Hinstock Primary School

Inspection Report Hinstock Primary School

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123372 Unique Reference Number Shropshire LEA 281459 Inspection number 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005 Inspection dates David Carrington RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Hinstock School address Primary Type of school Market Drayton Community School category Shropshire TF9 2TE 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 01952 550220 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01952 551058 Fax number 77 Number on roll Mr Martin Kent Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Denise Bidgood Headteacher 28 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281459 22 November 2005 - 5 to 11 22 November 2005 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

Hinstock is a small village primary school. The pupils are all from White British backgrounds. There is an average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties. When children start in Reception their attainment is similar to that found nationally. During 2004/5 the school’s improvement was affected by serious illness amongst a significant number of staff and the extreme needs of a small number of pupils.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory education for the pupils. Within this, there are a number of strengths, especially the successful development of pupils’ well-being, the care, guidance and support given to pupils and the good attendance rates. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, which enables the pupils to make sound progress, including those in the reception year. Standards are average by the time pupils leave Year 6. During the last school year, the school did not take all the steps forward that it anticipated, due to staff illness and the demanding needs of a small group of older pupils. It accurately identified the key areas for improvement during this time, but improvement slowed because of the time needed to successfully address major concerns and difficulties. The school has a track record of satisfactory improvement with some very good improvements to the building. Recent changes have been made to the process of setting and tracking challenging

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Grade: 3

targets, but there is room for further improvement, as they are not rigorous enough for the higher attaining pupils. In recent years, the proportion of pupils gaining the higher levels in the national tests has been lower than the school expected. It is evident that the higher attainers could do better in their learning. Whilst pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is sound overall, their understanding of other cultures to be found in Britain is not developed as thoroughly as in many primary schools. It is clear that the school knows itself soundly and it has a sensible set of priorities for future improvement. It has the capacity to improve now that past difficulties have been sorted. It gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the rate of progress for the higher attaining pupils through better target setting and tracking procedures. •Enhance the coverage of multicultural aspects of education to give pupils a better understanding of the diversity of society outside the village.

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Grade: 3

Standards in school are average overall and pupils make satisfactory progress. Children start school with the expected level of skills and knowledge and they make sound progress in their reception year because the quality of provision is satisfactory. The school takes positive steps to ensure that pupils in later years build on this secure foundation. However, the higher attaining pupils are not always set work that is sufficiently challenging and this is why they do not do as well as they should. 2 Inspection Report: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005 Pupils with learning difficulties make steady progress. Provision for them is satisfactory, with strengths. The teaching assistants work effectively to ensure that they can take a full part in learning, which impacts well on their progress. In a Year 2/3 mathematics lesson on basic multiplication, the pupils with learning difficulties benefited from

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Grade: 3

effective support. The extra help held their interest and encouraged them to attempt, quite successfully, some difficult problems. Last year, there was a handful of older boys whose behaviour was poor and this slowed their progress. However, the school has successfully tackled this problem, and the boys are now as well motivated and productive as the girls. There is now no significant difference in the rates of progress between boys and girls. The school has reviewed its targets and refined its assessment procedures to give a firm and accurate base for measuring how well pupils learn. It is now setting more challenging targets for lower attaining pupils, but has not yet extended this practice to the higher attaining pupils, especially those who are not quite the very top attainers.

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Grade: 3

This aspect of the school’s work, which includes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is satisfactory. Pupils enjoy school and attendance is good. Their behaviour is satisfactory. They are polite and well mannered, and readily engage adults in conversation. They take on responsibility well, raising significant amounts of money for charity and describing the school as a ‘team where everyone works together’. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Pupils’ views are regularly sought. The school council was particularly proud of the success of their efforts to have healthy school meals. However, they feel that at times they do not receive enough feedback from the school, especially about the reasons why their requests cannot be met. Pupils make a good contribution to their small community. For example, they show their work to elderly residents and they contribute in imaginative ways to helping

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Grade: 3

people in Africa. However, their awareness of the diversity of culture in this country is not well developed. Nevertheless, through team work and the school’s recent emphasis on co-operation and collaboration, they are satisfactorily prepared for life beyond school.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons, are planned well. Separate activities, linked to the same theme, are prepared for the different attainment groups. In some lessons the activities planned for the higher attainers are not challenging 3 Inspection Report: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005 enough. However, throughout the school, the activities are well matched to the needs of those with learning difficulties. Children in reception have settled happily to their learning alongside the pupils in Year 1. They are provided with work that is linked carefully to the six areas of learning and they are taught soundly. These include work that is guided by the teacher and also activities that the children manage themselves. This assists their personal development well. In Years 2 and 3, there is a caring and calm approach to learning. Here, a strength is the support given to the pupils with learning difficulties. During the inspection, this

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Grade: 3

class were enthusiastic amateur archaeologists digging up coins and jewellery with delight and surprise. All pupils felt they had achieved much, including those with learning difficulties, because the teacher and teaching assistant ensured that all pupils had a turn to discover buried treasure. It is evident that teaching promotes pupils’ enquiry skills in Years 4, 5 and 6. These pupils show considerable eagerness to find out about things themselves. The pupils in this class say that they particularly like the way they are given independence and encouraged to show initiative in their learning. A small group took great delight in interviewing an inspector in preparation for writing an article for their newspaper. Under guidance from the teacher, they had put together a series of probing questions and discussed the answers in some detail.

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Grade: 3

Although the curriculum is satisfactory, there are some strong features. The school has maintained a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes some good work in art and design and music. The provision of activities outside lessons has improved significantly since the start of the school year and includes a blend of clubs and sports events. Pupils do well in tennis where the school outclasses its competitors and has almost permanent possession of the local challenge cup. The pupils are very enthusiastic about the opportunities for residential visits in Years 5 and 6 and they talk with clear recollection of the theatre visits that do much to enhance their English studies. The focus on multicultural awareness is less obvious compared to many primary schools. There is some useful work in religious education, which enhances pupils’ understanding of different faiths. However, there is very little work about other cultures in other

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Grade: 3

subjects. This does not fully prepare pupils for life in a multicultural society. Higher attainers are set different work from the other pupils but this is sometimes relatively late in the lesson or not challenging enough. This is particularly the case for the group of pupils who are one step down from the top attainers. The curriculum for children in the reception class meets their needs soundly, especially their personal, social and emotional development. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is sound and enables them to make steady progress. 4 Inspection Report: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The school provides good levels of care, support and guidance for pupils. Effective child protection procedures and good attention to health and safety issues mean that pupils work and play in a safe and secure environment. Their personal development is carefully tracked and they and their parents are well supported, especially through difficulties. Parents are positive about the school and the approachability of all staff. Pupils usually reach the targets set for them but the targets are not always challenging enough for the higher attainers and this has limited their progress. The school is working on this. Effective links with other schools, the community and outside agencies support pupils’ learning well.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Despite a heavy teaching load, the headteacher’s very hard work kept the school on an even keel during a period of great instability that affected learning. This was because of major staff illnesses and the poor behaviour of a small number of pupils last year, all of which have now been resolved. The headteacher checks teaching and learning and provides feedback for staff, which in turn feeds into performance management objectives and a useful school improvement plan. Governors receive detailed feedback on the work of the school and are suitably involved in monitoring its work. Recent improvements in assessment and target setting enable the school to pinpoint pupils in need of support. While this clearly identifies support for lower attaining pupils, it does not provide enough focus on stretching the higher attainers. This means that not all pupils capable of doing so reach the higher levels. The school’s evaluation

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Grade: 3

of its work is broadly accurate, however. The school knows what it needs to do to improve and the development plan provides a clear agenda for that improvement. Based on its improvement since the last inspection and the work of the past year, the school shows it has the capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005 .

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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: Hinstock Primary School, 22 November 2005 to 22 November 2005

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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 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 3 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 3 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

The School Council Hinstock Primary School Hinstock Market Drayton TF9 2TE 23 November 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you for the warm welcome that you gave us when we visited school earlier this week. It was good to talk with you and to discover your views about the school. You told us that you felt well cared for and safe in school. We agree with you. We think that there are some other good things in school. •Your attendance is better than that found in most schools. •You raise a lot of money for charity and are involved in many things in the village. •You know how to keep healthy, and have helped the school improve the quality of the school meals. •You enjoy the visits you make from school, including the residential visit, and you do well in the local tennis competitions. There are two areas where the school can make improvements. •The work for higher attaining pupils could be harder. •You could learn more about the different

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

cultures in Britain. We were impressed with the sensible ideas that you suggested for making the school a better place. We hope that your work to improve the playground equipment is successful and that you do well in school. Our report will be sent to your homes shortly. Some of you might want to look at it. See if you can find the bit about interviewing me! Yours sincerely David Carrington Lead Inspector

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