Hanwell Fields Community School

Inspection Report Hanwell Fields Community School

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134033 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 282428 Inspection number 9 °10 November 2006 Inspection dates Cathie Munt HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Rotary Way School address Primary Type of school Banbury Community School category OX16 1ER 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01295 709583 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01295 269979 Fax number 189 Number on roll (school) Mrs Jackie Minter Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jane Haggitt Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282428 9 °10 November 2006 3°11 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school, on the edge of a new housing development, opened in September 2003 with 29 pupils aged 3 to 9. When the final junior class opens next September the school will reach its maximum capacity. Pupils in Years 4 to 6 are taught in mixed age classes as numbers in these year groups are low. The proportion of pupils who have entered the school after the usual starting point is exceptionally high as is the proportion that has specific language or other learning difficulties. There has been a significant increase in staffing since the school opened. Nine members of staff joined this term. The school has received the Eco-Schools Bronze award, the National Healthy Schools Award and two local authority awards for health and safety. The site and buildings are designed to promote independent and active learning.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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Grade: 1

This outstanding school achieves its aim of providing pupils with a high quality education specifically designed to help them to become responsible, independent members of the community. It provides excellent value for money with exciting learning opportunities leading to exceptional progress for all of its pupils, sometimes from a very low level of attainment. The five strands of the Every Child Matters agenda are at the heart of everything that the school does. Consequently, the pupils' personal development and well-being are promoted exceptionally well and this has a positive influence on their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which is outstanding. New children settle quickly into the school's routines and all pupils are very proud of their contribution to this caring and hard working community. From the Nursery on, pupils are remarkably independent, enjoy being challenged and happily resolve problems

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Grade: 1

for themselves. They have a very commendable attitude to keeping fit and undertook the lengthy walk to the local museum without a murmur. The range of pre- and post-school provision adds to their enjoyment and was judged in a separate inspection to meet their needs appropriately. The few recommendations made in that report have all been addressed. Of the many strengths that the school exhibits, the most important is the very successful leadership and management of the school by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Their effective guidance and support underpin all that happens in the school. They are most ably assisted by keen, skilful teachers, enthusiastic teaching assistants and efficient administrative and maintenance staff. All staff value the school's emphasis on teamwork and say that it is the key to successfully implementing new ideas. This was evident in the high quality and innovative citizenship sessions led by

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Grade: 1

teachers and teaching assistants. Junior pupils, working in mixed age groups, engaged as enthusiastically in community tasks such as working in the library, recycling scrap paper, reading to the younger children and caring for the plants as they did when learning Spanish or practising debating in a philosophy lesson. The school's close links with local agencies provide the pupils with practical opportunities to take part in creating and supporting their emerging community. The school has evolved an innovative curriculum that makes good use of the local environment and is well tailored to meet the needs of its pupils in a developing school. The recent focus on developing more effective reading and writing skills has been successful. The school rightly has identified the need to plug gaps in the older pupils' mathematical skills and knowledge. The progress made by some of the older pupils is not as good in mathematics as it is in English.

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Grade: 1

Children in the Foundation Stage make huge strides in their learning and quickly develop confidence because the teaching is outstanding and the department is led and managed extremely well. The school has proved most effective in its initial stages of development and, with an almost full complement of staff and governors, is in an excellent position to improve further. 2 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards in mathematics in Years 4 to 6, ensuring that pupils make as much progress in their learning as they do in English.

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Grade: 1

Attainment on entry to the nursery is generally below that expected for three year olds, particularly in speech and communication. The consistently high quality of the provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage means that by the time they enter Year 1 many are working close to the standards expected. Work in lessons, in pupils' books and on display indicated that standards across the curriculum are average overall. However, there are gaps in the mathematics' skills and knowledge of a number of pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 and this is depressing the level that some of them achieve and the rate at which they improve. The focus across the school on improving literacy has improved pupils' reading and writing skills significantly. Consequently, standards in English are better than in other subjects in all year groups. Pupils throughout the school, including those with significant learning difficulties, those who have moved to the school for a fresh start and other vulnerable pupils,

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Grade: 1

make excellent progress in their learning. Challenging targets have been set for all pupils and data indicates that most of them are on track to meet or exceed them. The positive impact of the school's excellent provision is apparent in the consistent rate of progress made by those pupils who have been in the school since it opened and in the rapid gains in reading, writing and mathematics of more recently-arrived pupils, quite often from a very low starting point.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils of all ages have gelled into a friendly and supportive team who are very proud of their school and thoroughly enjoy all it has to offer. This enjoyment permeates all year groups and underpins the pupils' extremely good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children in the Foundation Stage settle quickly, developing positive attitudes to school. Themed play areas, such as the mosque, encourage creativity and social interaction and effectively enrich cultural development. Links with schools abroad widen older pupils' understanding of other cultures. Pupils are actively involved in their education through discussion and collaboration in lessons. They relish challenging work, behave well and are keen to learn. As an Eco-School, pupils learn about interacting harmoniously with their environment. They work cheerfully and efficiently, helping the staff to maintain

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Grade: 1

the communal areas to a high standard. Good quality artwork and attractive displays throughout the school are particularly uplifting. Mixed-age activities provide excellent opportunities for working co-operatively and taking responsibility for many aspects of school life. Pupils are very caring and show great respect for the feelings and beliefs 3 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006 of others. They raise money for local charities and older pupils willingly help the younger ones with their reading. Pupils demonstrate a strong sense of community and are very well prepared as future citizens through these activities and others such as the school council and community projects. They have a very clear understanding of how to stay safe and show their strong commitment to healthy living by participating enthusiastically in physical activities such as skipping and the exercise session at the

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Grade: 1

start of the day. Their excellent progress in acquiring basic skills, good attendance and responsible attitudes equip them very well for the future.

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Grade: 1

The very high quality of teaching and learning is an outstanding feature of the school. Positive behaviour management approaches are most effective in maintaining a constructive learning atmosphere where children settle to work quickly and effectively. Teachers are skilful practitioners who understand well how to motivate pupils. The adults' enthusiasm for learning and their commitment to the pupils' academic success and personal development produce an exhilarating blend of high expectations and enormous fun in lessons. Pupils enjoy learning and make significant progress in their learning because while the work is challenging, it is presented in a lively manner with clear explanations and a high expectation that pupils will be successful in their efforts. The citizenship sessions enabled pupils to use basic and social skills in a practical and meaningful context. Teaching assistants play a pivotal role in the exceptional progress

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Grade: 1

that the pupils make and this is recognised by the school community.

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Grade: 1

The school's rich and innovative curriculum enables pupils to enjoy school and achieve very well. This is because teachers provide interesting and practical experiences that meet the pupils' needs and check regularly what they know and can do. All pupils are provided with many opportunities to learn from a wide range of experiences including new technologies. For example, reception children captured their emerging story on digital cameras when playing in Rapunzel's castle and later, using the pictures, they discussed what their characters had been thinking and feeling. Basic skills are developed very well with excellent opportunities for pupils to apply and improve their reading, writing, number work and computing skills in other subjects. The curriculum is greatly enhanced by visits and visitors. This contributes effectively to the pupils' knowledge of how to stay safe and healthy and strengthens their cultural development.

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Grade: 1

4 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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Grade: 1

Parents value the outstanding quality of care, guidance and support given to their children. One commented 'Both of our children have thriven academically and socially within the school environment.' Excellent relationships between adults and pupils foster confidence, self-esteem and trust. As a result, pupils feel safe at school and say any unkind behaviour is dealt with promptly and effectively. The school has robust systems for ensuring pupils' welfare and for minimising risks. Rigorous checks are made for adults working with children. Pupils are given excellent academic guidance to improve their work and to reach their challenging targets. There are very good tracking procedures to monitor pupils' progress and to identify those needing additional help. Individually targeted support is given to pupils who have learning or other needs. This ensures that they make the same rapid progress as their classmates. Effective

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Grade: 1

links with outside agencies help the school to support vulnerable pupils well.

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Grade: 1

Under the exceptionally effective guidance of the headteacher and the deputy head the school provides a stimulating and vibrant environment where pupils grow daily in confidence and knowledge and where teachers acquire excellent management skills that enable them to contribute effectively to the future development of the school. Senior leaders have evaluated the school's strengths and the areas for development accurately and have well-considered strategies for continuing to provide high quality provision during this next phase of its development. All members of staff value the encouragement and support that they receive from them. Subject leaders, some of whom are newly in post, have a clear focus on improving standards while continuing to engage pupils' interest and develop their colleagues' skills. The school has been at the forefront in working with other groups to help shape the new community and it provides valuable support for parents. Governors are led by a

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Grade: 1

knowledgeable and effective chair. Recent training has increased their skills and understanding. They are more actively involved in monitoring the progress of subjects than in the past but there is room for this to develop further. Excellent provision, leading to such good progress, together with high expectations and the general enjoyment in their education shown by the pupils, shows how well leadership and management contribute to the school's capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We enjoyed visiting your school and meeting you and the staff. It was good to see the interesting work that you are doing. We agree with you and your parents that you have an excellent school of which you can all be proud. These are some of the things that we thought were particularly good: • you all get on well together and care for one another and your surroundings • you are taught extremely well; your lessons are interesting and great fun • you work hard and achieve well, especially in literacy • you are much better at getting to school every day than in the past • you are learning how to be useful and effective members of a community • nursery and reception classes have exciting areas to play and learn in • the adults are kind and helpful and are there for you if you have a problem • your behaviour is good, and you know all about living a healthy lifestyle • your headteacher and deputy headteacher lead your school really well and the teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and other staff help them to make the school outstanding. So, there isn't much that could be better, but I noticed that some of the boys and girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 don't do quite as well in mathematics as they do in reading and writing. I agree with your teachers that sometimes this is because they need to take more care when setting out their maths work but they also need to be shown how to do things that they missed in the past. Your teachers have promised to see to this. Thank you for your help and very best wishes for your future. Yours sincerely Catherine Munt HMI 9 Inspection Report: Hanwell Fields Community School, 9 °10 November 2006

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