Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve attendance in Reception by replicating the highly effective strategies that are already in place across the school.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by continuing to provide high-quality support and challenge to subject leaders, especially those with less experience, so that all pupils continue to improve their rates of progress across a wide range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The executive headteacher is determined to provide pupils with the best possible start to their education. She is assisted by a very effective team of senior leaders. Together, they have a very clear understanding of the barriers to learning that are faced by their pupils. Leaders ensure that pupils’ experience at Clover Hill provides them with the skills, knowledge and aspirations needed to be successful learners.
• Governors, teachers and other adults share this vision and they work tirelessly to implement it in a consistent manner. As a result, the quality of education that pupils receive is outstanding.
• The parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were overwhelmingly supportive of the school. One parent, reflecting the views of others, wrote, ‘We always hoped our child would love school and this is exactly what has happened.’ Another stated, ‘I cannot be thankful enough for the support Clover Hill has shown us.’ All the parents who responded to Parent View, and all those who spoke to inspectors, would recommend the school to others.
• Leaders know their school very well and they review its effectiveness routinely. They are accurate in their assessment of the school’s strengths and in the identification of areas for development. Improvement plans include demanding and appropriate targets, which leaders and governors review routinely. Although leaders are happy to talk about what they do well, they prefer to focus on what they could do better.
• Leaders are also very accurate in their evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching, learning and assessment. They use this evaluation to ensure that staff receive high-quality training that develops their individual areas of need and supports whole-school goals.
• Staff, including trainee teachers, are particularly grateful for the high-quality professional development that they receive. Leaders are very effective at ‘talent spotting’. They provide staff with a wide range of opportunities to move on to the next stage of their careers. Consequently, the quality of leaders, teachers and teaching assistants is very strong and continues to improve. Less experienced leaders are provided with very effective support and training.
• Leaders know their pupils very well. Teachers assess pupils’ work very accurately and monitor their progress carefully to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This information is used to ensure that pupils benefit from high-quality teaching that is closely linked to what they already know and understand. As a result, pupils make outstanding progress across the school from their different starting points.
• Leaders are very effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are taught to understand and celebrate differences. They value the importance of looking after each other. Leaders’ restorative approaches to disagreements ensure that pupils are adept at looking at conflict from more than one perspective. Groups such as the eco council successfully enable pupils to think more deeply about the wider world. Fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law, are embedded within the school culture.
• Leaders have a very clear understanding of the barriers to learning that are faced by disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Teachers are held to account robustly for the progress of these pupils. They understand their needs, check their progress closely and provide them with additional support when needed. Leaders use the additional funding they receive to provide pupils with access to a wide range of support and to enable them to participate in additional educational activities. As a result of leaders’ actions, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make very strong progress.
• The school’s curriculum is a key strength. Leaders ensure that the study of English and mathematics is supplemented by a wide range of subjects and extra-curricular activities that allow pupils to develop a depth of knowledge, understanding and skills. Pupils enjoy studying a wide range of subjects that include history, art and computing. They also value the visits by professionals, such as firefighters and vets, who help bring the curriculum to life for them. Although pupils make very strong progress in other subjects, their progress is not always as consistently strong as it is in English and mathematics.
• The primary physical education and sport premium is spent very effectively. Leaders’ plans focus successfully on developing teachers’ skills, broadening the range of sports offered to pupils and increasing pupils’ participation in competitions. Leaders routinely review the quality and popularity of extra-curricular clubs to ensure that they are meeting their intended purpose.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school very well. They have an accurate understating of its many strengths, but they also focus closely on its priorities for improvement. Governors are highly effective at holding leaders to account. They do this at governing body meetings, when undertaking routine visits to the school and in meetings with school leaders.
• Governors have been highly effective in supporting the executive headteacher to work across two other schools. Rather than this reducing leadership capacity, they have ensured that leadership has been strengthened within the school and that good practice is shared across all of the schools.
• Governors ensure that their legal duties, especially in safeguarding pupils’ welfare, are fully met. The link safeguarding governor checks safeguarding arrangements, including the record of pre-employment checks, routinely. Governors also undertake routine safeguarding audits. Governors receive valuable training that helps them to understand their responsibilities regarding keeping pupils safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff at all levels receive regular safeguarding training and they know how to identify pupils who are potentially at risk. Staff understand, and follow, leaders’ clear procedures for the reporting of any safeguarding concerns.
• School leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are logged effectively. Leaders are tenacious in making sure that child-protection referrals are dealt with appropriately. The maintenance of child-protection files is effective, and leaders work well with representatives from other agencies to ensure that pupils get the support they need quickly.
• All required checks are carried out when recruiting new staff to work with pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• As a result of leaders’ actions, the quality of teaching across early years and key stage 1 is very high. Every parent who responded to Parent View agreed that pupils are taught well. The pupils who met with inspectors said that they enjoy their lessons and explained how they make strong progress.
• Relationships between teachers and pupils are outstanding. Teachers consistently establish clear routines and have high expectations of pupils. Pupils respect their teachers and have very positive attitudes to learning. As a result, pupils are keen to get involved in activities and they are not afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Pupils in Year 1 confidently explained to one inspector what it meant to persevere and how doing so helps them to ‘get better at things’.
• Teaching assistants provide very effective support to pupils with SEND. They plan closely with teachers and they understand the needs of the pupils that they are supporting. Their effective questioning and explanation of tasks support pupils with SEND to make very strong progress.
• Phonics teaching is of a very high standard. Teachers and teaching assistants demonstrate consistently high levels of skill in this area. Adults take pupils’ starting points closely into account when preparing sessions, and they are very effective at introducing new information at the appropriate time and pace. Pupils are given plenty of opportunity to practise their new knowledge and to apply it to their writing. Pupils enjoy their phonics sessions and make rapid progress.
• Teachers focus very effectively on developing pupils’ oral communication skills. Leaders have identified weaknesses in this area as one of the most significant barriers to pupils’ learning. Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities across all subjects to develop their speech, for example when they discuss questions with their talk partner. Teachers are highly skilled at modelling the use of appropriate language and supporting pupils to both develop and share their ideas.
• Teachers use their deep subject knowledge to question individual pupils and groups of pupils very skilfully. They provide them with specific, helpful guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils are also very effective at asking questions of their teachers and of each other, and this also supports their progress. At times, especially in subjects other than English and mathematics, questioning could be developed further to support pupils to make even more progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are very well looked after. Staff know them well and consistently follow the school’s procedures to keep them safe. Staff develop very strong relationships with parents and they work very effectively to support pupils and their families. Leaders use circle time well. This allows pupils to routinely share their views and feelings. Leaders’ work to support positive mental health among pupils is a strength of the school.
• Pupils are taught to be independent, reflective and responsible learners and citizens. They are given many opportunities to develop their confidence and social skills. For example, pupils in Reception often join older pupils for learning activities. Younger pupils, whose communication skills are still at a low level, show particularly high levels of confidence and resilience both in and out of lessons.
• Pupils’ personal development and welfare are strengthened by the wide range of opportunities that parents have to come into the school. For example, at the start of the day, a large number of parents join their children in classrooms. During this period, they have conversations with teachers and teaching assistants, review their child’s work or join in with learning activities.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe in a variety of situations, including when using the internet. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school and that they get on well with each other. Pupils know that there are certain nominated staff whom they can talk to if they ever have a concern. They said that when disagreements happen, they are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour in and out of lessons is exemplary. Pupils are friendly, polite and well mannered. They follow the instructions of their teachers closely and they have excellent attitudes to learning. Little, if any, learning time is wasted.
• Pupils also behave very well at lunch and breaktimes, where they are well supervised. Pupils enjoy socialising or playing sensibly in the well-resourced outside areas.
• Leaders and staff share high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, excellent behaviour is the norm. Incidents of poor behaviour and the use of fixed-period exclusions are both rare. Leaders work very effectively to support a very small number of pupils who have more complex behavioural needs.
• Pupils enjoy attending school and very few miss school frequently. Leaders have increased rates of attendance significantly. Leaders’ actions have had a particularly marked impact on the attendance of pupils in Year 1 and 2. Although improving, the attendance of children in Reception is still below that of their schoolmates.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Children make very strong progress throughout early years, but they do this from very low starting points. Consequently, pupils enter key stage 1 with levels of attainment that are below national averages across reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils make rapid and sustained progress over time in reading, writing and mathematics, which continues to improve as they move through key stage 1. This is because of the high-quality teaching that they experience and their excellent attitudes to learning.
• In 2018, by the end of Year 1, pupils’ attainment in phonics was in line with the national average. This was a significant improvement on previous years. Pupils who are now in Year 1 are currently attaining at a higher level than similar pupils were at the same point last year.
• Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has improved at the end of key stage 1 in each of the last three years. From below-average starting points, pupils’ attainment in 2018 was either in line with or above national averages at both the expected standard and at greater depth.
• Almost every pupil in Years 1 and 2 is currently making at least the progress that their teachers expect of them. In Year 1, after just over a term in key stage 1, one quarter of pupils are already making substantial and sustained progress. Rates of progress rise as pupils move through key stage 1. In Year 2, approximately half of pupils are currently making similarly high levels of progress.
• Pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged make excellent progress. Their different needs are quickly identified by staff and they are supported very effectively in their learning.
• Pupils make very strong progress across a wide range of subjects. However, they are not always consistently challenged to the same high levels as they are in English and mathematics. Consequently, their progress is not always as strong.
• Pupils are very well prepared for their transition to junior school. Links with the neighbouring junior school (which is part of the same federation and led by the same executive headteacher) are very well established and effective.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leadership of the early years is outstanding. The leader of early years has very high expectations of herself, her staff and the children who attend the provision. Children are very well supported by an experienced and well-trained team. Adults know each child very well, plan to meet their individual needs and work closely with families to support each child’s progress.
• Children join the early years with knowledge, understanding and skills that are often well below those that are typical for their age. As a result of highly effective early assessment, leaders ensure that children’s individual needs are identified quickly and accurately and that well-planned learning activities support their rapid progress.
• The quality of teaching is outstanding. High-quality questioning supports children and offers them significant levels of challenge during formal teaching sessions, small-group teaching and when they play. Activities are very well planned, and adults ensure that pupils are constantly developing their skills, knowledge and understanding in a stimulating and interesting environment.
• The early years leader and teaching assistants use observations to assess precisely how well children are learning and developing. They quickly realise when children need additional support and put this into place very effectively. Children, including those who are disadvantaged, make outstanding progress from their different starting points.
• Leaders’ work with parents is of high quality. Parents are welcomed at the start of the day, where they have an opportunity to meet with adults in the provision. The use of an online platform has enabled parents to routinely see the work of their children.
• Adults ensure that children behave very well and that they are safe. Children collaborate well, they listen attentively and they support each other. They are confident and proud to talk about the work that they do. The environment is safe, and adults are well trained to care for and protect the children. Safeguarding arrangements are secure.
• Leaders have worked very effectively to improve attendance throughout the school. Consequently, the attendance of children in Reception has improved. However, it has not improved at the same rate as pupils in key stage 1.
• Children are very well prepared for the transition to Year 1. The skills required for moving to a more formal classroom, such as writing at a desk, are built into the curriculum. There are close and effective links between Reception and key stage 1 staff that enable pupils to make a strong start to key stage 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140033 Norfolk 10081092 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant and Nursery School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 3 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 175 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Games Executive Headteacher Helen McCarney Telephone number 01603 745559 Website Email address Date of previous inspection www.cloverhillschool.co.uk/ choffice@allangelsfederation.org.uk Section 5 inspection: 3–4 December 2014 Section 8 inspection: 11 July 2018

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average-sized infant and nursery school. The early years provision consists of two part-time Nursery classes and two full-time Reception classes.
• The school is in a federation with St Michael’s Junior School. The two schools share an executive headteacher and governing body. The executive headteacher also provides formal support to a third school, which is not a part of the federation.
• The proportions of disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are above the national averages.
• The school is designated as having a religious character. It belongs to the Diocese of Norwich. In its most recent section 48 inspection for Anglican and Methodist schools, in July 2016, it was judged to be outstanding.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the early years leader, other school staff and governors.
• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, observing learning in 34 lessons, many jointly with leaders.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were looked at by inspectors throughout the inspection, and they heard pupils read and talked to them about their reading habits.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes to seek their views about the school. They also met with two groups of pupils more formally to discuss many aspects of school life.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including assessment information and the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. They also scrutinised leaders’ improvement plans and their behaviour, safeguarding and attendance records.
• Inspectors spoke to parents before school and considered the 20 responses and the five free-text responses parents made to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Daniel Gee, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jacqueline Bell-Cook Ofsted Inspector