Hovingham Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching and the outcomes of pupils, particularly the most able, by ensuring that:
  • pupils consistently receive opportunities to think hard about their learning and to apply their knowledge, to reason and make deductions
  • a consistent handwriting style is established across all year groups that supports improved presentation of work in all subjects.
• Further strengthen leadership and management by refining their systems of tracking, so that the progress measures for those pupils who have been at the school since the beginning of the key stage, and those who have recently arrived, are accurate and precise.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s work to transform the fortunes of the school is inspirational. She is relentless in her drive to make Hovingham Primary School a beacon of excellence and this drive is shared by all. She acknowledges the complex context of the school, but does not hide behind this in her pursuit of excellence and in driving up the standards for all pupils at the school.
• Senior leaders share the same commitment. They are clear about what makes effective teaching and learning and undertake rigorous checks to ensure that good-quality teaching is consistently delivered across the school. Leaders are acutely aware of the strengths of the school and what needs to be done to improve the school further. The strategic plan for improvement identifies priorities and successfully focuses their work.
• Leaders have embedded a culture of mutual respect and shared responsibility; this strong sense of teamwork, between all staff, is evident when you enter the school. Staff are proud to be associated with the school and support each other to secure the very best outcomes for all pupils.
• Investment in professional development and training for staff is a priority for leaders. They ensure that it is purposeful and carefully managed and has a direct impact upon improving pupils’ outcomes. For example, training last academic year focused upon securing high-quality phonics teaching and improving outcomes. This was borne out by inspection evidence, with standards in the most recent Year 1 phonics screening check considerably higher than the previous year and close to national averages.
• Appraisal systems are effective in holding teachers to account for the impact of their work on pupils’ progress. The system ensures that there are challenging targets for all staff, which fit in with their areas of responsibility. This raised level of accountability has led to considerable staff turnover. This has been managed well. There have been improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the last inspection.
• Many of the families of children who are new to school are particularly vulnerable and leaders offer valuable support through a dedicated ‘family and inclusion team’. It is testimony to the skill of this team that the process of transition into the school is seamless.
• Systems to monitor the progress of pupils across the school are usually used well by leaders to assess the impact of their actions. They are particularly effective in tracking progress and identifying gaps in learning for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, not enough is done to analyse differences in attainment and progress for those pupils who have been at Hovingham since the beginning of the key stage and new arrivals to the school.
• There is a unified approach to the curriculum, with links made between subjects of the national curriculum. The focus for learning is drawn from pupils’ interests. This results in pupils being highly engaged and interested in lessons and keen to share their enjoyment. However, opportunities that make pupils, particularly the most able, think hard and reason about their learning are not consistently given.
• The promotion of fundamental British values is explicit within the curriculum. Leaders work tirelessly to embed values of tolerance and democracy and use this to support relationships in the wider community. They tackle current issues and concerns with confidence and use other agencies well to support this work. For example, they worked with the community police officer to offer reassurance and calm anxieties in the wake of the Brexit vote and the Paris bombings.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded throughout the curriculum and there is a strong focus upon values. This is seen in the pupils’ good behaviour and in how well pupils work together. Strong relationships are fostered between all groups of pupils. Discrimination is not tolerated. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders recognise that, in the past, the use of additional money to support disadvantaged pupils was not effectively evaluated. They have subsequently used evidence from national research to develop their strategies. Leaders now regularly review the impact of this additional funding to ensure that money is well spent and is focused upon reducing differences in outcomes. The most recent assessment information shows that disadvantaged pupils are making rapid progress in all subjects and differences between their achievement and that of other pupils nationally are reducing.
• The physical education (PE) and sport premium for primary schools is used to good effect. Pupils enjoy sports lessons, and extra-curricular clubs for sport are well attended. This has led to improved outcomes in PE, increased participation in competitions and in different types of sports, for example fencing and archery.
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and this is represented by the positive comments and feedback given to inspectors. The school fulfils an important role within the community, particularly for vulnerable families. The family team do all they can to address needs and provide support. For example, twice a week unwanted foods from the local supermarket are brought into school to share with families on low incomes.
• The local authority has supported leaders well on the journey to becoming a good school, offering support and celebrating the rapid improvements and strengths now evident within the school. The local authority’s investment in developing the building to increase the size of the school and accommodate a shortage of school places within the area reflects their confidence in school leaders.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and share a vision for excellence along with the wider leadership of the school. Many governors are recently appointed, but are fully aware of the legacy of underachievement they must eradicate. All energies are focused upon ensuring that outcomes for all pupils improve rapidly.
• Minutes from meetings reflect the urgency with which governors are working and the significant challenge given to leaders to achieve this.
• Governors are appointed for their skills and they use a subcommittee structure to focus their work.
• They have ensured that a system to manage the performance of teachers is in place and that this is related to pay increases.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding comply with statutory requirement and are effective.
• Induction procedures for staff are thorough and emphasise the responsibility of all staff in ensuring that all pupils are kept safe.
• Procedures for dealing with children who are missing from school are robust and good links with other agencies support this work fully.
• The number of referrals to the designated officer at the school has increased considerably since the last inspection. This is not because pupils are less safe; rather that staff are better informed of their responsibilities and carefully follow expected procedures.
• The curriculum is used well to promote pupils’ safety. Strong links with other agencies, particularly the community police officer, mean that wider community issues are tackled with confidence.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has improved greatly since the previous inspection, despite the turnover of staff, and is now securely good. Clarity from leaders of their expectations in lessons and focused support and training to develop methodology have underpinned this considerable improvement.
• Leaders have introduced a highly structured approach to lesson planning that all teachers follow. It is designed to meet the learning needs of the pupils, offering a balance between individual and group learning activities. This is a consistent feature in all lessons and has contributed to the rapidly improving outcomes for pupils.
• Marking is effective across all year groups and in all subjects. It provides pupils with a prompt for improvement that pinpoints the next step in learning and pupils routinely respond. It is evident within books that this practice is secure and in line with the whole-school policy.
• Teachers use pupils’ interests well as a stimulus for learning, which is in line with school policy. For example, pupils in Year 4 were excited to make a bow and arrow, which was drawn from using the knowledge they had previously discovered about survival in the Stone Age.
• Until recently the teaching of phonics was not well structured or delivered. Pupils were not encouraged to use and apply their phonics skills across the curriculum, which accounted for the declining standards seen in the past. This is no longer the case. Phonics sessions are well organised and systematic and pupils are encouraged to use their knowledge across all subjects to read and spell unfamiliar words.
• Raised expectations and improved use of practical resources that support learning are strengthening the teaching of mathematics. The work sampled demonstrated that pupils are making good gains in their arithmetic skills. However, these gains are less consistent when it comes to reasoning and problem solving. This is in part linked to the stage pupils are at in their understanding of mathematical vocabulary, but also because opportunities for pupils to think hard and explain their answers are not consistent and in line with school expectation.
• Teaching assistants working within classes provide effective and timely support to meet the learning needs of all pupils. They deliver a raft of intervention programmes with much success. Their effective support ensures that no time is lost in learning and if pupils do become distracted they are quickly encouraged to re-engage by appropriate use of resources and strategies.
• Homework is given regularly and becomes increasingly demanding for older pupils.
• The teaching of PE is a strength of the school. It contributes well to pupils’ mental health and physical well-being. A raft of extra-curricular opportunities supplement the skills developed within lessons. Most-able pupils are signposted to local clubs and teams.
• Expectations regarding pupils’ behaviour and attitudes towards learning are high and applied consistently by all staff. As a result, pupils are confident to try new things and keen to do their best.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Tolerance and respect for others is central to the school’s values and all adults play their part in modelling expected behaviours in their interactions with others.
• Pupils have a good understanding of what is right and wrong. The older pupils spoke confidently about how they use ‘restorative practice’ to help resolve their differences saying, ‘It helps us make friends and play with each other.’
• Pupils are encouraged to be fully involved in the work of the school. For example, members of the school council are part of the interview process for new members of staff and are actively involved in organising events for other pupils, such as chess clubs.
• Attendance in the past has been low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The very high level of pupil mobility was a contributory factor in this. The creation of a dedicated family and inclusion team has halted this decline and attendance rates are now improving. This is because of the continuous support and challenge given to families. The most recent attendance figures supplied by the school indicate that overall attendance for the school is now average.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Procedures for managing behaviour are well established and consistently applied. This means pupils feel safe in school and know how to resolve their differences. The most vulnerable pupils, who find managing their behaviours difficult, are ably supported by the family team who ensure that they have access to the most appropriate resources, so no learning time is lost.
• Playtimes are well managed and well resourced and pupils are proud to be part of ‘Team Hovingham’. For the most part they play harmoniously together, although on occasion play can become a little boisterous, but this is when pupils are new to the school and learning expectations.
• Around the school, pupils’ conduct is good. They walk sensibly and smartly between lessons and are polite and welcoming to visitors.
• Pupils display positive attitudes to learning; they work hard and help each other out when they encounter a problem. However, pupils do not consistently present the same positive attitudes to the presentation of their work in books, which is variable.
• Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around school is good. When this is not the case it is well managed by a team of highly skilled support staff.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Historically, outcomes for pupils have been affected by low aspiration and low expectations, resulting in poor standards and weak progress. This is being addressed through improved teaching and learning and focused intervention. As a result, while standards remain weak, the progress made by pupils currently in the school is improving rapidly, from low starting points in all subjects, and is now good.
• In 2016, for the first time in the school’s history, the progress rates of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics improved considerably and are likely to be above the floor standards.
• There are high rates of pupil mobility in all classes across the school and this affects the standards reached by pupils. The vast majority of this group of pupils have recently arrived in the country, speak little or no English and have limited school experience. As a result of highly effective support, they quickly acquire the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics that are needed for the next stage of their education. From their low starting points, progress for this group of pupils is accelerating and differences in their learning are diminishing rapidly. Further refinement to the school’s monitoring system would help leaders measure the gains this group make more precisely.
• Outcomes for those pupils who have been at the school from the start of the key stage are stronger and their progress from low starting points is improving rapidly. Leaders’ monitoring systems for this group of pupils does not fully demonstrate the good gains in learning this group make.
• A new scheme has been introduced to support the teaching of reading and writing across the school. It places an emphasis on teamwork and promotes practice in reading together and rehearsal of the written word. It gives pupils an immediate feeling of success and is contributing to the rapidly improving outcomes in reading and writing seen across the school.
• Overall outcomes in writing are improving strongly, but pupils are not consistently joining their handwriting. This is a requirement for achievement of greater depth; therefore, it is a limiting factor for some pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils across the school are well supported and make good progress from their varied starting points. The difference between this group of pupils and other pupils nationally is reducing rapidly. For example, outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the Year 1 phonics screening check of 2016 are broadly in line with the national average.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities varies according to the complexity of individual need. The overall progress for this group of pupils is improving rapidly, because of improving attendance and accurate evaluation of intervention programmes.
• Leaders are raising the aspirations of the most able pupils through visits to local universities and setting pupils in ability groups for core English and mathematics lessons. While this is enabling most-able pupils to make good gains in acquiring knowledge and developing skills, their progress is not as rapid as other groups of pupils. This is because the work provided for them in lessons does not consistently challenge them to think hard and apply their skills across other subjects.
• Outcomes in PE have improved greatly as a result of the effective use of additional funding. Pupils now receive extensive opportunities to develop key skills and take part in competition.

Early years provision Good

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107926 Leeds 10019761 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 671 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Nik Adams Kellie Halliday 01132 489 537 www.hovingham.leeds.sch.uk/ kellie.halliday@hovingham.org. Date of previous inspection 8–9 July 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school and has increased significantly in size since it was last inspected.
• Mobility of pupils across all year groups is high. Over half the pupils on roll join the school at times other than those expected, with some pupils starting and leaving the school within the same academic year. The vast majority of pupils new to the school have recently arrived in the country, are unfamiliar with the school system and speak little or no English.
• The overwhelming majority of pupils are from minority heritages, particularly Pakistani, with increasing numbers from Eastern European Gypsy Roma Travellers.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.
• Based upon 2015 outcomes, the school is below floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. However, provisional outcomes for 2016 indicate that, for the first time in the school’s history, floor standards are now met.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• The headteacher of the school was appointed after the school was last inspected, as were almost two thirds of the teaching team.
• There have been several new appointments to the governing body.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed pupils’ learning in 24 lessons and part-lessons, several of which were joint observations with the senior leaders of the school.
• In addition, the inspection team looked at examples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects and listened to pupils read from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils, the headteacher, senior leaders and members of the governing body, as well as representatives of the local authority.
• The inspection team took account of 67 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, in addition to having discussions with several parents at the end of the school day.
• The inspection team examined the school’s own information about pupils’ recent and current progress, the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing and its records of monitoring the quality of teaching, plus records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding.

Inspection team

Diane Buckle, lead inspector Ian Clennan Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector