Shere CofE Aided Infant School

Shere CofE Aided Infant School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 125246 Local Authority Surrey Inspection number 359866 Inspection dates 24–25 November 2010 Reporting 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 Infant School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 84 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs L Austin Headteacher Mrs L Derington Date of previous school inspection 15 May 2008 School address Gomshall Lane Guildford GU5 9HB Telephone number 01483 202198 Fax number 01483 202726 Email address head@shere.surrey.sch.uk

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Age group 4–7 Inspection dates 24–25 November 2010 Inspection number 359866 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 1234 234, 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 1234 234 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 two additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 12 lessons, observing four teachers and several teaching assistants. Inspectors also held meetings with governors, senior staff and groups of pupils. They scrutinised samples of pupils' work, and looked at a wide range of documentation, including policies, the school development plan and records of pupils' progress. They considered the 41 responses from questionnaires returned by parents and carers. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  Attainment and rates of progress for all groups of pupils, but particularly in mathematics and for boys.  Pupils' involvement in their own learning.  The impact of leadership at all levels in embedding ambition and driving improvement.

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Information about the school

Shere is a very small infant school. There is an average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups. There is a lower than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are mainly moderate learning or behaviour difficulties. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have their own class and outdoor area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below average. The school has the Healthy Schools award and the Sports mark. There has been a significant amount of staff absence since the last inspection due to maternity leave, bereavement and illness.

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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

Shere is a good school. It is led by a headteacher who has created a positive learning environment where children feel secure and enjoy their learning. Excellent relationships and a strong whole-school commitment to the pupils ensure good provision. As a result, pupils are keen to attend school and they learn and develop well. Parents appreciate all that the school does for them and their children, such as 'promoting high academic standards', 'the enthusiasm of the staff,' 'its role within the community' and 'the excellent workshops' that it provides. This is a school that prides itself on being at the heart of its community and this is reflected in the community's involvement in its work, as volunteers, giving talks to pupils on local history, raising funds for the school or attending school events. Good induction and a bright, welcoming learning environment ensure children settle well and become confident learners. Children start with skills and abilities that are generally

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Main findings

above those expected for their age, although this varies year on year due to the small numbers in each year group. In relation to their starting points, children make good progress across all the areas of learning so that they mostly exceed the Early Learning Goals on entry to Year 1. This is due to good teaching that caters for their specific needs effectively through a good balance of independent and teacher- led activities. Despite interacting well with children to promote their learning, staff do not always challenge them sufficiently through questioning that extends their ideas. This slows their progress. By the end of Year 2, standards are high in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils' attainment in writing is particularly strong. This is due to the huge emphasis on making lessons exciting and relevant to the pupils, for example through the use of drama. Pupils' attainment in mathematics has been relatively weaker; however, this is also improving due

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Main findings

to regular assessment weeks that are used to re-group pupils if necessary, thus ensuring an effective match of work. Most teachers use regular assessments to plan appropriate group work and support those who are not making enough progress. They do not however involve pupils as much as they could in improving their work through responding to marking or evaluating how well they have done. This limits pupils' contribution to their learning. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Good use is made of topics, visits, visitors and special weeks such as 'Book Week' to provide excitement and enhance pupils' learning. Vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high levels of support, and external agencies and the home-school link worker are very helpful in this context. The headteacher, governors and staff are committed to continuing improvement and this is clearly seen in the consistently high standards,

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Main findings

particularly in writing, and the drive to raise standards in reading and mathematics to the same high level. The headteacher regularly monitors teaching but other senior staff do not yet do so. Additionally, there is no clear format to support a rigorous assessment of teaching or provide clear guidance for improvement, and this hampers the school's drive

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

for excellence in all aspects of its work. There is effective self-evaluation. The headteacher and, increasingly, senior staff are clear about priorities and how to measure their impact. The school has maintained its good provision since the last inspection, in spite of disruption to staffing. This shows that the school demonstrates a good capacity for further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning by developing teachers' questioning skills so that they fully develop pupils' ideas and extend their thinking involving pupils more fully in assessing their learning and improving their work.  Ensure greater rigour in monitoring of teaching and learning and involve subject leaders in the process.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils attain high standards and their learning and progress are good. There are no significant variations in the attainment of boys and girls. Their achievement is excellent. Pupils enjoy school and work hard. They respond well to activities such as Year 1's visit to the local shops, with real money to spend. In another lesson, higher- attaining pupils made good progress in handling money when they chose a toy, priced it and wrote a number sentence with reference to correct coins. In another Year 1 lesson, pupils enjoyed using their whiteboards to write words with 'ph' in them and made credible attempts at words such as 'elephant'. Their good attention and listening skills ensured effective learning. Pupils enjoy opportunities to work in pairs to discuss their work. This was particularly noticeable in Year 2 when pupils were talking about the words and phrases they wanted to use to write their weather poems. They generated some good sentences

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

such as, 'I like it when the snow falls down - it looks like confetti' and, 'When I see snow, I jump and down joyfully'. They became excited when using the computer to double numbers, especially when they got the correct answers. This promoted their mental arithmetic skills well. As a result of their visit to London, pupils were stimulated to write at length about what they had seen and done. Experiences such as these are used extremely well to encourage writing. Good levels of discussion and exploration in science enabled pupils to develop a clear understanding of what was needed to make a light bulb work. However, when questioning does not challenge them enough, for example when it only requires a yes/no answer, this limits the extent of their learning. Additionally, by not giving pupils sufficient opportunities to respond to marking or regularly assess how well they are doing, this limits their learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils are articulate and friendly and behave well in lessons and around the school. They confidently say that there is no bullying and that should they have any worries or concerns, there is always an adult to help them. Pupils are proud of their contribution to the school community, particularly their work as school councillors. They are particularly pleased with their successes, such as the cake sale at the school fair and the bench in the play house. They have a good knowledge of how to stay healthy, quoting that fruit and plenty of exercise is good for you, but definitely not sweets. They enjoy physical activities

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

such as 'Activate' where they concentrate very hard to carry out actions. Pupils are kind and helpful, particularly as 'playground buddies' who look after the younger children. They know right from wrong and understand from assemblies the importance of kindness and compassion.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

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

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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

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?

Teachers organise and manage lessons well, ensuring support staff are effectively deployed and clear about what is expected of them so that they make a full contribution to pupils' learning. For example, during a whole-class introduction to a lesson, the teaching assistant supported individual pupils effectively, making sure they stayed on task. She also carried out observations on pupils' involvement in the lesson. Excellent relationships and the effective use of praise mean that pupils are keen and motivated to learn. When teachers' make good use of 'talk partners' it helps pupils to share their ideas and think through their answers in a supportive way. In some lessons, effective questioning and good use of subject-specific vocabulary promote effective learning. However, this is not consistent practice as staff do not always extend pupils' learning through effective questioning. Teachers mark work regularly, but they do not always use it

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How effective is the provision?

to involve pupils in improving their work. Most teachers explain things clearly to enable good understanding. This was particularly noticeable in a mathematics lesson in Year 2, where the teacher's good use of the whiteboard helped pupils to a better understanding of

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

sharing sums of money. Teachers regularly assess pupils' progress and use this well to plan appropriate work and set targets but do not regularly involve pupils in assessing how well they are doing. A good range of after-school clubs enrich the curriculum and support pupils' personal development. Pupils particularly enjoy recorder and football clubs. There are good links made between English and history; for example, pupils wrote about the life and work of Florence Nightingale following a 'teacher in role' session. The school gives good support to its most vulnerable pupils and their families. This support is enhanced by the effective links that exist with outside agencies and the home-school link worker.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has a clear vision which she has communicated well to all staff and governors, who are fully supportive and work extremely well together as a team. There is good attention to professional development; for example, senior leaders have recently had leadership training. However, they are not yet involved in monitoring the quality of teaching in their subjects and this limits their ability to fully support other staff. Additionally, there is not yet a sufficiently rigorous system in place to ensure teachers are clear about what they need to do to improve their teaching further. Good tracking systems enable effective analysis of data, which is helping to maintain high standards and ensure good progress for all groups. This, together with the work done to meet the needs of vulnerable pupils and the efforts to ensure all pupils succeed equally well in all subjects, demonstrates the school's good commitment to providing equality of opportunity.

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How effective are leadership and management?

There are good partnerships with parents and others that promote a strong sense of community. The school also provides a good number of workshops for parents, which they fully appreciate and which enable them to confidently support their children's learning. There are effective partnerships with other schools, which provide support and enable staff collaboration. The school has very strong local community links. It has begun to develop links with communities further afield. This is particularly so in their link with a school in Ghana. Systems for safeguarding pupils are good and all policies and procedures are securely in place. Governors know the school well and work effectively through their committees to ensure they can develop their role as a critical friend fully. They carefully monitor the success of the school's priorities through their involvement in the school development plan.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Excellent relationships and a stimulating environment ensure children become inquisitive, happy learners who engage well in all that is on offer. They particularly enjoy visitors such as the policeman who came to talk about his job. They listened very attentively to all he had to say and then asked appropriate questions. This made a strong contribution to developing their speaking and listening skills and was followed by a role play to extend their learning from the visit. Good questioning and effective interactions by the teaching assistant enabled them to consolidate end extend their knowledge. However, there are times when questioning does not challenge the children in order to develop their skills and knowledge and this slows their progress. Children willingly take part in independent activities, behave well and enjoy working together. They enjoy using the outdoor area, which gives them plenty of opportunities for exercise and imaginative play. Provision is

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Early Years Foundation Stage

well planned to ensure continuity in children's learning. This is particularly noticeable in their work on sounds and letters which is well resourced and carefully matched to their abilities. Children are already showing a good level of letter/sound knowledge. Good use of ongoing observations ensures children's learning is tracked carefully and work is well matched to their needs. This enables children to make good progress across all the areas of learning. Good leadership has led to very positive relationships with parents and a good working atmosphere for children that help them to make good progress. It has also ensured that the provision for outdoor play has been greatly enhanced.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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

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Views of parents and carers

The questionnaires show that the vast majority of parents and carers are happy with the school and what it provides. They consider that their children enjoy all that the school has to offer and are safe and well looked after, and the inspectors agree. The few concerns raised were about progress and taking account of parents' suggestions. As noted in the report, progress is good overall. The school works hard to involve parents and has taken action as a result of their comments, for example organising workshops that parents have requested.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Shere C of E Aided Infant School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 41 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 84 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 32 76 10 24 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 35 85 6 15 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 14 34 24 59 2 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 20 49 18 44 2 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 25 61 15 37 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 30 73 10 24 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 31 76 10 24 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

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) 24 59 13 32 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 23 56 18 44 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 19 46 19 46 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 19 46 17 41 3 7 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 32 78 9 22 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 30 73 11 27 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

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 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 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. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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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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Inspection of Shere C of E Aided Infant School, Guildford GU5 9HB

I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school. Thank you for helping us with the inspection. We were pleased to learn that you enjoy school and all the after-school clubs that you attend. We judged that your school is a good school where all staff work hard to help you attain high standards and achieve very well. Here are some other things we particularly liked about your school:  You make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  You are well behaved, friendly and keen to learn.  You are kind and thoughtful towards each other.  You feel safe in school and know you will be well looked after. These are the things we have asked your school to do to make it even better:  Help you all do even better by making sure you are given questions that make you think hard and more opportunities to find out how well you are doing and how to improve your work.  Ensure that teaching is checked carefully to make it even better.

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Inspection of Shere C of E Aided Infant School, Guildford GU5 9HB

You can contribute by making sure you respond to your teachers' marking of your work. We enjoyed talking to you and wish you every success for the future.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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