East Harling Primary School and Nursery

East Harling Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

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121019 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK Local Authority 313840 Inspection number 30 April 2007 Inspection date John Messer 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 231 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Pete Lawton Chair Miss Lisa Sergeant Headteacher 19 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection Gallants Lane School address East Harling Norwich Norfolk NR16 2NQ

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01953717221 Telephone number 01953717977 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 30 April 2007 Inspection date 313840 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 over one day.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized village primary school. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils who have statements for their needs is high. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. A few are from minority ethnic families. A small number speak languages other than English. Attainment on entry to the school is slightly below average and a significant number of children have poorly developed communication, language and literacy skills. An acting headteacher is in charge of the school whilst it awaits the arrival of a newly appointed headteacher.

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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: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has many strengths and some outstanding features. Personal development is outstanding and pupils' behaviour is excellent. Pupils are self-assured and develop into confident learners. This stands them in good stead for the future. Care, support and guidance are outstanding. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure in school. They have an excellent understanding of how to eat sensibly, stay healthy and keep fit. They have clear targets for improvement and know what they must do to reach the next stages in their learning. Pupils enjoy school because relationships with staff are excellent and pupils say that teachers have a good sense of humour and are never 'down'. Attendance is good. Teaching is good, and some is outstanding. Lessons are stimulating and motivate pupils well. All groups of pupils make good progress. Standards by Year 6 are above average in English, mathematics and science. Children settle happily in the Nursery, where the quality of provision

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Grade: 2

is good. They achieve well in the Foundation Stage and by the end of the reception year, most attain all the early learning goals. Staff frequently measure pupils' performance and gather a great deal of data about pupils' attainment. The school sets ambitious targets for its performance in English and mathematics. However, current systems to set the amount of progress that pupils are expected to make each year in reading, writing and mathematics, and the arrangements to monitor pupils' achievement against such expectations, lack clarity. Consequently, subject leaders cannot determine whether progress exceeds or falls short of the amount they were aiming to achieve, nor can they identify precisely which groups need extra support. The curriculum is good. It is relevant to pupils' needs and is supplemented by a good range of extra activities. Good work was seen in history, art and design, sport and singing. The school

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Grade: 2

makes an excellent contribution to community cohesion by, for example, asking local residents to talk to the children about their work and the history of the village. Parents are delighted with the education provided for their children. The school council is highly effective and has assisted governors in the selection of a new headteacher. The governing body is very supportive but has been preoccupied with appointing a new headteacher and has not monitored standards sufficiently in order to determine whether they are high enough. The acting headteacher provides good leadership. She works closely with school governors to ensure that standards are maintained at a high level whilst the school awaits the arrival of the new headteacher. Finances are managed well and the school provides good value for money. The school's self-evaluation is largely accurate but in some respects its judgements about its performance

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Grade: 2

are over exaggerated. Nevertheless, it has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop a system that sets out the amount of progress that pupils are expected to make in English and mathematics and measure their progress against such expectations in order to quickly identify any groups who are not doing as well as they should. • Develop systems to enable the governing body to monitor the school's performance more systematically.

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Grade: 2

Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who do not speak English as their first language, achieve well. This is largely because they thoroughly enjoy school 4 of 10 Inspection Report: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007 and because teachers make learning interesting. Pupils work hard. By Year 2, and again by Year 6, standards are currently above average in English, mathematics and science. In the national assessments for pupils in Year 2 in 2006, results were above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in 2006, the school's results were broadly average in English and mathematics and above average in science. This group of Year 6 pupils did well to attain average standards as there was a higher than average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities in the group. Test results are consistently above average

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Grade: 2

in science and in some years they are exceptionally high. This is mainly because many of the teachers particularly enjoy science and the opportunities it provides for experimentation and investigation. Pupils quickly learn to share this enthusiasm and this promotes effective learning. Pupils are developing a good range of skills in information and communication technology (ICT).

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Grade: 1

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and friendly. Pupils are encouraged to voice their opinions and share their views. This helps them to develop self-confidence. Pupils are bursting with enthusiasm and curiosity. Teachers foster pupils' interest well by planning stimulating lessons and exciting projects. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are courteous, and converse readily with visitors. Pupils are sensitive to the needs of others and willingly support charities. They sing enthusiastically and the songs they particularly like encourage them to reflect on themes such as injustice and suffering. Other favourite songs promote a good understanding of how to stay fit and celebrate the differences between people. Pupils develop a wide range of key skills that prepare them well for transfer to secondary school and for later life.

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Grade: 2

Teachers and support staff work closely together as a team and help all groups of pupils to make good progress. They are particularly good at motivating pupils to achieve well and attain high standards. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' performance whilst pupils themselves work hard to reach the higher standards. Some Year 6 pupils said, 'We have reached Level 4 but we are all striving to get to Level 5.' The school has begun to link subjects together well to add interest. The Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes are engaged in a wide ranging project called, 'How Does Your Garden Grow?' They have written letters to local nurseries to ask for help and advice about growing plants, constructed a raised vegetable plot, measured the growth of plants and conducted experiments to determine what conditions are needed to promote healthy growth. They knew that their vegetables would be better than many purchased in the

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Grade: 2

shops because no chemicals would be used. In many lessons, the interactive white boards are used effectively to bring learning alive. In Year 5, a video clip about hunting provided good stimulus for persuasive writing. A skilled team of teaching assistants makes a valuable contribution to the quality of teaching and learning. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities receive good support and make good progress. The school identifies pupils who are gifted and talented and has begun to devise a programme to meet their particular learning needs. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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Grade: 2

There is an appropriate emphasis on teaching English, mathematics, science and ICT. Creative and performing arts and the humanities are well represented, together with personal, social and health education and sport, with the result that pupils receive a well-rounded education. The curriculum is enriched by many opportunities to visit places of interest, including a popular residential visit to the Lake District. Interesting visitors, such as a Franciscan Friar, help pupils to develop an understanding of different customs and faiths. The school has made a good start, particularly in the classes for the younger pupils, at linking subjects together to form interesting topics.

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Grade: 1

This is an especially strong feature of the school that supports learning particularly well. Great emphasis is placed on ensuring the safety of pupils. Child protection procedures are in place and are understood by all staff. Pupils say they feel secure in the school. They receive clear guidance about how to stay safe and lead healthy lifestyles. They feel well supported by all school staff and would have no hesitation about sharing problems or concerns with their teachers. They are given good guidance about how to improve their work and how to reach the next stages in their learning. They understand their curricular targets that are prominently displayed in each classroom. This helps them to make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher is greatly respected and provides good leadership during the inter-regnum. A productive climate for learning has been established. All staff strive together to do their very best for every child. The school is fully inclusive and welcomes pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties or disabilities. The leadership and management of the school do much to forge close links with the community. Leadership facilitates an excellent contribution by pupils to community cohesion, such as providing packs of produce to be distributed by the church at harvest time, energy conservation, recycling initiatives and litter awareness. The school is a happy place. The leadership of the school ensures that teachers and support staff enjoy their work as much as the pupils enjoy learning. There is no complacency and leadership supports staff in constantly seeking ways to improve provision further. The good leadership of

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Grade: 2

the school has ensured that staff are receptive to new ideas and all are looking forward to a new chapter in the school's history when the new headteacher joins the school next term. The school's own evaluation of its performance is mostly accurate but it has not considered cause and effect sufficiently. For example, the evaluation of teaching quality is not linked closely enough to its impact on pupils' progress because systems for the monitoring of progress to school targets lack clarity. Governors work hard on behalf of the school. Many are new and have not yet fully developed their roles in gaining a complete picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses and in monitoring the school's performance. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007 .

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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: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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

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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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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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 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets 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: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 May 2007 Dear Children Inspection of East Harling Primary School and Nursery, Gallants Lane, East Harling, Norwich, Norfolk, NR16 2NQ What a great school! I thoroughly enjoyed my short visit. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. I think that there are many good things about the school. I particularly liked your enthusiasm and the way that you are so keen to find out new things. I agree with you that the teachers and support staff are all cheerful, and they make learning fun. One of you said that they are 'always joyful' and this helps to make the school a happy place. I thought that your singing was outstanding. Some of the songs, like 'The Suffering Song', make everybody think hard about the sadness in the world. When you sang 'I'm The Individual That You See' so energetically I could see that you really did appreciate what wonderful things our bodies are and that you understood how to keep healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You work hard and you make good progress in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Some of the pictures are beautifully painted and you know a lot about the history of the village and about the Great Fire of London. You are good at using computers to help you to learn new things. The gardening project that the younger ones have started is fascinating. You are also keen on sport and games. Above all you are kind to each other and make good friends. I have asked Miss Sergeant and the school governors to think about developing a much clearer system to show everybody how much progress the teachers expect you to make in reading, writing and mathematics. If they do this it should be easier for everybody to see who is doing exceptionally well and who needs a bit more help. It should also help the governors to be able to see exactly how well the school is doing and whether anything needs to be done to make

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

sure that you attain the highest possible standards in your work. I wish you every success in the future. Yours sincerely, John Messer 10 of 10 Inspection Report: East Harling Primary School and Nursery, 30 April 2007

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