Kings Wood School and Nursery

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 26–27 September 2011 Inspection number 381552 King's Wood School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 133756 Local Authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 381552 Inspection dates 26–27 September 2011 Reporting inspector Mike Capper

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

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 382 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Saunders Headteacher Janice Freeman Date of previous school inspection 23–24 June 2009 School address Hollis Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP13 7UN Telephone number 01494 521401 Fax number 01494 443265 Email address office@kingswood.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 C hildren 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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Inspectors observed 23 lessons taught by 17 teachers. Meetings were held with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke to some parents and carers at the start of the school day. The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at school documentation, including teachers’ planning, assessment information, safeguarding polices and samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors analysed 59 questionnaires from parents and carers, 17 from staff and 38 from pupils in Key Stage 2.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 Boys’ writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1.  The consistency of teaching and its effectiveness at providing the right level of challenge for all pupils, including in mathematics for girls.  The impact of the high turnover of staff and how well leaders at all levels contribute to school self-evaluation.  Pupils’ responsibility taking and how well they understand how to improve their work.

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Information about the school

Most pupils come to this larger-than-average-sized primary school from the local community. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The school takes pupils from many different backgrounds. Two thirds of pupils speak English as an additional language. The main home languages for these pupils are Urdu and Panjabi but only a small number are in the very early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average as the school has an Additional Resource Provision for 15 pupils from across the county. Most of these pupils have a statement of special educational needs for speech, language and communication difficulties.

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Information about the school

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in two Reception classes. There is pre-school provision on site. This is not managed by the governing body and was not part of this inspection.

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Information about the school

Seven new teaching staff, including the headteacher, joined the school in September 2011. The school has several awards, including Activemark and Healthy School accreditation. 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

This satisfactory school is moving forward with renewed vigour and purpose under the clear direction of the new headteacher. She has quickly identified where improvement is needed and a start has already been made to ironing out inconsistencies in the quality of teaching so that pupils’ progress is more even across the school.

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Main findings

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Their attainment improves steadily as they get older and it is average by the end of Year 6. However, attainment is lower in mathematics than in English, especially for girls. In mathematics lessons in Key Stage 2, girls are often too passive, allowing boys to dominate discussions.

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Main findings

Pupils make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1, but boys do less well than girls in writing because writing activities are not always interesting enough to motivate and engage boys. In Key Stage 2, pupils’ progress is good in English because there has been a recent sharp and effective focus on teaching writing skills more systematically. This means that boys in Years 3 to 6 are enthusiastically writing at length and for a range of purposes.

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Main findings

Pupils who attend the Additional Resources Provision make good progress. They are happy at school and they are taught well, with adults using individual programmes effectively to respond to differing needs. Good links with outside agencies, such as speech and language services, also supplement learning well.

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Main findings

Throughout the school, teachers are enthusiastic but their expectations are occasionally too low. They do not always meet pupils’ differing needs well enough. Where this occurs, the pace of learning slows. There is an interesting range of activities outside lessons, but the curriculum is not always adapted sufficiently to reflect the pupils’ wide-ranging needs. As a result, some lessons are dull and pupils are not always highly motivated or engaged fully in their learning. This is a factor in why their behaviour is satisfactory rather than good. Despite this, pupils enjoy school. They keenly take responsibility outside lessons through the school council and other activities and make a good contribution to the community. They happily adopt healthy lifestyles and feel very safe, saying that, ‘There is always someone around to help us.’ This is supported by good safeguarding procedures.

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Main findings

The school has satisfactory procedures for self-evaluation. The new headteacher has 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

increased the involvement of all staff and governors in this process so that there is a better understanding of priorities. Under the new headteacher, middle leaders and governors are becoming increasingly involved in planning the developments for the school, but this continues to be an area for further development. Monitoring by leaders, at all levels, although regular has not been rigorous enough to ensure consistently good teaching and learning. The new headteacher is already working on strategies to improve staff retention; this continues to be an important priority for the school. Support for new teachers is good but this has slowed the pace of change with other priorities. Nevertheless, recent work has helped to raise attainment in writing in Key Stage 2, and this success demonstrates that that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Main findings

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?

 Strengthen leadership and management by: − rigorously monitoring teaching and learning and giving teachers very clear feedback and guidance to help them improve pupils’ learning − ensuring that staff and the governing body are as fully involved as possible in development planning − maintain the focus on strategies to improve the retention of staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move satisfactory teaching and learning to become at least good by: − ensuring that expectations are high enough in all lessons and that work is always pitched at the right level for all pupils − ensuring that the pace of learning is always brisk and fully engages all pupils − providing more opportunities for girls to talk about their mathematical work and ideas in lessons, so that they are less passive.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Close the gap between girls and boys attainment in writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 by ensuring that writing activities are always sufficiently engaging for boys.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ engagement and motivation by reviewing the curriculum to ensure that work is always interesting and relevant.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. They thoroughly enjoy school and most attend regularly. When they start school in the Reception classes, the majority are working 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

below the levels expected for their age. As they move through the school, their progress is satisfactory rather than good because it is uneven between classes and sometimes between subjects. Pupils make satisfactory progress in most lessons. As yet, there is not enough good or better learning. However, there are examples of this, as seen in an outstanding literacy lesson when a group of pupils worked together enthusiastically as they learnt about the key features of a biography. Learning moved on quickly because pupils were encouraged to think for themselves. However, progress is not always as rapid in all lessons because pupils are not consistently engaged. In a satisfactory numeracy lesson, pupils worked sensibly as they used counting blocks to make number patterns, but learning was no better than satisfactory because a few were not clear about the purpose of what they were doing. Occasionally, work is too easy for some pupils, as seen in a lesson on

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

subtraction; consequently, pupils lost interest.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils in the Additional Resources Provision make good progress, responding enthusiastically to good-quality support from staff. Other pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress in lessons, as do those with English as an additional language.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

There is a happy atmosphere in lessons and pupils work hard most of the time. They are polite and courteous and behave sensibly at playtimes and lunchtimes. However, when teaching lacks challenge, they become inattentive and do not concentrate as well as they should to ensure that they make good progress in their learning. Pupils are well involved in the local community and they show good concern for the needs of others by raising funds for charity. Pupils have a good awareness of how to live healthily. The school’s good work in this area is reflected in its Healthy School accreditation. Pupils grow their own food and participate enthusiastically in physical exercise.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress The extent to which pupils feel safe 2 Pupils’ behaviour 3 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will 3

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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 is low 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

contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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How effective is the provision?

Members of staff work successfully to provide good quality care in lessons and to provide a welcoming environment to pupils. This ensures that pupils feel safe and happy. Pastoral care is strengthened by additional adults who support pupils who are having problems at home or at school. They provide sensitive and effective help. There are sound systems for improving attendance, but the school is not always successful in discouraging families from taking extended holidays, and this is a factor in why attendance is no better than average. Children settle quickly into the Early Years Foundation Stage but the transition into Year 1 is less smooth as the curriculum is not adapted well enough to reflect their needs and interests.

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How effective is the provision?

In the school as a whole, while the curriculum ensures that pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school, it does not take enough account of pupils’ interests or the different ways that they learn. Consequently, in some lessons, pupils are not fully enthused by their work. Opportunities for pupils to write in different subjects have been a key factor in the recent good improvements in pupils’ attainment in writing in Key Stage 2. For example, literacy skills were promoted successfully in an exciting science lesson where pupils wrote and talked about the functions of different muscles. However, for younger pupils, writing activities do not always engage boys well enough.

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How effective is the provision?

Clubs and visits enrich the curriculum and successfully promote pupils’ personal development and enjoyment well. The school has an Activemark for its good work in physical education. As one pupil said, ‘We are good at sports and win lots of things!’

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers make good use of resources such as interactive whiteboards to introduce new skills. They have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and regularly assess learning but there is not always enough rigour in the way that they use this information to plan what to teach next, and this is why progress is satisfactory rather than good. Pupils have challenging targets and most have a reasonable understanding of how to improve their work. The quality of marking is better in English than in mathematics, where it does not always give clear guidance to pupils about what they need to do better. Pupils in the Additional Resources Provision are taught well. There is a clear and effective focus on meeting individual needs.

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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?

The quality of teaching 3 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?

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The new headteacher has a strong determination to improve provision and her drive and ambition are already satisfactorily embedded across the school. There is a clear understanding of priorities and a start has been made to tackling them. Leaders know that there is inconsistency in pupils’ progress in some classes. Monitoring by leaders has ensured improvement in writing in Key Stage 2 securely, but is not yet as fully effective across the school as a whole to ensure that improvements to teaching are being maintained consistently over time. The high turnover of staff has also made it difficult to sustain initiatives.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The governing body provides sound support and challenge and under the new headteacher is quickly becoming more involved in decision making. Both the headteacher and governing body are keen to develop a stronger partnership with the on-site pre-school, so that more information is shared between the two settings at the start of the Reception year.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The school promotes equality of opportunity satisfactorily. Leaders are rigorous in dealing with discrimination and are making increasingly sharp use of data to check where there are groups of pupils who make uneven progress. For example, leaders are working to ensure that girls do as well as boys in mathematics.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Pupils learn to respect each other’s beliefs, reflecting the school’s satisfactory contribution to community cohesion. Pupils gain an awareness of life in different parts of the United Kingdom but their knowledge of life in the wider world is less well developed.

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How effective are leadership and management?

There are good safeguarding procedures. Leaders are diligent in ensuring that every pupil is able to work in a safe environment. Staff training in child protection is comprehensive and underpins the good safe practice seen in school.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities 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?

met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 3 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 3 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Although children’s level of skills is lower than expected for their age by the end of the Reception year, this reflects satisfactory progress from their starting points. Attainment has been rising steadily since the last inspection, especially for girls, but boys’ progress in writing continues to be slow. Although staff set up a range of activities to promote and encourage early writing skills, girls use them more willingly than boys. Adults have already started to tackle this by adapting provision, but it is too early to see the impact of this on boys’ writing in the current year.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children quickly learn to work together and develop positive attitudes towards learning because adults provide good-quality care and sensitive support to individuals. New children have settled well and there is good support for the very small number who are in the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. Teachers plan many interesting activities and make good use of well-resourced outdoor areas to support learning. When learning is good, they use questioning well to extend skills and link topics together. For example, as part of work on letter sounds, children wrote in the sand tray, painted pictures and searched for objects in the classroom. However, work is not always pitched at the right level for all children, and this sometimes prevents them from making rapid progress.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Leaders have a clear understanding of what needs improving and are improving provision. For example, there has been some good work over the last two years to develop the outdoor area. Leaders have detailed assessments of children’s learning and know that their analysis of some assessment data is better than others; they are working to strengthen their skills in this because they are keen to make the outcomes for children good in the future.

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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 Taking into account: 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

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the 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

There was a low return rate of questionnaires but most parents and carers who responded are pleased with the work of the school. Positive comments included, ‘This is a lovely school which my child thoroughly enjoys going to’, and, ‘The teachers care about each child.’ Some parents and carers are concerned about how well the school takes account of their suggestions and concerns. The new headteacher has already identified that this is an area for improvement and has started to improve parental involvement in the life of the school. There are clear plans to extend this further. A few parents feel that their children could be doing better and a few feel that teaching is not yet good or meeting their child’s particular needs. Inspectors found teaching to be satisfactory and have identified the need to improve teaching and learning to become good in the future.

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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 King’s Wood 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. The inspection team received 59 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 382 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 32 54 26 44 1 2 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 28 47 32 54 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school informs me about my child’s progress 24 41 28 47 5 8 2 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

My child is making enough progress at this school 19 32 33 56 6 10 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The teaching is good at this school 20 34 30 51 6 10 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school helps me to support my child’s learning 23 39 31 53 4 7 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 23 39 37 63 0 0 0 0

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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) 18 31 31 53 6 10 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 15 25 35 59 7 12 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 17 29 35 59 4 7 1 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 16 27 27 46 6 10 4 7

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 19 32 34 58 3 5 0 0

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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 23 39 31 53 2 3 0 0

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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. 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 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9 Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5 All schools 10 44 39 6

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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 2010 to 08 April 2011 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 2010/11 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.  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 King’s Wood School, High Wycombe HP13 7UN

Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we visited your school. We found that your school is providing a satisfactory education. This means that we found some good things in the school but also some things that need improving.

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Inspection of King’s Wood School, High Wycombe HP13 7UN

Here are some of the things we found out about your school.

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Inspection of King’s Wood School, High Wycombe HP13 7UN

 You settle quickly in the Reception classes and make steady progress in learning new things.  You make good progress in English in Years 3 to 6. Satisfactory teaching means that you make steady progress in the rest of the school and in other subjects.  You play together happily and take responsibility well.  You know who to turn to if you have a worry and feel that you are kept safe. We are pleased that you are so keen to be healthy.  All adults in school are caring and give you suitable help when you have problems with your work.  You do much for the community; well done for this and please keep it up.  Leaders are doing the right things to move the school forward and are clear about what still needs improving.

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What we have asked your school to do now

 Help you to do better by ensuring that teachers always provide the right level of challenge and make lessons interesting all the time.  Make sure that there are lots of interesting writing activities in the Reception classes and Years 1 and 2 so that boys are encouraged to write more.  Check that girls take a more active part in mathematics lessons in Years 3 to 6.  Make sure that all the things that leaders are doing to improve the school are having the desired effect and are being done well by all teachers.

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What we have asked your school to do now

We wish you all well for the future and are pleased that you enjoy school so much. You can help your teachers by trying to always be attentive in lessons. Yours sincerely

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What we have asked your school to do now

Mike Capper 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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