Hadfield Infant School

Hadfield Infant School Inspection report

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112692 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 310984 Inspection number 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates Sheelagh Barnes 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 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 158 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kath Holtom Chair Mrs Christine Taylor Headteacher 20 October 2003 Date of previous school inspection Merseybank Road School address Hadfield Derbyshire SK13 1PN 01457853958 Telephone number 01457868012 Fax number

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4-7 Age group 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates 310984 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average sized infant school. The great majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Very few speak English as an additional language. Average proportions of pupils need extra support with their work, but the proportion is significantly higher in some cohorts than others. For example, around a third of the previous Year 2 required extra support. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. On entry to the school, children are working at levels across the full range of ability, but which are overall below those expected for their ages. The school was awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark in 2003 and 2006 and Health Promoting Schools status in September 2007.

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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: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. A significant factor in its success is the effective leadership and management. The head has a clear, accurate vision of what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve. The governing body provides a good level of support and challenge. As a result, the school is providing pupils with a good education through a well-planned curriculum. This is leading to pupils making good progress. Children make a good start to their learning in the Reception classes. Progress and achievement continue to be good in Years 1 and 2. Inspection evidence points to pupils reaching above average standards by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Recent work to improve reading and writing skills has been particularly successful and this is evident in the good progress that pupils are making. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good. The planning of lessons benefits from a

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Grade: 2

good curriculum, which encourages cross-curricular links, and enriches pupils' lives through a good range of clubs and out of school activities. The school has rightly identified the need to provide more learning opportunities in the outdoor area. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and lessons proceed in an orderly manner. The topics that form the focus of learning are interesting and exciting and good use is made of things such as puppets and interactive white boards. As a consequence, learning is greatly enjoyed by all pupils, who concentrate well. However, there is inconsistency in the level of challenge that lessons provide, ranging from outstanding to satisfactory. Marking of pupils' work in inconsistent in providing pupils with an understanding of what they need to do next to improve their learning. This is a very caring school, which looks after pupils from all groups well and in which they feel

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Grade: 2

safe and happy. They are positive about the school and clearly enjoy their lessons. Personal development and wellbeing are good. Pupils say 'The best thing about school is the exciting things we do!' Behaviour is good due to the consistent approach of all staff and the high expectations they have for pupils in this aspect. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Attendance is above average, reflecting pupils' interest in their learning. Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves healthy and safe and they make a suitable contribution to the school community through taking responsibilities, such as the newly formed school council or planting flowers around the grounds. The school gathers a good range of information about pupils' progress and uses the information effectively to raise standards further. The good improvements made since the last inspection show that the school has a good capacity to

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Grade: 2

Children settle happily in the Reception classes and make good progress in all areas of learning because teaching is good. Leadership and management are good and there is a strong emphasis on developing children's speaking skills and on extending the range of words that they understand. An imaginary expedition through the playground to the North Pole fired children's imaginations as they crept past the polar bear's den, watched seals sliding into icy water and met an Inuit girl catching fish. Such exciting make-believe experiences provide rich opportunities for language development. From their very first days in school children are taught about the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. This gives them a solid basis for developing 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008 early reading and writing skills. The outside play area adds to the range of learning opportunities

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Grade: 2

but is not extensive enough or sufficiently well designed to maximise its potential as a learning resource. Children are sensitive to the feelings of others and show this in their kindness to each other. Most children are on course to attain average standards by the end of the Reception year.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure greater consistency in the level of challenge of lessons and in the involvement of pupils in understanding what they need to do next through marking of work and target setting. ■ Develop the outside area so that it provides a more stimulating learning environment.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Children settle well into the Reception classes and make good gains in their learning, due to the good quality of the provision. This good progress continues through Years 1 and 2, and achievement is currently good overall. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those with English as an additional language are supported effectively so that they achieve well in relation to their abilities. Writing and reading standards have improved recently because of a number of initiatives and a strong emphasis placed upon this aspect of learning throughout the school. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading and writing are in line to be significantly above average and in mathematics slightly above.

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Grade: 2

Pupils thoroughly enjoy the exciting activities provided in school. An example of this is project work, which supports their learning well. Attendance is, unsurprisingly, good. Pupils have become fascinated by the study of cold places and love relating all the detailed facts they have found out about the Arctic and the Antarctic. As they become experts, their confidence grows. Pupils demonstrate responsible attitudes. They insist on lights being turned off whenever possible in order to slow global warming. They are concerned about the Arctic ice caps melting and the destruction of the polar bears' habitat. Pupils are polite and sensible. A school council has recently been established and councillors are clear about their role in helping to improve the school but, at this time, there are too few opportunities for pupils to exercise independence and become involved in decision making.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers and support staff have consistent expectations of pupils' behaviour. As a result, lessons proceed in a calm and orderly manner. Planning for lessons is good and takes good account of what pupils already know and can do. Teachers and support staff plan together to ensure that pupils in all groups have the same opportunities. However, lessons vary in their challenge from satisfactory to excellent. Good use is made of resources, such as white boards and puppets, to make learning interesting and exciting. For example, during the inspection, teachers made good use of the whole school Polar 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008 theme to provide some innovative and interesting learning opportunities. As a result, pupils are enthusiastic about their tasks and concentrate well. Assessment is good and detailed and accurate records are kept. Teachers regularly discuss with pupils what activities they have

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Grade: 2

undertaken during the session. They offer praise and encouragement through marking. However, they do not consistently give pupils clear information about how to make their work even better.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum matches pupils' interests well and is relevant to their various needs. The programme for extending pupils' personal, social and health education helps them to find out how to stay safe and healthy, and is preparing them well for their future lives. Recently there has been a strong and effective emphasis on teaching key skills in literacy. Whole school topics fire pupils' imaginations and promote an enthusiasm for learning. They are developing a wide range of computer skills through the good provision, which enhances their learning. A good number of visits and visitors enhance learning well. Good attention is paid to promoting an understanding of different cultures and beliefs through, for example, celebrating the Chinese New Year. The school has identified the need to develop outdoor aspects of the curriculum further.

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Grade: 2

Pastoral care and guidance are good. Staff know all pupils well so any sign of unhappiness is noted quickly and dealt with sensitively. Academic guidance is mostly good but pupils' individual targets for learning are not always clear enough. Provision for pupils who need extra help with their learning is good. Support is pitched at the right level to help them succeed and so they make good progress and develop good self-esteem. This is particularly the case in the 'nurture group' where pupils who need extra support work in small groups for part of the day. Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils' care throughout the school. The way they deal so sensitively with pupils' particular needs demonstrates their high levels of commitment to pupils' welfare. All safeguarding requirements are met.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good. It has resulted in good improvement since the previous inspection. The headteacher has high expectations of where she wants the school to be and a clear and measurable plan of how to achieve this. She has a good knowledge of standards throughout the school, which results in accurate evaluation of its performance. Governors are supportive, take their responsibilities seriously and have undertaken training to develop their understanding further. They are motivated, well-informed and are effectively developing their role as critical friends of the school. Co-ordinators, some of whom are new to their post are effectively developing their roles in monitoring and development planning for their subjects. Parents are largely pleased with the school although a small minority feel that communication between school and home could be improved. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 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 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 February 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Hadfield Infant School, Hadfield, Derbyshire, SK13 1PN I am writing to thank you for the way you made us feel welcome when we visited your school recently. I also want to share with you what we found out about your school. I especially want to thank all those of you we met in groups and talked with at lunchtime. This was very helpful to us and it was lovely for us to hear about your work and how much you enjoy being at school. The good things about your school are:-

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are well behaved, enjoy school and attend regularly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress, especially in your reading and writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teachers teach you well and make lessons interesting.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all learn a lot about being healthy and staying safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teachers plan your learning well to make it interesting for you, such as when you learn about life in the Arctic and Antarctic. ■ Your headteacher knows a lot about how well you are all doing and how to make the school even better. The things we have asked your teachers to do next are:-

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To help you learn even more about how you are getting on and how the teachers can help you to do even better work. ■ For you to have a lot more opportunity to learn outdoors.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I really enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. I wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Barnes Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Hadfield Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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