Hatherley Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by:
  • providing teaching staff with the necessary training needed to ensure that they have the highest expectations for pupils, including Nursery staff
  • ensuring that leaders make careful checks on pupils’ progress and act swiftly where progress is weak, including for disadvantaged pupils
  • ensuring that the school’s improvement plans include clear targets for the achievement for all groups, so that leaders and governors can consistently check the effectiveness of school actions to improve outcomes for pupils.
• Raise the achievement of pupils by ensuring that:
  • teachers have high expectations and accurately assess and plan learning that builds upon what pupils already know and can do, particularly in writing
  • teachers ensure that disadvantaged pupils receive sufficient support to enable them to make strong progress, in particular the most able pupils
  • teachers have sufficiently high expectations of pupils’ writing and provide pupils with clear guidance on letter formation and punctuation.
• Improve the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils by:
  • leaders working with parents, carers and other support services to react swiftly to tackle poor attendance so that pupils’ attendance is at least in line with the national average
  • ensuring that teachers consistently apply school policies to plan learning that engages pupils and promotes good attitudes to learning. External reviews of governance and the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management should be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Senior leaders have not successfully resolved the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection. Teaching does not consistently meet the needs of learners and, consequently, pupils’ progress is too slow, particularly in writing.
• Leaders have improved systems to assure themselves that teachers’ assessment of pupils’ progress and attainment is accurate. However, not all teachers are equally adept at implementing this system. Consequently, leaders’ understanding of the progress of some pupil groups is not accurate.
• The headteacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, school improvement plans are too wide-ranging to make rapid progress in bringing about improvement in key areas. Governors are not yet able to provide robust challenge.
• Leaders have been too slow in providing timely guidance and challenge where teaching is weak. New developments and staff training are beginning to have an impact. Standards are improving, particularly in mathematics.
• Leaders are conscientious in their deployment of the pupil premium funding. However, they do not make close enough checks on the effectiveness of their plans or adjust them when they are not working. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils, and in particular the most able disadvantaged pupils, do not make sufficient progress.
• Leaders recognise that there is still more work to do to improve overall attendance for the most vulnerable pupils. The local authority has encouraged collaboration with the junior school on improving attendance but it is too soon to see the impact of this work.
• Effective leadership in mathematics has led to improved standards. The leader of mathematics has worked closely with the assistant headteacher to ensure a consistent approach across the school. Her close monitoring has ensured that all teachers’ assessments are accurate. She has supported staff in matching activities to pupils’ abilities and, as a result, standards have improved rapidly.
• The leader for special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities has established effective systems. Her partnership work with external agencies is helping to support the needs of those pupils who require social and emotional support. Leaders’ investment in specialist staff is also beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders and managers are effective in ensuring that pupils who speak English as an additional language are well catered for. Leaders work hard to ensure that pupils settle into school quickly and that they grasp the key aspects of English as quickly as possible.
• Effective use of the sports premium funding is ensuring that sport is a significant strength of the school’s work. Teachers choose topics that help pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, for example posing key questions around the local environment and considering the importance of tolerance and respect. Consequently, leaders ensure that pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.
• The majority of parents have positive views of the school. The school’s Parent View questionnaire showed that parents agreed with the pupils in saying that bullying is rare. Parents are confident that leaders deal with their concerns.

Governance of the school

• Governors have been too accepting of pupils’ low attainment. The governors who met with the inspector demonstrated a passion and ambition for the school. However, their challenge is not yet bringing about good outcomes. They do not hold leaders fully to account for the quality of teaching and the progress that different groups of pupils make.
• Governors have sought training and advice and have restructured the governing body. As a result, they now have a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Governors know the school well. They are supportive of leaders and recognise where improvements need to be made. For example, the decision to take over the management of the pre-school reflects their commitment to giving children the best possible start to school.
• Records of governor meetings demonstrate an improving culture of challenge. Governors are becoming more adept at checking the school’s effectiveness. Their regular visits to check on the school’s work are helping them to gain a greater understanding of strengths and weaknesses.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding are well informed, are effective in their roles and make a strong contribution to the safety of the pupils in the school. School staff liaise determinedly with a wide range of outside agencies to make sure that vulnerable pupils and their families get the support they need. Leaders implement thorough processes for the recruitment of staff so that they can be confident of the suitability of staff to work with children.
• Leaders and governors review policies on time to keep pupils protected and safe. All staff, including governors, undertake thorough training in child protection. Leaders check the understanding of staff about key issues on a regular basis. Meticulous records make sure that staff are up to date with key information.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is too inconsistent across and within year groups. Teachers’ expectations in some lessons are too low and the work set does not match the needs of all pupils. In some year groups, the most able pupils are not challenged. As a result, the most able pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not reach the high standards that they are capable of.
• Teachers do not show equally high expectations of pupils’ handwriting. When this occurs, pupils do not take care in forming their letters correctly and the quality of their writing falters.
• Inconsistencies in the quality of the teaching of writing across the school are hindering how well pupils achieve in writing. Pupils’ progress speeds up and slows down dependent on the quality of teaching they receive. Where teaching is strong, pupils make good progress from their very low starting points and are on track to achieve the standards expected for their age. This is not typical across all classes.
• Some teachers use their subject knowledge to ask well-targeted, probing questions to deepen pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills. However, this is not yet common practice across the school. Consequently, some pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
• Where teachers make good use of assessment to match activities, pupils show good attitudes to learning and this has a positive impact on their achievement. Pupils enjoy the calm approach of the staff. However, this approach is not consistent across the school. Occasionally, pupils’ concentration falters and staff are slow to help pupils to refocus.
• The teaching of mathematics is helping to eradicate previously weak attainment and progress. The specific guidance and support provided by the mathematics lead and the assistant headteacher have led to teachers’ improved subject knowledge. Work in books shows that pupils’ progress is accelerating.
• Teachers make sure that there are many opportunities for pupils to practise their phonics. Consequently, an increasing proportion of pupils are able to read and spell accurately.
• Teaching assistants work with teachers and, in some cases, provide helpful support to individuals or small groups. This helps pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to make similar progress to their peers.
• The precise support teachers and other adults provide for pupils who speak English as an additional language helps these pupils to make good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are sure that their teachers look after them and provide a supportive environment. They are happy to come to school and feel well cared for and safe.
• The school’s approach to supporting the social and emotional needs of vulnerable pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities is good. Staff use a range of external agencies to provide high-quality care, support and guidance for families.
• Pupils know how to stay safe. Leaders have made sure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe while they are online. Pupils explained to inspectors about not giving someone your address because you do not know who they are.
• Pupils have a good understanding of what might constitute different forms of bullying. The many pupils who spoke with inspectors say that bullying is rare in school. These pupils agreed that they feel safe in school and that they would have someone to turn to if they had any worries or concerns at all.
• The high proportion of pupils who join the school later than in the Reception Year receive effective support so that they are happy and settle quickly in to school routines.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning fluctuate. When teaching lacks challenge and fails to capture their interest, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not consistently good. Too often, pupils lose focus and their attention wanders. As a result, pupils distract each other from their learning and their progress slows.
• In classes where teaching is not matched to pupils’ needs, pupils do not show perseverance in their work. They give up quickly and become uninterested. When this occurs, pupils do not take sufficient pride in their work and their progress falters.
• Overall absence rates remain higher than the national average. Although still too high, the proportion of pupils in Years 1 and 2 who are persistently absent from school has reduced this year.
• Pupils who find it more difficult to manage their own behaviour are well supported. Leaders are diligent in ensuring that staff are well trained in supporting these pupils’ needs. Staff keep meticulous records so that they can learn from any incidents.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics remains too variable across the school. Pupils’ progress in writing is slower in Year 1 than in Year 2. Pupils do not apply the skills of writing across the curriculum and, consequently, their progress slows.
• Although an improving picture, too few of the most able pupils achieve the high standards they are capable of by the time they leave Year 2, particularly in writing.
• Current pupils make stronger progress in reading. Leaders have begun to resolve underachievement evident in previous years. Although still below the national average, more pupils are achieving the standards expected for their age.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are helped to develop and make progress against the targets in their individual plans.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not make the progress they ought to. Too few disadvantaged pupils achieve the standards expected for their age and very few make good progress to achieve the higher standards.
• Pupils’ phonics knowledge and understanding have improved in recent years. The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check has improved year on year. Those who have been in the school since the Reception Year make good progress and most meet the expected standard. Others who join the school later than in the Reception Year generally catch up by Year 2. As a result, pupils are able to make increasing use of their phonics knowledge to read and write with greater fluency.
• Outcomes at the end of Year 2 in 2017 reflect an improving picture in pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and, particularly, mathematics. The work of current pupils shows that pupils are becoming increasingly competent in applying their knowledge of number facts to solve problems.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language are well supported and make strong progress.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Too few children make enough progress to enable them to reach a good level of development by the end of their Reception Year compared to the national average.
• In Nursery, teaching does not always match the children’s specific needs. In contrast, children in the two Reception classes catch up quickly, with some making rapid progress.
• Staff in the Nursery do not listen and work alongside children enough to support their assessments of what children understand, know and can do. Staff do not maintain high expectations throughout the learning and, as a result, children lose interest in their activities and their progress slows.
• Teachers in the Reception classes provide regular and systematic phonics teaching that is helping children develop their reading skills. However, overall, the proportion of children reaching expected standards in reading at the end of Reception is below the national average.
• Leaders have ensured that there are sufficient interpreters to support communication with parents. Staff in both the Nursery and Reception classes work closely with parents and engage them in their child’s learning.
• In the short time that leaders have managed the Nursery, there have been improvements in site security and keeping children safe. Leaders have acted robustly to deal with weaknesses. They have undertaken a restructuring of staffing. However, it is too early to see the impact on the quality of the curriculum and teaching in the Nursery.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Children learn and play alongside each other happily.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 115484 Gloucestershire 10042682 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 Maintained 2 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Albert Gardiner Julie Gardener 01452 522 027 www.hatherley-inf.gloucs.sch.uk head@hatherley-inf.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection June 2014

Information about this school

• This school is smaller than the average-sized infant school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the additional funding known as the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much higher than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.
• A larger proportion of pupils than nationally join the school later than in the Reception Year.
• The school took over the management of the Nursery in April 2017.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in lessons, some of which were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, breaks and lunchtimes were observed.
• Inspectors scrutinised the quality of work in pupils’ books.
• Inspectors talked with groups of pupils to seek their views about the school and listened to the views of many other pupils during lessons, breaks and lunchtimes.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the mathematics leader, the leader for SEN and/or disabilities, staff, governors and a local authority representative.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including the school development plan, the school’s view of its own performance, data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress, governors’ minutes, records about behaviour and safeguarding, records of how the school spends its money for disadvantaged pupils and the physical education and sport premium, and school policies.

Inspection team

Spencer Allen, lead inspector Julie Fox

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector