Hart Primary School

111522 Unique Reference Number Hartlepool Local Authority 288983 Inspection number 8 °9 March 2007 Inspection dates Barbara Hudson 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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Magdalene Drive School address Primary Type of school Hart Village, Hartlepool Community School category TS27 3AP 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01429 273283 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01429 273283 Fax number 93 Number on roll (school) Reverend John Lund Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Stephen McDonnell Headteacher 1 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288983 8 °9 March 2007 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Hart Primary is a much smaller than average sized school. There are fewer pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and fewer with learning difficulties and/or disabilities than in many schools. No pupil is eligible for free school meals. The school has more boys than girls. It has achieved the Basic Skills Quality Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Pupils flourish in the small, friendly ‘family’ type atmosphere created by all staff. Pupils enjoy school, behave well and attend very regularly. They say that the wide range of in- school and extra-curricular physical education and music activities contribute to their enjoyment of school. They make a good contribution to the school and wider community although the temporary suspension of the school council has reduced the children’s opportunities to contribute to its development. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education. Most parents are very supportive of the school. They recognise the strong family atmosphere in which children are encouraged and supported to do their best. Pupils achieve well and the standards they attain in national tests are usually above or well above the national average. Children make a good start in school because the

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Grade: 2

range of activities and the teaching in the Foundation Stage are good. Pupils’ progress from Year 1 to Year 6 is good. In Years 1 and 2 pupils often make excellent progress. At the end of Year 2, standards in the national assessments are very high in reading, writing and mathematics. In the Year 6 tests in recent years, pupils reach standards that are above or well above the national average in English and mathematics and average in science. Since 2003, science has had the weakest test results. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and generally satisfactory progress in science. Good teaching and an interesting and relevant curriculum make a significant contribution to the standards achieved by the pupils. Teachers know their pupils well. This means they set work that meets their needs and captures their interest. Teaching assistants provide effective support for individuals and groups. Pupils, however, are

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Grade: 2

not always aware of how they can improve their work. All members of staff are highly committed and provide good quality care for the pupils. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has successfully guided and supported staff and governors towards becoming more active in identifying strengths and weaknesses in the school. Although the staff have accurately identified the school’s strengths and areas for development, the lack of a robust evidence base often leads to more initiatives than a small school can undertake. Governors discharge their duties well. Resources are deployed efficiently and effectively to achieve good value for money. The higher than average budget surplus is used effectively to develop the teaching areas. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection and its capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards and achievement in science. • Make sure the pupils understand the next steps in their learning. • Improve the evidence base upon which the decisions for future improvements are taken. 2 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a high attaining school where pupils’ achievement is good. Most children start school with skills that are average but the full range of attainment is present. They make a good start in the Foundation Stage and by the end of the Reception year most exceed the learning goals expected for children of their age. At the end of Year 2, standards are usually very high in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, standards are usually at least above average in English and mathematics and average in science. These standards represent good progress overall in relation to their starting points. Science, since 2003, has been the weakest core subject. The progress pupils make from the end of Reception to the end of Year 6 is good. In Years 1 and 2, it is often excellent. Throughout the school, there is no discernible pattern in the differences in the achievement of boys and girls. Higher achieving pupils make good progress in

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Grade: 2

mathematics and reading whereas in writing and science progress is satisfactory. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and satisfactory progress in science. Work in pupils’ books and the records kept by the school confirm that variations in the rate of progress in different years are the result of the characteristics and composition of the small number of pupils in each year group.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are excellent. Pupils have a very positive attitude to school and work hard in lessons. Their behaviour is good. The school’s pupil questionnaires, what the pupils say and their excellent attendance confirms that they find school very enjoyable. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep safe. Pupils adopt very healthy lifestyles because of the school’s excellent provision for physical education activities, a clear focus on healthy food and a rich personal, social and health education curriculum. Pupils make a positive contribution to the school and local community. They are, however, concerned about the temporary suspension of the school council as this reduces their opportunities to have a say in the way the school could improve. The high standards achieved in the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology and their ability to work

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Grade: 1

together prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education and life after school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have a sound understanding of life in different cultures. 3 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ high standards and good progress are the result of good teaching and learning. Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent. Pupils are keen to participate and contribute to lessons. Most lessons are well planned and move at a brisk pace where pupils consolidate and extend their skills and understanding. Marking of pupils’ work is effective and most know what they do well. Pupils however, are not always clear about what they need to do next to improve their work. This is partly because of an inconsistent approach to target setting within the school. In science, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to design and conduct experiments without too much adult intervention. This contributes to the slower progress in science than in the other subjects. Teaching assistants make an important and effective contribution to pupils’ learning. They help pupils with their thinking, reading, speaking, reasoning and listening skills.

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Grade: 2

All teaching assistants are specifically trained and provide a good level of support for pupils who are experiencing emotional difficulties.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum. It is broad and relevant and good adaptations are made to ensure that all pupils are given opportunities to succeed. Teachers are good at integrating writing across the curriculum and this has ensured that the gap between reading and writing attainment at the end of Year 6 is narrowing. The very effective personal, social and health education curriculum contributes to the pupils’ excellent understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. The recent introduction of French, a good number of visits and visitors, and the excellent range of in-school and extra-curricular opportunities for music and physical activities makes the curriculum interesting, varied and enjoyable for the pupils.

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Grade: 2

Care guidance and support are good. Staff are very committed and provide high quality care for pupils. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place. In the school’s friendly and ‘family like’ supportive environment, pupils achieve high standards and develop very positive attitudes to their work. The progress of individual pupils is now tracked rigorously and this ensures that effective interventions are quickly put into place if a pupil falls behind. The school’s procedures for helping pupils know what they need to do next to improve their work are not consistent and this detracts from their overall performance. 4 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

The good impact of leadership and management is seen clearly in the progress pupils make in their academic achievements and personal development. All of the staff work as a very effective team. The headteacher has successfully guided staff and governors towards being involved in making decisions about how the school can be improved. Their understanding of the school’s strengths and where improvements need to be made are not based on a robust monitoring and evaluating system. This means staff are not always confident that they are addressing the key priorities for the school and sometimes they try to cover too many. Governors have a good range of expertise and are strong supporters of the school. Parents are very supportive. Most feel well informed about what is being taught and the progress their own child is making. However, they are not fully informed about how they can help their children to improve.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 .

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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: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 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 3 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 1 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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 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? 8 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Hart Primary School Magdalene Drive Hart Village Hartlepool TS27 3AP 8 March 2007 Dear Children Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed being in your school very much. I found all of the children, staff and governors very helpful and I very much appreciate the honest way in which you talked to me about your school. You all helped me to understand how your school works. I am pleased to tell you that I agree with you that Hart Primary School is a good school. I was particularly impressed with the hard work you do in lessons and the high standards that you reach. I was so pleased with your good behaviour and how you are kind and friendly to each other. It was good to see how you respect the adults who work with you. The lessons the teachers provide for you are good and you appeared to enjoy them and the after-school clubs that are provided for you. You do, however, miss the school council and your headteacher tells

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

me that this will be re-instated very soon. Your parents wrote to me and told me that they found the school a very caring place and this was very evident. They also said that the adults in the school give you a good education and encourage you to do your best. I agree with your parents. The staff and governors are working hard to make your school an even better place. They have an accurate understanding of what is good at your school and what needs to improve. I have asked your headteacher to improve the way in which he gathers the information to make your school better. I have asked your teachers to help you to do better in science and to tell you what you need to learn next so that you can do even better. With very best wishes for your future Yours sincerely, Barbara Hudson Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Hart Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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