Good use is made of interactive whiteboards and this stimulates pupils’ learning well. Pupils with learning difficulties are given good support from teaching assistants, who have a secure understanding of how to enhance their learning. Parents are effectively involved in their children’s learning.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and all statutory requirements are met. A satisfactory range of learning activities is planned for pupils of all ages and additional out-of-school activities are good. However, the curriculum could be strengthened through the establishment of more secure links across subjects. For example, there are times when opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in literacy are not pursued rigorously enough through other subjects. The curriculum does not provide sufficient guidelines about the development of pupils’ awareness of living in a multi-cultural world. Strength in the curriculum is evident in the provision for pupils’ personal development and well-being. For example, pupils are encouraged to stay safe and are taught about healthy lifestyles and the importance of exercise. There is good access to sporting activities, with many opportunities for pupils to take part in after-school clubs, including

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Grade: 3

playing against other local schools. Many pupils learn to play the keyboard and guitar competently. Regular visits and residential trips for older pupils help them to develop independence and prepare them well for life in secondary school.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support for pupils are good. The quality of pastoral care and support provided is particularly strong. Child protection requirements are in place. All staff show a high level of commitment to pupils’ health and safety. Teaching assistants play an active role in the pastoral care of the pupils, and are constantly alert to any distress or worry. Consequently, arrangements for dealing with accidents and incidents such as bullying are good and pupils report that incidents are dealt with quickly. Effective links with external agencies are good and parents give their full support to the school, helping their children to approach their learning with much enthusiasm. Arrangements for guiding and supporting pupils’ academic achievements are improving and are currently satisfactory. However, the use of assessment information is not effective enough to raise standards and achievement so that they are good. The school

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 is aware of this and a new system to track each pupil’s achievements from year to year has recently been introduced and is providing a clearer picture of each one’s progress.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, overall. The headteacher provides good leadership and has a clear understanding of what needs to be done to raise standards and achievement. She has been slowed in her actions because of the recent disruptions to staffing. She has managed this period of change effectively and is providing good guidance and support for new governors and the three newly qualified teachers. Currently, she has accepted a heavy load of additional responsibilities whilst the newly appointed staff gain sufficient experience to accept responsibilities. This she has done well. The headteacher has established good routines to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. Good procedures are established to monitor and evaluate teachers’ plans and to cross-match their effectiveness with the quality of pupils’ work. She has set demanding targets for the new staff and regularly monitors progress. Frequent meetings

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Grade: 3

and training sessions for staff and new governors are beneficial as everyone adopts a common path for development. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and the inspectors agree with the judgements. Improvements since the last inspection have been good. Leadership and management of provision for pupils with learning difficulties are good and, for the Foundation Stage, satisfactory. However, with such a high level of inexperienced teachers and governors in the school, the capacity to improve and value for money are currently only satisfactory. 5 Inspection Report: Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 3 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: Hever Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 3 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 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 3 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 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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 very much for making us so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. We found your school to be a happy and friendly place and we were pleased with these things: You enjoy coming to school and you look after the wildlife and the school grounds very well. You behave well and you are kind to each other. Your teachers care and support you well and you know who to talk to if you have problems. Your headteacher leads your school well and gives your teachers good support, helping them to take on further responsibilities. We have asked the headteacher and governors to: Make sure that the teachers’ marking helps you to understand what you need to learn next to improve your work and to make good progress. Make better use of the information teachers collect about you so that they always set work that makes you work hard. Involve more teachers in the running of the school so that they can help to plan work that links

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

different subjects together. Help you to understand the traditions, food and customs of other people. Thank you once again for helping us on our visit.

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