Hunmanby Primary School

Hunmanby Primary School Inspection report

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121451 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292117 Inspection number 18 April 2007 Inspection date Roger Gill 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 235 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Milnes Chair Mrs Janine Lees Headteacher 25 November 2002 Date of previous school inspection Priest Close School address Hunmanby Filey North Yorkshire YO14 0QH

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01723 890350 Telephone number 01723 892372 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 18 April 2007 Inspection date 292117 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This average sized school is situated in a semi-rural area that contains a typical range of family backgrounds. The vast majority of children are from White British families. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are below average in number. The school has had several headteachers since it was last inspected. The present headteacher has been in post for one year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007

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Grade: 3

Hunmanby is a satisfactory school, which is improving at a fast pace. It has had several permanent or acting headteachers in the last five years. This has taken its toll on the quality of teaching and learning because it was not checked and developed in a consistent fashion. Moreover, a deficit budget and the resultant staff redundancy caused more changes. These had an adverse effect on children's progress. Attainment in Year 2 fell dramatically from above the national average in 2002 to below it in 2005 and 2006. So, children in Year 2 were underachieving until this year when standards have risen. In 2006, standards at the end of Year 6 were above the national average, which represented satisfactory achievement for these pupils. Currently, children, throughout the school, are achieving adequately. Children's personal development and well-being are satisfactory, largely due to the sound care, support and guidance they receive. They generally appreciate what the school has to offer.

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Grade: 3

The vast majority act safely, have a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the satisfactory curriculum. There is a good range of additional activities, such as outward bound style residential visits, which boost children's self-esteem a great deal. Pupils join in with the workings of the school council in a positive and responsible manner. However, at times, a minority of older children behave in an anti-social way which can disrupt learning and cause disharmony at lunchtime. This does not prevent behaviour from being satisfactory overall: a number of measures have been taken to eliminate this problem, which have had some success already. Issues identified at the school's previous inspection to improve resources in the Foundation Stage and to improve the role of the subject leaders have only just been addressed. The lack of action over a number of years caused the school to slip behind in maintaining its good

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Grade: 3

practice and implementing new initiatives. For example, children's progress in writing had not been thoroughly checked. As a result, children are not doing as well as they could and standards have fallen to below average. The new headteacher has led with outstanding tenacity to reintroduce stability and structure to the school. A great deal has been achieved in a relatively short time. The school is back on course; effective steps have been taken to remedy weaknesses that have occurred since 2002. This is not only the inspection judgement, but the view of children, staff, governors and many parents. Children are no longer underachieving because the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory across the school. This improvement alone demonstrates that there is a good capacity for further improvement. The school is entirely accurate in its assessment of itself, but the effect of this analysis is only satisfactory because the full consequence of its sensible

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Grade: 3

plans for development is yet to be seen. The satisfactory teaching provides relevant activities and ensures that pupils make at least steady progress. In the best lessons, children learn quickly as a result of lively teaching that creates a bounce and zest to the proceedings. Furthermore, some teaching, for example, in the Foundation Stage possesses the very effective skill of coaxing children to reason more deeply about their ideas. This helps to nurture well children's independence in learning. Teaching is not consistently good because there are too few demands on higher attaining children and marking is not precise enough in giving advice. Teachers possess a clear idea of where children are up to in their learning and what they need to do to improve. This information is beginning 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007 to be used proficiently to improve standards, but children are not involved regularly enough

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Grade: 3

in thinking and talking about how well they are doing and how to improve. The headteacher's drive and the challenge from the governors are good. Leadership and management are satisfactory because senior staff and subject leaders are only just acquiring an understanding of the broader issues related to standards and achievement and have yet to gain a wider perspective; good plans are being carried out to achieve success in this.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase achievement in writing, so that standards reach the national average at least. • Improve teaching to get the best from higher attainers. • Implement methods, including more effective marking, to help children to evaluate their own progress in lessons and over time.

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Grade: 3

Above average standards at the end of Year 6 represent satisfactory achievement. Most children, particularly higher attainers, could have done better given their average start on entry to Nursery. The school rightly prioritised its energies to address the worsening standards in Year 2 and improving the progress made by children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In these, it is successful. Progress in Years 1 and 2 is quickening; standards are nearly average and already higher than they have been for two years. It has also successfully implemented clear plans to improve progress in Years 3 to 6 to raise standards. Nonetheless, achievement in English at the end of Year 6 is lower than in mathematics and science. This is because writing often lacks a breadth of vocabulary, a range of complex sentences and the benefit of skilful punctuation. Children achieve satisfactorily in the Foundation Stage. Progress is good in personal

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Grade: 3

development, but in other aspects development has, until very recently, been held back by a lack of resources for outside play.

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Grade: 3

Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. They contribute well to school life and events in the community. The vast majority of pupils feel safe in school, but a few worry about bullying, which results from a small unruly element. However, they know that adults treat this seriously and tackle it when it occurs. Behaviour is satisfactory. It is good in many classes, but a small number of pupils are disruptive, which limits progress on occasions. Most pupils enjoy school. For example, they love being involved in the thought provoking assemblies or in Bully Busting. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Strengths lie in social and cultural growth, which are promoted through the week long themes about India, for example. Attendance is broadly average. It has improved lately, which proves how successful leadership has been in reducing a high level of unauthorised absence.

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Grade: 3

5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007

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Grade: 3

The influence of teaching on learning is satisfactory. Children get a good start in the Foundation Stage in some aspects, but teaching in Nursery and Reception has a mixed effect. Probing questions designed to help children decide things for themselves is, at times, matched by over direction. Throughout the school, plans guide learning reasonably well, but aspirations for higher attainers are not bold enough. Some good opportunities for exploration exist such as when children in Year 4 discussed and wrote animatedly about a machine they were making. However, similar challenges, across the school, do not extend thinking enough. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive more carefully crafted assignments. Their learning has been successfully reinvigorated of late. Teachers assess work adequately and set useful targets for improvement. There has not been time for these to have improved achievement

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Grade: 3

greatly, particularly since marking is not yet used effectively enough to reinforce them.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum has been strengthened in mathematics and in some aspects of English as a result of more effective planning. So, achievement has improved. There is more to do in providing an extra emphasis on writing. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory, particularly now that all classrooms are equipped with electronic whiteboards. A temporary gap in the provision of up-to-date computers prevents the curriculum from being good. The programme for personal development is beginning to have a positive effect on children's well-being. Thinking about relationships, being safe and acting responsibly is practised widely through discussion in lessons and in assemblies. Most children acquire the confidence and skills necessary for their next school and the workplace. Physical education is provided for well and augmented by innovative activities such as water polo. Extra-curricular activities like

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Grade: 3

French, Spanish, cookery and gardening add extra excitement and interest.

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Grade: 3

Children are cared for and supported well, but the relative weaknesses in academic guidance make this aspect satisfactory. The school works effectively to support pupils, particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children who find it hard to behave well receive good care. The headteacher and staff are constantly trying out innovative ideas to minimise the problems. Attendance has improved this year because the reasons for absence have been scrutinised very closely and challenged where necessary. Furthermore, arrangements for health and safety, including child protection, work well. Pupils are beginning to be aware of their targets for academic improvement, but not all have a precise knowledge of what they are aiming at. This is because the quality of advice differs between classes, for example, in the way work is marked and the degree to which pupils are encouraged to talk, in lessons, about their targets

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Grade: 3

and how they are being pursued. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has worked extremely well to create an effective system of school self-evaluation with beneficial guidance and assistance from governors and local authority consultants. So now, close links exist between the monitoring of teaching and school improvement plans. At the root of the school's revival is the leadership by the headteacher and the stability that has been produced by a well-balanced budget. The climate is one of optimism and forward planning. All this has been achieved in a relatively short time. Senior staff and subject leaders now have a clear understanding about the school's virtues and its growth areas. However, there has not been time to make middle management more than satisfactory. Some staff other than the headteacher have begun to observe teaching to bring about further improvement, but the programme has not been completed. The school provides satisfactory value for money but, in keeping with its good capacity for improvement, is justifiably ambitious

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Grade: 3

for this to soon become good again. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 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? 3 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

3 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 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your help when I inspected your school. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with you all. You go to a satisfactory school, but one that is improving fast. I know that you are pleased with the improvements because I had lunch with members of the school council and they told me so. These are some of the things that I found to be good. I saw some lively teaching that made you sit on the edge of your seats because it caught your imagination. You are making steady progress now after a few years in which learning in some classes slowed down a bit. I agree with those of you who told me that sometimes children could be given harder work. I loved the enthusiasm with which you spoke of the Bully Busters scheme and your pride in being trained by a national trainer. Your parents are pleased with what the school is like now. However, a minority echo your views that behaviour could be better among some older children: their

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

lapses spoil an otherwise positive picture. You certainly enjoy the way the curriculum has been extended. Gardening club, for example, is a great hit; some of you even attended it during the Easter holidays. I know everyone wants to do even better and I judge there are three things that will help. Your writing needs to be more polished in the way you use vocabulary, vary your sentences and punctuate. Teachers will help you in this by marking your work in ways that give clearer advice about how to do better. You need to talk more often with the teachers about your targets and how you are getting on with them. Lastly, lessons should include more of a challenge for those of you who can manage harder work. You can all help by trying even harder with your writing; acting on the advice in your teacher's marking and discussing your successes and areas for development more often. Enjoy any extra challenges that come your way and help to make yours an even better school: I know you can

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do it. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hunmanby Primary School, 18 April 2007

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