Hasland Infant School

112664 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 310970 Inspection number 28 March 2008 Inspection date Keith Sadler 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 342 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs John Bradley Chair Mrs Jenny Lord Headteacher 12 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Eyre Street East School address Hasland Chesterfield Derbyshire S41 0PE 01246 234745 Telephone number 01246 234745 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 28 March 2008 Inspection date 310970 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 an Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: whether the current Year 2 pupils are on course to attain standards that are as high as the previous year's cohort; how the school is working to improve the pupils' attainment and progress in mathematics; and the quality of the school's provision for the pupils' care, guidance and support. Evidence was gathered from records of pupils' attainment, samples of pupils' work, observations in lessons and around the school, meetings with staff, governors and pupils, and an analysis of responses to the parents' questionnaire. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail but the inspection found no evidence to contradict the school's own judgements given in its self-evaluation and these have been included in the report where appropriate.

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Description of the school

Hasland is a larger than average sized infant school that has a nursery. Almost all the pupils are of White British background. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average. The number that have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is at the national average. Most of these pupils have moderate learning or behavioural difficulties. The school holds the following awards: Investors in People, Healthy Schools, Eco School and 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 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Hasland is a good school. As one parent said, 'We cannot praise the school enough. We have watched our daughter develop within a highly supportive and nurturing environment.' Standards of care, guidance and support are indeed high. The views of many were encapsulated in the comments of the parent who wrote, 'The school is very committed to providing high quality care and education for all the children who attend.' Almost all the pupils thoroughly enjoy school and learning. They are particularly proud of the school's commitment to being eco-friendly. They talk animatedly about the importance of protecting the environment, the garden, and eco councils as well as the environmental lessons. As a result, pupils are aware of their ecological responsibilities. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles, though, despite the best efforts of the school, their lunchboxes do not always reflect this. Pupils relish the opportunity to take responsibility, and the school's good

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Grade: 2

curriculum provision facilitates the opportunity for pupils to develop responsibility by classroom rules, school rules, and discussion promoting the development of mature and responsible attitudes. This results in the pupils' good behaviour which has a positive impact on achievement and also helps to sustain harmonious relationships throughout the school. Pupils' are prepared well for the next stage in their education, not only because of their good personal qualities but also by their attainment of above average educational standards. Pupils enter Year 1 with skills that match the national expectation. They make good progress in both Years 1 and 2, and as a result, attain standards that are above average by the time that they leave. Standards in writing are particularly strong because the school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils' writing skills. Standards in mathematics have not been quite as high as

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Grade: 2

reading or writing. However, the school carried out an effective analysis of teaching and learning in mathematics and, as a result, staff put good improvement projects into place. The school's evaluation revealed that pupils' problem-solving skills were not sufficiently well developed. As a result, the school changed its approach to ensure that mathematics was made more real by providing a context for their learning. In addition, the arrangements for grouping pupils were changed to enable a stronger focus to be provided to meet pupils' needs. In consequence, standards have improved in mathematics and current Year 2 pupils are on course to attain standards that match those for reading and writing. Achievement is good throughout the school because the quality of teaching is good. There are many strengths in the teaching. Relationships are very positive with teachers managing pupils well. Classrooms have a calm and purposeful atmosphere in which pupils thrive. Planning is

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Grade: 2

good and teachers generally ensure that the activities set are interesting and provide good challenge for the pupils. In the best lessons, teachers quicken learning because they question pupils well and ensure that the work set matches pupils' learning needs. Teachers sometimes miss opportunities for pupils to learn through real-life situations and this has the effect of slowing progress. The well-planned curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils' progress in English, mathematics and science. The recent emphasis on making the curriculum more relevant is paying dividends that can be seen in pupils' good personal development as confident learners. Well-used themes link learning across many different subjects to help make learning real. In addition, there is an extensive range of extra-curricular activities providing pupils with the 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 2008 chance to enjoy learning outside lessons. A satisfactory range of visits out of school and visitors

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Grade: 2

who support learning enrich the curriculum. The quality of the care, guidance and support is outstanding. One key aspect of the school's provision that makes a strong contribution to the pupils' learning is the excellent way that pupils' progress is checked. This enables teachers to ensure that pupils have clear targets for improvement and progress and are clear what they have to do to improve. In addition, it enables early identification of any pupils that are at risk of falling behind. Their needs are carefully evaluated and the resulting good provision enables these pupils to make good progress. Teachers' marking is of high quality. It is helpful, telling pupils clearly what they are doing well and how they might improve their work. All these things do not happen by chance. The overall quality of leadership and management is good. The headteacher's leadership and management are outstanding. There is an incisive

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Grade: 2

vision for the school and a rigorous focus on improving provision and standards, resulting in good accountability structures. Management of the staff is sensitive. There have been a number of changes in senior leadership and the responsibilities of staff, but these changes have been taken in the school's stride. This is because teamwork is strong, and all staff feel empowered to make a contribution to the school's educational direction. Furthermore, these views are valued and reflected upon. There was a weakness in governance at the time of the previous inspection. This has been addressed successfully and governance is good. Even though there has been a high turnover of governors, they have ensured that their commitment to the school has been unwavering and they fulfil their responsibilities well.

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Grade: 2

Parents are rightly positive about the Foundation Stage provision. 'Nursery staff are always welcoming, friendly, encouraging and interested in my child and go out of their way to make sure every child is settled and happy.' Children's skills on entry to Nursery are below those typically found, particularly in their communication, language and literacy. Because the provision is good in both the Nursery and Reception classes, children make good progress, achieve well and reach the standards expected by the end of Reception. The recent developments in the organisation of the curriculum have led to even stronger links between the Nursery and Reception. The quality of teaching and learning in both year groups is good, children enjoy the activities, and they learn and work well together. Children benefit from a wide range of good quality resources, both inside and outdoors. There are good arrangements for checking progress,

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Grade: 2

and assessments are used well to guide staff in planning the next range of activities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Build on the best practice in teaching to ensure that pupils more consistently learn through real life tasks and activities. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 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 1 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?

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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 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 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 March 2008 Dear Pupils Hasland Infant School, Chesterfield, S41 0PE Thank you very much for welcoming me to your school when I visited you recently. It was a pleasure to talk with you and I particularly enjoyed watching the way you worked and played together. I would like to say a special thanks to the members of the eco council and the school council, who told me what it is like to be a pupil at Hasland. I can understand why you all thoroughly enjoy learning and are proud of your school. Yours is a good school. You told me that you feel really safe and I can see that this is because the staff take excellent care of you. The adults work hard for you and the teaching is good. Your behaviour is good and you take care to make sure that all of you enjoy school. This helps everyone to feel important. Your teachers also make sure that there are many interesting activities for you to do. I was impressed with your levels of concentration and your good learning in lessons. As a

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

result, you achieve well and reach above average standards by the time you leave to go to the juniors. Your progress overall is good. I have asked for one thing to be done. This is for your teachers to make sure that as well as telling you about what you should learn in each lesson, they always give you activities that are real for you. This will help you to understand and learn even better. You can help by making sure that you work hard to reach your targets. Best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely Keith Sadler Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Hasland Infant School, 28 March 2008

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