Hillside Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are challenged consistently so that they make the progress of which they are capable
  • expectations of pupils’ presentation of their work, including their handwriting and spelling, are routinely high in English.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that the same skills found in the subject leadership of English and mathematics are developed in leaders of other subjects so that they have a positive impact on the quality of teaching across the curriculum.
• Improve the effectiveness of early years provision by:
  • raising the attainment of boys and disadvantaged children so that it is in line with or better than the national average
  • ensuring that the most able children are provided with activities that consistently challenge them.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is a highly effective leader and her high expectations and ambition are shared by leaders, governors and staff. Since her appointment in September 2016, there have been marked improvements in all aspects of the school. She has created a strong culture of team-working to ensure that the school continues to improve.
• The new leadership team is strong and works well with governors, aspiring to achieve the best possible outcomes for pupils by driving school improvement. Leaders have effectively addressed the main weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. They have established a culture of support and respect, with positive relationships between leaders, staff and pupils. A positive sense of purpose permeates the school. Staff, and parents and carers, are supportive of the school’s leadership.
• Leaders have improved the system for checking teachers’ performance to ensure that there is effective practice. Targets for improvement are discussed and set for staff and are closely monitored to ensure that pupils make good progress. Leaders provide effective support and training for staff, including those at the start of their careers. This is contributing well to improvements in teaching, learning and assessment.
• Leaders have introduced an effective system to gain an accurate picture of pupils’ progress. Leaders work closely with staff and meet them regularly to check pupils’ progress. Pupils who are falling behind are provided with timely and effective support to ensure they catch up. In this way, leaders ensure that any barriers to the learning of disadvantaged pupils are removed, and that the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are met. Leaders promote equality of opportunity well for all pupils.
• Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s work, including its strengths and areas for improvement, is accurate. The school improvement plan identifies the right priorities for the school, with clear checks on actions taken to bring about further improvements.
• The local authority has worked closely with leaders and supported the school well, so contributing to its improvement.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and engages pupils well in their learning. A range of clubs, visits, trips and sporting activities enriches the curriculum. Pupils experience a cross-curricular, skills-based approach to the curriculum, covering the full range of national curriculum subjects. However, while checks on pupils’ progress in English and mathematics are well developed, this is not yet the case for other subjects.
• Leaders and staff promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils know and learn about different cultures, faiths and beliefs. The school’s work to promote British values is strong. The school’s values are linked closely to British values, as in, for example, ‘every child is encouraged to ensure that their rights and the rights of others are respected’. Children learn about democracy, the rule of law and individual liberty. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.
• The pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils is carefully monitored and is used well. It ensures that this group of pupils are effectively supported in their learning. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils make good progress and their attainment is higher than that of other pupils nationally.
• Additional primary physical education (PE) and sport funding is used well to provide a range of sporting activities and increase pupils’ participation rates in sports. Sports coaches work closely with teachers to enhance their skills in teaching PE. There is a strong emphasis on promoting pupils’ physical fitness and well-being. Pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer, including athletics, multi-sports and gymnastics.
• The leadership of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is strong. This group of pupils are provided with good support and full access to the curriculum and all that the school offers. Consequently, these pupils make good progress.
• A very large majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, or who spoke to inspectors are supportive of the school’s leadership. A very large majority of staff who responded to the staff survey agree that the school is well led and managed.
• The skills of all other subject leaders are not as well developed as those of the leaders of mathematics and English. Consequently, they are yet to have a sufficient impact on the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make across the curriculum.

Governance of the school

and experience and use these well in their roles, including in supporting and challenging senior leaders.

• Governance has improved and is effective. Governors have the right skills, knowledge
• Governors have a secure view of the school’s strengths and the main school priorities. They know how well pupils are doing, including different groups of pupils. They are ambitious for pupils and have played a key role in bringing about improvements, including in the quality of teaching and learning.
• Governors receive detailed information from senior leaders on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. They visit the school regularly to check for themselves how well pupils are learning.
• Governors work closely with senior leaders to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Governors have received training on safeguarding, including on the safer recruitment of staff.
• Governors check the school’s use of the pupil premium funding and PE and sport funding closely to ensure that they have a positive impact, including on pupils’ outcomes. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils make strong progress and there is a range of sporting activities to promote pupils’ fitness.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that all the necessary checks are made on the suitability of staff to work with children. Overall, robust systems are in place when staff are recruited.
• Record keeping is detailed and precise and files are well maintained. Referrals to the local authority are robust and followed up effectively.
• The school’s safeguarding policy takes into account current government requirements. The safeguarding policy and child protection procedures are made available to parents on the school’s website. Governors commission external audits on safeguarding to validate the school’s work to keep pupils safe.
• Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular training and updates on safeguarding and child protection procedures. There is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Staff are highly vigilant for any sign that a child may be at risk of harm. Staff are clear about what to do if they have any concerns about a child’s safety.
• The school works closely with a range of professionals, including the local authority, to help keep pupils safe and to support families.
• There is good safeguarding advice for parents on the school’s website. The school runs workshops for parents on how to keep their children safe, for example on internet safety.
• All parents who responded to Parent View said that their children are happy, feel safe and are well looked after.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved rapidly since the previous inspection and is now good and continuing to improve. Relationships and mutual respect between staff and pupils are strong. Consequently, pupils make good progress.
• There is an effective system for assessment, which teachers use well to track pupils’ progress and plan their learning. Staff know pupils well and use the assessment information to identify those pupils who are falling behind and provide additional support.
• The teaching ensures that pupils have good opportunities for speaking and listening and staff routinely promote their vocabulary and language skills well. This particularly helps pupils who speak English as an additional language to make good and often better progress in English.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge. This enables them to teach confidently and effectively and engage pupils well in their learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning well to check pupils’ understanding and help them think about their learning. Teachers also use monitoring of pupils’ work to pick up on any misconceptions and address them accordingly, either individually with pupils or the whole class.
• Teaching assistants work effectively with pupils, especially lower attainers, and provide them with good support.
• In mathematics, teachers encourage pupils to use their knowledge to solve a range of mathematical problems. There is a good focus on everyday word problems, including using money.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Pupils are able to use their phonics skills well to tackle and read difficult or unfamiliar words. This enables pupils to read with increased fluency and contributes well to their enjoyment of reading. Pupils read regularly, both at home and at school. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their reading and write reviews of the stories they have read. In a Year 2 class, for example, pupils read independently for pleasure and some wrote to each other recommending particular books.
• Writing is improving. Pupils write for different purposes and they are consistently encouraged to improve their writing by using lively and engaging language. Pupils typically draft their ideas before writing a story to ensure that it makes sense. This was seen in Year 1 when pupils were re-telling a story about Sleeping Beauty. Pupils said that they have targets for how they can improve their writing, which they find helpful.
• Even so, teachers’ expectations of pupils’ written work are not high enough. Consequently, some pupils do not present their work well, with poor handwriting and spelling mistakes. This is not routinely picked up by some teachers.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are not consistently challenged to enable them make the progress of which they are capable. Occasionally, they have to wait for harder work. This slows their progress.
• Almost all parents who responded to Parent View stated that their children are taught well.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils enjoy their learning, have excellent attitudes to their work and are proud of their achievements.
• Pupils’ welfare and well-being, including of those who have SEN and/or disabilities, are effectively promoted. Staff know pupils well and work closely with families to ensure that their children’s needs are met. Leaders and staff work particularly well to support vulnerable families.
• Leaders have established close working relationships with external agencies and professionals, including schools, to keep pupils safe. Leaders conduct pupil surveys to identify any concerns pupils have about their safety and well-being.
• Pupils said that they feel happy and safe at school. They have confidence in staff to deal promptly with any concerns that they might have about their safety. Pupils know about different types of bullying and said that bullying is very rare and it is not an issue in the school.
• Pupils have a range of responsible roles, such as those of class monitor, fruit monitor and playground monitor, to develop their confidence and social skills. Care for others was shown by a playground monitor who looked after a younger pupil who ‘felt a bit left out’, for example.
• Leaders ensure that risk assessments are completed thoroughly to reduce any potential risks to pupils, both in school and when on school visits.
• Pupils know about unsafe situations and how to keep themselves safe. They are taught well about online safety and road and fire safety.
• The school’s work to promote healthy eating and lifestyles is strong. Pupils know about healthy eating and the healthy options they have at lunchtimes, including fruit. Leaders ensure that pupils’ fitness and physical well-being are promoted well, including through the use of sports coaches at break- and lunchtimes.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are very polite, courteous and well mannered. They treat each other, staff and visitors with much respect. Pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school is excellent. Pupils from different backgrounds interact and cooperate extremely well, both in the classroom and on the playground. Lunchtimes are very calm and orderly.
• Pupils have strong attitudes to their learning and apply themselves well to the tasks they are set. Pupils enjoy their learning and want to do their best. Pupils understand the behaviour policy well, including both rewards and sanctions.
• There are very few incidents of poor behaviour, and low-level disruption is rare, as reflected in the school’s behaviour log.
• The breakfast club provides pupils with a calm and supportive environment and a nurturing start to the day. The breakfast club also contributes well to pupils’ overall good punctuality at the start of the school day.
• Pupils’ attendance is above average. The rates of persistence absence are very low and there are no exclusions. Senior leaders have worked effectively with parents to improve attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils whose attendance is now similar to that of their classmates.
• Almost all parents who responded to Parent View and all those who spoke to inspectors stated that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved. All staff responding to the staff survey agreed that behaviour is at least good.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The good quality of teaching, learning and assessment has ensured that pupils make good progress across the curriculum, including in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school’s progress information and the work in pupils’ books show that pupils across the year groups make good progress. Pupils make good gains in their knowledge and understanding and develop their skills effectively.
• In 2017, pupils in Year 2 attained results in line with national expectations in writing and mathematics and just above in reading. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading and mathematics was slightly above the national average, and considerably higher in writing. These figures represent good progress from pupils’ low starting points.
• In 2017, the attainment of the relatively small number of disadvantaged pupils at the end of Year 2 was above that of their classmates and other pupils nationally in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils are effectively supported.
• The school’s current assessment information shows that an increasing proportion of pupils are on track to achieve the expected and higher standards. Standards are continuing to rise in reading, writing and mathematics. This reflects the improvements in the quality of teaching. Pupils are well prepared for key stage 2.
• In 2017, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check in Year 1 was well above average. All disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected standard. Pupils’ strong knowledge of, and skills in, phonics help them to read and enjoy reading. Pupils read regularly and are exposed to a wide range of texts.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities typically make good progress because of the strong provision and the good-quality support they receive.
• The school’s current information shows that pupils who speak English as an additional language make strong progress. This group of pupils are very well supported and they typically make better progress from their starting points than their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics.
• While pupils generally make good progress in writing, some pupils’ presentation, handwriting and spelling are not improving rapidly enough.
• Although the progress of most-able pupils is good and their attainment has improved over time, they are sometimes not sufficiently challenged. Occasionally, they have to wait for harder work. This slows their progress.

Early years provision Good

• The majority of children start in early years with skills and abilities which are below those typical for their age. By the time children leave Reception, they have made good progress from their different starting points. In 2017, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception was slightly above the national average.
• Current assessments indicate that a large majority of children are on track to match national expectations at the end of the academic year. Children are prepared well for Year 1.
• Staff use questioning well to test and reinforce understanding. For example, in a Reception class, children ‘made’ pizzas and staff used questioning well to help children count the number of pizza slices and work out how much they would cost, and the change they would receive.
• Children are consistently well behaved and have strong attitudes to their learning. They show good levels of concentration. This was seen in a Reception class where children were totally engrossed in re-telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Some of the most able children moved on to combine sentences to write a letter and made progress with their understanding of the structure of a letter.
• The outdoor learning area is well resourced and used and supports all of the specified areas of learning. A group of children in the Nursery class hunted for mini-beasts using plastic spades and forks and there was great excitement when they found some worms underneath a log. This helped children explore and make sense of their physical world.
• Children know class routines well and are confident and able to make choices about their learning. There is an appropriate balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children develop a positive, ‘have a go’ attitude to their learning.
• The quality of teaching is good. Staff are caring and know children well. Relationships are very strong. Staff use assessment effectively to plan learning. Children’s next steps for learning are clearly identified to address any gaps in their knowledge and understanding.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Children in Reception Year are able to further their knowledge of the sounds that letters represent to help them in their reading and early writing.
• The leadership of early years is strong, based on a clear understanding of strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders have improved the assessment system for tracking children’s progress and work closely with other settings and professionals to ensure its accuracy. Leaders ensure that there is good support and training for staff to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• There are strong links with parents and they are regularly kept informed about their children’s progress. Parents can also access an online programme to check how well their children are learning. Parents attend workshops on how they can support their children’s learning at home. They are invited to early years to see for themselves how children learn and help their children to settle quickly. Parents are very positive about the early years provision.
• Sometimes, the most able children are not sufficiently challenged through questioning and activities to make them think deeply about their learning. Consequently, some do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• At the end of Reception in 2017, the attainment of boys and disadvantaged children was below average, particularly in reading and writing. Leaders responded with additional support and targeted activities. Consequently, boys are now making the same good progress as girls. Although the current group of disadvantaged children in Reception Year is small, leaders are committed to these children doing well and are providing additional support, which is having some impact. Raising the attainment of boys and disadvantaged pupils remains a focus for leaders.
• Leaders ensure that children are well supervised. Staff know how to keep children safe and have attended all the relevant training. The safeguarding arrangements for the early years provision are effective.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102434 Hillingdon 10041966 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Foundation 3 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Angela Flux Rebecca Fennell 020 8249 6860 www.hillsideinfant.org.uk office@hillsideinfant.org.uk Date of previous inspection 19−20 January 2016

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized infant school. The school is a two-form entry school, expanding to three-form entry. An expansion to three-form entry commenced in September 2016. The planned expansion of the building is due for completion by 2019.
• The school is located on a shared site with the junior school and uses many of the same services and facilities.
• The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is below average.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those pupils who speak English as an additional language are well above the national average.
• The largest groups in school are from ‘Other White’ backgrounds. The main communities represented within this group are those from Portuguese and Eastern European backgrounds.
• The school has two classes in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. The school offers part-time and some full-time Nursery provision for children from the age of three.
• The current headteacher was appointed in September 2016. A new senior leadership structure, consisting of the headteacher and three assistant headteachers, was put in place in September 2017. Some subject leaders are new to their posts.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning across the school in all year groups. They conducted joint observations of learning with members of the senior leadership team.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books, spoke to pupils about their learning and heard some pupils read in classrooms.
• Inspectors met with pupils in Years 1 and 2 to discuss their learning and hear their views about the school. The inspectors listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read and discussed their reading with them.
• The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktime and at lunchtime.
• The inspectors met a range of staff, including the headteacher, assistant headteachers, subject leaders and teachers. The inspectors met with five members of the governing body, including the chair.
• A telephone discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors checked the single central register of pre-employment checks on staff and looked at pupils’ attendance and behaviour records. They examined documents, including school improvement plans and policies, and procedures in relation to safeguarding and child protection.
• The inspectors considered a range of information about the school. This included the information on the school’s website.
• Inspectors considered the 58 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and 35 free-text responses from parents. The inspectors spoke with some parents as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered 28 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, lead inspector David Bryant

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector