High Green Primary School

High Green Primary School Inspection report

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107052 Unique Reference Number Sheffield Local Authority 309296 Inspection number 30 °31 January 2008 Inspection dates Andrew Clark 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 Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 251 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ian Offord Chair Mrs Diane Smales Headteacher 19 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Wortley Road School address High Green Sheffield South Yorkshire S35 4LU 0114 2848264 Telephone number 0114 2848901 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 30 °31 January 2008 Inspection dates 309296 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

High Green Primary is an average sized school. It serves an area of mixed owner-occupied and rented housing. The vast majority of pupils are from White British families. The percentage of pupils eligible for a free school meal is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The school received the Activemark in 2006.

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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: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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Grade: 1

High Green Primary is an outstanding school. Pupils achieve very well and reach consistently high standards. Pupils' personal development is exceptionally good. The excellent leadership of the headteacher and her senior management team ensures the school is continuously improving. The curriculum is rich and exciting and the quality of teaching is outstanding. The school's self-evaluation is accurate and thorough, although the school knows nothing is ever perfect and so some of its judgements are lower than those the inspectors identified. Achievement and standards are outstanding. The children enter school with skills which are broadly average. By the time they leave school standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils of all abilities achieve very well throughout the school. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Their attendance is consistently above average. The pupils relish the

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Grade: 1

many opportunities to take responsibility, such as through the school council and playground buddies, and make a significant contribution to community life. The quality of teaching is outstanding. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers' expectations are consistently high and, as a result, pupils love their lessons and are highly motivated. Well trained teaching assistants make a very good contribution to pupils' learning. Teachers make good use of accurate assessments to build on earlier learning and marking provides good guidance. However, involving the pupils fully in evaluating their own learning and matching work closely to their individual learning styles is not consistent in all lessons. The curriculum is very exciting and supports pupils' high achievement. The promotion of high quality literacy and numeracy skills is effectively woven throughout all subjects. There are

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Grade: 1

excellent activities to enrich learning, including the teaching of Spanish and French, the challenging use made of the school's own woodland area, successful sporting events and regular after-school clubs. Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Pupils feel safe and well cared for because of thorough procedures to protect their welfare and the warm and friendly relationships. The inclusion team makes a very good contribution to supporting the most vulnerable pupils and allowing them to achieve their potential. The school involves parents very well in supporting their children's education. Leadership and management are outstanding. Staff morale is high because everyone, including the governing body and parents, share the clear sense of purpose and very positive ethos set by the headteacher and senior leaders. Rigorous, calm and understated monitoring and evaluation of achievement and teaching underpins the school's success. It shows an excellent

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Grade: 1

Children enter the Reception class from a wide variety of pre-school settings and their ability is broadly typical for their age. They make outstanding progress so that by the time they leave their achievement is above national and local averages for all areas of learning. This is a direct result of a very exciting and well planned curriculum and outstanding teaching. Staff have an excellent understanding of the children's needs and work very effectively as a team. Teaching is imaginative and creative, engaging children's interest and enthusiasm through role play and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 skilful questioning. Children make very good progress in becoming independent learners and using their early reading, writing and mathematical skills very well. Many aspects of provision are excellent because every activity is planned to challenge all abilities, although the new

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Grade: 1

outdoor area requires further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Match work closely to pupils' individual learning styles and involve them more closely in assessing their own performance.

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Grade: 1

Pupils attain high standards year-on-year. The results of National Curriculum tests for Year 2 and Year 6 are consistently significantly above average for English, mathematics and science. The pupils' achievement from their earlier learning is well above national and local averages. They reach very challenging targets based on the expected achievement of the top 10% of pupils nationally. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make better progress than normally expected. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls or for any other groups of pupils. The rich and exciting language found in pupils' written work and their ability to use mathematical skills to solve problems are particular strengths. Pupils make very good use of their computer skills in many subjects and high standards in art are evident throughout the school.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. Pupils are friendly, well mannered and thoughtful to each other. They respect their teachers and this leads to a calm and orderly atmosphere. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their lessons and the many clubs in which they participate. They develop very good attitudes to their work as they are curious, careful and persistent. Older pupils are very mature in their outlook and set a good example for younger ones. They take their roles as monitors, school council members and 'office staff' very seriously. They are very independent and organise many aspects of school life such as the high quality 'Read All About' book presentation and poetry evenings, making excellent posters and tickets for the events. They are successful fundraisers for a variety of charities. Pupils feel safe, believing that their views are important and respected and that

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Grade: 1

they can discuss concerns with staff. They have a good understanding of issues of healthy living, taking full advantage of sporting and other activities the school provides. The pupils are well prepared for future life because, in addition to the high standards they achieve and very good personal development, they also have opportunities to develop useful entrepreneurial, leadership and other advanced life skills.

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Grade: 1

Teachers' consistently high expectations that pupils should work hard and behave well are a major strength. Lessons are very carefully planned for pupils of all abilities. Increasingly, teachers are planning activities to match pupils' individual learning styles and interests, although this 5 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 is not fully embedded. Teachers' subject knowledge is very good. The purpose of all lessons is very clear and explained well to pupils. Pupils are engaged and challenged by lively topics and everything from games, puzzles and chants are used to make learning more exciting. Pupils are set individual targets to reach over time and these are sometimes referred to in lessons, but teachers do not consistently involve pupils in assessing the progress they have made or planning where to go next. There are also occasional inconsistencies in the way in which the very good

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Grade: 1

teaching assistants are deployed to provide the most effective support to learning. Very good use is made of computer technology to bring difficult ideas to life and present new challenges. Teachers manage behaviour extremely well.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is a significant strength of the school and, alongside teachers' high expectations, is a key reason for the high academic standards and outstanding personal development. There is very careful and thorough planning of English and mathematics so that skills are built upon at a good pace and full use is made of all subjects to reinforce this learning. Visits, for example to a Victorian classroom, lead to outstanding diary writing in English, planning for a train timetable in mathematics and some exciting art work. Pupils throughout Key Stage 2 learn a modern foreign language and this is enhanced by additional clubs for French and Spanish. Other clubs and activities contribute very well to pupils' healthy outlook on life. Pupils' personal and social development is very well planned through structured programmes and the excellent assemblies enrich their spiritual and cultural development.

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Grade: 1

The atmosphere in school is calm and purposeful, which is especially helpful in getting new or vulnerable pupils to settle quickly each day to learning. Strong teamwork and close liaison by all staff lead to especially good communication, particularly with parents, who express great confidence in the school. Excellent links with outside agencies ensure that vulnerable pupils receive special support. There are very high standards of record keeping for most aspects of school life. The high expectations of all staff and clear policies support the very effective promotion of good behaviour and attendance. The school gives very good support to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It has very good systems to set individual targets, monitor progress and give guidance. Child protection requirements and procedures for safeguarding pupils' welfare are rigorous and fully understood by all staff and meet national

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Grade: 1

Since her appointment a year ago the headteacher has worked very closely with senior staff to set clear and challenging targets for the school's further improvement. The monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and achievement are of an exceptionally high standard and linked very well to the professional development of all staff. The governing body has provided excellent support through its well organised committee system and strong leadership. The clarity of vision and thorough financial management has led to significant improvements to the accommodation and outside areas which are further strengthening the high quality learning 6 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 environment. Members of staff have taken leading roles within the local authority for promoting subjects such as literacy and physical activity. The school is constantly striving to refine and

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Grade: 1

improve its monitoring processes for some aspects of provision and, as a result, the school recognises the areas it seeks to develop, but does not fully acknowledge the many strengths it has in these aspects. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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?

1 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: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 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 1 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: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your warm welcome when we visited your school recently. Even though the wind howled and the rain poured we felt very comfortable at High Green. Your school is an outstanding school. You are lucky to attend such a great school and are obviously very proud of it. There are many good things to say about your school. Your headteacher leads the school brilliantly, with excellent help from her staff and the governors. Your behaviour and attitudes are excellent. You really enjoy your lessons and try very hard. You produce very good work especially in English, mathematics, science, art and information and communication technology. Your teachers do a good job for you and ensure that the activities you are given are exciting and interesting. They make sure that you all know how to keep healthy and safe because all staff care for you exceedingly well. You have lots of extra clubs and exciting activities. Your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

parents are very pleased that you go to this school because the school works so well with them. The inspectors had a few suggestions for making the school even better. We have asked teachers to look for more ways to involve you in improving your own work. We also want the school to find ways to make sure it recognises all the good things that are happening as well as those things that could be better. You can help your teachers by continuing to behave well and working hard. Thank you for your help with the inspection. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: High Green Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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