Hemsby Primary School

120816 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK Local Authority 291866 Inspection number 26 June 2007 Inspection date Philip Mann HMI 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 Community School category 4 °8 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 107 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Felicity Daniels Chair Miss Julia Smith Headteacher 5 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection School Loke School address Hemsby Great Yarmouth Norfolk NR29 4LH

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01493 730364 Telephone number 01493 732850 Fax number

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4 °8 Age group 26 June 2007 Inspection date 291866 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hemsby First School is a relatively small school located in the village of Hemsby near Great Yarmouth. The children's starting points are below average in the Reception class and particularly so in literacy and personal and social skills. About a quarter of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, which is above average. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is also above average. The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and there are currently only a very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The school is about to embark on a period of reorganisation from first school to primary status.

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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: Hemsby First School, 26 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Hemsby First is a good school. Inspection judgements are in broad agreement with the self-evaluation of the school. A positive climate for learning has been established and good teamwork amongst the staff ensures that all pupils achieve well. The vast majority of parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Comments such as, 'I am confident that when I drop my child off at school they will be safe, happy, well educated, competent and very well cared for,' epitomise what many think. Parents are right to express this view because the quality of education is good. Teachers endeavour to provide a wide range of interesting activities for all abilities. As a result, pupils work hard and many attain above average standards in literacy and numeracy by the end of Year 3. Planning is thorough and teachers use information and communication technology (ICT) well to make lessons interesting and support pupils in their learning. The provision for

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Grade: 2

children in the Foundation Stage is good and these children make good progress. Pupils behave well and their attitudes to learning and relationships with others are very positive. They respond well to good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Participation in the class and school councils ensures pupils make a good contribution to their community and prepares them well for the future and economic well-being. All staff provide good levels of care, support and guidance for pupils. Furthermore, teaching assistants make a significant contribution to the progress made by pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. The monitoring and assessment of pupil progress is detailed and thorough. Information gathered is used well to set targets for improvement and to tailor support to meet the needs of individual pupils. Leadership and management of the school are good overall. The headteacher and governing

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Grade: 2

body have worked tirelessly to try to ensure a smooth transition to primary status this year. Good partnerships have been effectively established with the community and other supportive bodies. Planning for school improvement is well structured and procedures for self-evaluation and review are satisfactory. However, procedures for monitoring teaching and learning, and the overall quality of education lack sufficient rigour to have a significant impact on future school improvement. Governance is satisfactory. Individual governors have provided good levels of support during the lengthy period of building work in readiness for a change to primary status. In contrast, procedures for monitoring the work of the school, although adequate, are less secure and based on informal observations rather than formal evaluations. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. • Ensure governors play a greater role in monitoring the work of the school.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Children enter the Reception class with levels of attainment that are below average. They make good progress but start Year 1 at levels that are still slightly below those expected for children of a similar age in literacy and personal and social skills. Progress remains good across Key Stage 1. Standards have generally been above 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 June 2007 average since the previous inspection but with a downward trend in mathematics to average levels in the 2006 national assessments. Good teaching has addressed this issue and teacher assessments this year in reading, writing and mathematics confirm above average standards at the end of Key Stage 1 in all three areas. Good progress is also sustained in Year 3 to ensure these pupils attain good standards in English and mathematics. There are no significant differences between the achievement of boys and girls. Good levels of challenge are provided

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Grade: 2

in lessons for more able pupils. Effective levels of support and carefully planned activities enable pupils with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language to make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils behave well and persevere with the tasks set for them. They enjoy school and display positive attitudes towards learning. They are very keen to answer the teachers' questions but their enthusiasm sometimes prevents them from listening to what others have to say. Attendance has improved and it is now broadly average. Relationships between pupils and with adults are very positive and this is a key strength of the school. Discussions with pupils confirm they possess a good awareness of how to stay healthy and safe. Pupils also state that there is now very little bullying and when it occurs they are confident that staff will deal with it effectively. Pupils respond well to good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They demonstrate a good development of citizenship skills through participation in class and school council activities. Such activities,

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Grade: 2

combined with good progress in basic skills, are preparing pupils effectively for their next stage in schooling and future adulthood.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. All teachers plan lessons carefully and provide good opportunities for the reinforcement of literacy and numeracy skills. High quality assessment information is used well to ensure a good match of tasks to the ability of all pupils. Classroom management is good and all teachers make good use of ICT and interactive whiteboards to engage pupils in their learning. Teamwork is a strong feature and teaching assistants are used effectively to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. All teachers make good use of practical activities and investigations to make learning more interesting and challenge the thinking of more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality. It is broad and balanced with a good range of extra activities to enrich pupils' learning. Planning is consistently good across the school with effective links established between subjects. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is also good. There is a good balance between adult led activities for these children and the many opportunities to make choices related to their own learning. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is good and those who speak English as an additional language are provided with appropriate levels of support when required. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are robust and applied rigorously. Comments such as, 'The school is more like a large family who cares for every child's welfare,' typify the positive views expressed by many parents about the level of care provided by staff. Pupils new to the school quickly settle in and make good progress. Those with specific learning needs respond well to good levels of support. The achievements of all pupils are recorded carefully and monitored regularly to ensure good progress is maintained.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher has led the school well through a period of reorganisation and change in readiness for primary status. Day-to-day management is good and the headteacher has created an effective team to facilitate the good achievement of pupils. Teamwork is a strong feature. A positive climate for learning has been established where all pupils are valued as individuals. The partnership with parents is good and many feel that their views are carefully considered before major decisions are taken. Planning for school reorganisation and improvement is thorough. Action plans are appropriate, carefully thought through and monitored well by the governing body to ensure timescales are adhered to. In contrast, the head teacher and governors recognise that procedures for self-evaluation and review lack the rigour needed to ensure good standards are maintained and further improved.

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Grade: 2

6 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 June 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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 3 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 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: Hemsby First School, 26 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hemsby First School, Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, NR29 4LH I really enjoyed visiting your school and would like to thank you all for making me feel so welcome. What is so good to see is the way you all love taking part in all the good things that the staff do for you. You clearly enjoy being at school and are keen to talk about your experiences with others. It is such a pleasure to see you all playing happily together even on a very wet day! I noticed that you all work very hard in lessons and your behaviour is good. This is because the teachers and other staff work very hard as a team to make lessons interesting for you. Miss Smith manages the school well and under her guidance all the staff work effectively together to ensure that you all make good progress. Much of her time has been taken up with the new building programme and changes to the school, leaving little time for her to watch the work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of the teachers. This is something she will be trying to do more of in the future. The governors make every effort to make sure that your headteacher and staff are given all the support that they need so that the school is run smoothly. In the future, the governors are going to work more closely with the staff to learn what might be needed to make the school even better. Wishing you all the very best for the future, Philip Mann HMI 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Hemsby First School, 26 June 2007

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