Hatfield Peverel St Andrew's Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve leadership and management, by:
  • improving communication with parents to secure their full support and understanding of what the school is trying to achieve, particularly in response to pupils’ behaviour and bullying
  • analyse precisely the effectiveness and impact of the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils on their attainment and progress.
• Further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in supporting all pupils in making strong and sustained progress, by:
  • developing assessment procedures in foundation subjects that support teachers’ planning and the provision of activities which are consistently challenging
  • further develop opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills in all subjects of the curriculum.
• Improve the behaviour of the small minority of pupils who do not meet the school’s high expectations of behaviour in lessons and towards other pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and the deputy headteacher lead the school well and have been instrumental in bringing about improvements. They are ambitious for the whole school community. Their actions have ensured that the school is now securely good.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This gives a clear picture to everyone of where actions are needed to bring about improvement.
• Plans for further improvement are clear and well thought out. They are reviewed regularly and adapted to respond to the needs of the school.
• Leaders have responded positively to the effective support provided by the local authority and the diocese. This has focused on strengthening governance and embedding secure systems for leaders to check on all aspects of the school’s work.
• Staff value the regular opportunities for training which lead to improvements in their teaching. Training provided by the local school partnership for middle leaders has built their skills and confidence in leading their areas of responsibility.
• Leaders have a detailed understanding of the needs of pupils with SEND. They use resources well and tailor support and help to best suit individual pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND make good progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are making good progress. However, leaders do not check the impact of the additional funding carefully enough. They do not know which of their actions work best and so the progress of disadvantaged pupils is not as strong as it could be.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is spent effectively. It is used to improve aspects of the PE curriculum, for example through purchasing equipment and training staff. Pupils are positive about the sporting opportunities available to them and levels of participation are high. The school enjoys success in competitive sporting activities.
• The broad and relevant curriculum is built upon pupils’ interests. It is enhanced and enriched by experiences outside the classroom, for example visits to Colchester Castle and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, as well as a variety of in-school activities such as an Egyptian day. However, assessment procedures are not yet sufficiently developed to enable teachers to know how well pupils are doing in all subject areas, so they can plan activities that will lead to even stronger progress.
• Pupils are prepared well for life in modern British society. They are taught to view all people as equals and not to judge others on their physical or other characteristics. Pupils learn about tolerance and acceptance of other faiths and cultures through assemblies and the religious education curriculum.
• Leaders do not yet have the full support of a very significant minority of parents. They feel that communication from leaders is not good and that concerns are not dealt with.

Governance of the school

• Following an external review of governance, the governing body took swift action to bring about improvements to the way they check on various aspects of the school’s work. As a result, they are now more effective in their roles and provide the right balance of support and challenge.
• Governors involve themselves in the life of the school. They choose to visit regularly to carry out checks on aspects of the school’s performance, including making sure that safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The governing body is conscientious in ensuring that all legal responsibilities are carried out effectively.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have established a strong ethos of safeguarding in the school. Staff receive regular training to make sure they know how to deal with any concerns or incidents. Leaders respond in an appropriate and timely manner to concerns raised. They ensure that pupils and families get extra help, including from outside agencies, when this is required.
• Pupils say they feel safe and that they are confident to talk to any adult if they are concerned about something. They are taught about the risks of the misuse of technology. Leaders arrange relevant input from outside speakers when appropriate, for example a talk on knife crime to pupils in Year 6.
• A few parents expressed concern about the security of the school site. However, inspectors found that leaders are vigilant and ensure that pupils are kept safe while on the school premises.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Leaders have implemented a well-thought-out and focused programme of training, including shared working with other schools. This has benefited both teachers and teaching assistants.
• Senior leaders check the quality of teaching regularly and provide feedback to all staff, which further improves their practice.
• Teachers typically plan interesting lessons, using their good subject knowledge effectively. In most cases they build on previous learning as well as preparing pupils for future learning. This means that pupils generally understand the purpose of what they are doing and why. However, this is not always consistently the case in all the foundation subjects.
• Teachers’ skilful and effective questioning promotes pupils’ thinking and challenges them to ‘have a go’. Teachers know who is not clear about something and provide help so that pupils move on in their learning.
• The positive relationships between adults and pupils contribute towards the good progress seen. Pupils are not afraid to take risks, knowing that they are well supported in their learning. Pupils discuss their ideas together confidently and this allows them to share ideas and learn from each other.
• Teaching assistants are highly effective at providing support to pupils, while also promoting independence. This means that pupils do not learn to rely on adults and are able to complete tasks and activities on their own.
• Leaders ensure that teaching in subjects such as music, PE and French is highly effective. For example, in a whole-class flute lesson observed by an inspector, pupils made very good progress in the execution of a newly taught note.
• Pupils say they enjoy their learning across a wide range of subjects. They take pride in their work and are keen to meet the high expectations of teachers. The standard of presentation in their books is good.
• Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, for example through the use of the ‘chilli challenges’. Pupils say they enjoy being able to choose their level of challenge and that it builds their confidence and encourages them to stretch themselves.
• Assessment in subjects other than English and mathematics is developing. It is not yet precise enough for teachers to consistently know how well pupils are doing and use this information to set tasks that are appropriately challenging to improve progress further.
• Teachers provide limited opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English. This means that pupils are not able to practise and apply their writing skills in different contexts.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are welcoming, confident, self-assured and polite. They say they enjoy coming to school and being with their friends. This is reflected in the high levels of attendance.
• Pupils’ attitudes towards their learning are consistently positive. They participate well in lessons and are willing to learn from their mistakes. They listen carefully to others and support each other’s learning in a positive manner.
• Pupils show respect and kindness to each other and towards adults. Pupils learn about bullying in all of its forms and understand the harm it can cause. They say that bullying is rare and that when it does happen teachers act quickly to resolve problems.
• Pupils are aware of cyber bullying and know how to keep themselves safe online.
• Pupils understand and respect the fact that that people have different beliefs, appearances and lifestyles. The curriculum teaches them about different cultures and is enhanced by trips to gain first-hand experiences, for example visits to a Hindu temple in London. Their strong understanding of equality prepares them well for life in a diverse modern British society.
• Plentiful clubs and activities provide opportunities for pupils to pursue and develop their own interests. These include a range of sports clubs, music, and art and craft activities.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Behaviour during lessons is mostly good. Almost all pupils settle quickly to their work and concentrate well during their learning. A small number of pupils can lose focus and the standard of their behaviour falls. Teachers address this through the use of an established ‘traffic light’ system, but this strategy is not always successful.
• Pupils conduct themselves well at other times of the school day, such as playtime and lunchtime. They are provided with a wide range of equipment and apparatus. They use this to play together sensibly and in a friendly and caring manner.
• Attendance is above the national average. Attendance is high for all groups of pupils including those with SEND and for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders’ actions are having a positive impact on improving pupils’ behaviour. However, they recognise that there is more work to be done with a small group of pupils whose behaviour does not meet the high expectations that have been set.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2018, pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 2 was average in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in each subject was broadly in line with national averages. A greater proportion of pupils reached the higher standard than other pupils nationally, especially in reading.
• The progress of pupils currently in the school is typically good. Work in books shows that good progress is made over time, particularly in English and mathematics.
• The most able pupils make good progress in English and mathematics. They are challenged with activities and tasks which stretch them and enable them to achieve at a high standard.
• In 2018, middle-attaining pupils made below-average progress in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. However, work seen in the books of current pupils in this group indicates that they are making good progress.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points. This is because their individual needs are identified and catered for effectively.
• Pupils read widely and fluently. They can work out how to pronounce tricky words and their comprehension skills are well developed.
• Though the numbers of disadvantaged pupils are small, historically, these pupils have not always made the progress of which they were capable. The progress of disadvantaged pupils currently in the school, though improving, is less strong than that of other pupils. This is because leaders do not check carefully enough to see which of their actions are having the most impact in helping these pupils to catch up.
• The progress of pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics is good. Pupils develop understanding, knowledge and skills well across a range of subjects. However, assessment in these subjects does not yet enable teachers to consistently know how well pupils are doing and challenge them to progress even further.

School details

Unique reference number 115102 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10057813 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Foundation Age range of pupils 7 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Councillor Derrick Louis Headteacher Chris James Telephone number 01245 380131 Website www.hatfieldpeverelstandrews.co.uk Email address admin@hatfieldpeverel-jun.essex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 October 2016

Information about this school

• Hatfield Peverel St Andrew’s is a Church of England Foundation school in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The most recent inspection of the school’s religious character, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, was carried out on 6 October 2016.
• The school is the size of an average primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is lower than average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND and those supported by an education, health and care plan is lower than average.
• All pupils speak English as their first language.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching and learning over time. They observed lessons, some jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors looked closely at work in pupils’ books across all year groups and in a range of subjects and talked to pupils about their work. Inspectors also looked at a range of documentation, including assessment information and records of monitoring.
• Inspectors checked documentation concerning safeguarding arrangements, including the single central record.
• Meetings were held with leaders, governors, staff, and representatives from the local authority and the diocese. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils and talked to pupils at various times throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors took account of 108 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 77 free-text responses, alongside information provided by the school about parental views. Information from 20 responses to the staff survey was also considered.

Inspection team

Ali Pepper, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Russell Ayling Ofsted Inspector