Godalming Junior School

Age group 7 – 11 Inspection date(s) 28−29 September 2011 Inspection number 381032 Godalming Junior School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 125044 Local Authority Surrey Inspection number 381032 Inspection dates 28−29 September 2011 Reporting inspector Joy Considine

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Philip Roche Headteacher Anthony White Date of previous school inspection 5−6 November 2008 School address Hallam Road Meadrow Godalming GU7 3HW Telephone number 01483 421597 Fax number 01483 419605 Email address info@godalming-junior.surrey.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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. During the inspection, 15 lessons and eight teachers were observed. Discussions were held with staff, members of the governing body, parents and carers, and pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including the school improvement plan, the tracking of pupils’ progress, documentation relating to the safeguarding of pupils and the governing body minutes. In addition, questionnaires from 115 parents and carers, as well as those received from staff and pupils were analysed.

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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

 How well teachers use assessment information to plan lessons that meet the learning needs of all pupils.  How well the curriculum is planned to provide opportunities for pupils to use their literacy skills across a range of subjects.  The extent to which pupils develop personal skills that will prepare them well for their future.  The rigour with which school leaders evaluate provision to establish priorities for further improvement.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average sized primary school which serves the local community. Most pupils are of White British heritage with few who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than usual. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average. A new headteacher has joined the school since the previous 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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Main findings

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.

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Main findings

Pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics is broadly average by the end of Year 6 although it is lower in English than in mathematics. Girls do better than boys in both subjects. Pupils make inadequate progress throughout the school, particularly in English. This is because teachers do not make enough use of assessment information to plan lessons to develop pupils’ writing skills. Too little attention is given to teaching the basic writing skills of spelling, punctuation and handwriting. The quality of teaching varies and is inadequate overall. Too many lessons lack pace and challenge. In many lessons, pupils spent most of the time listening to the teacher before completing prepared worksheets and this reduces their opportunities to develop fluency in writing. Many teachers spend too long talking in lessons and provide activities for pupils that are often too easy: consequently not enough pupils

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Main findings

make progress in lessons. Despite this, pupils are happy and they enjoy school; this is reflected in their attendance, which is high. They feel very safe in school and say that adults care for them. They behave well and show respect and consideration towards each other and adults in school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Main findings

The curriculum meets all statutory requirements and is satisfactory. It has recently been revised to link subjects together and to provide pupils with first-hand learning experiences in each theme or topic. There are now more planned opportunities for pupils to use their literacy skills when learning in different subjects. However, these changes have not yet led to improvements in the overall outcomes for pupils. The school provides good quality care, guidance and support for pupils and can point to some examples of where they have helped pupils to overcome barriers to their learning. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are good. Arrangements to support pupils as they move to the next stage of their education are good. One parent or carer wrote, ‘Clearly the school is very well prepared to ensure a smooth and enjoyable introduction to a new school environment.’

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Main findings

The headteacher and the governing body are ambitious and have a clear vision for the future direction of the school. However, the absence of robust systems for self- 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

evaluation means that school leaders, including the governing body, do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and what needs to be improved. Because of this, the long- and short-term plans for development lack clarity, with actions that are too general and imprecise so outcomes cannot easily be evaluated. Some school leaders are unclear about their roles and responsibilities and do not take an active part in monitoring the work of teachers. Consequently, initiatives that are introduced to improve pupils’ progress are not implemented consistently in all classes. There has been only limited progress in addressing the issues from the previous inspection and consequently the school has an inadequate capacity for further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and achievement particularly in English so that by the end of Year 6 in 2012 at least 85% of pupils make at least two levels of progress from Key Stage 1 by: − giving pupils more opportunities to write at length when learning in different subjects − reducing the number of photocopied resources and worksheets used in lessons − improving the teaching of the basic skills of spelling, punctuation and handwriting.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that by July 2012 it is at least satisfactory and at least 60% of lessons are good by: − ensuring teachers use assessment information to plan lessons and to provide activities that are well matched to the learning needs of all pupils − raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve by setting challenging targets in English and mathematics to reduce the gap between the attainment of boys and girls − providing activities that engage pupils more and enable them to take a more active role in their learning − ensuring teachers provide guidance to pupils about what they have done well and how they can improve the quality of their work, especially their writing − providing opportunities for pupils to respond to comments made in marking.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by: − introducing robust systems for self-evaluation − using the information from self-evaluation to establish a long-term

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

strategic plan with appropriate short-term plans with sharply defined aims and priorities focused on school improvement − developing systems to ensure that leaders at all levels, including the governing body and middle leaders, monitor, challenge and develop the work of the school. 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 4

Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is above average in reading, writing and mathematics, but they make inadequate progress so that by the end of Year 6, their attainment is broadly average. Throughout the school, the progress pupils make varies between classes and year groups. During the inspection, many lessons did not challenge pupils enough and this slowed the progress they were able to make. Although many pupils found their lessons too easy, they behaved well, concentrated on their work and responded appropriately to teachers’ instructions. Pupils make better progress in reading and mathematics than they do in writing. This is because their basic skills of handwriting, punctuation and spelling are underdeveloped. Scrutiny of pupils’ work showed that some older pupils are struggling to write legibly and at length. Girls do better than boys in both English and mathematics and efforts by the school to address this issue have not closed the gap. Pupils who have special

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress and better progress in English than they do in mathematics because they receive focused help from skilled teaching assistants who provide additional support in reading and writing.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

Pupils’ personal development is good. They are friendly and confident and get on well together. Inspectors confirmed their view that there is very little bullying, that adults are always on hand to help and that their concerns are taken seriously. They understand the need to make healthy choices and are aware of the dangers of substance abuse. Although pupils make an active contribution to the school community by acting as school councillors and running the school’s healthy tuck shop, opportunities to be involved in the wider community are more limited. Pupils are adequately prepared for their future lives. Their attainment in English and mathematics is broadly average and their attendance is high. However, there are few opportunities for them to work independently or to show initiative in lessons. Pupils have a keen sense of right and wrong and they are able to reflect thoughtfully on moral issues. They are developing a good understanding of different cultures through

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

the school’s provision for music, art and religious education.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

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 2 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

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 4

The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 3 The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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How effective is the provision?

Although relationships between staff and pupils are good, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils should achieve in lessons. This is because insufficient use is made of challenging targets to raise pupils’ aspirations of what they could achieve, and to monitor their progress. In too many lessons teachers do not use assessment information to plan lessons and to devise activities which meet the learning needs of all pupils. Where teaching does challenge pupils, the pace is brisk, teaching is lively and engaging and teachers use imaginative methods to capture and sustain pupils’ interest. However, in too many lessons, the level of questioning is confined to accepting only one-word answers from pupils. There are too few opportunities for pupils to be actively involved and fully engaged in learning. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but they do not always provide enough guidance on what the pupils did well and what they need to do to improve their

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How effective is the provision?

work, especially their writing. There are few opportunities for pupils to respond to comments that teachers make and this slows their progress.

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How effective is the provision?

The newly developed curriculum provides opportunities for teachers to link subjects together under an overall theme or topic. Each theme is introduced by a visit or a class text to add to pupils’ interest and understanding. Pupils told inspectors that the curriculum is now more fun because ‘we get to do more things’. New initiatives to provide pupils with more occasions when they can use their writing skills and write at length in other subjects are beginning to be seen in pupils’ books. However, this is not yet fully embedded in all classes. The curriculum is adequately supported by a range of visits and visitors to add to pupils’ enjoyment. For example, pupils in one year group walked along the River Wey from Godalming to Guildford as part of their river study. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities and the school provides a support fund to ensure that all pupils are able to take part.

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How effective is the provision?

The school provides good pastoral care for pupils. Pupils are known well, and adults make a good contribution to pupils’ well-being. One parent or carer wrote, ‘The school has offered excellent support to my child and the family when it was most needed.’ Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported through additional programmes to help them to catch up with reading and writing. Arrangements for child protection are good with links with external agencies to support those pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable. The school site is safe and the internal accommodation is bright and attractive. Arrangements to ensure the smooth transition of pupils as they move to the next stage of their education are 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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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching 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 2

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How effective are leadership and management

Since joining the school, the headteacher has introduced new initiatives to raise attainment and accelerate pupils’ progress. He has taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching but knows that more remains to be done. The absence of a structured programme of monitoring by senior leaders means that new initiatives have not been fully embedded across the school. Some school leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of their roles and are unable to use their skills to drive the necessary improvements. Not all leaders have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and so plans for improvement lack a clear focus and direction. The governing body is supportive of the school but until recently governors have not systematically monitored the work of the school nor have they challenged school leaders on its performance.

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How effective are leadership and management

The school actively engages with external agencies such as the education welfare service, speech and language therapists and education psychologists to support its work with pupils who have additional needs. These links have been successful in improving outcomes for some pupils in reading and writing but not in mathematics. Although the school has measures in place to ensure that all pupils have equality of opportunity, there are still some significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls and this means that this aspect of its work is inadequate. Safeguarding arrangements are good. The school site is secure and all adults who come into school are carefully checked. Policies for safeguarding and the welfare of pupils are up to date and monitored regularly by the governing body. Pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of their own community but their awareness of communities in other parts of the world is less developed. The school has carried out

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How effective are leadership and management

an audit of community cohesion and has plans that show how this aspect of its work is to be developed.

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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 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective are leadership and management

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

The proportion of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire was higher than usual. Most parents and carers were supportive of the school and agreed that their children enjoy school and that overall they are happy with their children’s experience. They agreed that the school keeps their children safe and that the school helps children to have a healthy lifestyle. A few parents and carers felt that their children were not making enough progress and that they were not well enough informed about how much progress their children make, although they believed the teaching to be good. Inspectors found that in too many lessons pupils were not making enough progress and that, overall, teaching was inadequate.

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Views of parents and carers

A few parents and carers felt that the school did not deal well enough with unacceptable behaviour. During the inspection, pupils behaved well in lessons and around the school. Pupils themselves said that instances of poor behaviour were rare. A small minority of parents and carers reported that the school did not always take into account their views and suggestions and that communications were poor. The headteacher and the governing body are aware of this issue and have recently put into place systems to improve communications. A few parents and carers did acknowledge that there has been some improvement this term. A small minority of parents and carers did not feel the school was well led and managed.

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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 Godalming Junior 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 115 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 212 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 50 43 62 54 3 3 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 60 52 53 46 0 0 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 31 27 66 57 10 9 1 1 My child is making enough progress at this school 33 29 62 54 8 7 1 1 The teaching is good at this school 37 32 66 57 2 2 1 1 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 23 20 73 63 10 9 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 24 21 51 44 3 3 0 0 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) 21 18 64 56 7 6 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 24 21 75 65 8 7 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 30 26 63 55 10 9 4 3 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 15 13 62 54 17 15 4 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 26 22 57 50 15 13 5 4 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 39 34 63 55 3 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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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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 Godalming Junior School, Surrey GU7 3HW

Thank you for making my colleagues and me so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you all and hearing what you had to say about your school. Although we found that your school does some things well, we also found that too many of you do not make enough progress in your lessons and so we have decided that your school requires ‘special measures’. This means that your school will get extra help so that staff will be able to improve teaching and to ensure that you all make good progress in English and mathematics. This is what we have asked your school leaders to do.

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Inspection of Godalming Junior School, Surrey GU7 3HW

 Make sure that you all make better progress, particularly in English, by providing you with more guidance about how you can improve your work and by giving you help with your spelling, handwriting and punctuation.  Improve the quality of teaching by giving you challenging targets to work towards and by monitoring your progress towards those targets when marking your work.  Introduce systems to find out what your school does well and what it needs to do to improve further so that it can put into place clear actions for improvement. We have also asked the school to ensure that teachers’ work is monitored more regularly.

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Inspection of Godalming Junior School, Surrey GU7 3HW

You can all help your school by asking for harder work when you find some things too easy and by checking how well you are doing to meet your targets. I wish you all every success for the future.

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Inspection of Godalming Junior School, Surrey GU7 3HW

Joy Considine 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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