Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School

Inspection Report Hardwick Community Primary School

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110748 Unique Reference Number CAMBRIDGESHIRE Local Authority 288760 Inspection number 29 °30 November 2006 Inspection dates Joyce Cox 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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Limes Road School address Primary Type of school Hardwick, Hardwick Community School category Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 7QR 4 °11 Age range of pupils

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01954 210070 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01954 210095 Fax number 236 Number on roll (school) Mrs Jane Cadwalladr Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ruth French Headteacher 21 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288760 29 °30 November 2006 4°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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average size primary school serving a large village of predominately owner-occupied housing on the outskirts of Cambridge. Few pupils are eligible for free school meals. The majority of the pupils are White British with eight per cent of pupils from minority ethnic families. A smaller than usual number of pupils has learning difficulties and/or disabilities or statements of special educational need. Children start school with very varied skills and knowledge but attainment is average overall although below average in language development. There has been a significant turnover in staffing within the last two years, including the appointment of a new headteacher and deputy. The school is currently working towards a Healthy Schools award and has recently achieved an Active Mark accreditation.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good and rapidly improving school. Good teaching ensures that all pupils, and in particular those with learning difficulties, achieve well. Children in the Foundation Stage get a good start and attain the expected level on entry to Year 1. The outdoor area for Reception children requires additional resources so that children can experience as good an outdoor curriculum as they do indoors. Lively teaching in the infant classes, where learning is made fun, with excellent use of computer technology, results in pupils making good progress. By the end of Year 2 they attain average standards which are rapidly improving. Good teaching and progress continue in the junior classes, where highly skilful planning makes sure that pupils of different ages and abilities receive challenging and interesting work. As a result, Year 6 pupils attain above average standards by the time they leave the school. Senior leaders keep meticulous records

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Grade: 2

of how well pupils are doing, making it easy to track pupils' progress. The school is currently improving the way teachers mark pupils' work and has begun to set targets so pupils know exactly what they do well and how to improve their work. Parents overwhelmingly believe that their children are getting a good education. One writes, 'In my opinion this is an excellent school with a very friendly approach.' Pupils' personal development is outstanding. They flourish and do well in lessons and grow into confident, enthusiastic and active learners who enjoy the nourishing school meals and the excellent variety of sports available. Pupils are very well cared for and say they feel very safe in school and that their views are listened to and acted upon. Older pupils are very involved in all aspects of school life and happily support younger children; they also make a real difference by being play leaders, fruit deliverers and

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Grade: 2

school councillors. All pupils enjoy the interesting and stimulating curriculum and in particular attending the numerous clubs, visits and special events such as Victorian, Roman and pirate days and a mock wedding. Eighty pupils are in the highly successful school choir which performs enthusiastically at school and village events. The school provides good value for money. Strong, intelligent leadership and management have moved the school forward rapidly and the school has a very accurate view of its own effectiveness. The school's capacity to improve is very good as demonstrated in improving standards in national tests. There has been very good improvement since the last inspection in terms of monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and in involving all staff in school improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make sure that all teachers use marking and target setting effectively to tell pupils how to improve their work. • Improve the outdoor facilities for Reception children. 2 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress and attain the expected levels on entry to Year 1. Year 1 and 2 pupils continue to achieve well and attain slightly above average and improving standards. Standards improved considerably in the 2006 teacher assessments and were above average in writing and mathematics. There was also a significant rise in the number of pupils attaining the higher level 3 due to challenging teaching. Pupils achieve well in Years 3 to 6 and standards over the last five years have been above average in English, mathematics and science. The school sets increasingly challenging targets which are normally met in national tests. There is no significant variation in the achievement of different groups of pupils, and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve as well as their peers.

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Grade: 1

Personal development, including moral and social development, is outstanding. Spiritual and cultural development are good. Pupils' behaviour and social skills are exemplary. By Year 6 they are polite, articulate and welcoming. They value their school highly due to the high quality of relationships which exist between pupils and staff and the high quality guidance they receive. Pupils enjoy lessons and the wide range of enrichment activities available. In return they put much back into the school and the local community through the school council, charitable fund raising and the school choir's performance at King's College Chapel, for example. Attendance is very good due to pupils' love of school and the school's high expectations of them. Pupils are safety conscious and have an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. In addition to their mature attitudes and co-operative nature in work and play pupils leave school

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Grade: 1

with a good standard of skill in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) that helps to prepare them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, resulting in good progress. Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils and work hard to make lessons interesting. Where relevant, learning is related to the theme the class is following and this increases pupils' engagement and enjoyment. Thorough assessment and tracking systems enable teachers to know their pupils well and to provide an appropriate degree of challenge. Teachers make the learning intentions of their lessons clear to their pupils so that they know what they are to learn. Although in some classes very good use is made of pupils assessing their own work, there is an inconsistency across classes and across subjects in the purpose and quality of marking. In a small number of classes there is also an 3 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 over reliance on worksheets to support learning in science. This limits pupils'

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Grade: 2

opportunities to make decisions about recording the results of investigations. Talented teaching assistants and volunteers are well directed and provide strong support to all pupils.

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Grade: 2

The school is highly successful in achieving its aim to make the curriculum so enjoyable that it 'makes memories' for its pupils. It is well matched to the needs of different groups. The extensive range of visits, visitors and themed weeks and events means that the enrichment of the curriculum is outstanding. A good example of this was the 'Hindu Wedding' last May which was the climax to an Indian arts week. Clubs are very well supported and are arranged to enhance other opportunities available locally. Music and physical education are particular strengths. The relevance of the curriculum and the interest it creates contributes to pupils' outstanding personal development. Children in the Foundation Stage get off to a good start with interesting and exciting activities. However, the outdoor area is rather small, unexciting and restricts certain aspects of the children's learning. Good opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy

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Grade: 2

and ICT skills across the curriculum mean that pupils are well prepared for the future world of work.

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Grade: 2

Care support and guidance are good. Pupils receive outstanding support for their personal development. The school's arrangements for protecting pupils are comprehensive and of a good quality. As a result of very clear school rules and information for pupils about the quality of their behaviour, the school is a safe place. The school's ethos is positive and caring due to the high expectations of the headteacher and all the staff. New procedures for using the information gathered on achievement, and improving the quality of marking are being put to increasingly effective use to plan lessons and enable pupils to better understand what they should learn but it is too early to judge their impact. Pupils are being taught to evaluate their own work and their progress towards their targets but this work is also relatively new and not yet used consistently in all classes.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, working closely with the deputy headteacher, has successfully made many improvements to curriculum planning, teaching, subject leadership and assessment. Senior leaders have a very accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They are ably supported by a good governing body which is committed to the continuous improvement of its own role and of the school itself. A good programme has been 4 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 implemented to check and improve teaching and learning which has led to improved standards throughout the school. Senior leaders have also made significant strides forward in involving all staff more in school improvement. All teachers have leadership roles and subject leaders have an increasingly significant impact on learners' achievement. The headteacher has established very good links with other local schools

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Grade: 2

and external agencies to promote pupils' well-being. Virtually all parents speak highly of the school and feel that it is very well led and managed. One comments, 'The head and deputy work very well together and are great assets to the school.' Senior leaders' hard work, commitment and purposeful leadership have moved the school forward rapidly. The development plan is sharply focused on the correct areas to improve based on a rigorous analysis of pupils' achievements. Therefore the school shows a very good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 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? 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 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: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 December 2006 Dear Pupils Hardwick Community Primary School, Limes Road, Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, CB3 7QR Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to inspect your school recently. We enjoyed joining some of you for lunch, talking with you and seeing you at work and play. This letter is to tell you what we think is good about your school and how it could be even better. These are the particularly good things about your school • Your excellent behaviour and your enthusiasm for lessons and other activities. • The very good relationships you have with one another and with the staff. • The interesting and wide range of activities that you all enjoy. • The skilful way in which the headteacher and deputy headteacher make sure you make good progress in your work. • The very caring way you are looked after and supported by adults in the school. • The fact you are aware of the importance of eating healthily and taking lots of exercise.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Theses are the things we have suggested those in charge do to make it even better • Make sure that teachers tell you how you can make your work even better. • Give Reception children more exciting and stimulating outdoor activities. It was great to learn that you are doing so well at school and that your parents are so happy too. Your headteacher, governors and teachers have very good plans to make the school even better. You can play your part by continuing to work hard and look after each other. We wish you all the very best for the future. Joyce Cox (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Hardwick Community Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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