Ongar Place Primary School

Age group 4−11 Inspection date(s) 8−9 February 2012 Inspection number 381031 Ongar Place Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 125042 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 381031 Inspection dates 8−9 February 2012 Lead inspector Janet Sinclair

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 245 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karen Osborne Headteacher Gloria Liddaman Date of previous school inspection 3 July 2009 School address Milton Road Addlestone Surrey KT15 1NY Telephone number 01932 842785 Fax number 01932 842785 Email address head@ongar-place.surrey.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors spent eight hours observing teaching and learning in 25 lessons or part-lessons. They observed nine teachers and several teaching assistants. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, listened to a small number of pupils read, looked at samples of pupils’ work, and a wide range of documentation including policies, particularly for safeguarding, the school development plan and records of pupils’ progress. The inspector also held meetings with members of the governing body, senior staff and three groups of pupils. The inspector considered the 125 responses from questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Ongar Place is larger than the average-sized primary school with a below average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average; the needs are mainly moderate learning and speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are in one class.

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Information about the school

The school has almost completed its transition from a two-form entry infant school to a one-form entry primary school, with its first Year 6 this year. Most year groups are now one class only except in Years 4 and 5 where there are two classes per year group.

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Information about the school

There is a breakfast club run by the school.

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Information about the school

The school has experienced a great deal of uncertainty during the process of converting to a primary school, including a range of staffing, building and financial challenges, as well as fluctuating pupil numbers. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. It has a strong caring ethos that ensures pupils flourish both academically and personally.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage due to a welcoming environment and effective provision. The particularly strong focus on sounds and letters supports the development of their reading and writing skills extremely well.  Attainment is above average by the end of Year 6 and pupils make good progress given their starting points. However, there is still not enough emphasis on problem solving in mathematics or on boys’ interests within the curriculum to provide an impetus for writing, in order to accelerate progress further.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress due to effective interventions clearly targeted at their specific needs.  Teaching is good. It is well planned and organised. Although there are examples

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Key findings

of effective marking with guidance for improvement, this is not yet consistent practice across the school. Additionally there is not enough pupil involvement in setting targets for their learning and this limits their involvement in improving their work.  Behaviour is good, both in lessons and around the school. Where there is any poor behaviour involving pupils with identified behavioural difficulties, the school deals with these quickly and effectively. Pupils feel safe and say that any form of bullying is infrequent but when it occurs, is dealt with swiftly by staff.  Strong reflective leadership by the headteacher has enabled the successful transition from infant to primary status. She has been very well supported by an effective team of staff. However, senior staff are not involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and this limits their overview of provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that increasing proportions are outstanding by:  ensuring the curriculum promotes boys’ interests in a manner which provides a greater impetus for their writing  ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to use their mathematical skills in real-life contexts  ensuring more consistent use of the agreed marking strategies and setting clear targets with pupils for their learning so they have more say in how they improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Involve senior and subject leaders more in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning to further develop their management skills and an understanding of what is happening in their subjects of responsibility.

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Achievement of pupils

Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and abilities that are broadly in line with those expected for their age, with strengths in their personal development. Children make good progress overall and exceptional progress in their reading. Most recent assessments show that children mainly achieve above average on entry to Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading is above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Progress in reading is good across the school due to effective guided reading sessions and regular letters and sounds (phonics) work. There has been a good focus on improving writing through ‘Big Write', ‘Talk for Writing’ and regular assessments of progress and this has been effective in raising attainment in writing overall. The school is aware that there is a need to further engage boys in writing through a more boy-friendly curriculum. Although pupils in Years 5 and 6 are challenged well to solve problems in their mathematics, involving discussion and explanation, this is not consistent practice across the school and this limits pupils’ ability to apply their skills to real-life situations.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ language and social skills develop well due to the many opportunities they have for collaboration and discussion. This was particularly noticeable in Year 4 pupils’ work on Charles Darwin where the opportunities for active learning and discussion energised and enthused them. Effective support for pupils who have special educational needs, disabilities pupils and those at an early stage of learning English, through clear explanations in whole-class introductions and well-directed activities where they are effectively supported by teaching assistants, ensure they make good progress. The breakfast club provides a good start to the day for a small number of pupils who thoroughly enjoy the activities on offer.

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Achievement of pupils

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that their children achieve well and this view is supported by inspection evidence.

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Quality of teaching

In the Early Years Foundation Stage class, the teaching of letters and sounds and number through teacher-led activity, with a strong emphasis on talk for learning, is effective and ensures a clear focus on how they learn. Children enjoy being learning detectives who compliment other children on good learning. Although children engage well in the range of activities on offer, including the space rocket that particularly engaged boys, occasionally activities lack the stimulation that will excite curiosity.

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Quality of teaching

In Key Stages 1 and 2, good relationships, effective use of praise and engaging lessons that motivate pupils and encourage consistently good behaviour are hallmarks of all lessons. Teachers make good use of resources, for example interactive whiteboards in whole-class introductions, a video to introduce a science lesson on micro-organisms and an animation clip that inspired discussion on the techniques used. Teachers plan well for guided reading. Even the youngest pupils confidently sound out unknown words and enjoy reading their books. Additionally, teachers regularly assess pupils’ progress to diagnose their future learning needs.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers use subject specific vocabulary well; for example, in Year 5 when discussing the dramatic effect of language in a poem, pupils were asked to look for examples of alliteration and metaphor. Teaching assistants are well trained to deal with pupils with behavioural difficulties and provide effective small group work for them that boosts self-esteem and moderates behaviour. Pupils at an early stage of learning English and pupils with speech and language difficulties get effective one-to- one support. There are some excellent examples of marking being used to secure improvement in pupils’ work, particularly in Years 5 and 6, but this is not consistent practice so not all pupils benefit. Additionally, targets for pupils are not set consistently nor do they involve pupils in setting their own goals for their learning.

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Quality of teaching

The curriculum is broad and balanced and developing well. Teachers are starting to combine subjects in interesting ways. For example, information and communication technology (ICT) was utilised to help Year 4 pupils develop their understanding of the Victorian era as they used the internet for research.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Lessons offer occasions for pupils to reflect on right and wrong and to develop their social skills by working together on tasks Homework is well organised and includes guidelines for parents and carers and opportunities for action-based research as well as spelling and mathematical tasks.

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Quality of teaching

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that their children are well taught and this view is supported by inspection evidence.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils get along very well with one another and are typically respectful, considerate and courteous. These qualities make a strong contribution to this well-ordered, safe school. The curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils’ understanding of risk; they show a good awareness of how to stay safe in their daily lives, both in cyber- space and on the busy local roads.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour in lessons is invariably good; pupils listen attentively and work very well in pairs or small groups to develop their learning. They show good independence from an early age. Lessons flow smoothly, with only occasional disruptions to pupils’ progress. Year 6 pupils say that behaviour over time has been good and the most recent school questionnaire for parents and carers supports this view. Most pupils report that they enjoy their lessons and are very happy at school; they would recommend it to friends. Punctuality is good and attendance is above average.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that there is a good standard of behaviour in the school. However, a very small minority of parents and carers raised some concerns over bullying and behaviour disrupting lessons. The school is inclusive and there are a very small number of pupils with identified behaviour difficulties who do not always manage to control their behaviour successfully. This has caused some disruption to lessons in the recent past. These pupils are monitored carefully and effective steps taken so that behaviour has improved. For example, there is one-to-one support from teaching assistants and behaviour management strategies are consistently applied. Pupils say that cyber bullying is virtually unknown and have recently had an e-safety day organised by the school council.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that their children are safe in school and this view is supported by inspection evidence.

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Leadership and management

The school has a good capacity for sustained improvement. This is because all leaders, including the governing body, have maintained a strong focus on good pupil achievement and the development of an effective Key Stage 2 curriculum during a period of significant challenge as the school has moved from infant to primary school status. Senior leaders monitor progress carefully, particularly looking at the achievement of different groups. This highlighted the uneven progress at Key Stage 2 and initiated the actions to address it. This demonstrates a good commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination. The school has maintained its good provision since the last inspection; attainment is above average and pupils make good progress. Safeguarding is good with effective policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of pupils.

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Leadership and management

The school has developed a good curriculum to meet the demands of becoming a primary school. The curriculum is enhanced well by special events such as Greek Day, after-school clubs for drama and football and an end-of-year Key Stage 2 whole-school production. However, the school recognises that it still has some way to go in developing the curriculum to appeal more to boys and to offer further opportunities for their writing.

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Leadership and management

Good links with parents and carers, through, for example, workshops, governor newsletters, and regular invitations to class assemblies, ensure that they are fully involved in their children’s learning. The response to the inspection questionnaires was very positive in all aspects, except those related to behaviour and bullying involving a particular group. The school benefits from collaborative work with the other schools that form the confederation, as well as strong links with the secondary school, which provides sporting facilities and a theatre for school productions.

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Leadership and management

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils learn about other cultures through, for example, celebrating European Day where they speak in French and Spanish and learn about these cultures, appreciate artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and reflect on aspects of world history through Black History month.

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Leadership and management

The governing body provides effective support and a good level of challenge. Governors are enthusiastic and rigorous in their commitment to the school. They have supported the school effectively during its transition, having themselves undergone major change.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school. We were pleased to learn that you enjoy school and that your teachers are kind and helpful.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

We judged that your school is a good school where your headteacher and all the staff work hard to take good care of you and help you achieve well. Here are some other things we particularly liked about your school.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

 You get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  You make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stages 1 and 2.  You behave well and feel safe in school.  You get on well together and are kind and caring towards each other.  Your teachers provide you with interesting activities that engage you in your learning.  Your attainment is above average and you achieve well across the school.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

These are the things we have asked your school to do to help you learn even more.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

 Ensure you are all involved in ‘tickled pink and green for growth’ marking so that you all benefit from knowing how to improve you learning. Involve you more in setting targets for your learning so you are more involved in improving it.  Give you more opportunities to use the skills you learn in mathematics in tackling real-life problems and ensure the curriculum provides activities that engage boys more so that you are keener to write about your experiences.  Ensure all senior teachers are involved in checking how well you are taught.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

You can help by keeping up the good work in your reading.

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Inspection of Ongar Place Primary School, Addlestone KT15 1NY

Janet Sinclair Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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