Humshaugh Church of England First School

Inspection Report Humshaugh Church of England First School

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122295 Unique Reference Number Northumberland Local Authority 292361 Inspection number 25 °26 January 2007 Inspection dates Linda Buller 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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Humshaugh School address First Type of school Hexham, Northumberland Voluntary aided School category NE46 4AA 4 °9 Age range of pupils 01434 681408 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01434 681408 Fax number 26 Number on roll (school) Mrs Penny Steele Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Angela Steele Headteacher 1 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292361 25 °26 January 2007 4°9 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

This very small school serves the village of Humshaugh and surrounding area. Socio-economic conditions are above average and few pupils are eligible for free school meals. All pupils are from White British families. The attainment of children joining the school in the Reception Class is above that typical for children of their age. In some year groups, however, there are significant proportions of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school with some good features. The school is friendly and welcoming and successfully places a high priority on ensuring pupils’ well-being. The school works very well with other agencies. This is particularly successful in the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and helps them to make good progress towards their targets. Achievement is satisfactory and pupils attain standards that are generally above the average. This provides pupils with a good platform for their future success. Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and the children make reasonable progress although the curriculum for this stage has some weaknesses. Many of the activities are adapted from the curriculum planned for Key Stage 1 and do not provide these young children with enough freedom to make independent choices or to learn through play. Pupils enjoy school, behave sensibly and form positive relationships. They feel safe

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Grade: 3

and their understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle is developing well. They make a good contribution to the school and wider community and gain much in return. Children settle well when they start the Reception year. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils and their parents are right to be pleased with the good quality of personal care provided. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. In lessons, teachers explain tasks clearly so that pupils readily understand what they are expected to do. Relationships are good and pupils enjoy an interesting range of activities planned to enhance their learning. In some lessons, however, the pace of learning and the level of work set are not always sufficiently demanding, particularly for more able pupils. This is the main reason why achievement is satisfactory and not good. Satisfactory leadership and management ensure that the school knows its own strengths

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Grade: 3

well and what needs to be improved. This information has been used well to set clear priorities; for example, to improve standards in writing. However, some weaknesses in provision in the Foundation Stage have not yet been addressed and the monitoring of teaching has not always been successful in ensuring that the needs of all pupils are consistently met. Nevertheless, the school has maintained above average standards since the time of the previous inspection and has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the curriculum in the Foundation Stage. • Ensure that the work set for pupils, particularly the most able, is at the right level for them. • Take action to improve the weaknesses identified by the school’s management. 2 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are above average. Children make satisfactory progress from their starting points in Reception and most of them exceed the nationally agreed early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Until 2006, the results of national tests taken at the end of Year 2 were above the national average. In 2006, the results fell because 50% of the pupils who took the tests had learning difficulties. All pupils attained the targets set for them. The school currently has no pupils in Year 2. Reception and Year 1 pupils are mainly taught together in one class and are working at levels above those expected of them. Nevertheless, the work set for pupils is not always at the right level for them and this is why their progress is no better than satisfactory. By contrast, the pupils with learning difficulties make good progress owing to consistently good provision and support.

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Grade: 3

School records and inspection evidence indicate that progress in Key Stage 2 is improving. As a result, Year 4 pupils’ attainment is consistently above what would be expected of children of this age and there is no significant difference between the standards reached by girls and boys.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils confirm that they enjoy coming to school; however, levels of attendance have been declining although they are still in line with the national average. School records show that although this decline is in part attributable to illness, mostly it is because a number of pupils take holidays in term time. Good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development contributes to pupils’ good behaviour. Pupils have a very good understanding of the Christian faith and their cultural development is good; for example, through their work in music and history. Their awareness of the cultural diversity of modern Britain, however, is limited. As a result of good provision for personal development, pupils understand the importance of a healthy diet, exercise and how to keep themselves safe. Older pupils maturely discuss how to use this information to make informed decisions regarding

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Grade: 2

their own lifestyles. Preparation for future economic well-being is good, because of good academic and social skills.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The teachers’ knowledge of their pupils and good relationships are very positive features of life in this school. Pupils look forward to their lessons. They feel positive about learning because they get on 3 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007 well with the adults in the classroom. This contributes well to pupils’ good personal development. Teachers usually ensure that the aims of the lesson are clear and provide effective feedback on its success to the pupils. Teachers mark the pupils’ work well so that pupils understand how to improve. Teaching is not better than satisfactory, and leads to only satisfactory achievement, because the level of work is not always matched closely enough to pupils' different abilities. This is particularly the case in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Teachers are committed to improving the

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Grade: 3

learning skills of pupils with learning difficulties and, as a result, these pupils gain in confidence and make good progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It includes a good range of experiences, which motivates pupils and gives them a real purpose to their learning. For example, a recent strong emphasis on improving writing has seen the curriculum enriched by a visit to a monastery. This visit captured pupils’ interest and, as a result, their writing came alive, showing a good range of vocabulary. Pupils' health and social development benefit from a wide range of sporting and other after-school clubs. There are weaknesses, however, in the curriculum planned for children in the Foundation Stage. These children mostly follow the curriculum planned for pupils in Key Stage 1. Although activities are adapted for children of their age, there are too few opportunities for Reception children to find things out for themselves or develop independence through structured play.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Good care is taken to ensure that pupils know who to turn to if they need help with a problem or to resolve a disagreement, and this makes them confident and happy. Procedures for health, safety and for safeguarding pupils meet current requirements. Good links with pre-school provision ensure that children settle quickly into school routines. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good. Effective links with other agencies contribute to good support and guidance. This, together with effective deployment of teaching assistants, ensures that these pupils have all the help they need to enable them to play a full part in lessons and make good progress. The school has recently put in place an effective system for tracking pupils’ progress although its use in ensuring pupils receive appropriate support and guidance is currently more effective in Key Stage 2 than Key Stage 1.

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Grade: 3

The impact of the leadership and management on pupils' progress and personal development is satisfactory. Since her appointment in 2005, the headteacher has carried out a thorough audit of the school’s provision. As a result, she has a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Good analysis of test results has led to 4 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007 successful initiatives to improve standards in writing. Monitoring of teaching has contributed well to the self-evaluation process, which is good. Weaknesses in provision in the Foundation Stage have been identified although action to eliminate them has yet to be taken. Governance is satisfactory; the governors are supportive and are involved well in the day-to-day life of the school and in monitoring its performance. Although they correctly identify the school’s above average standards, they have an

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Grade: 3

over-generous view of achievement and the impact of this on the school’s provision of teaching and the curriculum. 5 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 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 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

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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 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: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Humshaugh Church of England First School Humshaugh Hexham Northumberland NE46 4AA 25 January 2007 Dear Pupils Thank you for the part you played in the inspection of your school. I enjoyed meeting you and the staff. Our discussions helped me to get to know your school in a short time. It was good to hear that you enjoy school and that the staff look after you well so that you feel safe and secure. Teachers work hard to plan your lessons and most of the time they make them interesting. I know you appreciate their advice when they mark your work and this helps you to know how to improve. I think that the children in the Reception class should have special work just for them so that they can be independent and learn by playing. I also think that the school should make sure that your work is always hard enough so that you can all achieve even better results. You can help with this by attending school regularly and always doing your best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Linda Buller Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Humshaugh Church of England First School, 25 °26 January 2007

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