OFSTED Report June2003 Summary
Ofsted Report June2003 Summary
.SUMMARY OF THE INSPECTION REPORT
HARRY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harby, Melton Mowbray
Headteacher: Mr R Simpkins
Date of inspection: 9th -11th June 2003
The school was inspected by two inspectors, led by Mrs G Beasley. This is a summary of the inspection report, which is available from the school.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Harby Primary School is a small Church of England school situated in the village of Harby just outside Melton Mowbray. It has 67 boys and girls all of whom attend full time. There are currently 15 children in the reception year. Pupils are taught in three mixed age classes, Years R/l, Years 2/3 and Years 4/5. A very small proportion of pupils have free school meals. Across the school seven pupils are identified with special educational needs, and a very low proportion has a statement of their special educational need. All pupils are from white UK background and speak English as their mother tongue. Nearly all the children come from the village and are generally from socially advantaged homes. The children start school with a range of abilities but overall have average levels of attainment.
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is a very effective school with some excellent features, which is giving pupils a very good standard of education. Standards are much higher than are normally found in similar schools due to the effective and caring teamwork of all members of staff. Learning is fun because teachers make sure that lessons are interesting. This motivates pupils to do their best. The curriculum is very well organised to meet the needs of all pupils, including the different year groups in the mixed aged classes. The leadership and management of the school are excellent. The head teacher is highly effective and bases future developments on school analyses and evaluations of its performance. The school gives very good value for money.
What the school does well
· Teaching and learning are very good and all pupils achieve very well in all subjects except ICT where achievement is satisfactory.
· The headteacher gives outstanding leadership. He is very well supported by the Governing Body and dedicated staff team.
· The very rich curriculum nurtures pupils' interest and involvement in lessons and fosters their excellent attitudes to learning.
· The school cares for its pupils very well; and this, along with its very good provision for personal development, leads to very good behaviour and excellent relationships.
· Parents hold the school in high regard as a result of the harmonious relationships, regular consultation and full involvement in the life of the school.
What could be improved?
· Make full use of the recently purchased computers to raise standards in ICT to the same high levels as other subjects.
The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors. Action plan.
The school's plans to develop pupils' ICT skills are clearly detailed in the school's strategic plan.
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
There has been very good improvement since the previous inspection in February 1998 and all the key issues have been dealt with effectively. Standards have risen considerably, in many subjects but particularly in English, mathematics, science, history, geography and design technology. Good standards in other subjects have been maintained. More opportunities are provided for pupils to take part in a wide range of musical activities. Provision for PE continues to be very good. Teaching and learning are now very good and this enables pupils to achieve very well. The curriculum is very rich and well planned. Pupils now have excellent attitudes to their learning and behave very well in lessons and when they are outside on the playground. The pupil?s personal development is particularly strong. Pupils are very well cared for. Due to excellent links between home and school, the parents support their children?s learning extremely well at school and at home. The Governing Body gives very good support to the school and carries out it?s duties very well.
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.
Performance compared with all schools-
Reading 2000 E, 2001 A*, 2002 A*
Writing 2000 D, 2001 A*,2002 A*
Maths 2000 D, 2001 A* 2002A*
Compared to similar schools-
Reading 2002 A
Writing 2002 A
Maths 2002 A
Key Top 5% nationally A *, well above average A, above average B, average C ,below average D, well below average E
Children in the reception year make very good gains in their learning. They are all likely to attain the early learning goals, the expected national levels, by the end of the year. A good number will exceed these.
Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have risen considerably since the previous inspection and were very high at the end of Year 2 in the 2002 national tests. This puts the school's performance in the highest 5% of schools nationally. Standards seen during the inspection indicate that this year at the end of Year 2, reading and mathematics are well above average and are above average in writing. Because this is a very small year group, year on year comparisons should be treated with caution. Achievement since this group of pupils started school is very good in all these subjects.
Standards at the end of Year 5 in English and mathematics are above average. This is the group of pupils who attained below average results at the end of Year 2 and reflects very good progress overall. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress due to the focused support they get in lessons and when working in small groups. This enables them to be fully included in all lessons and activities. The school's involvement in a writing project has led to much higher standards in writing across the school and pupils are achieving very well.
Standards in science are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 5. Skills in investigative science are particularly good because pupils are fully involved in planning their own learning in this subject. Standards in art and design are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 5. Standards in DT, history and geography are above average at the end of Year 2 and well above average at the end of Year 5. No overall judgement was made about standards in music and PE. It is evident from teachers' planning and photographs that the curriculum is very broad in these two subjects. Overall achievement is very good.
PUPILS' ATTITUDES AND V ALUES
Aspect Attitudes to the school
Comment Excellent. Pupils are keen to learn, are fully involved in lessons and have extremely positive attitudes to school.
Aspect Behaviour, in and out of classrooms
Comment Very good. Pupils get along very well when playing on the playground. They share equipment amicably and make sure they do not interrupt each other's games. Pupils listen very well to adults and to each other in lessons and work together in groups very constructively.
Aspect Personal development and relationships.
Comment Excellent. Pupils are given every opportunity to take responsibility for and their own learning and actions. School councillors are very proud to represent their schoolmates and carry out their roles conscientiously.
Aspect Attendance
Comment Above average. Pupils attend regularly and arrive at school on time.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Quality of teaching of pupils in:
Reception - Very good, Years 1 -2 - Very good, Years 3 -5 Very good
Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. Satisfactory, means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
The quality of teaching is very good throughout the school with some excellent features. Teachers' questions are very astute. This helps them assess pupils' thinking before they start work and to make any necessary changes to the learning intentions and match activities more closely to the individual needs of pupils. Expectations are high and therefore pupils are challenged and motivated to achieve even higher standards. Pupils themselves always expect to do well and lessons are structured to enable this to happen, focusing on the precise skills they need to learn and develop, and to ensure understanding is consolidated and built upon systematically.
The teaching of English and mathematics is very good. Literacy and numeracy skills are taught extremely well through all subjects. Pupils are encouraged to talk to each other about their ideas before putting pen to paper. This helps them organise their thinking before they start to record their ideas. Science is taught very well throughout the school. Pupils are involved in practical investigation and are expected to draws conclusions from the range of evidence they collect. History and geography are brought to life through carefully chosen activities, which spark the pupils' imagination and motivate their learning. ICT teaching is satisfactory overall. Careful thought is given to how computers can support learning in other subjects and this gives learning a meaningful and interesting context.
Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because they are very well supported in all lessons and when they work in small groups on particular tasks identified in their individual education plans. Higher attaining pupils enjoy the frequent opportunities to work together. Teachers' focused questions and very well thought out activities enables this group of pupils to achieve very well in all subjects.
The use of assessment information to match tasks to pupils' individual learning needs is excellent. Consequently pupils have an extremely good knowledge of their own learning. Marking is focused on each pupil's target and provide very good guidance on how they can improve further. Individual targets towards which the pupils strive to achieve are linked closely to overall targets in English and mathematics. Lessons are interesting due to the cross- curricular links and the imaginative way teachers present the learning. As a result, pupils are fully involved in lessons and motivated to learn. The different ways that learning is organised means that pupils concentrate very well throughout all lessons.
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Aspect The quality and range of the curriculum
Comment Very good. The curriculum is very rich and is carefully planned to link several the curriculum subjects in a meaningful way. Computers are used effectively to support learning in other subjects but are not yet used effectively enough to teach ICT skills. Visits and visitors provide further interest to learning.
Aspect Provision for pupils with SEN
Comment Very good. Pupils are all fully included in all activities. They are given very good support from a team of well-qualified and skilled ancillary assistants.
Aspect Provision for pupils' personal including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Comment Very good. Work in history and geography, and the very close links and relationships with the local community help pupils develop an excellent awareness of their local culture. Provision for pupils' social and moral development is excellent. Very good opportunities are provided for pupils' spiritual development.
Aspect How well the school cares for its pupils.
Comment Very well. The care with which all members of staff treat pupils is evident in the cares for its pupil?s cheerful atmosphere in school, the extremely positive relationships and safe and the well-kept accommodation.
Nearly all parents expressed very positive views of the school. Links with parents are excellent and this means they support their children's learning extremely well.
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Aspect Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff
Comment Excellent. The headteacher strives to do his best for the pupils at all times and inspires all who come into contact with the school All members of staff fulfil their roles very well and are totally committed to providing the best they can.
Aspect How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities
Comment Very well. Governors are fully involved in putting together the school's strategic plan and consequently have a very clear understanding of the school's strengths and responsibilities areas for development. They systematically monitor what happens in school and make sure that resources are available.
Aspect The school's evaluation of its performance
Comment Excellent. The school makes careful note of how well pupils are doing in all subjects and uses the information to plan and implement the many improvements that have taken, and are taking place. The school strategic plan details exactly what needs to be done to make the necessary improvements to ICT provision
Aspect The strategic use of resources
Comment Very good. Financial planning is very good and linked precisely to pupils' needs. The school considers purchases very carefully and monitors how effective they have been in terms of the pupils' achievements. It applies the principles of best value extremely well. The large amount of money carried forward last year has now been spent on additional computers to improve provision in this subject.
PARENTS' AND CARERS' VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most
· All parents agree that their child likes school.
· They all agree that behaviour is good and that the school is helping their child to become mature and responsible.
· All parents think that teaching is good, and that their child is expected to always do their best and is making good progress. .
· They all agree that the school is well led and managed, and that they feel comfortable about approaching the school.
· All parents feel they are kept well informed about how their child is getting on and that the school works closely with them.
· Nearly all parents feel the school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons and that their child gets the right amount of work to do at home.
What parents would like to see improved
No significant concerns were raised.
The inspection team wholeheartedly agrees with parents' positive views and that there are no significant concerns.
OTHER INFORMATION
The governing body is responsible for drawing up an action plan within 40 days of receiving the inspection report, showing how the school will tackle the improvements needed. This action plan will be circulated to all parents at
the school.
The contractor appointed by OFSTED for this inspection was Evenlode Associates Ltd. 6 Abbey Close. A Ice5ter. Warwickshire. 8495QW.
Any comments. concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made to the inspection contractor Complaints which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to The Complaints Manager. Inspection Quality Division. The Office for Standards in Education. Alexandra House, 33 King5way. London WC286SE.
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