Henley-In-Arden CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring:

improvement planning, monitoring and evaluation are sharper, measurable and effective assessment information informs rapid and timely interventions, particularly aimed at supporting pupils who are not making the progress of which they are capable policies and procedures are consistently followed governors systematically carry out their roles and effectively hold the school to account to improve teaching, pupils’ progress and behaviour at playtimes parents’ views are collected regularly and acted upon the school’s external support and challenge is reviewed and improved.

• Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good, or better, and pupil outcomes improve rapidly, especially in Key Stage 2, by ensuring that all teachers:

further improve the teaching of English and mathematics consistently plan lessons that meet the needs of all pupils, especially the most able and those who need additional support.

• Improve outdoor behaviour by:

taking proactive steps to improve the management of boys’ behaviour at playtimes reviewing and improving the range of playtime equipment and activities. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

• Leaders and managers have been too slow to address weaknesses in teaching. Consequently, the progress of some pupils has been too slow. Despite the improvements made since September 2015, the quality of teaching remains inconsistent.
• Leaders did not recognise early enough that pupils’ progress in some subjects was slowing, resulting in falling attainment by the end of Year 6. For example, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics fell in 2014 and, as a result of ineffective action, fell further in 2015. School improvement plans are not sharply concentrated on the main areas that need improving, such as boys’ writing and girls’ mathematics. As a result of this, teaching and resources are not sufficiently focused on improving the weakest areas of pupils’ progress.
• The senior management team has now been expanded to include the leaders of English and mathematics, but there remains some inconsistency in subject leadership. For example, the English action plan is weak and does not contain measurable actions to improve pupils’ achievement, whereas the mathematics plan identifies most of the priorities for improvement and how these will be measured. Some developments, such as a new mathematics scheme, have been introduced this term and early indications of pupils’ more rapid progress are encouraging.
• The school uses some of the services offered by the local authority and works in collaboration with other local schools including an improvement partner. External support has been insufficient to identify and halt the decline that has taken place in aspects of provision. For example, an external evaluation was undertaken by a school improvement officer: this was detailed and contained a number of next steps for the school, but overall was too generous and missed several areas which needed improvement.
• The majority of parents are supportive of the school. For example, parents give warm examples of how pupils with additional needs have been helped over time; they also support the strong Christian ethos of the school. However, a small minority of parents who responded to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire) raised concerns about aspects of provision including teaching, behaviour, homework and leadership. Similar concerns were expressed by the parents inspectors met at the beginning of the day; for example, they raised the issue of the behaviour of boys in Key Stage 2. School leaders have not systematically collected parents’ views themselves for some time.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively. For example, additional support from teaching assistants is used for intervention programmes such as developing pupils’ mathematics skills. The progress of the relatively small number of eligible pupils in each year group has been typically in line with or above that of other pupils in the school.
• The school’s curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of learning experiences. Colourful displays demonstrate examples of pupils’ work across the curriculum, such as detailed artwork and Remembrance Day poems. The school works closely with St John’s Parish Church, for example, visiting regularly and leading Christingle services.
• There is good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils know the school’s values and talk about the value displays in the hall. Assemblies include acts of worship and provide good opportunities for pupils to celebrate their personal achievements and consider issues such as how to tackle discrimination. Pupils learn about democracy and equality of opportunity through the election of the school council, ambassadors and the head boy and head girl. This has helped to develop pupils’ understanding and respect for others and supported their preparation for life in modern Britain.
• Additional government money to improve pupils’ participation and ability in sport has been used effectively to enhance teaching and learning in physical education. Staff have been trained in a range of sports and have increased their confidence in teaching physical education as a result. The school employs a sports coach to support lessons, organise clubs and take pupils to competitions. Consequently, participation in clubs has increased and the school has had a number of successes in recent netball, football, tennis, rounders, athletics and cross-country running competitions.
• The governance of the school

Governors know the general strengths and weaknesses of the school and what aspects need to improve. However, they do not have all the information they need to challenge and support the school effectively, including the progress being made to implement the school’s improvement plans and raise standards. They did not hold leaders firmly to account for the recent decline in pupils’ progress. Minutes of meetings do not show evidence of governors making systematic checks that intended outcomes and deadlines have been met. The Chair of the Governing Body has informal links with other schools and governing bodies, but has not ensured that external support is effective in contributing to school improvement. Governors understand how the performance management system is used to reward success and tackle weaker teaching. The pay committee assesses the headteacher’s recommendations for pay increases and decides whether to accept them or not. Governors check that school finances are being managed well and that specific grants are directed to improving pupils’ achievement. For example, governors are provided with detailed information about how the pupil premium and sport premium funds are being spent and their respective impact on pupils’ progress and their participation in sport.

• The school’s records and checks meet the minimum statutory safeguarding requirements. All adults are trained regularly and receive safeguarding information as part of their induction. The school has good transition arrangements to pass on information when pupils join or leave the school, ensuring they are kept safe. The safeguarding governor checks that the single central record is kept up to date. Leaders agree there are some aspects of safeguarding which still need to be improved, such as ensuring that all staff are trained in how to promote pupils’ welfare and prevent radicalisation and extremism.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable across the school. Teaching does not consistently meet the learning needs of all pupils or challenge them enough to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding. Sometimes teachers are unaware of pupils’ misconceptions and so do not take the necessary action to help them understand the problem.
• The newly formed senior management team is starting to hold teachers to account for pupils’ achievement. They do this by regularly collecting assessment information, checking the progress in pupils’ books and observing teaching. Teaching in the early years and Key Stage 1 is stronger and consequently these pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s assessments and inspection evidence suggest that the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 is improving, especially in Year 6, but this is not yet consistent.
• Where teaching is stronger, teachers set well-planned activities for most pupil groups and make good use of additional adult support. In a mathematics lesson, for example, the teacher set clear learning and behaviour expectations and enabled pupils to extend their knowledge and vocabulary about shapes. Effective questioning deepened learning and the teaching assistant supported a small group well. As a result, nearly all pupils remained highly focused in the lesson and made good progress.
• Pupils who have special educational needs have typically not progressed in line with other pupils in the school. Current assessment information suggests that these gaps are beginning to close, especially in reading. The school has recently provided specialist training for teaching assistants, who were seen providing effective support to both intervention groups and small groups in class.
• The teaching of reading now has greater importance and assessment information indicates that pupils’ progress is improving this year. As a result of consistent teaching and appropriate additional support, pupils who did not pass the Year 1 phonics (letters and the sounds they make) check now use their phonics skills well in Year 2. They read confidently and are catching up quickly.
• The teaching of writing is stronger. In a Key Stage 2 lesson, for example, pupils were making good progress while planning a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style presentation. The teacher used different levels of work and time limits effectively to ensure that all pupils were challenged and engaged in learning. Additional adults supported groups and individuals effectively. As a result, pupils enjoyed developing their writing skills.
• Leaders recognised that teaching and pupils’ progress in mathematics needed to improve and introduced a new scheme in January 2016. Early indications are that pupils’ progress is improving as a result of this new approach. The teaching of mathematics has been stronger in Key Stage 1, although the most-able pupils are not consistently challenged to make the progress they are capable of.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils are confident, physical and emotional well-being are nurtured and they are given time to discuss sensitive topics such as Remembrance Day. Consequently, most pupils have good self-awareness and confidently try out new things and seek new challenges in their learning.
• Most parents are very supportive of the school’s actions to support pupils’ personal development and welfare. For example, one parent explained how pleased she is with her daughter’s progress and with the way her daughter’s needs have been sensitively managed at the school.
• The school promotes strong relationships, including respect for each other and for different faiths. The school’s positive ethos and links with the local community enable pupils to develop an understanding of the value of belonging to a church community.
• Half of the pupils completed Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire during the inspection. Nearly all of these pupils said there is an adult at school they can talk to if needed. One in three pupils said they are given challenging work by their teachers in some lessons. Older pupils said they would like more details about what it is like at secondary school. Pupils’ views closely matched the picture found by inspectors.
• The majority of parents say their children are happy and well looked after at the school. These parents are confident that the school meets their child’s personal development and welfare needs.
• Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, they are knowledgeable about the dangers associated with the internet. Pupils say they feel safe in school because adults are there to help them if needed.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• A small number of Key Stage 2 pupils do not behave well at playtimes. Leaders have not put effective systems in place to promote better playtimes and ensure that all pupils behave well.
• Playtimes are unstructured and staff are inconsistent in the supervision of playground equipment. Consequently, older pupils play games which occasionally result in arguments and rough behaviour.
• Leaders have not always followed policies and procedures to ensure that behaviour incidents are managed effectively and resolved. Staff receive training to support and promote pupils’ behaviour, but expectations of how pupils should behave at playtimes are inconsistent.
• Pupils demonstrate respectful and considerate behaviour in lessons and around the school. For example, in a whole-school celebration assembly, pupils of all ages entered the hall calmly and sat patiently in their house groups while they waited for the assembly to start.

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

• Pupils’ achievement in reading and mathematics in Key Stage 2 is inconsistent and requires improvement. Pupils’ attainment in reading was below the national average at the end of Year 6 in 2015. This reflects the slow progress they have made over the last two years. Similarly, in mathematics, slower progress has led to falling attainment, particularly for girls.
• Pupils’ attainment in writing at the end of Year 6 in 2015 was higher than in reading and mathematics, but here too pupils did not make the progress of which they were capable. In particular, boy’s progress in writing dipped last year.
• The most-able pupils do not always reach their potential by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. These pupils achieved above the national average in mathematics in 2015, but not in reading or writing. This represents a declining pattern in reading and writing over the last two years.
• Pupils achieve well in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and their attainment is consistently in line with or above the national average. In 2015, the proportion of Year 2 pupils achieving Level 3 in reading and writing increased to above the national average. The school’s current assessment information and work in pupils’ books suggests that progress across the school has improved this year. Pupils develop their number skills well and achieve above the national average at the end of Reception and Year 2.
• The proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check is consistently above the national average. Nearly all of the Year 1 pupils who did not reach the expected phonics standard are catching up quickly in Year 2 because they have received targeted support. The proportion of pupils who achieve the expected standard in reading at the end of Year 2 is consistently above the national average.
• The school’s current assessments suggest that the gap between boys and girls is starting to close in writing; this can be linked to better teaching. At the end of Year 2, the standard of pupils’ writing has been consistently above the national average.
• Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability varies across the school and their needs have not been met in the past. Current assessment information indicates that progress for this group in reading, writing and mathematics has improved and is now in line with other pupils in the school.
• The achievement of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is typically strong. The additional support given to these pupils has enabled the school to reduce the attainment gap between this group and other pupils in the school, particularly in Key Stage 1. However, patterns over time show that progress has slowed in Key Stage 2 and the gaps have widened slightly. Current assessment information suggests that the progress of eligible pupils is now stronger in most year groups and is sometimes above that of other pupils.

Early years provision is good

• Leadership and management of the early years are good. The Reception leader is experienced and has high expectations of all children. Staff are well trained and successful in providing a stimulating learning environment that captures children’s imagination.
• Children enter the school with skills that are generally typical for their age. Good leadership, effective organisation and good teaching enable children to make good progress, so that nearly all children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Reception children are confident and happy because of the well-established routines that are reinforced by the adults working in early years. Adults ensure that children learn in a safe and caring environment and check the provision and equipment to make sure it is safe to use.
• Early years staff are skilled at working with young children and set clear learning expectations that the children understand. Consequently, children listen carefully, are enthusiastic to learn and behave well. They develop a good sense of how to keep themselves and others safe and are keen to join in the good range of learning activities.
• Teaching is good. A range of carefully planned and well-resourced learning activities ensure that children have daily opportunities to learn and achieve well. For example, the teacher focuses well on small groups to develop key skills, such as writing. The teaching assistant supports groups well, for example enabling children to make ‘dark dens’ to imagine what it is like for nocturnal animals. Consequently, children are highly engaged in the Reception classroom and make good progress.
• The support for the few children with additional needs is good. Children displaying signs of special educational needs are identified early and nurtured well. Adults also provide activities for the most-able children that help them to progress, although these children are not always challenged enough.
• Parents who spoke with inspectors were all very positive and appreciative of the good start their children were making at school. They confirmed that they are kept regularly informed of their children’s learning and progress through informal discussion with teachers and workshops.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number

140135 Warwickshire 10011169 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 School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll

Primary Academy converter 4–11 Mixed 197

Appropriate authority

The governing body

Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address

Philip Tillman Pamela Hayes 01564 792766 www.henleyinardenprimary.org.uk/ admin2059@welearn365.com

Date of previous inspection

Not applicable

Information about this school

• Henley-In-Arden CofE Primary School is smaller than most primary schools.
• The school converted to a standalone academy on 1 September 2013. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted in July 2011, it was judged to be good overall.
• The school is supported by a school improvement officer from the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is much lower than other schools nationally.
• Children in the Reception class attend full-time.
• There are currently no disabled pupils attending the school.
• Approximately one in seven pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding, which is well below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed 13 lessons or part-lessons, including examples of teaching in every year group. Some of these lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors and senior leaders also completed a learning walk, visiting most classrooms.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior management team, governors and a school improvement officer from the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education who works with the school.
• The inspection team looked at pupils’ books in a range of subjects to establish the progress and quality of their work over time.
• The inspection team talked with a group of pupils as well as individual pupils during their lessons and at playtimes to find out their views about the school. Ninety-nine pupils completed Ofsted’s voluntary online pupil questionnaire.
• The inspection team heard pupils read and observed their behaviour in lessons, around the school and at playtimes.
• Informal discussions were held with parents to gauge their views of the school. The inspector took account of 68 responses, and the comments made, to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) during the inspection.
• The inspection team received 16 online responses to the staff inspection questionnaire and their views were taken into account.
• The inspection team looked at a wide range of documents, including the school’s plans for improvement, external monitoring reports, records of checks made by leaders and information on pupils’ progress and outcomes. They also scrutinised records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Stuart Bellworthy, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Janet Satchwell Julie McCarthy

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector