Hambrook Primary School

Hambrook Primary School Inspection report

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109024 Unique Reference Number South Gloucestershire Local Authority 288255 Inspection number 16 °17 May 2007 Inspection dates Ian Hancock 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 192 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Judith Waring Chair Joanna Dent Headteacher 1 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection Moorend Road School address Hambrook Bristol BS16 1SJ

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0117 9568933 Telephone number 0117 9568933 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 16 °17 May 2007 Inspection dates 288255 Inspection number .

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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 a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hambrook Primary School is a smaller than average semi-rural village school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Few are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. The headteacher was appointed last year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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Grade: 2

Hambrook is a good school, with high standards in education. 'Children are well supported and encouraged to achieve their potential', is a parents' accurate description of this good school. The headteacher, staff and governors are dedicated to continuous school improvement. In the last year leadership and management have become increasingly effective with the introduction of the new senior leadership team. Good leadership and management have ensured well above average standards in Year 6 and standards are beginning to improve in Year 2, particularly for more able pupils. Subject leadership is satisfactory. The school plans to refine and develop the role of subject leaders are well founded so that they gain a greater knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects. Most pupils achieve well because of good teaching. Pupils work hard in most lessons because teaching interests and challenges them. There are a few lessons though where teachers' planning

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Grade: 2

does not meet the needs of more able pupils or capture the imagination of boys. As a result, they are not doing as well as they could, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Although the curriculum is satisfactory it is being revised to stimulate the interest of all pupils, particularly boys, in order to raise their achievement. The school hall is too small to accommodate older pupils for assemblies or using equipment effectively for gymnastic activities. This has a negative impact on developing skills in physical education, restricts community use and has an adverse effect on pupils' spiritual development. The provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children achieve well in their personal, social and emotional development as well as early language and mathematical skills. The school is a central part of the community it serves and is highly valued by the majority of parents. The school provides good care and support for its pupils. It has

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Grade: 2

created a caring, safe environment where everyone feels valued. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils behave well and show great respect for each other. Improvement since the last inspection is good where all issues identified have been addressed. The school is well placed to build on its many successes and move forward positively.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the consistency of teaching and learning so that all groups of pupils, including boys and more able pupils, can achieve as well as they can, particularly in Years 1 and 2. • Extend the role and responsibility of subject leaders so that they have a clear picture of strengths and weaknesses, in order to improve provision in their subjects. • Work with all appropriate agencies to resolve the problem of the small hall.

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Grade: 2

Children start school with slightly above average skills. They achieve well in the Foundation Stage, and by the end of the Reception Year children's attainment is clearly above that found nationally. They are confident and happy and show good levels of independence for their age. In the 2006 national tests for Year 2 pupils, standards were well above average in reading but achievement was disappointing particularly for more able pupils in writing and mathematics. Boys did significantly less well than girls, particularly in writing. The school has introduced new initiatives this year to improve the progress of different groups of pupils, including additional support, improved tracking and more rigorous monitoring of teaching. As a result standards 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 and achievement have risen considerably for more able pupils in writing and mathematics and

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Grade: 2

are now at least average. Pupils reach consistently high standards by the end of Year 6. In the 2006 national tests, standards were particularly high in English and mathematics and significantly above average in science. Although standards will not be as high this year, due to the current cohort, all pupils continue to make good progress and are expected to achieve or exceed their targets. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are good. Pupils clearly enjoy their lessons. One pupil stated, 'It's good here, teachers make learning fun and we like the booster groups that help us to do even better.' Consequently attendance is good. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. However, the small hall prevents pupils having assemblies together, due to recent fire regulations. This has a negative impact on their spiritual development, which is satisfactory. The school has made positive efforts since the last inspection to improve pupils' awareness of the rich diversity of cultures. Relationships are strong and pupils find great enjoyment in helping one another. 'The buddy system' is just one example of how older pupils show care and support for younger children. Pupils take responsibility eagerly and respond to the challenge well. The school council, with representatives from the whole school, is helping

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Grade: 2

pupils to be more responsible for, and to make decisions about the daily life of the school, including managing a budget for new playtime equipment. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and know how to keep safe. A large number participate in the additional sports clubs and use their knowledge to make healthy eating choices. They are proud to talk about their recent Healthy Schools Award. Pupils make positive contributions to the community, which is often linked to the local church. Older pupils are developing good interpersonal skills. They co-operate well with each other. This adds to their good basic skills, which prepares them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

In the Reception class, teaching is good. Teachers focus well on developing children's personal, social and emotional development besides their early language and mathematical skills. Children achieve well in these aspects and soon become independent learners. In Years 1 to 6, there is more inconsistency in teaching and learning. Teachers use a variety of teaching styles that in most cases enthuse and motivate pupils. Activities build successfully on prior learning and are mostly well matched to pupils' learning abilities. Sometimes, work is not well matched to stimulate the interest of boys and not sufficiently challenging, particularly for more able pupils in Years 1 and 2. This has a negative impact on pupils' attitudes and achievement. Marking is used well to suggest to pupils how they might improve their work and all have individual targets. Teachers keep detailed records of pupils' progress. This allows them

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Grade: 2

to quickly identify those not making the expected progress and provide extra help. Although this information is used well with older pupils, it is less well developed in Years 1 and 2. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported and so make good progress. Teaching assistants play an important role in this facet and other aspects of the school's work. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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Grade: 3

In the Foundation Stage, the curriculum is interesting and exciting and enables children to get a flying start to their education. For pupils in Years 1 to 6, it is generally well suited to meet the needs of pupils including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. However, the curriculum has not been adapted appropriately to stimulate the interest of boys, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Sometimes, the needs of more able pupils are not met in full. The curriculum is currently under review to develop a more holistic and exciting topic approach with more cross-curricular links to engage all learners, particularly boys. The school provides a wide range of activities, such as residential trips, visits and after school clubs to broaden pupils' personal experiences and learning. These are fondly recalled by pupils who spoke of 'the smelly cheese factory' visited in France. Personal, social and health education is well planned and ensures

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Grade: 3

pupils know how to stay safe and be healthy. The small hall has an adverse impact on the curriculum and the strong community ethos of the school. It is too small for whole school activities or to be used effectively for physical education, where there is insufficient space for using gymnastic equipment.

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Grade: 2

Staff provide good care and support for the pupils in this happy community school. Formal procedures for safeguarding children, including child protection and risk assessments, are fully in place. All support staff play important roles in supporting pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. As a result all pupils feel secure, well cared for and confident. They know who to go to if they need help. The tracking of pupils' progress is developing well. Data are being used to set targets and these initiatives are beginning to have an impact on raising standards, particularly in Years 1 and 2. However, assessment for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities does not follow the same format as for the rest of the school. This is an area for development so that the progress of these pupils can be tracked more carefully. Most pupils have a clear understanding of their targets and older pupils know what they are aiming to

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Grade: 2

The strong leadership of the headteacher drives the work of the school. She has high expectations to ensure all pupils achieve their best and are happy and safe in school. She continually explores ways to improve the quality of education and receives good support from the deputy headteacher and Foundation Stage leader, who work effectively as a team. Plans to develop the role of subject leaders, so that they have a clearer understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their subject, are well founded to bring further improvement to provision. The quality of the school's self-evaluation is good. It clearly identifies areas for improvement including the monitoring of teaching and learning and revising the curriculum. The school has recently improved the use of assessment to identify pupils not making sufficient progress and setting individual targets for all pupils to ensure they know how to improve their work. This is

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Grade: 2

beginning to have a positive impact on improving standards for more able pupils in Years 1 and 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 2 but the combination of subjects through a topic approach is in the early stages of development and has not had an impact on raising boys' achievement. Most parents are positive about the school and their views are regularly sought and considered. One comment, typical of many was, 'The school is friendly and warming and the children are happy here. It takes into account the needs of individuals, welcoming the views of both parents and pupils.' Governance has significantly improved since the last inspection and is now good. Governors are knowledgeable and hard-working. They know the school's strengths and areas for development because they are becoming more proactive in the strategic monitoring of the school, and acting as a critical friend.

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Grade: 2

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

2 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children Hambrook Primary School, Moorend Road, Hambrook, Bristol, BS16 1SJ Thank you very much for welcoming us into your school. We really enjoyed our time with you and looking at your work. We were impressed with how polite and friendly you all were. You are right to be proud of your school, as it is a good school. What we particularly liked about your school: • Most of you behave very well, work hard and your headteacher and staff are effective in helping you learn and make good progress. • Teachers generally provide interesting lessons and help you enjoy yourselves and do well in your work. • You are well looked after and that helps to make you feel safe and happy. • You get on well together, show respect to everyone and know how important it is to help and look after others. • You know the importance of eating healthy food and enjoy regular exercise. • There are plenty of things to do outside lessons and many of you join clubs and other

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

activities, which is good. These are some things the school could do to improve: • Improve teaching and learning in some lessons to make them more interesting, particularly for boys, and to challenge more able children in Years 1 and 2. • Allow all your teachers the chance to check up on how well you learn in each subject and how subjects can be made more interesting for you. • Try to improve the size of your hall. Best wishes for the future. Ian Hancock Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambrook Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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