Holbrook Primary School

Inspection Report Holbrook Primary School

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124588 Unique Reference Number SUFFOLK Local Authority 293044 Inspection number 22 February 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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The Street School address Primary Type of school Holbrook, Ipswich Community School category Suffolk IP9 2PZ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01473 328225 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01473 327896 Fax number 160 Number on roll (school) Ms Adria Pittock Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Anne Hookway Headteacher 14 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293044 22 February 2007 4 °11 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Holbrook Primary School provides education for children in the local village and a significant minority from the surrounding area. Pupils begin school with a wide range of attainment. Overall attainment on entry is broadly average though in some years it is a little below. The proportion of pupils taking a free school meal is low. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and only a small number are from minority ethnic backgrounds. No pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is in line with the national average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs is also average. A comparatively high proportion of pupils join the school from other schools. The headteacher is relatively new to the school having taken up post at the start of this academic year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Holbrook is a good school. It provides good quality education which nurtures pupils' personal and academic development most effectively. As a result, pupils love school and achieve well so that by the time they leave, their standards are above average, particularly in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and science. Standards in writing are average. This is due at least in part to insufficient opportunities for writing in subjects across the curriculum. Whilst planning for individual subjects is good, the school has not as yet developed links between subjects in order to encourage more creativity and cross curricular work. Nonetheless the curriculum is good because it provides well for the full range of pupils' needs. The range of extra-curricular activities including visits and visitors to the school is outstanding enabling pupils to make an excellent contribution to the local and wider community. This along with the good

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Grade: 2

development of literacy and numeracy skills prepares pupils well for the next step in their education and future life. Pupils' personal development including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Good behaviour coupled with good teaching contributes well to the progress pupils make. Pupils make a successful start to their education in the Foundation Stage and achieve well because they are taught well and the curriculum is lively and interesting. However, the use of the outside area for Foundation Stage is limited by the lack of space and no covered area to protect against inclement weather. Pupils across the school are well looked after and feel secure and safe because the school provides good care, guidance and support. The strong sense of community enables all to feel that they belong. Relationships amongst pupils and between pupils and staff are excellent. The school owes its success to good leadership and management. The recently

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Grade: 2

appointed headteacher provides a very clear direction for development which is based on a careful and accurate analysis of the school's self-evaluation. Senior staff monitor and check on the work of the school, well enabling them to identify very accurately and clearly areas for further development. However, middle managers are not as actively involved in checking the quality of work in their subject areas. This leaves too much for the headteacher to do especially as she already carries a heavy teaching load on top of her management duties. Nonetheless, the school has good capacity to improve further because staff and governors are clear about what areas need to improve and are already working to improve them; the headteacher and governors have very high aspirations for the school and want to make it even more successful; there has been good improvement since the last inspection; there is unity of purpose and strong

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Grade: 2

teamwork amongst a well established staff who are open to new ideas. Overall, the school sets challenging targets which it meets. Resources are well used to help meet these targets. Governors manage a tight budget very effectively and ensure that the school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise the standards in writing by providing regular and interesting opportunities to write in subjects across the curriculum. 2 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007 • Make the curriculum even better by developing links between subjects and enhancing the outdoor area in the Foundation Stage. • Develop the roles of middle managers so that they make a greater contribution to checking of the work in their areas of responsibility.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average by the time pupils reach Year 6. Results from national tests indicate that in some years standards have been well above average. These differences are due to variations in attainment on entry and the impact of pupils joining the school from other schools. By the end of Year 2, standards are a little above average. In the current Foundation Stage, they are comfortably in line with national expectations for this age group but the number of pupils in the Reception class is small limiting the accuracy and value of national comparisons. More importantly, pupils make good progress as they move through the school. Progress is particularly good in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and science. Pupils also do well in developing their skills in information and communication technology (ICT). However, writing skills do not develop at such a good rate so that standards in writing are only average by the

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Grade: 2

end of Year 6 in contrast to standards in other areas. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress. The small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as others. Pupils who join the school from other schools do well because they are helped to settle in quickly and feel part of the school community. The sense of security this engenders enables them to engage effectively in lessons.

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils is outstanding. Pupils in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their personal and social development. Attendance and behaviour are good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and love learning. Their outstanding contribution to the community is exemplified by their involvement in the Eco-committee, running a healthy snack bar, being involved in the appointment of the current headteacher and raising money for charity. Pupils are used to giving their views and opinions and they do this very thoughtfully, articulately and with great maturity. They very consciously adopt healthy lifestyles showing excellent understanding of how to stay fit and healthy. Their social and moral development is particularly strong and evident in the ease with which they engage in discussions and teamwork and the concern they show for the environment. Pupils are developing good

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Grade: 1

understanding of those from backgrounds and cultures different from their own. The personal qualities they demonstrate help to prepare them well for their roles in future life. 3 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Lessons are well planned and well-structured so that pupils systematically develop new knowledge and skills. Very effective use is made of interactive whiteboards and computers to support learning. Good quality displays serve to stimulate pupils' thinking and ideas, as well as providing them with examples of good quality work to emulate. Work is well matched to the needs of different groups of pupils enabling all to make good progress. However, there is on occasion overuse of worksheets especially in science limiting opportunities for pupils to practise writing more freely about their work. Excellent relationships ensure that pupils co-operate well in lessons. They focus very effectively on the work and listen attentively. Children in the Foundation Stage are provided with a good range of practical activities which engage their interests well. Support staff contribute well

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Grade: 2

to pupils' learning. Marking is regular and thorough, though written comments sometimes provide limited advice on how to improve.

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Grade: 2

A well planned curriculum ensures that pupils have opportunities to study a wide range of subjects in depth. French is now taught in Years 3 to 6 and enjoyed immensely by pupils. The school has yet to make links between subjects and, in particular, to provide enough opportunities for writing across the curriculum. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is also well-planned, though weaknesses in the outdoor area curtail the range of activities that pupils can do outside especially when the weather is bad. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is good. Their needs are clearly identified and appropriate support provided. Frequent visitors to the school and visits to places of interest along with strong links with schools in Africa and other parts of Britain enrich the curriculum as well as providing opportunities for involvement in the local and wider community. A well developed programme for

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Grade: 2

personal and social education makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support provided to pupils are good. They are well looked after and cared for. Good attention is paid to health and safety and child protection. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported. They have clear targets in their individual plans and staff meet on a regular basis to discuss their progress. Pupils who join the school from other schools are settled in quickly. There are good links with outside agencies to support pupils' progress and personal development. The school also has good links with local secondary schools. There are good systems for 4 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007 monitoring and tracking pupils' progress and pupils and their parents and carers receive helpful information in termly progress reports on what they need to do to improve their work. This is not always replicated in the written comments on pupils' work.

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Grade: 2

However, most pupils are aware of their targets in literacy and numeracy and the next steps in learning.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management have enabled the school to provide good quality education for its pupils. Pupils' academic and personal development is at the heart of everything the school does. The headteacher provides good leadership. In the short time she has been there, she has taken an active role in checking the quality of the school's work and identifying accurately the key priorities for future development. The headteacher has forged good working relationships with staff, governors and parents and carers. The views of key stakeholders such as parents and pupils are effectively sought and used to make informed decisions. There is a good management structure and clear roles for middle and senior staff. Whilst middle managers take sound responsibility for developing the curriculum in their areas and ensuring that the right resources are available, they are not involved sufficiently in monitoring how

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Grade: 2

effectively their subject is being taught or how well pupils' progress is being assessed by individual teachers. Such monitoring is carried out by senior staff who are aware of the need, and are taking action, to develop the roles of middle managers. Governors provide good oversight of the school's work and are very ambitious about its future development and progress. 5 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 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: Holbrook Primary School, 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 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

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?

1 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 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?

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: Holbrook Primary School, 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: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 February 2007 Dear Pupils Holbrook Primary School, The Street, Holbrook, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 2PZ I enjoyed visiting your school immensely and most of all I enjoyed visiting your classrooms and talking to you. I would like to thank you very much for making me feel welcome. In particular, I was very impressed with how mature and responsible you were. I am pleased to say the school provides you with a good quality education. I saw a number of things that were good, including ways in which you help to make the school a better place. • You work hard and make good progress. • You make an excellent contribution to the local and wider community and show very responsible attitudes to the environment. • You have a remarkably good understanding of healthy living. You eat well and take regular exercise. • Teaching is good and you enjoy excellent relationships with staff. • The school provides you with a very wide variety of activities that you enjoy immensely.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• The headteacher leads the school well. There are some things that could be better. These include: • having enough opportunities to practise writing in other subjects and completing fewer worksheets • teachers providing you with work that is more topic or project based so that it covers more than one subject • enabling subject leaders to regularly check the quality of work in their subject areas. You can certainly help the school to improve by working on your writing, especially spelling and putting your paragraphs together so that they are written more clearly. I wish you all well in the future. Gulshan Kayembe Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Holbrook Primary School, 22 February 2007

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