Hextable Primary School

Hextable Primary School Inspection report - amended

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135118 Unique Reference Number Kent Local Authority 329029 Inspection number 8–9 October 2008 Inspection dates Kathryn Taylor 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 420 School (total) 59 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 Steve Hemmings Chair Kate Thew Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Rowhill Road School address Hextable Swanley BR8 7RL 01322 663792 Telephone number 01322 669422 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 8–9 October 2008 Inspection dates 329029 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This new school was established in September 2007, following the amalagamation of an infant and junior school. The majority of children are White British.The proportion of children identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. Their needs relate to learning, speech, language/communication difficulties, behaviour, emotional needs, social needs, autism, hearing impairment and physical disabilities. The youngest children have the option of attending part time until the end of the autumn term. The school has gained a number of awards including Eco Schools Silver, Active Mark, Healthy Schools and Safe School Accreditation.

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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: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school. Following on from the amalgamation, Hextable Primary School has become firmly established as one school and staff are working well together. The majority of parents responding to the questionnaire say that they are happy with the school. However, some disagree and are critical of the changes being made. Inspectors found that many of the changes are having a positive impact, for example in raising standards in English and improving pupils' behaviour and enjoyment of school. Parental comments indicate that a minority would value more regular consultation and, communication with the school. Although achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average, these are not consistent across classes and subjects. Standards in English, for example, are well above average at the end of Year 6 while those in science are well below. Mathematics standards are broadly average,

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Grade: 3

but pupils' skills in problem solving are not developed well enough. Teaching is satisfactory and there are strengths, such as teachers' organisational skills and relationships with pupils. Teaching is good in some lessons, but there is not yet enough good teaching to raise standards quickly. Not all teachers have high enough expectations of pupils, the pace of learning in some lessons is too slow and marking does not always do enough to guide pupils towards improvement. Good pastoral care means that pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for in school and those who need extra personal help are supported well. Pupils' good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development means they enjoy school, grow in confidence, and form strong friendships and very good relationships. They are keen to get involved, as is evident from their high participation in after-school activities and their willingness to take on responsibility and participate in

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Grade: 3

decision-making. The curriculum and after-school activities make a strong contribution to pupils' cultural development, enjoyment, health, fitness and their many successes in competitive sport. The headteacher's strong and determined leadership means that there have been demonstrable improvements on many fronts in the past year, especially in raising standards in English and provision for the youngest children in the EYFS, which is now good. Good leadership means the school has a strong capacity for continued improvement. The school is working well with other schools to share ideas and learn from good practice.

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Grade: 2

Good contacts with families before children start school and the warm welcome from staff when they arrive helps children settle in quickly and start to make good progress. As one parent noted, 'Although my child has only just started school I am pleased with the progress he has made.' The recent introduction of the home/school assessment book provides a very good opportunity for parents and staff to work together in supporting children's learning and share information about their learning and developments. Teaching and learning are good. Staff have high expectations of children and provide a good balance of independent and adult-led activities. They teach the key skills in early reading, writing and mathematics well. Teachers and support staff interact well with children during independent activities. This develops their speaking and listening skills, extends their learning and encourages them to work well together. A particular strength is the way that planning is

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Grade: 2

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 flexible enough to enable staff to respond to children's interests and achievements on a day-to-day basis. The EYFS is staffed well. Equipment is easily accessible to children, encouraging them to develop independence from the start. Staff ensure that children are safe and happy, take exercise and eat and drink healthily. External advice and support has helped the school to make good improvements to provision, especially in the use of outdoors and developing independent learning. The new EYFS leader has a clear understanding of good EYFS practice. She knows what needs to be done in the future to extend outdoor learning and ensure that children's attainments are assessed accurately, both on entry to school and by the end of the EYFS.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in mathematics and science, particularly in Key Stage 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Strengthen teaching and learning, by raising teachers' expectations of pupils, increasing the pace of lessons and ensuring that marking guides pupils towards improving their learning. ■ Strengthen communications and consultation with parents so that they are better informed of, and feel more involved in, the changes being made to support their children's learning. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

From a broadly average starting point on entry, pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress during their time at the school. As a result of improvements to provision, pupils are making good progress in English. Consequently, in 2008 standards at the end of Year 2 were above average and were well above average at the end of Year 6. Mathematics standards were broadly average in Years 2 and 6, while science standards were above average in Year 2, but well below average in Year 6. The school has started to make improvements to mathematics and science provision and standards through staff training, by giving increased attention to practical work and developing pupils' skills in problem solving and investigations.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are good ambassadors for the school. They are polite, friendly, eager to help and keen to chat about themselves and their work. Pupils say they enjoy school and can turn to staff if they need help or have a problem. They enjoy lessons. They especially like information and communication technology and practical activities like pond dipping, art, drama and sporting activities. Typical comments include: 'I enjoy art because it cheers me up!' Although some parents expressed concerns about behaviour, this has improved in recent times and is now good. The behaviour policy is understood and implemented consistently. In addition, pupils are involved in devising playground rules and ensuring these are followed. Most pupils, therefore, play together well, listen to one another and collaborate in lessons. Attendance is satisfactory and punctuality has improved. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Teachers organise their classrooms well, ensure that pupils' achievements are celebrated and encourage them to take a pride in their finished work. They develop good relationships with pupils and manage them positively. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils' learning and help to ensure that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully included. All of this really helps pupils enjoy school and learning. Teaching is good in some lessons, characterised by high expectations of pupils, a brisk pace and well-chosen resources and activities to engage pupils. However, this is not consistent across the school and expectations of what pupils can achieve generally need to be higher. The way teachers are using assessments to plan work for different ability groups is developing well. Marking is regular and encouraging but does not do enough to challenge and guide pupils towards improvement.

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Grade: 3

Weakness in the curriculum relating to too few opportunities for practical work and investigations in mathematics and science are being addressed effectively. Other developments to the curriculum are helping to make lessons more interesting and relevant to pupils. Pupils say they like the new science programme and that initiatives such as Building Learning Power help them to organise their thoughts and improve their writing. Pupils really enjoy the wide variety of clubs and enrichment activities offered and participation is high. Residential trips, themed weeks, involvement with the community and visitors to school also extend pupils' learning well.

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Grade: 3

Strong pastoral support is underpinned by the trusting relationships between adults and pupils, good safeguarding procedures and the high standard of cleanliness and maintenance of the premises. Personal support for vulnerable pupils is good and is enhanced by good, close links with parents and external agencies. The recent appointment of a home/school liaison officer provides additional support for pupils and families, further strengthening the links between home and school. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Additional support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for those who are at risk of falling behind is satisfactory and improving. The school is working hard to enable pupils to take more responsibility for their learning, for example by involving them in setting their own targets. Guidance in lessons and through marking, however, is inconsistent.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has led the school extremely well through a difficult transition period of bringing two quite different schools together. She has set a very clear direction for the school, which rightly focuses on improving pupils' learning to ensure that they make the best possible 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 progress. Challenging targets are being set and used effectively to try to raise standards and improve provision. The deputy headteacher has provided good support for the headteacher in managing the changes. Members of the newly established leadership team show potential and are enthusiastic. They have already begun to have a positive impact on improving provision and pupils' progress. The school has an accurate picture of where improvements are needed because monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and pupils' progress are rigorous, though lesson observations

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Grade: 2

should have an even sharper focus on evaluating pupils' learning. Governors, with a strong steer from the chair, have worked very hard on the school's behalf. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of their school and are able to support and challenge it. The school is beginning to promote community cohesion in an effective way. Equality of opportunity is promoted well. Leaders monitor the progress of different groups and work well with hard-to-reach families. The school has begun to make productive links with the local and world communities. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 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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needs of learners?

NA 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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Hextable, BR8 7RL Thank you very much for making us welcome when we visited. We really enjoyed talking to you and finding out about your school. We think that Hextable Primary School is an improving school that provides a satisfactory standard of education. It was good to see that the children in Reception are making good progress and that you all make good progress in English. We found that you enjoy school and learning. You are sensible, polite and well behaved. This enables your school to run smoothly. Staff help you if you have a problem. They encourage you to do well, develop good relationships and to understand how to keep fit and healthy. Teachers often prepare interesting work for you to do. You told us how much you enjoy practical lessons and activities. We saw from your books that most of you take a pride in your work. We also noticed that you take part in many after-school and sporting

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

activities and have good opportunities to learn from themed weeks, visitors and trips. Your headteacher and the staff have already made some improvements since the infant and junior schools joined together. We have asked them to help you to reach higher standards in mathematics and science. We have asked the school to ensure that teachers expect more of you, that lessons have a quick pace and marking helps you to know what you need to do to improve your learning. We have also asked that the staff and governors talk with your parents more often to explain what changes are being made and why, and to ask your parents what they think. You can help by always doing your best. Yours sincerely Kathryn Taylor Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hextable Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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