Horfield Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and governors should further raise pupils’ achievements by:
  • improving the curriculum and teaching of science so that pupils can achieve as highly in science as they do in other subjects improving the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistently as strong as the best in the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s and leaders’ resolute determination to improve standards and outcomes for pupils shines through all that they do. Leaders have been highly successful in raising the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This means that pupils, including the most able, are making good progress from their different starting points.
• The headteacher’s passion and drive to improve the education of all pupils are evident in all her actions. She is held in high esteem by pupils, parents, staff and governors alike. Parents overwhelmingly say the school is well led and managed.
• The headteacher is adept at bringing out the best in middle and senior leaders through coaching and encouragement. She gives them the confidence to lead and challenge staff to raise standards in the areas they are responsible for, such as writing and mathematics.
• Teachers, and other staff, are given opportunities to develop their work through the professional development and support the school offers. They particularly value the opportunities the headteacher and leaders give them to take responsibility for different aspects of school life. As a result of the culture of reflection and purpose that leaders have generated, teachers are committed to improving their practice. Teachers at an early point in their careers receive good support and so share this commitment.
• Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. They act quickly to identify areas for development. For example, in 2016, they rapidly put in place actions to improve standards in mathematics. As a result, the work of current pupils, including the most able, shows that their progress in mathematics has improved and is now similar to the progress they are making in reading and writing.
• Leaders use the school’s assessment programmes to accurately and quickly identify pupils who may be at risk of falling behind with their learning. The support they receive means that many of them catch up briskly.
• Leaders know pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities very well and monitor their progress in detail. They ensure that additional funding to help these pupils is deployed effectively. Consequently, these pupils make good progress from their starting points because of the support they receive. Parents speak very highly of the support their children are given.
• The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is well spent. Leaders have a sound rationale for the allocation of funds and an accurate view of the barriers to learning for these pupils. Across year groups, disadvantaged pupils currently in the school, including those who are among the most able, are now making good progress.
• The sport premium additional funding is used effectively. The school offers pupils many sporting activities including a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, such as running and gym clubs, and opportunities to represent the school in competitive sporting events.
• The school prepares pupils very well to become responsible citizens in modern British society. Pupils see democracy in action through the work of the school council. Pupils are confident that their voices will be heard and taken into account by leaders. The shared understanding of adults and pupils is that discrimination will not be tolerated.
• The vibrant curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of learning opportunities, in particular in the artistic, musical and sporting spheres. Rightly, the school’s work to enable pupils to reach the highest standards in English has been recognised at a national level. However, inconsistencies in the provision for science mean that not all pupils acquire the skills they need to achieve as highly as they do in English and mathematics.

Governance of the school

• Governors are highly ambitious for the school and its pupils. They rigorously challenge school leaders about pupils’ progress and outcomes. They pay particular attention to disadvantaged pupils’ progress and so hold leaders to account for the outcomes of these pupils.
• Governors have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school and areas where development is needed. Through their visits to the school, governors know the school well and use their insight to challenge school leaders. Their regular monitoring activities include talking with pupils to seek their views on school life.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and have a clear understanding of what to do if concerned about a pupil. The school works effectively with outside agencies, and with parents, to support pupils and their families. Leaders are not afraid to challenge other professionals to secure safe outcomes for children.
• Pupils, parents and staff are all in agreement that pupils feel safe and are safe at this school. Parents speak highly of the support they receive from inclusion staff in particular.
• The school’s systems make sure that staff are recruited safely and the induction process places emphasis on the culture of safeguarding that the school promotes.
• All staff and governors have taken part in training to help them protect pupils from radicalisation and extremism and so understand their responsibilities well.
• However, some of the information the school holds to safeguard pupils could be organised more effectively. This will help leaders and governors when they monitor the school’s work.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders and governors have been uncompromising in their drive to improve the quality of teaching. Consequently, the quality of teaching is consistently good. The teaching of English is a particular strength. The skills and knowledge of the leader for mathematics have been instrumental in improving the teaching of mathematics so that it is now more consistently at the highest level. As a result, the work of current pupils, including girls, the most able and disadvantaged pupils, shows that their progress in mathematics has risen to equal their progress in reading and writing.
• Leaders’ skilful coaching and mentoring, in particular that of leaders of English and mathematics, have built a culture where teaching staff are keen to reflect on and improve their practice.
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge and ask probing and challenging questions to help pupils, including the most able, to extend their understanding. However, in science, there are times when teachers do not address pupils’ misconceptions. Sometimes this is because some teachers’ subject knowledge in science is not as strong as in other subject areas.
• Teachers assess pupils’ progress in lessons and adapt their teaching quickly in the light of their findings. Pupils who may be at risk of falling behind catch up quickly as a result.
• Disadvantaged pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics because teaching supports them well.
• Teachers give pupils clear feedback about their work, in line with the school’s policy. Hence, pupils know how to improve their work and, particularly in key stage 2, they talk in depth with adults about their next steps. Pupils support each other in their learning and know that making mistakes can help them to learn better.
• The effective teaching of phonics enables pupils of all abilities to use their phonic knowledge to help them read unfamiliar words. Pupils of all ages love to read because of the strong culture of reading that the school promotes. For example, a wide range of high-quality texts are used to underpin the literacy curriculum.
• Teaching assistants and other adults support pupils effectively because they skilfully strike a balance between helping pupils and encouraging independence.
• Teachers challenge the most able pupils well, including the most able disadvantaged pupils. Where learning is at its very strongest, for example in English and mathematics in Years 5 and 6, there is a thirst for learning which includes both adults and pupils in a joint enterprise.
• The skills and confidence that pupils gain from their learning in English and mathematics and in subjects such as drama, art and music, mean that pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. Parents comment on the strong start their children make to secondary education.
• Parents are overwhelmingly of the view that their children are making good progress and are well taught at school. As one said, ‘Teachers and support staff are our true partners in caring for and educating our children.’ Initiatives such as the ‘tea, cakes and calculations’ mathematics event, where pupils presented to their parents different methods of calculation in mathematics, help pupils and parents to learn together.

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 confident and self-assured learners. Their excellent attitudes to learning have a strong impact on the progress they make. Pupils take pride in themselves, their work and their school.
• Pupils across all year groups demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning. They speak accurately and with enthusiasm about their work, particularly in English and mathematics. They are committed to improving their work and older pupils understand why their learning is important to help them fulfil their aspirations for the future.
• Pupils, parents and staff all feel strongly that pupils are safe, happy and well looked after at school. They say they are ‘totally confident’ that their children are nurtured in the ‘warm, welcoming and caring’ environment the school provides.
• The school prepares pupils very well to become active citizens in modern Britain. Pupils are keen to get involved with the opportunities they have to influence the life of their school. For example, pupils who are members of the school council told inspectors how they share their ideas about the school with governors and how they are planning to celebrate the school’s 60th anniversary.
• The excellent relationships between pupils and adults, and between pupils themselves, mean that pupils are very confident that their views will be listened to. They know exactly who to talk to if they ever have a concern. They say that bullying is rare and are sure it would be dealt with firmly and swiftly by adults. Their parents strongly agree.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of how to stay safe online and what to do if they were to experience cyber bullying. They also appreciate the importance of making choices that mean they have a healthy lifestyle.
• Parents receive effective advice and guidance, in particular from the staff who work in inclusion and family support, about how to help their children.
• The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded through the curriculum and is a strength of the school. Pupils, and parents, relish the wider opportunities their children receive; for example, participation in a large range of musical, dramatic and artistic performance events.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Throughout the school pupils live up to the very high expectations placed on them by staff. Pupils behave extremely well in lessons and when moving around the school, for example at breaktime and lunchtime. Inspectors did not see any behaviour which was less than exemplary during the course of the inspection. Pupils, parents and staff all believe pupils behave very well at school.
• During lessons, pupils respond quickly to the instructions of adults and thoughtfully to the needs of other pupils. Occasions when pupils are distracted are rare. This is because the work their teachers give them is interesting and matched well to pupils’ learning needs.
• Pupils take their responsibilities around the school very seriously, for example by providing role models for younger pupils. Pupils say that everyone, adults and children, cares for one another at this school. Pupils, and parents, who have joined the school from other places say how welcome they have been made to feel by both pupils and staff.
• Pupils’ behaviour is supported carefully by adults. Even pupils who, in the past, have found it more difficult to behave well, are encouraged to do so by the many reward systems the school has in place.
• Pupils enjoy and value their education. Their attendance is above national figures. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is improving so that it is now close to national figures. Leaders and inclusion staff, in particular, are committed to helping disadvantaged pupils and their families overcome barriers to attendance. However, while rates of persistent absence are declining, there is more work to be done to improve the attendance of the small number of pupils who are absent most often.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently at the school are making good progress from a wide range of starting points. Pupils’ progress has increased over time, particularly in English and mathematics. This includes the progress that girls make in mathematics. In 2016, the progress that pupils made by the end of key stage 2 was better than that of pupils nationally in reading and writing. In mathematics, their progress was in line with that of pupils nationally.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are challenged well to extend their learning and are making good progress. Many, particularly in key stage 2, display a passion for their learning in reading, writing and mathematics and relish opportunities which challenge them to do better.
• At key stage 2 in 2016, more pupils achieved the expected standard in reading and writing than was the case nationally, with a greater proportion achieving at a high standard. In mathematics, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard was at the national level but fewer than average reached the high standard.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils has improved. At the end of key stage 2 last year, their progress in reading was slightly better than that of other pupils nationally and in writing their progress was in line with the average. In mathematics, the progress of disadvantaged pupils was slightly below that of other pupils nationally. However, scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are now making good progress from a range of starting points.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making strong progress and attaining well as a consequence of the support they are receiving.
• At key stage 1, pupils’ attainment has been rising over time. In 2016, in key stage 1, more pupils than nationally reached the expected standard in reading, writing, mathematics and science.
• Pupils love to read. They read fluently relative to their age and development. The number of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check has been above the national level for the last three years. By the end of Year 2, almost every pupil has reached the expected level in this check.
• Over time, the percentage of children who reach a good level of development at the end of the early years is above the national average.
• Parents are overwhelmingly of the view that their children are making good progress and being well taught at the school.

Early years provision Good

• Children make a good start to their education in the early years. The education children receive in the early years prepares them well for Year 1.
• Children enter the early years with a wide spread of skills and experience, although most have skills broadly typical for their age. Teachers use assessment accurately to identify those who may need additional help and plan support for them which means these children can catch up quickly.
• Children in the early years show positive attitudes to learning and are making good progress because teachers’ careful planning has created interesting starting points for them to explore their learning. In the outdoor learning environment, there are activities for children to investigate in all the areas of learning which help them to develop the skills they need for successful learning across the curriculum. Children’s love of reading is fostered inside and outside the classroom, for example in the use of the reading tent to create a special environment where adults and children can share in books and stories.
• Teachers and other adults in the early years know children’s learning needs well. They carefully craft activities to address specific skills. For example, the cutting and preparation of vegetables to make soup helped children to refine their fine motor skills effectively.
• As a result of learning opportunities that are well matched to their needs, different groups of children, including the most able and least able children, are making good progress. The proportion of children, both boys and girls, reaching a good level of development at the end of the early years is above national figures. However, over time, more girls reach a good level of development than boys and in 2016 the gap between them widened.
• Over time, fewer disadvantaged children than other children reach a good level of development at the end of the early years. However, as a result of the focus of leaders and teachers, disadvantaged children currently in the early years are making stronger progress.
• Children in the Reception Year receive a solid grounding in phonics. Children use their phonic knowledge to help their writing, for example when writing sentences for simple stories. The start children make to phonics in the early years contributes to the higher than national proportion of pupils who reach the standard of the phonics screening check in Year 1.
• The positive behaviour of children and their strong relationships with the adults around them show the confidence and safety they already feel at school. Their parents agree, feeling strongly that their children are safe, happy and well looked after at school. Safeguarding is effective.
• Parents can contribute to the assessment of their child’s learning through regular meetings with staff and opportunities to view their child’s achievements online. Parents speak very highly of the warm, welcoming and inclusive transition their children make into the Reception classes.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 109143 City of Bristol 10024986 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 417 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Karen Dunmall Jenny Taylor 0117 903 0041 www.horfieldceprimaryschool.org/ horfield.p@bristol-schools.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 March 2017

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Horfield Church of England Primary School is larger than the average primary school.
• The majority of pupils are of White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English is an additional language is slightly lower than the national average.
• The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is slightly lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly lower than the national average.

• The school is above the current government floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Pupils’ learning was observed in 35 sessions or part sessions, many jointly with the headteacher and two senior leaders. The work of pupils in all year groups was scrutinised. Many pupils were spoken to about their work during lessons and informally at breaktimes and around the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and met with pupils to gather views about their experiences of school.
• Discussions were held with the headteacher and other leaders, governors and a representative of the local education authority. Meetings were held with members of the school staff to gather their views.
• Inspectors took account of the 128 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View and to 125 comments received. Discussions were held with parents at the start of the school day.
• A range of documentation was considered, including information on pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s improvement planning, records of the monitoring of teaching and information on the management of teachers’ performance. Procedures for the safeguarding of pupils, including information relating to attendance, behaviour and the exclusion of pupils, were examined.

Inspection team

Sarah O’Donnell, lead inspector David New Dawn Breeze Jo Briscombe Roberta Camble

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector