Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School

Inspection Report Hatfield Peverel Infant School

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114974 Unique Reference Number ESSEX Local Authority 290092 Inspection number 21 °22 February 2007 Inspection dates Alison Pangbourne 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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Church Road School address Infant Type of school Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford Community School category

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Essex CM3 2RP 4 °7 Age range of pupils 01245 380220 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01245 382490 Fax number 160 Number on roll (school) Mr Vince Webb Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Marrie Webster Headteacher 19 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290092 21 °22 February 2007 4°7 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

This school is of average size. Most pupils come from White British families with a few from minority ethnic backgrounds. Very few are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The attainment of most, but not all, children on starting school is significantly below average, particularly in social and language development. Attainment on entry has declined in recent years. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is below average, as is the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals. The school has strong links with the privately run nursery and the junior school on the same site.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Parents are positive about it. One wrote, 'The school offers a friendly, welcoming ethos which has helped our daughter to settle into school easily.' The pupils also endorse this saying, 'It's fun. The teachers make it easy for you and help you.' Pupils' personal development is good. They become confident to take on a range of responsibilities because they receive good care, support and guidance. Their behaviour is good and they are polite and friendly to visitors. The outstanding emphasis on healthy lifestyles means that they have an excellent understanding of fitness and a healthy diet. The school is developing a school council to give pupils a greater role in the running of the school. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the good curriculum with its range of visits and visitors. They especially enjoy the 'Friday' sessions where they work in groups from across the classes to pursue a wide range of activities in depth, such as cookery, gardening and art. They

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Grade: 2

say 'We get to meet all our friends and do a lot of activities.' Parents say that on Fridays their children talk with real enthusiasm about what they have done in school. There is good provision for those who have learning difficulties or disabilities and for those who speak English as an additional language. Pupils are set challenging targets and achieve well. Children get off to a good start in the Reception classes but most do not reach the expected standard by the beginning of Year 1, particularly in language and social skills, because they have so much ground to make up. In recent years, standards have been broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2. In 2006, standards were above average, being the highest that the school has ever achieved. Extra support helped these pupils do so well. However, the proportion of pupils who exceeded the expected standard was broadly average.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well because the quality of teaching and learning is good. Support staff give effective help, and tasks are generally well matched to pupils' needs. Although the school gives effective support to those who are more able, for example through the 'Thinkers Club' run by the headteacher and through extra support with writing, sometimes activities in lessons are not consistently challenging and this impacts negatively on their progress. Pupils have individual targets to help them improve, but the school has recently re-evaluated its system for setting targets and this is too new for the pupils to have a good understanding of what they need to do to improve. The school's success is due to good leadership and management. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher thoroughly monitor progress and strive for excellence. They have an accurate view of how well the school is doing and work well together to

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Grade: 2

bring about improvement. Subject leaders fulfil their roles well, but where subjects are managed by two teachers, they are still developing the best way of fulfilling their roles most effectively. Governance is good and the governors are continually working to ensure that they can carry out their roles to the best of their ability. Value for money 2 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007 is good and the improvements that have taken place since the previous inspection show that the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards by improving the challenge for more able pupils in some lessons, to enable more to exceed the level expected for their age. • Develop the recently reviewed system for setting individual targets for pupils, so that it is consistent across the school and pupils have a good understanding of what they have to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in the Reception classes because the teaching is good and they are offered interesting things to do. There is a strong emphasis on developing social and language skills because these are underdeveloped for many children when they start school. Most children do not reach the standards expected by the beginning of Year 1 because they have a lot of catching up to do in relation to their lower than expected starting points. Pupils make good progress through Years 1 and 2. Achievement is good. This is reflected in the Year 2 assessments for 2006, where standards had risen to above average in writing and mathematics and average in reading from below average when they started school. In the last few years standards by Year 2 have been broadly average.

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Grade: 2

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school. Attendance is above average because they want to come. The behaviour of the vast majority of pupils in lessons and around the school is good, although sometimes the behaviour of a few pupils is inappropriate and disturbs others. Pupils develop an excellent understanding of healthy living and are keen to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They are eager to take responsibilities such as setting out equipment in the hall for assemblies. Many are ready to contribute to the school's development by being members of the planned school council. Pupils develop good spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness through their celebrations of different festivals and the caring ethos of the school. They develop their confidence and their knowledge and understanding of other cultures well. For example when children in the Reception classes shared their work on Chinese New Year with the rest of the

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Grade: 2

school. Pupils raise money for various charities and remember local citizens when celebrating Harvest Festival. They develop their social skills well and a have a good grounding for the next stage in their education through the emphasis on literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. 3 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Teachers use questions well to include all pupils and develop their learning. Teaching assistants are used effectively, particularly for pupils with learning difficulties and this helps them do well. Teachers have high expectations and, in the best lessons, encourage pupils to produce 'quality' work. Teachers make learning enjoyable and consequently pupils try to do their best. Occasionally, pupils take too long moving to their tasks and this impinges on the time left for activities. Good assessment means that tasks are generally well matched to the needs of the pupils. However, in some lessons, activities for more able pupils are too similar to those offered to others and this impacts negatively on their progress. The school encourages pupils to evaluate their own work so that they can take more responsibility for their own learning. This begins in the Reception classes, where children use 'traffic light' cards to evaluate their own singing.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has some outstanding features. It is well planned and adapted effectively to meet the needs of most pupils. The strong creative focus ensures that pupils are engaged and enjoy their lessons. The 'Friday' sessions effectively provide pupils of all ages with an innovative approach to learning, helping them to learn and develop their social skills. This contributes to the rising standards and improved social skills. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of extra curricular activities. Educational visits and visitors bring learning alive. High quality displays celebrate and acknowledge pupils' work. Much of the pupils' art work is of high quality. Basic skills are developed well in other subjects. Fibre optics and ultra violet lights are used well in the unusual sensory area as a stimulus for writing. The school is making good progress in improving provision for the more able pupils, but this remains an area for further development.

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Grade: 2

All necessary safeguarding procedures are in place. There are many established support procedures and good links with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils receive good support and achieve as well as they can. Pupils are confident that there is always someone on hand to deal with their concerns or problems. Strategies to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and the few who speak English as an additional language are good. Each pupil's progress is closely tracked and targets are set to help them succeed. The school has recently re-evaluated the way in which targets are set for individuals but, because it is so new, not all pupils are familiar with what they have to do to improve. 4 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The headteacher successfully promotes an inclusive and supportive environment where pupils achieve well and develop their social skills effectively. She and the deputy headteacher work together to thoroughly monitor standards and achievement and to identify areas for improvement. As a result, standards are rising. The school has already identified that more able pupils could do better and has introduced several initiatives to stretch them. The headteacher is committed to broadening the experience of her staff to motivate them and to benefit the school. For example, there are close links with other local schools, particularly to support the more able pupils, and the school continues to be involved in further action-based research activities following on from its recent work on speaking and listening skills. All these things impact positively on standards. There is a strong sense of team spirit amongst teachers, governors and

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Grade: 2

support staff. All fulfil their management roles effectively. However, some subject leaders share their responsibilities and are working together to ensure that this is effective. Governance is good. Some new governors are still developing their roles in order to be even more effective. 5 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 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: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 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 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? 3 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 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 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: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 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: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 February 2007 Dear Children, Hatfield Peverel Infant School, Church Road, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 2RP Thank you for helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. We would like to tell you what we found out. You told us that you liked your school because learning is fun and we agree with you. You have lots of interesting things to do in lessons. We thought your 'Friday' activities were very good and we wish we could have seen you doing them. We thought most of you behaved well and that you were polite to visitors. All the grown ups look after you well and help you to learn. If you find learning hard you get lots of help. Your families know that you go to a good school. We have asked your teachers to help those of you who find it easy to learn to do even better. You can help by trying as hard as you can. Most of you have new targets so that you know

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

what to do to improve and we have asked the teachers to make sure that you all have them and understand what to do to improve. We hope you carry on enjoying your time at Hatfield Peverel Infant School and do well in your next school. Best wishes Alison Pangbourne Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Hatfield Peverel Infant School, 21 °22 February 2007

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