Hemsby Primary School

120816 Unique Reference Number Norfolk Local Authority 334944 Inspection number 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates Roderick Passant Reporting inspector

p.1

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.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 2–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 147 School (total) 5 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 63 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Felicity Daniels Chair Miss Julia Smith Headteacher 26 June 2007 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection School Loke School address Hemsby Great Yarmouth Norfolk NR29 4LH 01493 730364 Telephone number 01493 732850 Fax number

p.1

2–11 Age group 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates 334944 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

The school is smaller than average. Attainment on entry to Reception varies but, overall, is below that typically seen particularly in literacy and communication. The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and there are currently only a very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average. About a quarter of pupils have learning difficulties and /or disabilities but the percentage with statement of special educational needs is below average. The schools in the area have recently undergone a re-organisation and the school became a primary school in 2007 when Year 3 stayed on at the school. As part of its extended provision, the governors manage a Nursery on the school site and the school operates a number of pre and after school clubs. It also provides community access for mother and babies courses run by the health visitor.

p.3

Description of the school

The school has gained the Investors in People and Activemark awards.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has made significant improvements since it was last inspected two years ago. Careful strategic planning by all concerned means that it is making a successful transformation to a primary school in which pupils achieve well academically and in their personal development. The strong teamwork identified in the previous report has been enhanced with new staff and all share the same deep commitment to the pupils. The high quality of relationships that staff have with pupils provides the warmth, consistency, security and high degree of inclusiveness in which all young children and older pupils flourish. The senior leadership team, although relatively recently established, has a good understanding of the school's strengths and the aspects they want to develop. Their capacity to make further improvements is good. Most parents' responses to the parental questionnaire were extremely positive and comments

p.4

Grade: 2

praised the school and staff for the welcoming attitude, the positive relationships with parents, their children's happiness and good progress. One parent noted, 'staff and pupils are encouraged to have good values and high standards'. The same parent was 'particularly impressed by ... knowing my children are in a friendly, safe school.' Pupils are proud of their school. They have excellent attitudes to learning because they like the staff, lessons are interesting and the curriculum provides a broad range of learning opportunities fostering academic and personal development well. Subjects are linked meaningfully together and provide a range of contexts in which to practise and develop skills. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils get on well with one another, older pupils keep an eye out for younger ones and they play together very happily across the year groups. Pupils also have an excellent knowledge about what makes a healthy

p.4

Grade: 2

lifestyle and how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet. Pupils make a good contribution to the school community. Year 5 pupils spoken to were confident, articulate and thoughtful. Pupils make good progress across the school. Children get a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Standards are above average at the end of Year 2 and these are being built upon effectively in the junior section. This is because teaching and learning are good. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their work and independent learning skills are fostered well. There is good feedback from staff about how to improve their work. Staff are beginning to use specialist materials to support their evaluation of pupils' progress, to identify gaps in learning and to further inform their good planning. Older pupils are encouraged to set themselves targets. Teachers are starting to make these more meaningful and further enhance the role of

p.4

Grade: 2

pupils as partners in their learning. The school is laying effective foundations for pupils' future economic well-being and the next steps in their education. Pupils are taught to value and respect different ways of life and the school is a focal point within the local community and engages with it well. The Nursery is an extension of the school's provision, although absorbed within it, and the school is consulting with the local community about how it might further provide support to parents and pupils. The headteacher leads the school extremely well. She is very experienced, and is particularly skilled at fostering other's talents. Governance has improved since the last inspection because it is monitoring the work of the school more closely.

p.4

Grade: 2

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points and achieve well in their skills and personal development reaching levels slightly above those expected for their age in 2008. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 Key indicators show an improving trend. The Nursery and the Reception classes provide a stimulating environment, which fosters the uniqueness of each child and provides a balance of adult initiated activities and opportunities for children to pursue their own interests and make their own decisions. Children learn to concentrate and focus on an activity and do not flit from one thing to another. Staff ensure children have a balance of activities over time whilst having the opportunity to pursue their interests or activities related to the theme. The result is that children enjoy their learning be it playing at pirates, carefully practising writing 'th', or enjoying

p.4

Grade: 2

their 'alien' story. There is appropriate emphasis on children handling simple tools and playing safely and good attention paid to promoting health issues such as the importance of hand washing to combat 'germs' and the importance of sun cream and hat. Adults work extremely well together in both settings. They successfully promote language because they listen to and question the children carefully. Staff are energetic, enthusiastic, sensitive and skilled. In Reception, direct teaching of aspects of language is good and builds children's phonic knowledge effectively. Welfare requirements are met and staff are vigilant so that they intervene quickly if a child becomes upset or plays inappropriately. The result is that children feel safe and play happily together. Assessments of where children are in their learning and the recording of significant achievements are effective and used to plan future work. Staff also maintain learning

p.5

Grade: 2

journals for individual children, although this aspect requires further refinement. Relationships with parents are good across the Early Years Foundation Stage. Leadership of both units is good with the leaders aware of the aspects they want to develop further, essentially refining and further developing the good practice. The Nursery has responded effectively to the action points raised in its last report. Good use is made of the outdoors and spacious grounds, although the planned roofed provision will enable the outdoor classroom to be more effective.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Embed the use of the specialist assessment materials to identify gaps in pupils' learning, help refine further teachers' good planning and to ensure consistency in evaluating progress. ■ Build on pupils' excellent attitudes and help them to take more responsibility as active partners in their own learning through further development of the target setting process.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are above average and have been for the last five years. In 2008, the proportion of pupils gaining Level 3 was above average in reading, writing and mathematics indicating that higher attaining pupils are appropriately challenged. There was little difference between boys' and girls' performance. Pupils continue to make good progress in the junior section. Pupils are on track to meet the school's targets. Because of the effectiveness of the support that they are given pupils who find learning more difficult and the very small numbers of pupils with English as an additional language also make good progress. Pupils are confident and competent users of information and communication technology (ICT).

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils report that the school is very friendly with little if any bullying. Staff manage behaviour in a consistent positive manner so that pupils learn to manage themselves extremely effectively. At the same time, the school is a happy place where pupils can be children and laughter is a 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 feature of classrooms. Pupils are confident to approach an adult if troubled or post their problem anonymously in the 'well-being box'. The school fosters pupils' self-esteem and individuality particularly well, and they are helped to understand the diversity of society and respect for others' beliefs and values. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Attendance continues to improve and is broadly average.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching is enthusiastic and skilled. Learning is managed effectively. Lessons are planned well to provide support and challenge to particular groups of pupils. Staff are beginning to use specialist assessment materials which are helping to further refine their good planning by identifying gaps in pupils' learning. Teaching assistants are effective and used well in lessons to support the quality of learning of both individuals and groups. The excellent relationships that adults have with pupils, practical approaches, group work and good emphasis on speaking and listening underpin the learning. Good use is made of ICT and the interactive whiteboards to engage pupils' interest and develop pupils' independent learning skills. Older pupils are encouraged to set themselves targets to improve their work, which tend in English for example, to concentrate on secretarial skills. The target setting process is now being developed further

p.6

Grade: 2

to help pupils take on more responsibility for their learning.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a broad range of learning opportunities and is enriched through trips and extra-curricular activities. There is a good emphasis on personal, social and health education to foster pupils' awareness of health issues and pupils work together in a variety of ways so that they successfully develop their social skills and ability to relate to and respect others. There is good provision for pupils who find learning more difficult. Currently the school is developing the curriculum as the school grows.

p.6

Grade: 1

At the time of the inspection the child protection and safeguarding arrangements were robust. All staff know the pupils extremely well and because of this are sensitive and vigilant towards the pupils in their care. They take genuine delight in the pupils' successes and there is much informal discussion about how well individual pupils are performing. The pastoral care of pupils is excellent. The school's system to monitor and track pupils' progress has improved further. The school identifies early those pupils whose progress is slipping, and because teaching assistants are particularly effective they provide the appropriate support to help them. There are good links with other schools and specialist agencies to support pupils. Most parents considered that the school consulted with parents and carers and took their views on board. One parent wrote '... the openness of the school encourages a close parent/staff relationship.'

p.6

Grade: 1

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.6

Grade: 2

Strategic planning is good. The transition from a first to primary school has been smooth and continues to be effective. Self-evaluation is now much stronger than at the time of the previous inspection and informs future planning. The role of the subject co-ordinator has been strengthened and governors are monitoring the work of the school more closely. The headteacher has developed a strong team of staff who share fundamental values, which ensures a consistency of approach and high expectations. Staff are optimistic and enthusiastic about their work. Published targets provide challenge. The school is very inclusive. Pupils learn to value and respect individual differences and staff work extremely hard to support individual pupils overcome specific barriers to learning. Through its extended programme of activities it extends the learning opportunities for its pupils and provides good support for parents. Community

p.7

Grade: 2

cohesion is good. The school knows its local community very well and engages with it effectively. The school provides good value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 .

p.7

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: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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?

p.9

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

p.9

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: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.9

learners?

2 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 3 The attendance of learners 1 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

p.10

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?

p.10

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 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 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: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hemsby Primary School, Hemsby NR29 4LH Thank you for making me so welcome in your school. I enjoyed the couple of days I spent with you very much. My particular thanks go to the Year 5 pupils who gave up part of their lunchtime to talk to me. What you had to say was most helpful. This is a good school and you are right to be proud of it. It is helping you develop as young people well and you are making good progress in your work. The school is preparing you well for the next steps in your education. Standards at the end of Year 2 are above those normally seen and you are continuing to build well on these standards and achieve well in the older classes. You clearly enjoy school. I agree with you that lessons are interesting and you clearly like working together. It is good that you feel safe and are confident to approach an adult if you are upset over something. The school is a very friendly place and your behaviour is excellent.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You take your responsibilities in the school seriously. You have an excellent understanding of what makes a healthy lifestyle and how to keep yourself safe. All staff care about you a great deal and keep a close eye on the progress you are making. The headteacher leads the school very well and all staff work together very effectively. Adults help you achieve well and you have skilled teachers. They are beginning to use special assessment materials which, when used consistently, will help them find out what they might need to go over again to help you. Older pupils set themselves targets. I also asked Miss Smith to work with teachers to build on your really good attitudes to learning by developing the target setting process so that you set yourself difficult challenges. The school has changed a lot in the last couple of years. It continues to improve and staff clearly want to make it a super school. With your continued help, I am sure that they will.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Sincere good wishes for your future school education. Yours faithfully Roderick Passant Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hemsby Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

p.11