Redbourn Primary School

Inspection Report Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School

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117236 Unique Reference Number HERTFORDSHIRE LEA LEA 294820 Inspection number 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 Inspection dates Ms. Juliet Winstanley LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Long Cutt School address Primary Type of school AL3 7EX Community School category 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01582 792341 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01582 794669 Fax number 187 Number on roll Mr.Alan Richardson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Hilary Hollick Headteacher 10 January 2005 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294820 7 June 2006 - 3 to 7 8 June 2006 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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Redbourn Infant and Nursery is a smaller than average school in the village of Redbourn, near St Albans in Hertfordshire. There are 187 children on roll, including 37 in the nursery who attend on part-time basis. Most of the children come from above average social backgrounds. The number of children eligible for free school meals is below average. Children are mostly of white British heritage, with a small number from Bangladeshi, traveller or mixed heritage families. A very small minority are from families whose home language is not English. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with statements of special educational need, is below the national average. The school was inspected in 2005 and was found to require special measures. Since then there have been substantial changes in staffing, leadership and management. A new headteacher was appointed in September 2005

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Description of the school

and a new deputy headteacher at Easter 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Redbourn Infant and Nursery School is a school which is improving and is now providing an acceptable standard of education. In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. In 2005, standards in reading, writing and mathematics, as judged by teacher assessments, improved and were above average. The school is on course to maintain this improvement in 2006. The quality of education in the Foundation Stage is good, standards are above average and the children achieve well. The quality of teaching is good overall. Consequently, most children are making good progress, although some high attaining children could do even better with more challenging work. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behave very well. They like school and enjoy learning. The quality of leadership and management is good.

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Grade: 2

The school has a new senior leadership team, which is very well led by the headteacher who provides effective determined leadership. The role of the subject leaders is developing and they are in the early stages of taking on more responsibility for monitoring standards and teaching within their subject areas. There is a positive team spirit amongst staff and a determination that the school will continue to improve. The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and weaknesses and recognises where more needs to be done. For example, arrangements for monitoring pupils' progress are still developing, as are plans to review and broaden the curriculum. Governors carry out their statutory duties well. The school is now in a good position to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

- ensure that assessment is used consistently well to provide high attaining pupils with enough challenge and support in all lessons - develop the roles of subject leaders further so that they have a better understanding of the quality and standards in their subject areas - review the curriculum to ensure that all aspects of each subject are covered in sufficient detail.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge above that expected for their age. As a result of the improved quality of teaching and provision in the Nursery and Reception since the last inspection, they make good progress in all aspects of their development so that they are well prepared for Key Stage 1. In 2005, the standards achieved by Year 2 pupils improved and were above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Most pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points with the number of pupils achieving above average levels increasing. This is the result of stronger teaching, the improved use of assessment and better targeted support which is starting to have a positive impact on pupils' learning. However there are still some high attaining pupils who are not sufficiently stretched because the work 2 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 2

they are given is not always challenging enough. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language are supported well and make good progress in their learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and have good attitudes to learning. Attendance is satisfactory and improving due to the improved systems in place. Behaviour is excellent. In lessons pupils listen attentively to the teachers and each other. They are keen to answer questions and suggest ideas with great enthusiasm. Provision for pupils spiritual, cultural, moral and social development is good which has a positive impact on their personal development. Relationships between adults and pupils are very good. Pupils relate well to each other in lessons working well in groups or pairs to complete tasks or discuss aspects of their learning. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They report that the staff help and listen to them if they have a problem or are upset. They learn about healthy eating in lessons and adopt healthy lifestyles in other ways, such as taking part in 'walk to school' week and eating well at lunchtime. The need to take

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Grade: 2

regular exercise is also reinforced through regular physical education lessons and playground activities. The school council gives pupils the opportunity to take responsibility for improving the school and they develop an understanding of the needs of the wider world through themed activities, such as Africa week. By the time they leave, pupils' good communication and social skills together with good basic skills prepare them well for the junior school and the world beyond.

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Grade: 2

In the last year the quality of teaching has greatly improved and is now good overall. Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn and the previous weaknesses in planning have been addressed. Consequently, many pupils make good progress as a result of the good teaching, which is becoming a consistent feature in every year group. However, there are still some occasions when assessment is not used well enough to provide all pupils with sufficient challenge and support in their work. In the Nursery, teaching is good because staff work very well together, have high expectations and provide activities that encourage the children to think for themselves. Teachers now use a wide range of strategies effectively to help pupils learn. These include good questioning skills and opportunities for pupils to talk through their answers and ideas with a partner to help them clarify their thinking. As a result, they become more

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Grade: 2

confident in expressing themselves. In most classes, teaching assistants are used well to support small groups of pupils and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. 3 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Most pupils are given work that is interesting and varied which enables them to reach a good level of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, aspects of some subjects, such as science, are not taught in sufficient detail. The school is planning a curriculum review to make sure that sufficient emphasis is given to all aspects of every subject. The structure of the school day is better now than at the previous inspection and ensures that sufficient time is focused on pupils' learning. The Foundation Stage curriculum has been reviewed and improved and meets the needs of the younger children well. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved over the past year. ICT is used more effectively to support teaching and enhance learning with inter-active whiteboards used well to make lessons more stimulating and interesting. The ICT curriculum is now focused more clearly on

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Grade: 3

developing 's pupils' ICT skills as well as supporting their learning in other areas of the curriculum. A wide range of trips, visits and visitors provide further opportunities to widen pupils' experiences and further their interests.

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Grade: 2

The school cares well for its pupils and provides a good level of support for pupils who feel safe and valued. Staff know the pupils and their families well. Risk assessments are completed appropriately ensuring pupils learn in a safe environment. Child protection procedures are in place. Strengths include the effective school council and the new playground buddy system which enables older pupils to show initiative and experience responsibility. Parents are informed about the school's work through regular newsletters and meetings. A recent parent's questionnaire, to which there was a high response rate, indicated that parents were pleased with the way the school was improving. The school provides well for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Detailed assessment information on pupils' progress is developing well but some teachers still find it difficult to pitch the work at the right level. As a result, in a small

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Grade: 2

minority of lessons, the work planned does not take account of what the high attaining pupils already know and have learned.

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Grade: 2

There have been significant, very beneficial changes to the leadership and management of the school since the inspection in 2005. The headteacher is a very effective leader and, with the committed and good support of the local authority, has been instrumental in moving the school forward and out of special measures. They have worked relentlessly to address the issues identified in the previous report, successfully focusing on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching and learning. The new senior leadership team has given the school a strong capacity for further improvement. The school has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and members 4 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 of the senior leadership team are clear about their priorities. As a result the leadership and management of the school are good. Arrangements in place for senior managers

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Grade: 2

to monitor the quality of teaching are good and judgements are accurate, with the information from monitoring used well to identify areas for future support and training. The role of subject leaders is beginning to develop and they are starting to look regularly in detail at the quality of pupils' work and the quality of teaching within their subject areas. As a result weaknesses, such as insufficient coverage of some aspects of some curriculum areas, are becoming apparent. However, there is still more to do on tracking pupils' progress and ensuring all high attaining pupils receive work that is suitably challenging. Governors are supportive and fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They are well informed about the areas for development. The school provides good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Redbourn Infants' and Nursery School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Some of you know that I visited your school each term during the past year. On my last visit, I could see that your school has improved so much that I don't need to visit anymore. So well done and congratulations! I saw a lot of good things during my visit. Mrs Hollick is a good headteacher and all the teachers and adults who help you are working very hard to make sure that you do well and learn as much as you can in lessons. The children I spoke to said how much they liked school. I was very impressed with your behaviour and the kind way you treat each other. You really enjoy your learning and always try to do your best. All staff look after you very well and help you to feel safe and happy. I have asked Mrs Hollick and your teachers to help you do even better by making sure that the work is hard enough in all lessons for those of you who sometimes find things easy and by making sure you all do as well as possible in all

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your subjects. Good luck to all of you for the future With very best wishes

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