Hanbury CofE First School

Hanbury CofE First School Inspection report

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116816 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290644 Inspection number 14 June 2007 Inspection date Gulshanbir Kayembe 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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First Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °9 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 100 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Pinky Jain Chair Elfyn Charles Headteacher 3 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection School Road School address Hanbury Bromsgrove B60 4BS

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01527 821298 Telephone number 01527 821751 Fax number

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4 °9 Age group 14 June 2007 Inspection date 290644 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school draws about a third of its pupils from the local area but the majority come from further afield. The proportion eligible for a free school meal is well below average though this may not represent the real level of need because the school does not provide school dinners. Skill levels on entry are in line with national expectations. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties, including the number with a statement of need, is well below average. A small proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic groups. They are all fluent English speakers.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007

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Grade: 1

This school is outstanding. Children receive an excellent start to their education in the Reception because of the exciting and interesting curriculum and lively teaching. They make exceptionally good progress in their learning. Pupils in the rest of the school also make outstanding progress because teaching is excellent. They reach standards that are well above average by the end of Years 2 and 4. Pupils' outstanding achievement is a result of the school's excellent leadership and management and the clear direction for development provided by the headteacher. He and his staff work in a very focused and systematic way to enable pupils to do their best. They have been particularly successful in improving writing in Years 3 and 4, which was an issue at the time of the last inspection. Thorough and accurate self-evaluation is a key factor that has enabled staff to focus exceptionally well on the things that matter. The very methodical approach

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Grade: 1

to examining individual pupils' progress has enabled the school to set accurate and challenging targets for pupils' learning and to tailor work very effectively to meet the needs of individual pupils. It has also enabled the school to identify a small number, mostly those with learning difficulties, who make slower progress than the majority in aspects of reading, particularly in Year 3. This is being addressed by making more use of one-to-one reading sessions and by planning further improvements to curricular provision from September. Other pupils make significant progress in reading. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils enjoy school very much and their attendance is good. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils interact with one another exceptionally well. They have an excellent understanding of how to make healthy lifestyle choices and they enjoy eating fruit and taking exercise. Care, support and guidance are excellent.

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Grade: 1

The high level of personal care and support means that pupils feel safe and know how well they are doing. Whilst pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is outstanding, their understanding of life in a culturally diverse society is not quite as good. The school provides a good curriculum, but opportunities are missed for pupils to learn about the different cultures in Britain today. Given the outstanding progress pupils make in literacy and numeracy and their excellent social skills, they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education and future life. Governors work proactively with the school to ensure that it provides the best education possible for its pupils. They manage the budget well and ensure that the school achieves excellent value for money. Given the outstanding leadership and management and the track record in improvement since the last inspection, the school has excellent capacity for even further

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils with learning difficulties are provided with reading programmes that meet their needs and enable them to make as good progress as others. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn from first hand experiences about the different cultures in British society.

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Grade: 1

Standards are above average by the end of Reception and children make marked progress. The results in national assessments in Year 2 in 2006 were well above average in reading, writing 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007 and mathematics. Pupils currently in Year 2 are reaching standards that are equally good. Assessment data show that pupils in Years 3 and 4 have made excellent strides in literacy and numeracy since starting school. Standards in science and information and communication technology (ICT) are also high. Pupils' achievement has improved significantly since the last inspection and now pupils achieve exceptionally well especially in writing and mathematics. They make very good progress in learning to read. However, a few make more limited progress in developing their capacity to explain the information in the texts they are working on or to read between the lines. These pupils tend to be those with learning difficulties and, on the

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Grade: 1

whole, find this aspect of reading a challenge. The small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as others.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding. They enjoy school and this is reflected in their good attendance. Children get off to a good start in Reception, quickly developing social skills and learning to be independent, largely as a result of very high expectations and effective adult support. From Year 1 onwards, pupils continue to make outstanding progress in developing excellent personal and social skills, growing in confidence and establishing lasting relationships with one another and with their teachers. As a result of these, pupils work exceptionally well in groups and on their own. Their behaviour and attitudes to work are excellent. Outstanding provision for health awareness and physical education enables pupils to not only develop a very clear understanding of how to live healthy lives but also to put into practice what they have learned. Pupils make an outstanding contribution to both the school and wider community.

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Grade: 1

Those on the school council take their roles and responsibilities very seriously and successfully initiate a number of improvements to school life including a 'solar powered lily fountain to help the environment'. Spiritual, moral and social awareness is outstanding. Pupils value the views of others and have a good sense of community spirit. Their cultural awareness is good overall. Whilst pupils learn about other cultures, their limited personal experiences of these mean they do not always develop deeper insights about people whose way of life might be different from theirs. By the end of Year 4, their excellent basic skills and very well developed social skills prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 1

Teaching, including in the Foundation Stage, is excellent, and pupils make excellent progress as a result. Teachers have in-depth subject knowledge which they use very well to provide clear and coherent explanations to pupils. Lessons are very well planned so that they take into account the needs of individual pupils. Activities are interesting and exceptionally well structured so that they meet pupils' learning needs and capture their interests. Younger pupils are provided with a wide range of practical tasks that immediately engage them and enable them to make excellent progress. Teaching assistants are very well deployed and make a significant impact on pupils' learning. Excellent use is made of interactive whiteboards for pupils to, for example, solve a mathematical problem or analyse a piece of text with the teacher before going off to do these on their own or in small groups. Questioning is exceptionally well used to help pupils

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Grade: 1

think for themselves. The school has a wide range of assessment procedures, and pupils' work is very thoroughly checked. Parents have access at home to computer based assessments of 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007 their children's progress enabling them to proactively support their children's learning. One parent summed it up by noting: 'We are very pleased with our daughter's progress. It is a lovely school with varied activities and all the teachers are so supportive and kind to the children.'

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has some outstanding features. It provides most pupils with a high level of challenge and a rich range of experiences. An excellent programme of social and health education promotes growing independence and confidence. The close attention given to pupils' writing and number skills has enabled pupils to reach very high standards in these areas. The excellent resources for, and the very effective use of, ICT to support work across the curriculum is having a significant effect on the quality of learning. The curriculum for children in Reception is outstanding. Excellent opportunities for role play significantly aid children's learning. A recent curriculum innovation, the Forest School, successfully raises pupils' awareness and understanding of the outdoor world and makes a significant contribution to their spiritual development. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good overall but the school recognises the need

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Grade: 2

to fine tune provision for teaching reading skills for some. The curriculum is enriched well by a wide range of visits and visitors. Provision for extra-curricular activities is outstanding and contributes to pupils' personal development.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are excellent and make a significant contribution to individual pupils' personal and academic development. Pupils are given challenging targets to aim for in literacy and numeracy; these are meaningful to them and they work hard to achieve them. Excellent systems are in place for tracking pupils' progress. Any pupils who may not be making the expected progress are identified quickly and supported to ensure they do not fall behind. In addition, teachers provide pupils with very good guidance on how to improve their work. Staff know their pupils extremely well and pay very close attention to their health, safety and well-being. Robust procedures are in place to ensure their protection. As a result, pupils say they feel safe and well cared for in school.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher provides a very clear direction for future development. The school promotes a positive ethos which is valued by parents. Teamwork amongst staff is excellent and provides a model for pupils to copy. Rigorous systems for checking the work of the school enable staff to identify the right issues for improvement. Given the small size of the school, an exceptionally well balanced combination of formal and informal methods is used to manage performance. The roles of subject leaders and other managers are very well developed so they actively influence developments in their areas of responsibility. Governors provide excellent oversight of the school's performance and ask challenging questions about its work. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 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? 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 Yes 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? 1 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?

1 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 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

18 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hanbury C of E First School, Hanbury, B60 4BS We enjoyed our time at your school very much and we particularly liked visiting your classrooms and talking to you. We would like to thank you for making us feel welcome. The school is providing you with an outstanding education. We saw many things that were excellent including ways in which you help to make the school a better place. • You are exceptionally well behaved and enjoy lessons immensely. • Children in Reception get an excellent start to their education. • Teaching is outstanding and lessons are very well planned, enabling you to make excellent progress in your learning. • You are exceptionally well cared for and looked after and, as a result, you feel safe and happy at school. • Your teachers help you to understand how you can make your work better. • Your headteacher works with the staff to make sure that the school is the best it can be.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are some things that could be better. • Providing a few of you with a little more help to improve your understanding of the books you read. • Providing more opportunities for you to learn from first hand experiences about the different kinds of people living in Britain today, for example by making links with a school where there are a lot more pupils from different cultures. You can certainly help to improve the school by continuing to work hard and continuing to enjoy school. We wish you all well in the future. Gulshan Kayembe Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Hanbury CofE First School, 14 June 2007

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