Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School

Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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126305 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 293517 Inspection number 5 July 2007 Inspection date Malcolm Greenhalgh 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 Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 117 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Allan Johns Chair Denise Weston Headteacher 1 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection Broad Hinton School address Swindon SN4 9PQ

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01793 731262 Telephone number 01793 731262 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 5 July 2007 Inspection date 293517 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 is a below average sized village school situated in a favourable rural area a few miles south west of Swindon. The proportion of pupils taking free school meals is very low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is in line with the national average, and the large majority of pupils are White British. The school has been without a permanent headteacher since January.

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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: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has been very well managed by the acting headteacher since January. Leadership and management are good and the staff and governors have provided excellent support during this period. Together they have ensured that standards in the school have remained good. The school prides itself on the good care, support and guidance it provides for the pupils, and the impact of this is clear to see in the very good personal development and well-being of the pupils and the good academic progress they make from the Reception and Year 1 class to the Year 5 and Year 6 class. The pupils achieve well and attain standards that are often significantly above the national averages. Attainment on entry varies quite significantly from below to above the national expectation but, regardless of their abilities, the children in Reception make good progress in all areas of learning. This is effectively built upon in Years 1

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Grade: 2

and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. In Years 3 and 4, pupils maintain their comparative levels of attainment in reading and mathematics but progress in writing slows down. Nevertheless, the present Year 6 pupils have made exceptionally good progress in reading and writing from the end of Year 2 and satisfactory progress in mathematics. Attainments this year are significantly above the national expectation in English, mathematics and science with many pupils attaining the higher Level 5. However, the school's assessment and data tracking systems are patchy and do not always provide the information needed to assess accurately the progress pupils make. Pupils demonstrate very good levels of confidence and very good skills of independence, self-management and team work. They are very happy in school and have a good understanding of how to live healthy lives and how to stay safe. They are keen to support

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Grade: 2

each other, and the school council members are very aware of the key role they have to ensure all pupils are happy during break times. The pupils make good contributions to the school and village communities and show a concern for those less fortunate than themselves in the world community. The quality of teaching and learning and the quality of the curriculum are good. The teachers plan effectively to ensure the work is well matched to the pupils' ages and abilities in the mixed age classes, although more extended writing activities are necessary in Years 3 and 4 to ensure the progress pupils make in writing does not slip. There are very good relationships in the classroom and teachers provide stimulating activities that enthuse and excite the pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

• improve the progress pupils make in writing in Years 3 and 4 • raise achievements in mathematics so that they match those in English by the end of Year

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What the school should do to improve further

• improve assessment and data tracking systems so that all the information the school needs to assess pupils' achievements is readily available for analysis.

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Grade: 2

Attainments in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 are significantly above the national averages. Overall, pupils make good progress and achieve well in the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. They make a good start in the Foundation Stage, doing well in all areas of learning. In Years 1 and 2, this good progress continues in reading, writing and mathematics and by the end of Year 2, standards, despite variations in attainment on entry, are consistently above the national averages with good proportions of pupils attaining the 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 2007 higher Level 3. In Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress in reading and writing and satisfactory progress in mathematics. Progress in writing slows down significantly in Years 3 and 4.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' personal development and well-being and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Pupils in Foundation Stage make good progress in their personal, social and emotional skills. Pupils respond very well throughout the school. They are very independent, manage their own work effectively and work very well in teams and as individuals. They very much enjoy school and behaviour is very good. Attendance is above the national average and there have been no exclusions in the last year. Pupils are very aware of the need to eat a well-balanced diet and to exercise regularly. Mostly they do this. Attendance at sports clubs is good and many of the pupils partake in regular exercise out of school. They are also very safety conscious and school council members show good levels of responsibility for the welfare of other pupils. Pupils are very good at helping to clear up the classrooms at the end of lessons

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Grade: 2

and the hall after assemblies. They organise stalls for fetes and make good contributions to the village community by making presentations at church on Sundays and by actively supporting village events. They are also very keen to support world communities by raising money themselves for a range of charities.

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Grade: 2

The good teaching and learning is effective in ensuring that pupils have made good progress by the time they leave school in Year 6. There are very good relationships in the classroom between teachers and pupils and these help to develop considerable levels of trust between them. Teachers are very keen to give pupils responsibility for their own learning and involve them in classroom activities such as debating. The pupils respond well to this, are very self-motivated and develop key learning skills very well. Lessons are well planned although more writing opportunities across the curriculum are needed for Years 3 and 4. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to learning by providing good support to individuals and groups. Improvements in how mathematics is taught in Key Stage 2 have not yet shown through in the rate of progress pupils make.

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Grade: 2

A strong curriculum that is well balanced across the range of subjects is provided. There is a good focus on the key literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills from the Foundation Stage to Year 6, although there are not enough opportunities for pupils to do longer pieces of writing. The school provides many additional activities, particularly to enhance physical and creative skills, and the Year 5 and 6 pupils take part in annual residential visits. The school has a good focus on promoting personal, social and health education and this has a positive impact on the pupils' personal development in all year groups. Many of the pupils attend the yoga club to support their spiritual development and well-being and this has proved sufficiently successful for the school to incorporate this into the curriculum. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The school prides itself on the good care, support and guidance it provides for the pupils and this has a significant impact on the pupils' levels of independence, their ability to organise themselves and the effective way they work in teams. There are strong induction and transfer procedures in place and pupils in Year 6 are well prepared to move onto their next school. Child protection procedures are in place and all statutory requirements are met. Despite some gaps in the availability of data about pupils' achievement, teachers know what the pupils need to do to improve their work during lessons and they provide good support to individuals and to those with learning difficulties.

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher is doing a very good job supporting the school during a period without a permanent headteacher. She has ensured the school has been well managed across all key stages, including the Foundation Stage, and that it has continued to provide a good standard of education. She has been very well supported by an able staff and governing body. The school development plan provides a good overview of what needs to be improved and the governing body acts effectively as a 'critical friend' knowing the school's strengths and weaknesses. The school's data tracking and analysis systems are not sufficiently robust to provide the school with all the information it needs to know whether classes and groups of pupils are making good enough progress. Resources are managed well and the budget has been used to good effect so that staffing is at a good level. The school's accommodation has also improved significantly

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Grade: 2

through the recent building of a new hall which has enhanced the school's provision for physical education and the opportunities to have assemblies to which parents can be invited. The school has excellent support from parents who very much value what it offers. A typical view from one parent was: 'It is hard to imagine ways in which the school might seek to improve'. The school has made good progress since the last inspection, provides good value for money and has good capacity to become an outstanding school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 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: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 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?

2 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 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: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 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: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Broad Hinton C of E Primary School, Swindon SN4 9PQ Thank you for the way you welcomed me into your school and to those I was able to talk to during the day. Your school is a good school. The staff look after you very well and give you a good deal of guidance and support to ensure you make good overall progress and attain significantly well in your literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 could do a little better in their writing skills and I have asked the school to give you more opportunity to do longer pieces of writing. In Years 5 and 6, you improve your literacy skills well but the progress you make in your numeracy is not as good, so I have asked the school to help you to make as much progress in mathematics as you do in English by the time you reach the end of Year 6. You are developing very well other skills that you need in later life, such as independence, self-management and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

team work. You are very health and safety conscious and understand that you need to eat well-balanced meals and take regular exercise; most of you do. You behave very well and take good care of each other and try to make sure that everyone has friends and is happy. You also appreciate the need to support the local village community as well as those around the world who are less fortunate than you. The quality of teaching and the balance of the curriculum are good. Teachers provide you with plenty of exciting things to do in lessons and give you lots of opportunities so that you can take responsibility for your own learning. Your teachers provide you with good support to improve during lessons although the records the school keeps of the progress you make are not as complete as they should be and I have asked the school to improve this. You have lots of extra things to do after school, and the chance to go on a residential visit each year once

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you reach Year 5 is very good. The acting headteacher has done a good job since January while the school waits for the new headteacher to start in September. She has had good support from the staff and governors so that you have all continued to do well. I wish you every success in the future. Yours sincerely Malcolm Greenhalgh Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Broad Hinton Church of England Primary School, 5 July 2007

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