Lane End Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 19–20 March 2012 Inspection number 378080 Lane End Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 110320 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 378080 Inspection dates 19–20 March 2012 Lead inspector Alison Cartlidge

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 142 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lilli May Headteacher Debbie Williams Date of previous school inspection 26–27 November 2008 School address Edmonds Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP14 3EJ Telephone number 01494 881169 Fax number 01494 883640 Email address office@laneendprimary.bucks.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 inspector observed 12 lessons taught by six teachers. The inspector took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at questionnaires from 38 parents and carers, eight members of staff and 105 pupils. Meetings were held with members of the governing body, staff, parents, carers, and pupils. The inspector looked at pupils’ books, information on their progress, safeguarding information and other documents presented by the school.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. The large majority of pupils are White British, with a small minority coming from a range of other heritages. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The school has an above-average proportion of disabled pupils and of those with special educational needs. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery and a Reception class. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

In the last few years, there have been considerable changes in staffing. Nearly all teachers, including senior leaders, have been appointed since the previous inspection. The headteacher joined the school in April 2011. 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 satisfactory school is improving quickly following a dip in performance after the previous inspection. It is satisfactory rather than good because pupils do not always do well enough in writing. Teaching is enthusiastic, but not consistently good, and new middle leaders and managers have had insufficient opportunity to improve performance.  Achievement is satisfactory, although pupils do better in reading and mathematics than in writing. In reading, pupils in Year 2 have not benefited from a consistent approach to learning phonics (letter sounds), although this knowledge is now building rapidly. In writing, pupils across the school make avoidable errors in punctuation and spelling. Teachers provide encouragement through marking, but do not consistently show pupils how to improve, or expect them to produce writing of sufficient quality and quantity across the curriculum.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of

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Key findings

good provision. Thereafter, teachers provide a wide range of interesting activities, relevant to pupils’ needs, but do not always challenge pupils to work fast enough. They make good use of resources to engage the pupils’ interest but do not ensure that all pupils join in with discussions.  Most pupils enjoy coming to school, mostly behave well and feel safe, although they do not consistently try hard when writing. They are polite and friendly and show respect for others.  Leaders, including the governing body, understand what the school does well and how it needs to improve to become good. They track pupils’ progress carefully and pockets of underachievement are being tackled robustly. The leadership of teaching through the management of performance is satisfactory. Leaders provide clear guidance, but the middle leaders and managers have not had the opportunity to contribute towards monitoring and evaluating how well

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Key findings

advice is being followed up, to ensure that teaching is consistently good.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in writing across the school, by:  increasing teachers’ expectations of the quality and quantity of pupils’ writing  making sure pupils apply what they have learnt in phonics in their spelling  ensuring that teachers’ marking always points out pupils’ next steps and is acted upon straight away.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the level of teaching between Years 1 and 6 from satisfactory to good, by:  increasing pupils’ productivity in lessons so that no time is wasted  ensuring all pupils are involved in whole-class discussions  making sure that work is consistently challenging.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the involvement of middle leaders and managers in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school, by:  checking that policies for teaching and learning are being consistently applied  ensuring pupils’ progress is monitored closely across the curriculum.

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Achievement of pupils

While parents and carers believe their children achieve well at school, the inspection found that pupils’ achievement is satisfactory because learning and performance vary between lessons and are not as good in writing as in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory, with no significant difference between the learning and progress of girls and boys or of pupils from differing heritages. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that their attainment is broadly average by the time they start in Year 1. They do especially well in learning about letter sounds and in physical development, because these skills are promoted well. For example, in the Nursery, children enjoyed guessing the mystery objects that began with the letter ‘P’, and in the Reception class, children learnt words at the same time as taking part in physical activities.

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Achievement of pupils

In Years 1 to 6, pupils learn more quickly in reading and mathematics than in writing. For example, in a lesson for Years 5 and 6, pupils increased their knowledge of perimeters and area of various shapes quickly, because tasks matched their needs well and expectations were high. However, in lessons across the curriculum, when pupils are engaged in writing tasks, teachers do not ensure that they always take enough care in spelling and punctuation or ensure that their work is improving quickly. For example, pupils produce some good quality work when this is expected of them but at other times their work is rushed, they write too little or their work is full of errors. 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 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress

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Achievement of pupils

over time. Recent developments in the way progress is being monitored are ensuring that provision is matched more closely to pupils’ specific needs and teaching assistants are providing more focused support in lessons.

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Achievement of pupils

There is some fluctuation in attainment from year to year caused by the varying make-up of year groups but pupils’ attainment is broadly average by the end of Year 6, including in reading. Many pupils in the current Year 2 came to school with very low literacy levels and are below average in reading, but are learning more quickly over the last year so that the gap between their performance and that of their peers nationally is closing quickly. In Key Stage 1, guided reading sessions, additional support for pupils who have made insufficient progress in the past, and a sharper emphasis on daily phonics lessons is having a positive impact. As a result, attainment is improving quickly in Year 2. In Key Stage 2, pupils are also benefiting from additional support in learning phonics where required. Records show that pupils who rarely read for homework make least progress, and there are well-advanced plans to

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Achievement of pupils

provide more support for parents and carers.

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Quality of teaching

Most parents and carers and their children agree that teaching is good. Inspection findings show that there are good elements to teaching in all lessons but that overall it is satisfactory. Teaching is best in the Early Years Foundation Stage and when lessons are taken by senior leaders. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, members of staff ask good questions as children work and make learning meaningful and relevant. For example, in the Reception class children learnt quickly about the properties of three-dimensional shapes by predicting whether curved or flat surfaces would slide or roll down a slope. Teachers in Years 1 to 6 are also good at engaging the pupils’ interest in practical activities. For example, in a Year 3 history lesson pupils handled and discussed Egyptian ‘artefacts’ respectfully, and in Years 1 and 2 pupils enjoyed practising asking a partner questions about mystery objects. Pupils

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Quality of teaching

are less well motivated when asked to write down what they have discovered and teachers do not have high enough expectations for writing. Teachers promote new vocabulary well and use praise to encourage but do not always make clear through their marking what pupils need to do next in order to improve quickly, or give them enough opportunity to respond to suggestions on how work can be improved.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are given sound encouragement and are appreciative of the recent one-to-one help. The role of teaching assistants has developed and they are being used successfully to assist groups and individuals. The planned curriculum supports pupils’ personal development satisfactorily and is being reviewed to provide greater opportunities for pupils to use their knowledge of phonics to support their writing in different subjects.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is improving pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are good relationships between members of staff and the pupils to support the development of social skills. Behaviour management is consistent and clear guidance 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 during acts of collective worship and in lessons supports the development of a clear set of shared values.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils have satisfactory attitudes to learning and behave well most of the time, although occasionally a few are quietly inattentive. The large majority of parents and carers are pleased with behaviour at the school and believe that their children are kept safe. A small minority of parents and carers and pupils are critical of behaviour, but there is evidence that the new behaviour policy is having a positive impact and most pupils work and play together sensibly. As one pupil said, ‘You should stick to the rules and carry them with you wherever you go.’ The number of exclusions has been dramatically reduced this year and pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes safe behaviour. They recall in detail the good advice they have been given on river, road and cyber-safety.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is below average but is rising rapidly, with rigorous systems for monitoring absences having a positive impact on most families. The school is working closely with the small number of families who are not responding to requests for good attendance. Most pupils confirm that they are kept safe and that instances of bullying of any kind are dealt with to their satisfaction. Inspection findings agree that the school has effective procedures for discouraging and tackling all forms of bullying, including internet safety.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most pupils work together sensibly in lessons and show respect for members of staff and each other. Some do not consistently try hard when writing and consequently the quality of this work varies. Nevertheless, pupils are proud when they do well and are aware that they are capable of doing better. As one pupil put it, ‘Confident people need harder things.’

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Leadership and management

Leaders, including governors, demonstrate their capacity to improve the school through the actions they have taken and the improving outcomes for pupils. Provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage has markedly improved since the previous inspection. Until relatively recently, changes in staffing have made the continuity of provision difficult between Years 1 and 6, but performance management is moving teaching forward and ensuring that provision is at least satisfactory. Senior leaders track pupils’ progress more closely than at the previous inspection, enabling them to set more rigorous targets, and progress is continuing to increase. Most areas identified for development at the previous inspection have been tackled successfully, although there remain some inconsistencies in teaching. Middle leaders and managers have not so far had the opportunity to ensure that whole- school policies are being applied across the school. Nevertheless, effective training

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Leadership and management

has increased staff awareness of what to do to help the school to become good in the future and the new leaders are already involved in identifying the right course of 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 action to improve the school further. Leaders have established a fruitful partnership with a local outstanding National Support School so that teachers can observe best practice and gain a wider range of experience. These initiatives are already having a sustained and positive effect on pupils’ progress, which is picking up quickly across the school.

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Leadership and management

Equal opportunities are promoted satisfactorily and any discrimination tackled. Pupils from different backgrounds are supported and encouraged equally. They are included well socially, and the school is working appropriately to eliminate unevenness in learning and progress between classes and subjects by providing further staff coaching and training as required. Leaders are closing the attainment gap between groups of pupils quickly.

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Leadership and management

There are sound relationships between most parents and carers and members of staff. Parents and carers make positive comments such as, ‘The school is improving all the time. Members of staff are friendly and very approachable,’ and ‘Behaviour has improved in the last year.’

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Leadership and management

The school’s safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and the large majority of pupils and their parents and carers have confidence in them. Parents know that the school takes well considered action when concerns are raised. The curriculum is broad and balanced and is being improved so that it more successfully supports reading in Year 2 and writing across the school. It ensures that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted satisfactorily.

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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 Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

I enjoyed coming to see your friendly school, talking with you about your work and hearing some of you read. Thank you for being so helpful during my visit. I found that your school provides you with a satisfactory education.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

These are the best things about your school.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

 You learn quickly in the Nursery and Reception classes and when you are taught by your headteacher.  You enjoy school and I agree with you that your teachers are kind and caring and work hard to make lessons interesting.  Members of staff are working well to teach you all about how to behave sensibly.  The headteacher and the governing body know what needs to be done to make the school better.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

To help it improve, I have asked your school to make sure that teachers:

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

 always expect you to do your best work and use your phonics to help you with your spelling  show you through marking how you can do better work and give you the chance to improve straight away  ensure you work quickly so that no time is wasted  involve you all in discussions  make sure that your work is always hard enough.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

We have also asked the school to help teachers who look after subjects to check that all of you and your teachers are doing well in all subjects.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

Thank you once again for telling me about your school and letting me see your work. You can help your teachers by always taking notice of their marking and checking your spelling.

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Inspection of Lane End Primary School, High Wycombe HP14 3EJ

Alison Cartlidge 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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