Clavering Primary School

Clavering Primary School Inspection report

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111614 Unique Reference Number Hartlepool Local Authority 331272 Inspection number 17–18 June 2009 Inspection dates Alastair Younger 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 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 339 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 Mr Neil Addison Chair Mr Tony Metcalfe Headteacher 1 November 2008 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Clavering Road School address Hartlepool TS27 3PN 01429 422088 Telephone number 01429 281588 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 17–18 June 2009 Inspection dates 331272 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 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average school. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage and all have English as their main language. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. This is also the case with the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The Early Foundation Stage comprises Nursery and Reception classes.

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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: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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Grade: 2

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement. This is a good school. Weaknesses identified by the previous inspection have been rapidly and effectively addressed. Writing in Key Stage 2 has improved and inadequate teaching in Key Stage 2 has been eliminated. The school’s self-evaluation is good. As a result, the school has a good capacity to improve further because it now has a much better informed understanding of its relative strengths and weaknesses. This capacity is enhanced by the effective way in which good leadership, management and governance have embraced outside support and formed increasingly good relationships with other agencies and professionals. A valuable contribution to this has been made through the appointment of a ‘parent champion’ to forge ever more productive links between parents and the school.

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Grade: 2

Most children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage at a broadly average level of learning and personal development. By the time they enter Key Stage 1, they have made good progress to an above average level. Good progress continues through Key Stages 1 and 2 with the result that by the time they leave at the end of Year 6, pupils have achieved well and standards are generally above average, with no group attaining significantly below average. This is largely because pupils are keen to learn and teaching is good. The curriculum is good and well enriched; teachers manage classrooms well and provide pupils with a wide range of stimulating activities. Most teachers vary work well to meet the different needs of individuals but, during the inspection whenever teaching was satisfactory rather than good, this was largely the result of all pupils being given the same work. As a result, higher attaining pupils were under-challenged

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Grade: 2

and lower attaining ones could not complete their tasks. The personal development and well-being of pupils are good. Most pupils are articulate and keen to share their views with visitors. These views strongly confirm their enjoyment of school and their enthusiasm for learning. Behaviour is good. It is outstanding in formal situations, such as lessons. In most situations, pupils show a good awareness of how their actions can impact on themselves and others but this falters slightly amongst a small minority at break times. This situation is not helped by the sterility of play areas and the cramped nature of hard-surface areas in the playground. In other situations, good care, guidance and support greatly contribute to ensuring that pupils are kept safe and well protected. Attendance is good and has been so for many years. This is because parents are very supportive and their children very keen to secure a bright future for themselves. Pupils show a good understanding of the

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Grade: 2

benefits of leading healthy lives. They participate keenly in physical activities and eat and drink sensibly. The work of the school is much appreciated by the local community, helped by simple initiatives that allow pupils to contribute well to improving the locality and helping other people. Opportunities for pupils to learn more about the customs and cultures of people from other societies are less well developed and this also impacts on the school’s contribution to the global community.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good with very strong features. Children enter the Nursery with skills and abilities that are expected of their age. They leave the Reception 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009 classes at an above average level, having made good progress in all areas of learning and development. Children with specific needs are well supported and good use is made of the expertise of external agencies. Parents are very pleased with what is provided for their children as well as the information and quality of guidance they receive. Children in Nursery and Reception classes grow rapidly in confidence because of the happy and secure atmosphere presented by a well qualified and experienced staff; the welfare of children is good. The relationships with children are outstanding resulting in excellent behaviour and attitudes to work and play. Children express enjoyment and pride in their work and play. Staff give children

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Grade: 2

opportunities to make choices and follow through their own ideas while guiding and supporting them. They constantly interact with children, encouraging them and further developing their language and social skills. The great majority of the children are confident contributors in lessons. They move about the room safely with consideration for others and are willing to take on responsibilities. The Early Years Foundation Stage is in the process of developing the ethos of a single unit rather than separate Nursery and Reception classes. In this, methods of recording observations of children’s learning and development are planned for further development. There have been significant changes in staffing, though the effectiveness of the unit has been maintained because of good leadership. The recently appointed leader has identified highly appropriate areas for further development. One of these priorities is the more effective use of

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Grade: 2

the very good outside areas in order to improve their impact on children’s learning and development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teachers plan more effectively to meet the needs of the full ability range in each class. ■ Extend pupils’ multicultural development alongside developing a more global dimension to promoting community cohesion. ■ Enhance playground facilities.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. For many years, standards have been consistently high at the end of Key Stage 1. Results in 2008 show that standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are similarly high, putting the school in the top 5% of all schools nationally. This year’s results are likely to be slightly lower but inspection evidence supports the school’s projection that standards will almost certainly remain high, reflecting the good progress pupils make as a result of good teaching. The school’s leaders and managers acknowledge that this year’s results will be a truer reflection of standards than last year’s. The proportion of Key Stage 1 pupils exceeding national expectations for English and mathematics is about twice the national average. It is rare for any pupil in either Key Stage 1 or 2 not to meet national expectations and many more than average exceed those expectations. Achievement and standards in science and information and communication technology (ICT)

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Grade: 2

broadly reflect those in mathematics and English. Good work is also being done in other subjects, reflecting the good curriculum and the way in which the school strongly promotes learning across the whole of it, rather than focusing overly on just those parts that contribute to national statistics. There is no evidence to suggest that any group of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achieves significantly differently from any other. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their well-being are good. Moral and social development are outstanding but pupils’ awareness of other cultures and societies remain underdeveloped. Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in good attendance and by the views of their parents. Every pupil consulted during the inspection confirmed that they loved coming to school because they liked their teachers and enjoyed learning. This was clearly evident during the inspection, when behaviour was good and pupils worked hard. Pupils enjoy working cooperatively and are given many opportunities to do so. They contribute generously to the evaluation of each other’s work and are often to be seen to be helping each other to achieve success. This has a big impact on their very good social development. Nearly all pupils behave well in every situation but there are times when

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Grade: 2

over-vigorous play results in bumps and scrapes in the uninspiring playground. In all other respects, pupils show a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe and contribute to other pupils’ safety and enjoyment. This heightened awareness also contributes well to the community of the school, alongside good relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils listen carefully to the good advice they are given about how to live healthy lives and take pride in making healthy choices about what they eat at lunchtimes. The good progress that pupils make in their personal development and the high standards they attain stand pupils in good stead for successful futures.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and pupils are keen to learn. Behaviour in lessons is outstanding and pupils show great enthusiasm for participating in activities. Since the last inspection, the effectiveness of teaching has improved considerably. Occasionally, teaching is now truly inspiring. This is characterised by teachers showing a willingness to let pupils take a lead in their learning, confident in their own ability to turn every learning activity into a positive outcome. This is particularly evident in Years 3 and 4. On the few occasions when teaching is only satisfactory, it is because lessons have not been sufficiently well planned to take into account the full range of ability in each class. When this is the case, all pupils tend to be set the same task, with the result that higher attaining ones are not sufficiently challenged and lower attaining ones do not complete their tasks. Occasionally they do so, but only with considerable support from

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Grade: 2

staff. This reduces the frequency of opportunities for these particular pupils to learn with a greater degree of independence.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum meets all requirements and is well enriched by a wide range of activities that add enjoyment and relevance to learning. A strength of the curriculum is that, while it focuses well on promoting the key skills of numeracy, literacy and ICT, it does not neglect all the other areas of learning; consequently, pupils receive a broad education and become well-rounded, confident individuals. Good inroads have been made into developing a creative curriculum within which pupils make links between what they learn in one subject and how they can apply this to others. The curriculum effectively reflects parental and pupil aspirations. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009 In the case of the former, this has been helped by the appointment of a ‘parent champion’ who aids communication between the school and the parent body. In the case of the latter, it has been helped by the fact that staff listen to pupils and act on their sensible suggestions.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are equally well cared for, guided and supported in their learning and their personal development. Regular checks ensure that as much as is possible is done to safeguard and protect pupils and statutory requirements regarding safeguarding are met. Checks on how well pupils are making academic progress are increasingly frequent and rigorous. In response to parental comments, the school has reviewed and improved its reporting to parents to give them a clearer picture of how their children are progressing. Pupils not making the progress expected of them are quickly given extra support and there are many activities to stimulate and challenge those pupils who have been identified as gifted and talented.

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Grade: 2

Leaders, managers and governors responded very quickly to address concerns identified by the previous inspection. As a result of good leadership and management, improvement has been rapid and is well set to continue, especially as staffing has been strengthened by the prudent appointment of several good, new and enthusiastic teachers. Staff thoroughly enjoy working in the school and share a common sense of purpose, helped considerably by the fact that they are increasingly involved in contributing to the school’s self-evaluation. Good links exist with parents and the school embraces the contributions of many professionals and agencies including the local authority. The school is popular and well respected in the community; numbers on roll have been increasing for several years. It is significant that when the school’s difficulties were reported by the previous inspection, no parents withdrew their children. The school has

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Grade: 2

a good reputation for including all of its pupils, whatever their level of need. Many initiatives contribute to the school’s contribution to community cohesion but most of these are based around the immediate community rather than extending into the broader national and global community. As a result, the school’s contribution to community cohesion is satisfactory overall. Governance is good. It is highly supportive and individual governors are increasingly involved in contributing to the school’s self-evaluation by finding out for themselves what life is like in school for pupils. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009 .

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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: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 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? 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

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/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: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 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? 2 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: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Clavering Primary School, Hartlepool, TS27 3PN Thank you for the warm welcome you gave us when we inspected your school recently. It was a pleasure to talk to many of you and listen to what you had to say about the school. You were extremely polite and talked a lot of sense. As you know, we visited all of your classrooms and looked at your work to see how you were getting on with your work. In nearly every lesson we saw you being well taught and responding well by working hard and behaving sensibly. You left us in no doubt that you love coming to school and want to make the best of your time there. It helps that you are so well supported and guided by staff who so clearly care for your well-being. You are achieving well and making good progress. By the end of Year 6, many of you have exceeded national expectations in mathematics and English. This stands you in good stead for

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

succeeding when you move to other schools. Apart from these two subjects you are also making good progress in the many other subjects included in your rich and varied timetable. This is why we are reporting that Clavering Primary is a good school that is well led, managed and governed. As with all schools, there are still things we felt could be improved. We noticed that in a few lessons you were all given the same work and that a few of you found it too easy while others found it too hard. We also felt that more should be done to teach you about how people in other cultures and societies live their lives and what you can do to ensure that as you grow up you can contribute to a harmonious society. Lastly, we watched you in the playground and felt that there wasn’t really a lot for you to do out there, so we have recommended that school invests a bit more in equipment. Good luck for the future. Yours faithfully

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alastair Younger Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 17–18 June 2009

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