Reed First School

117129 Unique Reference Number Hertfordshire Local Authority 326531 Inspection number 3 July 2009 Inspection date Marianne Harris Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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First Type of school Community School category 3–9 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 55 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Nadine Fynn Chair Mrs Alison Thomas Headteacher 3 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Jacksons Lane School address Reed Royston Hertfordshire SG8 8AB 01763 848304 Telephone number 01763 848304 Fax number

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3–9 Age group 3 July 2009 Inspection date 326531 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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school. They investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ whether or not pupils are aware of their targets and know how to improve their work

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Introduction

■ whether the school's positive view of the curriculum is justified.

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Introduction

Evidence was obtained from lesson observations, discussions with staff and pupils, looking at work and talking to representatives of the governing body. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail but inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the schools own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a very small village first school. Pupils come from a wide area including other local villages. Nearly all are from White British backgrounds and there are no pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities varies considerably from year to year and is currently very low. Pupils' attainment on entry to the school is in line with that expected for their age. The school makes provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, including part time places for those who are three years old.

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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: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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Grade: 1

Reed First School provides excellent standards of education, care and support for all its pupils. Parents comment very positively about the progress their children make and know that the staff include all pupils extremely well. The standards pupils reach fluctuate each year because the number of pupils sitting the tests is so small and the performance of each child affects the overall statistics significantly. Over the recent past, standards at the end of Year 2 have been consistently above average and current standards are well above average. This represents excellent achievement for all pupils, whatever their ability. By the end of Year 4 standards continue to be well above average and pupils make excellent progress in order to maintain these standards. The excellent leadership and management of the school have ensured that pupils make outstanding progress writing and this has been a focus over the last year. Pupils are very confident when writing about a

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Grade: 1

range of subjects, including creative stories and reports. Pupils report that they enjoy writing because they can use their imaginations and teachers give them many opportunities to write in lessons. This enthusiasm for writing spills out into other subjects and standards in subjects such as art and information and communication technology (ICT) are also high. Pupils in Year 1 are proud of the photographs they took during ICT day, uploading them onto the computer and displaying them for all to see. Pupils in Year 4 have explored Aboriginal art and have displayed their work alongside research they have carried out into the Australian way of life. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Each pupil has put much work into tending their plants, growing food to eat and understanding about how healthy it is to grow your own food. They have a great understanding of the importance of maintaining a

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Grade: 1

healthy diet. They appreciate the many opportunities they have to participate in sporting activities due to the very effective sports partnership. Pupils say that behaviour is excellent and inspection evidence supported this view. They spoke about how well everyone gets along together and that the older ones look after the younger ones. Pupils know that there is always an adult they can turn to if they have a problem. They see their school as being at the heart of the community and they throw themselves into school life with maturity, organising sports day and eagerly anticipating the school performance. Attendance rates are above average because pupils enjoy school so much. Older pupils are looking forward to starting their new schools and talk about the friends they will be reunited with in September. Pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils make excellent progress because teaching and learning are outstanding. Work is planned

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Grade: 1

to match each individual need in the class. Teachers are very skilful at providing work and activities that are appropriate for every age and stage in their class. Lessons move at a brisk pace and all pupils enjoy discussing their ideas and working together. Work is very well marked with plenty of encouragement and points on how to improve. Pupils say that teachers spend much time discussing individual work and talk to them about how to improve. There have been very successful links made between subjects, for example researching the work of Charles Darwin and using his sketches to create pictures of mixed up animals. The school has forged very good partnerships with other small schools and this has resulted in many joint activities, including residential visits and tennis tournaments. The school has a very positive view of the curriculum and it is outstanding. It is creative and based in the interests of the pupils. There

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Grade: 1

are many visitors and visits into the local area that support learning and there are many extra activities for such a small school. Staff take excellent care of the pupils and make sure that the 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Reed First School, 3 July 2009 school is a safe and welcoming place to be. Child protection systems are robust and staff are well trained. Pupils say that they feel safe and that school is an excellent place to be. The leadership and management of the school have been extremely successful in improving provision since the time of the last inspection. The headteacher has created a dedicated and enthusiastic team. They all share in assessing how well the school is doing and their judgements are accurate. Standards have risen, attendance has improved and the successful partnerships have resulted in an excellent curriculum for all pupils. The issue identified at the time of the last inspection has been very successfully tackled. Pupils not only know their targets, but they

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Grade: 1

can quote them, and say exactly how they are going to improve their work. The progress they make is carefully tracked and any pupil that is falling behind or experiencing difficulties is quickly identified and very effective strategies put in place so that they can make excellent progress. The school is seen as being at the heart of the community, both locally and in the wider context. The partnership with the church is particularly good at promoting pupils' spiritual development and the vicar is an integral part of school assemblies. Community cohesion is promoted extremely well. Pupils understand about various cultures and beliefs and know about the local area. Governors are extremely supportive of the school and are constant visitors in school. They know the school well and are very active in ensuring that high standards have been maintained. The strong sense of team work in the school and the very supportive parents

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Grade: 1

and pupils who are very eager to learn mean that there is excellent capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 1

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make an excellent start to their school life. The well established induction procedures ensure that they settle into school quickly and make excellent progress in all areas of learning, particularly in their personal and social development. Outstanding leadership and management have been very successful in creating a vibrant and exciting learning environment, and the very best has been made of accommodation that is less than ideal. The outside area is used extremely well so that children can benefit from much outside play. They learn to grow their own food and to investigate insects and plants. Learning is very well planned, with a very good balance of activities that children choose for themselves and those that adults lead. Basic skills are taught excellently and children use these very effectively to begin to read and write. By the time they join Year 1 all have achieved excellently,

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Grade: 1

many having exceeded the expected goals for their learning. Partnership with parents is very strong and many comment on the friendly approachable staff who care for their children. This care is excellent with every effort taken to ensure that children are safe and extremely well cared for. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage become confident learners with a thirst for knowledge that they take with them all through the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Work with the local authority to improve the accommodation for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Reed First School, 3 July 2009 .

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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: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 July 2009 Dear Children Inspection of Reed First School, Reed, Hertfordshire, SG8 8AB Thank you for being so helpful and welcoming when we visited your school recently. I am now writing to let you know what we found out. You told us that your school is excellent and we agree with you. Your behaviour is outstanding, you are so friendly and polite, with the older ones taking care of the younger children with such confidence. The plants that you have all grown are very impressive and we hope that you enjoy eating them. They certainly looked very healthy and delicious. We looked at your books as well visiting some lessons and thought that you make excellent progress. Your work is neat, you are keen to learn and your writing is very impressive. Thank you for allowing us to see what you can do. The fact that yours is a small school has not stopped your teachers planning exciting lessons that interest you. Nor has it prevented you from joining

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in many activities with other small and larger schools. We looked carefully at the room that the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage use. It is very exciting with all the areas of learning, but it is old and quite shabby on the outside. We have asked your headteacher and governors to look for ways of finding better space for the children so that they can be more comfortable in the future. Thank you once again for all your help and we wish you all the best. Yours faithfully Marianne Harris Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Reed First School, 3 July 2009

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