The Holme Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, by: providing regular, high-quality opportunities for pupils in key stage 2 to develop their mathematical reasoning developing pupils’ confidence and resilience in answering unfamiliar questions in tests, so that they can apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in tackling them more successfully working closely with families to reduce the number of pupils who miss school more regularly than they should.
• Ensure that the additional funds for the PE and sports premium are used to enable pupils to benefit more from PE and competitive sports.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Pupils receive a good education as a result of the headteacher’s inspiring leadership. Her positive, determined, welcoming approach has united the school community to provide the best possible education for its pupils. Parents, staff and pupils benefit from the improvements that senior leaders have brought about.
• The school culture is now characterised by high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Staff and pupils work hard to fulfil these expectations. Morale in the school is also high. All staff who completed the staff survey agreed that they enjoyed working at the school and felt proud to work there. This reflects the harmonious, inclusive school community seen during the inspection, where all are valued and appreciated.
• Leaders and governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Self-evaluation is thorough and accurate, drawing on a range of evidence, including the views of external experts. Leaders regularly seek advice and address improvements quickly and successfully. They know that, currently, despite improving rates of progress, too few pupils leave the school well prepared for their secondary education and are taking the right steps to address this.
• Middle leaders’ role in school improvement is strengthening as a result of effective training. These leaders can identify which actions are most successful and why.
• The curriculum’s breadth contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The wider curriculum is enriched by visitors to the school and visits to interesting places, including London and a contrasting multicultural community in Luton. Additionally, pupils benefit from the school’s extensive grounds, including a forest area, to enrich their learning. Staff provide many clubs and after-school activities to support and extend pupils’ talents.
• The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used well. These pupils make good progress from their starting points because additional support is skilfully matched to their needs, including external support where appropriate.
• The school is built on a strong foundation of Christian values that include fundamental British values. Pupils understand the rule of law and individual liberty. They are involved in democratic processes in the school such as electing pupil leaders.
• Equality is understood well and promoted by leaders and staff in the school. Every effort is made to help pupils understand that all people are important no matter what their appearance or culture. Pupils agree that the school encourages them to respect people from other backgrounds and treat people equally.
• The PE and sports premium is not put to good use because it does not focus enough on improving PE and games in the school, nor on offering more opportunities to take part in competitive sport.
• The Good Shepherd Trust knows the school well. It has a clear view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. It provides the right amount of support, which enables leaders to improve the school further.

Governance of the school

• Governors are effective in their work. They know the school well and use a range of evidence to evaluate leaders’ work, including visits to the school and high-quality, detailed reports from the headteacher. Consequently, they have a strong understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.
• They share the high expectations of the senior leaders and hold them closely to account. Governors regularly monitor the plans to improve the school to make sure that they are having the intended impact.
• Governors are keen to improve, and commissioned a review of governance earlier this year. They have responded to its recommendations and understand how to become even more effective. They are well trained and equipped to fulfil their roles, including in safeguarding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Senior leaders ensure that pupils are safe by creating a culture where the well-being of pupils is central. Policies and procedures are securely in place and well understood and followed by all staff in the school. The school conducts a range of risk assessments to keep both pupils and staff safe.
• Pupils say that they feel safe. Parents and staff all agree that this is true. One parent said that the school is, ‘a safe and welcoming environment in which my child has grown in confidence and flourished’.
• Staff receive regular updates about potential risks to pupils. Training is up to date. Staff know which procedures to follow if disclosures or allegations are made.
• School staff work well with parents and a wide range of partner agencies.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching is improving rapidly. Leaders have tackled any remaining inconsistencies in teaching with rigour. Consequently, pupils’ skills are strengthening at a pace and progress rates are much faster now than in the past.
• Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and how well they will behave. Pupils typically rise to these expectations and enjoy celebrating their achievements. One parent commented: ‘Class teachers have given my child a love of learning. My child now has a thirst for knowledge which will stay with him.’
• Clearly focused programmes of support and professional development have improved the quality of planning across the school so that challenging work matches pupils’ ages and abilities.
• Senior leaders place a strong emphasis on the importance of pupils mastering the basic skills that pupils need to achieve well in English and mathematics. Teachers expect neat presentation, accurate spelling and correct punctuation when pupils are writing. Similarly, in mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils can manipulate numbers quickly and accurately. This provides a strong platform for pupils to make good progress.
• Writing is taught well. Teachers take time to show pupils how to be successful writers. Pupils are productive and most have regular opportunities to write at length. Evidence in books shows that pupils write in a range of genres confidently because the topics chosen are relevant and interesting for them, such as Year 1 and 2’s recent trip to Queen Elizabeth Country Park.
• The teaching of mathematics is effective, especially in key stage 1. Younger pupils are regularly challenged to use mathematical reasoning to explain their answers, predict patterns or justify statements. However, teachers in key stage 2 do not offer pupils equivalent opportunities to develop these reasoning skills. This limits older pupils’ ability to tackle more challenging problems and mathematical investigations.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are usually quick to notice when a pupil finds work too easy or too hard. Adults are skilled at checking on pupils’ understanding, explaining new concepts and asking the right questions to help pupils work things out for themselves. This helps to develop pupils’ independence and confidence.
• Teachers offer effective guidance and advice to pupils which enables them to improve their work. Pupils value this advice and usually act on it.
• Classrooms and shared areas are neat, well organised places which contain many displays to support pupils’ learning and develop their independence. These include reminders of important spellings, key vocabulary and methods used in mathematics.
• Parents appreciate the useful, timely information that they receive about their children’s progress.
• Homework is used to good effect and provides pupils with opportunities to develop and practise the key skills of reading, writing and mathematics. It also helps to prepare older pupils well for the challenges of secondary school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Staff value and model the school’s Christian values, which provide the foundation for the school’s work. Consequently, pupils show great respect for each other and people’s differing views, cultures and religions. Staff and pupils alike understand the importance of equality and put it into practice.
• Pupils feel safe in school even when undertaking potentially dangerous activities such as fire lighting when they are in the forest. They say that they are always taught how to stay safe in such situations. Senior leaders always ensure that accurate risk assessments have been carried out in such situations.
• Pupils appreciate that staff take good care of them. They are confident that there is always a member of staff they can go to with any worries. One pupil said: ‘The best thing about this school is that teachers are always there to help.’ A parent wrote: ‘All the teachers and staff are fully supportive and friendly and want the best for all the children.’ These reflect the many positive comments that the inspector received.
• Staff and pupils use the word ‘yet’ a good deal. It even features on a display board in the hall. It reminds pupils that if they work hard, they will be able to achieve things that they cannot do yet. This has a wholly positive impact on their attitudes to learning.
• The difference between bullying and boisterousness is well understood by pupils, who say that bullying rarely happens. When it does, it is dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Pupils learn how to stay safe in a range of situations such as on the road, online and in water. They have visits from such agencies as the police and fire brigade. Older pupils learn how to ride bicycles safely on the road. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe online.
• Vulnerable pupils are taken good care of. The school has robust systems for raising and following concerns over pupils. These are well understood and followed by all staff.
• The school provides many opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and leadership roles, such as house leader, eco leader and head boy or girl.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils, staff and parents all echo this view.
• Pupils’ behaviour is typically polite, well-mannered and courteous. This is equally true in lessons and at free times around the school. Pupils follow adults’ instructions quickly and without fuss.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and this leads to purposeful classrooms with happy, hard-working pupils.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to school and are eager learners, especially when teaching engages their interest and challenges them. Only occasionally when pupils lose interest does their attention slip and they drift off task. Examples of low-level disruption are rare.
• School leaders have worked hard with parents to ensure that rates of attendance improve. However, absence – including persistent absence – is still too high, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ work across the school shows that they are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This includes pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders’ actions to improve teaching and secure more rapid progress, especially in Year 6, have had a positive impact. Levels of attainment in reading, writing and especially mathematics were still below national figures in 2017. However, all improved significantly from the previous year because all groups of pupils made faster progress.
• The most able pupils make good progress in most year groups. Teachers usually provide these pupils with high levels of expectation and challenge, especially in writing in key stage 2.
• Pupils acquire phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) skills quickly and these form a strong foundation for becoming good readers and writers. In 2017, standards in the Year 1 phonics screening check improved to above those seen nationally. By the end of Year 2, only a tiny handful of pupils had not achieved the expected standard in the past three years.
• Pupils make good progress in reading. By the end of Year 2, percentages of pupils who achieve the expected standard are in line with national figures. However, numbers who achieve beyond this standard are well above those seen nationally. This is also true in writing and mathematics.
• Pupils clearly enjoy reading. They become confident, articulate readers who can explain their choices of author and genres of books. Even weaker readers use a range of strategies to read quite challenging texts confidently. Pupils regard the library as a treasured asset which they look forward to visiting and using.
• Leaders recognise that some pupils in Year 6 were not prepared well enough for the demands of the national curriculum tests. Plans are in place to equip pupils with greater resilience and confidence to tackle these tests in the future.

Early years provision Good

• Children achieve well in the early years. Children entered school last academic year with skills below those seen nationally. At the end of the academic year, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was in line with national figures. As a result, children are well prepared to start Year 1.
• The leadership of early years is strong. The leader has a clear understanding of how young children learn and has high expectations of what they can achieve. These are well understood and embraced by the other staff.
• Teaching assistants are trained well and receive strong support from the early years leader to ensure that they understand how young children learn and how to help them learn through play.
• Staff plan activities that engage children’s interests and enable them to sustain concentration for quite long periods of time. Activities have a clear learning focus that capture children’s interest. Staff are constantly alert to ways of extending learning as the activities progress. They draw alongside children to ask questions, model accurate spoken English and suggest ideas for developing their play. Staff regularly assess children’s learning and use this information to identify next steps for children.
• Children seen during the inspection had been in school for less than a week. However, they had already settled quickly and had started to make new friends. They are sociable and friendly towards each other and to adults.
• Staff ensure that there are well-understood routines that are followed by all children. Even very young children learn quickly to wait for others and to take turns, for example when lining up to wash their hands at lunchtime. Children are taught carefully how to stay safe and take sensible risks. Safeguarding is effective.
• Right from the start, children are taught phonics and the core skills of number and they learn quickly and eagerly. Carefully chosen opportunities to practise these skills are presented to children during their independent learning times. During the inspection, the inspector saw two boys on a stage outdoors singing the song associated with the letter ‘s’. They went on to write the letter on a chalkboard.
• Children settle into the school quickly. The school’s comprehensive transition arrangements help children to feel happy and secure quickly. Leaders also take great care to provide children with opportunities to meet their Year 1 teacher and learn in their new classroom before leaving the early years.
• Staff actively encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning at all points. They are kept informed regularly about how well their children are achieving. The school’s online assessment and communication tool enables parents to see how well their children and learning. Parents also contribute to this by uploading pictures and videos of children’s achievements at home, such as riding a bicycle without stabilisers.

School details

Unique reference number 139920 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10032871 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 144 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Victoria Skidmore Headteacher Ruth Worswick Telephone number 01428 714409

Website http://theholme.schooljotter2.com Email address admin@holme.goodshepherdtrust.org.uk

Date of previous inspection 14–15 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The Holme Church of England Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school. There are seven single-aged classes.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above that seen in other schools across the country.
• Most pupils are White British. There are a relatively few pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is well below that seen nationally.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2016, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school is a member of The Good Shepherd Trust.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning in range of lessons in all year groups. All of the observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher or assistant headteacher.
• The inspector listened to pupils read and held discussions with pupils from across the school.
• Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised in class. A small selection of pupils’ work from the previous academic year was looked at separately with senior leaders and a representative of the trust.
• Fifty responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and 22 text responses from parents were considered. The inspector met with parents at the end of the school day.
• The inspector considered responses to the inspection questionnaires completed by 15 members of staff and 35 pupils.
• A meeting was held with governors, including the chair of the governing body. Meetings were held with school leaders responsible for English, mathematics, science, computing, early years provision and provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• A meeting was held with the director of schools of the academy trust.
• The inspector examined a range of documents. This included the school’s review of its own performance, checks on the quality of teaching, development plans, safeguarding documentation, information about pupils’ progress and various records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

Inspection team

Bruce Waelend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector