Hey-with-Zion Primary School

Hey-with-Zion Primary School Inspection report

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105694 Unique Reference Number Oldham Local Authority 308922 Inspection number 7 °8 July 2008 Inspection dates Barbara Flitcroft 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 284 School The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Kath Scott Chair Mrs Denise Luke Headteacher 18 October 2004 Date of previous school inspection Rowland Way School address Lees Oldham Lancashire OL4 3LQ 0161 6203860 Telephone number 0161 6287511 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 7 °8 July 2008 Inspection dates 308922 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This larger than average sized primary school has a joint Anglican and Methodist Foundation. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is just below the national average. Almost all the pupils are from White British backgrounds, with a few from other heritages; no pupils are in the early stages of learning English. Children's standards when they start school are typical for their ages. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The school has many awards including an Eco School silver award, Activemark 2007, National Healthy School Award and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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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: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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Grade: 2

Hey-with-Zion Primary School provides a good quality of education. The majority of parents are very happy with the school and say it is doing a good job. A typical comment is, 'I find the teaching staff at this school very good.' The relatively new senior leadership team is committed to sustaining the school's existing strengths while promoting an even sharper focus on improving pupils' achievement. Pupils achieve well and, by Year 6, reach above average standards. They are confident learners with good levels of academic and personal skills. Pupils make good progress across the school. Good quality teaching helps pupils to build their skills well year on year. However, on occasions, learning is too teacher directed and pupils have insufficient opportunities to find things out for themselves and take more responsibility for their own learning. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their good behaviour and keen attitudes to work support their

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Grade: 2

learning effectively. They show a good understanding of a healthy lifestyle and awareness of dangers to their safety. They make a good contribution to the school community, for example through the 'playground agents' who assist the smooth running of break times. Pupils have a good understanding of the wider community, for example through links with schools in other parts of the world. Pupils' good basic skills and their well rounded personal qualities prepare them well for the future. The curriculum is satisfactory. In recent years there has been a strong focus on English, mathematics and science. However, the school has already recognised that the time is right to broaden the curriculum because staff want pupils to enjoy their learning even more and achieve well in all subjects. Overall levels of care, guidance and support are good and, as a result, pupils' well-being is good and they make good personal development.

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Grade: 2

While pupils' progress is checked closely, specific targets and advice for the next steps in their learning are not used consistently across the school. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and her new leadership team have quickly grasped the school's strengths and identified accurately areas of its work that need to be strengthened further. The senior staff team has a clear focus on improving pupils' achievement and is pursuing this determinedly. The school's existing strengths, and its recent track record of improving pupils' achievement, create a good capacity to improve its work further and ensure that it provides good value for money. Consequently, effective steps have been taken since the last inspection to promote improvement.

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Grade: 2

Leadership of the Foundation Stage is good. The new coordinator has correctly identified the need to focus on drawing the team together and on driving improvements. The Foundation Stage makes good provision for all areas of indoor learning and children progress well. However, the outdoor environment is not sufficiently resourced to provide challenging opportunities for all the areas of learning in the Foundation Stage. By the end of the Foundation Stage most pupils are working at the levels expected for their age, with some at higher levels, particularly in the important area of personal and social development. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are quickly identified and the support provided is effective. The Foundation Stage is successful in achieving a good balance between getting children to learn quickly, and providing learning opportunities based on their own needs and preferences. Children are

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Grade: 2

confident, independent and talk readily with adults and peers. This was clearly demonstrated 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008 in a 'talking partners' activity in the Reception class, where good discussions about captions led to interesting and good quality written work. Parents work closely with the school, helping with activities and supporting school visits. Workshops provided by the school are effective in helping parents find out how best to support their children to make good progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the outdoor learning opportunities in Foundation Stage offer more challenge to children in all six areas of learning. ■ Ensure that sharper targets for learning are used consistently to give pupils accurate advice on the next steps in their learning. ■ Provide opportunities for pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. By the time they enter Year 1; most pupils are working within the goals expected for their age with a small but significant number at a higher level. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve well and reach standards in reading; writing and mathematics that are just above average. After a dip in standards, good progress has been made across Key Stage 2 for the last two years and standards in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are now above average. As a result of good, targeted support, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similarly good progress. Those from minority ethnic heritages progress as strongly as other pupils.

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Grade: 2

The quality of pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, is good. Pupils are polite, cheerful and eager to talk about their school. They say 'We all help each other,' and this is reflected in the way many pupils take responsibility as playground agents and buddies to make sure that younger pupils are happy in school. Attendance has steadily improved since the last inspection and is now in line with the national average. Pupils say they feel safe and staff deal with the few incidents of bullying quickly and effectively. The involvement of school council members as peace mediators to settle minor disputes has proved particularly effective. Pupils have a good awareness of how to lead a healthy and safe lifestyle. The awards of the Activemark and the national Healthy Schools status recognise the school's success in this area. The school's strong relationship with

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Grade: 2

a school in Namibia and its links with local multicultural schools mean pupils have excellent knowledge of life in other cultures and societies. They learn about other religions in lessons and assemblies. Pupils gain from the many visits and visitors they enjoy and the wide range of sporting, artistic and musical activities the school provides. The school's success in reaching good levels of achievement helps provide pupils with the skills they will need to succeed in the next stages of their education and in later life. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils learn quickly because the quality of teaching is good overall. A strong emphasis on well planned lessons, from the Nursery to Year 6, enables pupils to make good progress. For example, writing and personal development skills were developed in an exciting lesson about how Cinderella changed from 'princess to scullery maid on the stroke of midnight'. Teachers make clear to pupils what they will learn in a lesson, which gives added purpose to the work, and they check on learning at the end. They explain new ideas in a lively way that makes pupils keen to learn. Occasionally, teachers do not always do enough to provide opportunities for pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning or get on as quickly as they might with their independent work. Teaching assistants provide good support for small groups and individuals. Across the school, the collection and use of assessment information ensures that

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Grade: 2

all staff have a clear picture of pupils' progress.

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Grade: 3

The school's curriculum is satisfactory. It meets statutory requirements and has an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy. This has had a positive impact on raising pupils' achievement in these areas. Pupils experience learning either Spanish or French and benefit from good use of the school's computers and learning resources. Their knowledge and personal development are enhanced by their participation in the many educational visits, clubs and activities the school provides. The school is moving towards a more thematic approach to ensure that the needs and interests of individual pupils are more fully met. To this end it has begun the process of introducing a skills-based approach across most of the subjects with the aim of further improving pupils' achievement, motivation and enjoyment.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the school's care, guidance and support is good. Pupils say they can turn to any of the adults in school for help and support when they are upset or troubled. Parents and carers are appreciative of the efforts the school makes to forge strong links between home and school. These have contributed significantly to the school's improved performance. Staff continuously update their expertise in specialist areas and this benefits the progress and development of all pupils regardless of ability. Very good use is made of the specialist help from a range of external agencies. The school's safeguarding arrangements are in line with current local and national requirements. Overall, pupils benefit from good academic guidance that helps them make progress. Their achievement is tracked closely towards challenging targets that are regularly reviewed. However, targets for pupils' individual learning are not used consistently to give

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Grade: 2

pupils accurate advice on the next steps in their learning. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with parents and carers that the school is well led. Good leadership and management sets a good clear direction to enable pupils to achieve well both personally and academically. Good self-evaluation has accurately led leaders to target the right areas for improvement. Consequently, there have been successes in boosting pupils' achievement as improved teaching and learning in English, mathematics and science has raised standards significantly. The school is realistic in recognising that more is still to be done in building on pupils' recently improved results. Leaders have also ensured that, through good teamwork, a very positive ethos for supporting pupils' learning has been sustained during a period of staff changes. The quality of teaching and learning, and pupils' progress, are monitored carefully. Pupils who are not progressing quite as well as expected are quickly identified and offered

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Grade: 2

appropriate support. Governors are very supportive of the school and offer appropriate challenge. They know the school's strengths and the progress being made on areas for development. They recognise the good work done by the headteacher and her staff to move the school forward. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making us so welcome when we came to inspect your school. Many of you told us how much you enjoy school and we could see why. Hey-with-Zion Primary is a good school. It is well run by the headteacher, staff and governors. The good teaching and support that you get helps you all to make good progress and prepare you well for the future. The school takes good care of you and because of this you are developing well both personally and academically. Your good behaviour, positive attitudes to work and play and the ways in which you help each other are a credit to you and your school. The headteacher and all the staff have obviously worked very hard to improve the school. They believe that all of you can achieve well so here's your challenge: prove them right by living out the words in your school motto and always doing the best you can. We have asked your teachers to make three improvements. The first is to improve the outdoor

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learning for the children in Foundation Stage. The second is for teachers to make sure each one of you knows exactly what to do next to improve your learning and, third, we would like you to have opportunities to take more responsibility for your learning and to develop the skills to find out more information for yourselves. These are good skills to develop for the future. You can help too by following the helpful advice in the targets your teachers will give you for improving your learning and by continuing to work hard to achieve your targets. On behalf of the inspection team 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hey-with-Zion Primary School, 7 °8 July 2008

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