Wateringbury Church of England Primary School

Wateringbury Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 118632 Local Authority Kent Inspection number 358405 Inspection dates 2–3 February 2011 Reporting inspector Lindsey Diamond

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 243 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anita Hanley Headteacher Noreen Vinall Date of previous school inspection 1 July 2008 School address 147 Bow Road Maidstone Kent ME18 5EA Telephone number 01622 812199 Fax number 01622 812199 Email address office@wateringbury.kent.sch.uk

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 2–3 February 2011 Inspection number 358405 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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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 .

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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 documentation 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'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Fourteen lessons were observed taught by 10 teachers. Meetings were held with the chair and two other members of the governing body, a local authority representative, and senior and middle managers. The team observed the school's work, and looked at the school's data on attainment, learning and progress for all year groups. The school's development plan, self- evaluation documentation and lesson plans were also scrutinised. The inspection team analysed 149 questionnaires completed by parents and carers, as well as talking informally to groups of parents and carers. Additionally, 89 questionnaires completed by pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, and 24 completed by staff were analysed. The school's safeguarding procedures were investigated and evaluated. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a

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Introduction

number of key areas:  how well children learn and make progress in writing throughout the school  how well the curriculum allows pupils to make choices in their learning  the use of assessment, tracking and target setting as a tool to support learning  the equality of access to all areas of learning for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, especially in the outdoor learning environment  the impact of leaders and managers, at all levels, on driving improvements across the school

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Information about the school

Wateringbury is an average-sized primary school; most pupils attend from the immediate area. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is lower than average as is the proportion known to be eligible for free school meals. Most pupils are from a White British background. Wateringbury admits 36 pupils in each year group, which has led to many of the children being taught in mixed-aged classes. The majority of children have had the experience of pre-schools before entering the Early Years Foundation Stage reception group at Wateringbury. 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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Main findings

Wateringbury is a satisfactory school with some good features. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall, reflecting the quality of teaching and learning. Pupils enjoy school and their behaviour is good. This is evident in lessons, as pupils move around the school, during assembly and at play and lunchtimes. On the very few occasions when it was less positive, it was in lessons where teaching was not as stimulating and pupils became demotivated and 'off task'. Some lessons are good, but there are not enough of these to ensure that teaching, learning and progress are good overall. The key strengths of the school are as follows.  The school ethos is friendly and welcoming, relationships are good and pupils make good gains in their personal development, especially in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and in their outstanding attendance.  Pupils are keen to come to school. Attendance is high and pupils arrive punctually.

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Main findings

 The quality of care, guidance and support is strong so that pupils behave well and are sensible, happy and enthusiastic learners.  Teachers are developing links between subjects, which help to make learning relevant and interesting in most lessons.  The headteacher and governors have a clear vision for future school improvement and are working in a focused way to bring this about. Senior leaders have developed satisfactory systems for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are playing an important part in improving its performance, so that attainment is gradually rising. Leaders are ambitious to raise the quality of quality of teaching and learning from satisfactory to good. For example, middle managers are now being suitably trained to support this process, although there is still more to do to ensure that this level of management is more accountable for the outcomes in the areas

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Main findings

that they are responsible for. The school has worked hard to address almost all areas for improvement that were identified during the last inspection. However, some issues around improving assessment for learning still exist. Leaders have been strengthening assessment procedures so that they enable pupils to achieve satisfactorily. However, the quality of assessment varies between subjects and between year groups. This is because teachers do not always use assessment information equally well to match tasks closely to the learning needs of different ability groups. Also, there is inconsistency in how well gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills are identified, which hampers pupils' achievement rising from satisfactory to good. Leaders know that the leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is inadequate. This is because leaders have not taken firm enough action in the past to ensure that all children get the kind of curriculum that is most suitable for their age.

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Main findings

Work has begun on improving the Early Years Foundation Stage and provision is currently 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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Main findings

satisfactory, but there is more to do. Overall, leaders demonstrate a satisfactory capacity to improve. Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils achieve well and make good progress in their learning across all year groups by: planning learning that caters fully for the needs of individuals and groups of pupils, including making more effective use of assessment information to plan pupils' next steps in their learning checking regularly how well teaching is impacting on pupils' progress and attainment tracking key groups of pupils, specifically those of middle ability, to ensure that all groups achieve equally well and do not have any gaps in their learning.  Build on the work already started to ensure that middle leaders are actively involved in measuring and promoting good teaching and learning by: developing greater ownership and involvement in tracking, analysing and being accountable for pupils' progress checking if additional support activities are accelerating pupils' learning.  Secure strong leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by September 2011,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

in order to: improve opportunities for learning, especially ensuring that the environment, both indoors and outdoors, is used well to promote equal learning opportunities for all strengthen the capacity for improvement, through training and staff development.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Children start school with skills that are generally above the expected levels for their age. The majority of pupils make satisfactory progress during their time at Wateringbury. Children with special educational needs are appropriately cared for and, as a result, are able to engage with learning and make satisfactory progress. Inspectors looked in detail at writing and found that, during the best lessons, pace and challenge are good for all ability groups, as seen in a Years 5 and 6 class when pupils wrote about 'The Sixties'. However, learning in writing and other subjects is not always consistently challenging for middle- ability pupils. The school is aware of this issue and has begun to address it by putting systems in place to track individual pupils' progress. Nonetheless, overall, pupils are well prepared for their future lives both academically and socially. In particular, they leave attaining standards that are above average.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils of all ages report that they enjoy school and feel safe. This is backed up by the views of parents and carers and the school council. As well as enjoying regular physical 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

activity within the school day, their skills and enthusiasm are promoted well through the good range of clubs on offer, which are popular and well attended. Discussions with pupils showed a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils attended and fully engaged in a drugs awareness workshop. Children are given a good range of opportunities to develop their cultural skills and understanding through music, visits and visitors. The school has a developing role in the local community, such as by planting trees. Pupils enjoy the access to a local pear orchard, which is used to extend the curriculum outdoors, for example to write poetry under the trees.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is satisfactory overall, although some good practice was observed. In the best lessons, assessment was being used as a tool to support learning. However, this practice was inconsistent across the school. As a result, opportunities to measure learning, and therefore inform teachers about the next learning steps for individuals, were missed. In several of the lessons observed, insufficient attention was paid to matching work carefully enough to all pupils' needs. Where this was evident, it was also reflected in lesson planning. As a result, not all pupils were challenged equally well in their learning, meaning that they could not always achieve all that they were capable of. The quality of marking of pupils' work is satisfactory, and teachers are beginning to highlight how pupils might improve their work. 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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How effective is the provision?

Since the previous inspection, the school has made efforts to enhance the curriculum and give pupils greater opportunity to make choices in their learning. This is yet to become fully established across the school. Where this is strongest, there are clear links between subjects, enabling learners to apply skills more freely across the curriculum. This has been especially successful in the development of writing across the curriculum. Good use of local resources, such as the Oast Theatre, has also helped support links in learning. The school staff know the pupils well and ensure that potentially vulnerable pupils are well catered for. Pupils have a clear view of who they can turn to if they have concerns, and have confidence that the systems in place will be effective in supporting them.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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How effective is the provision?

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective is the provision?

The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships

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How effective is the provision?

The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

Senior leaders demonstrate ambition to take the school forward. The headteacher has a clear vision and is determined that learning should be improved. She is working to gather information regarding the quality of teaching in each classroom and is using this information to sharpen provision and target the most important areas that need improvement. Tracking of achievement over time has not historically been consistent, being hindered at times by a lack of systematic self-evaluation to help gauge the success of initiatives. However, senior leaders are now analysing data more rigorously and, as a result, they have a clearer view of school strengths and areas for development. School leaders are well supported by the governing body, although it is too early for some of their work to have had impact on whole school improvement. Middle managers are relatively new to their roles and are not yet fully involved in monitoring either pupils' progress or the

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How effective are leadership and management?

quality of provision. Leaders promote equality and tackle discrimination adequately, as reflected in the profile of satisfactory overall achievement. Leaders are correctly focused on ensuring that middle- ability pupils do consistently well. Staff training is satisfactory in meeting the needs of learners and good links have been established with all stakeholders in order to support this. There are high levels of respect shown for one another which demonstrate the good set of values and principles that the school promotes. All safeguarding procedures and checks on adults are robust. Good partnership links with local schools and support agencies contribute to the provision. The school encourages parents and carers to become involved in the life of the school and in their children's learning. Most parents and carers are very supportive of the school and feel that it is led and managed well. The school deploys its resources adequately.

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How effective are leadership and management?

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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How effective are leadership and management?

The promotion of community cohesion is satisfactory. Pupils develop a clear understanding of the school, local and global communities. Their cultural development is good overall. Pupils are respectful of different faiths. Plans are in place to widen pupils' awareness further of life in the United Kingdom.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement

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How effective are leadership and management?

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money 3

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Satisfactory transition arrangements are in place to support children and their families in the move from the pre-school settings. Once in school, good relationships are quickly formed with adults and these help children to settle into routines and behave well. The pace of learning during children's time in the Reception Year is satisfactory overall, although good in some areas of learning such as reading. As a result, they enter Year 1 with knowledge and skills above national expectations for their age. Children know how to keep safe and to practise healthy lifestyles. One child reported from the 'healthy eating restaurant' that is set up for role play, 'Fruit is good for you, but too much chocolate makes you fat.' Since the last inspection, leaders have focused on developing the outdoor area, although the organisation of the curriculum still sometimes means that access to the outdoor learning environment is limited. When the outside area was used purposefully, clear

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Early Years Foundation Stage

learning was visible. One group of children were engaged in mixing cement for their 'building site' and negotiating effectively with each other how to get the cement up the hill to the site. Another group was seen to be planning how to get a stuck cat down from a tree. Lack of consistent leadership has led to differences in provision, both indoors and outdoors, for different groups of learners across the two classes. Senior staff are aware that this is an area for development and plans are in place to work with colleagues from 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

the local authority in order to develop this and enhance capacity for improvement through staff training. The quality of assessment is not always fully focused on the needs of the individual child and, therefore, has limited impact on informing planning to further accelerate children's next learning steps to best effect. Currently, as leadership is inadequate, the overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is inadequate.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 4

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Just over half of parents and carers responded to the questionnaire, which is a higher than average return rate. The results are generally very supportive of the school and the way it works with all stakeholders. As one parent commented, 'The sense of community at this school is wonderful', while another refers to the willingness of the staff to go 'that extra mile'. There are few concerns in the comments received. Most refer to individual rather than generic problems, although several parents and carers stated that they would like better communication between home and school, so that they could support their children more effectively in their learning. Evidence shows that there are good links and communication with parents and carers overall and leaders are always keen to strengthen this further.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 149 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 243 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 94 63 48 32 2 1 4 3 The school keeps my child safe 78 52 65 44 1 0 5 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

My school informs me about my child's progress 43 29 84 56 19 13 2 1

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

My child is making enough progress at this school 52 35 72 48 12 8 12 8

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The teaching is good at this school 61 41 72 48 8 5 8 5

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school helps me to support my child's learning 42 28 73 49 27 18 5 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 45 30 94 63 5 3 3 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 42 28 82 55 11 7 14 9

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school meets my child's particular needs 41 28 87 58 12 8 6 4

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 47 32 82 55 13 9 6 4

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 49 33 81 54 16 11 3 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 64 43 72 48 8 5 5 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 72 48 65 44 7 5 4 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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ME18 5EA

Thank you for your valuable help during the recent inspection of your school. We were very impressed by how friendly and helpful you are and all the inspectors said how much they enjoyed talking to you about your life in school. We judged your school to be satisfactory, but with some good features. The most important aspects that we would like to mention are that:  you enjoy school and attend very regularly and on time  you behave well both in lessons and around school and care for each other  you make good choices in keeping fit and healthy and enjoy taking part in sports and physical activities; please keep this up  staff are working hard to make learning more interesting for you. We have asked your staff and governors to work on three important things to make your school even better and here they are.  Keep a very close eye on how well you are learning so that they can use this information to plan the next steps of your learning carefully.

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ME18 5EA

 Ensure that school leaders work together to keep a closer eye on progress across the school.  Make sure that adults work as hard as possible to improve things for the youngest learners at your school. You can help with these improvements by making sure that your teacher knows if your work is too easy or too hard. I wish you every success in the future.

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ME18 5EA

Lindsey Diamond Lead inspector 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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