West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School

Age group 4-12 Inspection date(s) 20–21 March 2012 Inspection number 381170 West Park C of E First and Middle (Controlled) School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 126016 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 381170 Inspection dates 20–21 March 2012 Lead inspector Susan Williams

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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 Middle deemed primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–12 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 780 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kris Pillai Headteacher Peter Neale Date of previous school inspection 2–3 July 2009 School address Marlborough Road Worthing BN12 4HD Telephone number 01903 243099 Fax number 01903 240928 Email address office@westpark.w-sussex.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 a nd 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. Inspectors observed 25 lessons which included a range of curriculum lessons and sessions of phonics (the sounds that letters make). Meetings were held with the headteacher, governors, staff and groups of pupils and a conversation took place with a local authority representative. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at the school’s documentation including improvement plans, minutes of meetings held by the governing body, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance documents. Inspectors scrutinised 198 questionnaires returned by parents and carers together with those of pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

West Park First and Middle School is much larger than most primary schools. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. The school has two specially resourced provisions for pupils with special educational needs, one for pupils with physical disabilities and one for pupils with additional learning needs, which provide for 13 pupils altogether. A very large majority of pupils are of White British origin. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than that seen nationally. There are very few pupils who speak English as an additional language. The size of year groups triples in Year 4 as pupils join from local first schools. A small minority of pupils leave the school in Year 6 to join secondary schools. There have been significant changes to teaching staff over the last two years.

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Information about the school

The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school’s awards include the Artsmark, and it has International School (Intermediate) and Healthy School status. There is an after-school club which is not managed by the governing body so was not inspected. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. Pupils behave well and are kept safe, and achievement is good in some areas of the school, but the school is not good because achievement is not consistently good and improvements are needed in the quality of teaching and aspects of leadership and management  Achievement is satisfactory; it is stronger in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 7 where children make good progress. Achievement is also good for pupils from the specialist provision, who are integrated well into the school. In other areas pupils make satisfactory progress. Progress in mathematics, which dipped last year, has now improved.  Teaching is satisfactory overall. In good lessons, teachers display good subject knowledge and engage pupils in varied activities that ensure they learn well. In some lessons, where progress is only satisfactory, the pace of learning is slower; teachers talk for too long and do not give pupils time for independent

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Key findings

learning or what pupils are to learn is not always made clear to them.  Questionnaires completed by parents and carers, pupils and staff were overwhelmingly positive about behaviour in school. Inspectors found pupils extremely polite and courteous. Behaviour in the vast majority of lessons, in the playgrounds and around school is good. Almost all parents and carers said their child felt safe in school.  Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and governors produce clear development plans and improvements have been made in attendance, which is now above average, in behaviour and in punctuality. Leadership of teaching and the management of performance are satisfactory and middle leaders now have a greater role in these areas. However, the monitoring of teaching does not always focus enough on the impact on learning. The school sets aspirational targets for the progress of all pupils and

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Key findings

tracks overall progress towards them, but the analysis of assessment data is not frequent enough and does not give enough attention to the progress of specific groups of pupils.  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?

 Ensure good progress for all pupils across the school by:  making sure lessons are planned to focus on what pupils are going to learn in each lesson  enabling all pupils to make more use of self-evaluation to reflect on their learning  using time for English and mathematics more efficiently, for example speeding up the pace of lesson introductions so pupils have more time to work independently, and eliminating time allocated to phonics for older pupils where it is not needed.  Ensure leaders and managers at all levels further improve the monitoring of teaching and the rigour and systematic use of pupil assessment data to:  analyse the progress of pupils and groups of pupils on a more frequent basis and target interventions where needed  ensure judgements on teaching, through observation, are focused on the progress and learning pupils make in lessons.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills below those expected for their age, particularly in the areas of personal and social development and communication. They make good progress to reach mostly average levels on entry to Key Stage 1. The children are friendly and confident and enjoy the good range of activities that are provided. They acquire early reading skills well in Reception, and make satisfactory, and at times good, progress in reading throughout Key Stage 1. Attainment in reading is similar to that of pupils of these ages nationally at the end of Key Stage 1. Attainment remains broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics when pupils leave the school.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. Work in lessons, in books and the school’s information on pupils’ progress confirm that all pupils are making at least satisfactory progress, with little difference in the performance of different groups. All groups perform at least as well as they do nationally. Gaps between the progress of girls and boys in school are narrowing as the curriculum has been adapted to provide more interest for girls. The progress of most disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is satisfactory, but those pupils who attend the specialist provision are well supported to make good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

A very large majority of parents and carers thinks their child is making good progress at school. Inspectors found pupils making good progress in lessons where there was better teaching, for example in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 7. This is not consistent enough across the school to ensure all pupils make consistently good 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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Achievement of pupils

progress. Learning was good during the inspection when the activities pupils were given were challenging and engaging. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson pupils worked on a wide range of activities which had been carefully planned for the different levels of ability. Learning was less effective in lessons where teachers spent too much time explaining the lesson to pupils, so there were limited opportunities for pupils to work independently. Pupils usually respond well to teachers because good routines have been established to support learning. Relationships are strong and pupils are supportive of each other in lessons.

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Quality of teaching

In good lessons teachers skilfully plan lessons that have pace, involve all pupils in a variety of activities and check the learning in the lesson to ensure all pupils make good progress. For example, in a Year 4 mathematics lesson the teacher moved briskly on from an engaging starter activity and involved pupils quickly in a range of engaging activities. Teachers’ subject knowledge is a strength across the school and modern technology is used well to engage pupils, for example using video clips to make teaching points. Phonics are taught effectively to Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils, and to those who need extra help in Key Stage 2. Curriculum planning is generally effective in ensuring activities challenge pupils; teachers regularly plan for three different ability groups. However, the rate of progress is slowed when teachers are not clear enough about the link between the planned activities and exactly what

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Quality of teaching

pupils are going to learn in the lesson.

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Quality of teaching

An overwhelming majority of parents and carers said that their children were taught well at school and the vast majority of pupils agreed. Inspectors found that while some lessons were good, there was inconsistency and some lessons were satisfactory. Where teaching is less effective teachers talk for too long. This was a particular issue in the longer lessons in English and mathematics where teachers did not involve pupils in activities early enough in the lesson so the pace of learning slowed. Pupils also make less progress when pupils do not have opportunities to consolidate their learning through discussion or self-reflection. Teaching often promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well as teachers take advantage of the useful variety of opportunities detailed in the curriculum. There was a magical moment in a Year 5 mathematics lesson where pupils experienced awe and wonder seeing the patterns that were emerging. In a Year 6

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Quality of teaching

art lesson, where pupils were learning about Monet and Miro, the creative methods excited the pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The vast majority of parents and carers say behaviour is good in school and inspection evidence corroborates this. One parent who summed up the views of many said, ‘West Park provides a safe, friendly and inclusive learning environment.’ Pastoral support for pupils is a strength of the school and the school works well with a variety of outside agencies to support individual pupils’ needs. The school is a harmonious community. Pupils are well behaved and considerate in lessons, 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

supporting each other’s learning. Routines are well established and teachers’ expectations of behaviour are high. The school’s records show this to be the case over time. Pupils from the specialist centres are well integrated in school and join in with activities with their peers in lessons and play with other children in the playground. During the inspection pupils were extremely courteous and polite around the school. Their behaviour in both playgrounds was good, with pupils playing together sensibly and little management needed from staff.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils care for each other and look after others if they are upset or unwell. A few parents raised concerns about bullying. Inspection evidence showed that the school deals with the rare cases of bullying very well and they do not reoccur. Pupils say that bullying of all types is rare and that adults deal with it well. Whilst lessons run smoothly, not all pupils have reached the stage of being self-motivated and, in some satisfactory lessons, pupils do not always focus on their teacher when they have been listening for a length of time or if an activity goes on for too long.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers said their children feel safe in school and inspectors found this to be the case. Pupils say they feel safe at all times in school and that behaviour is good. They assess and manage risks well, behaving sensibly and safely in lessons and around the school. Pupils have lessons in a variety of areas to develop their awareness of their own safety including cycling proficiency, cyber bullying and drugs education. The number of persistent absentees has reduced, as has the number of exclusions. Racist incidents are rare. New arrangements for the start of the day have ensured pupils are punctual to school.

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Leadership and management

The governing body and senior team have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and take appropriate action. For example, they made improvements to the teaching of mathematics to address underperformance in this area last year. Professional development is used effectively. Although changes of staff have made continuous improvement more problematic, the school is able to show how it has supported individual teachers to improve their teaching from satisfactory to good. Lesson monitoring identifies areas to improve and follows these through, although in some lesson observations leaders over emphasise teaching without enough focus on its impact on learning. The school has supported the development of middle leaders so they now have an increased role in developing teaching and learning in the school. The accurate self-evaluation and the improvements made show the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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Leadership and management

Governors are linked to curriculum areas and year groups. The matrix of strengths they have identified has ensured that governors’ expertise is utilised; for example, a surveyor chairs the building committee and an educationalist chairs the curriculum committee. School leaders and governors ensure that all statutory requirements for safeguarding are met by the school. Child protection policies and procedures are kept are up to date and staff are well trained. The school has worked with local schools to check the accuracy of its assessment and has a partnership with a local school to 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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Leadership and management

support and extend their practice. Parents and carers are very positive about the school and comment on the excellent transition arrangements when pupils join the school in Year 4.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is satisfactory and covers a breadth of subject areas and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. It ensures satisfactory development of key skills, but some time is wasted in timetabled phonics sessions not required by most of the older children. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted across the curriculum in lessons, with pupils discussing national and international events from a social perspective and learning about different cultures and traditions. The school has good links with local churches, which support pupils’ spiritual and moral development. Assemblies provide regular opportunities for reflection and support pupils’ spiritual development well.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers at all levels promote equality of opportunity satisfactorily and tackle discrimination. The school collects a range of data on pupils’ progress, but tends to use it to analyse long-term progress of pupils and groups rather than the progress of identified pupil groups in each year group on a more frequent basis. As a result, it is harder to identify where rapid intervention is required.

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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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Worthing BN12 4HD

Thank you for making us welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to a number of you in lessons and in the playground as well as meeting with three groups of pupils who talked to us about the school in more detail. Talking to you and reading your questionnaires helped us to find out more about your school. It is giving you a satisfactory standard of education. Here are some of the things that are going well.

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Worthing BN12 4HD

 You get on well with each other and your teachers in school.  You are supportive of everyone in school, are respectful and behave well.  Your attendance has improved and is now above that of schools nationally.  You take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

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Worthing BN12 4HD

These are some of the things we have asked the school to improve.

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Worthing BN12 4HD

 Ensure more of you make good progress in your lessons by making it clear what you are going to learn and giving you opportunities to evaluate your own learning.  Speed up the pace of lessons so you have more time to work independently.  Keep a closer check on your progress in lessons and through the year.

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Worthing BN12 4HD

You can help your teachers by continuing to behave well and working hard in school.

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Worthing BN12 4HD

Susan Williams 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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