Langley Green Primary

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 15–16 May 2012 Inspection number 381577 Langley Green Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 133967 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 381577 Inspection dates 15–16 May 2012 Lead inspector Timothy Feast

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

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 354 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Sudan Headteacher Alison Wallis Date of previous school inspection 16–17 October 2008 School address Langley Drive Langley Green Crawley RH11 7TF Telephone number 01293 525675 Fax number 01293 538340 Email address office@langleygreenprimary.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 and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspection team observed teaching and learning in 20 lessons taught by 18 teachers. They held meetings with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils and met informally with parents and carers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, and looked at strategic and curriculum planning, records of pupils’ progress, school documentation and monitoring records of teaching and learning. Inspectors analysed 61 parents’ and carers’ questionnaires, as well as 16 from staff and 86 from pupils.

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Information about the school

Langley Green is much larger than the average primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils for whom English is not their first language. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or supported at school action plus is in line with the proportion nationally. Most of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties but some have specific learning difficulties or speech, language and communication needs. The proportion of pupils who arrive at, or leave, the school at times other than the usual transition dates is much higher than the national average. The Early Years Foundation Stage comprises a Nursery class and two Reception classes. The school has attained a number of awards including Activemark, International School Award, Healthy School and Eco-School.

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Information about the school

The school meets the current floor standards, the minimum standards expected by the government. 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

 Langley Green is a satisfactory school. It is not yet good because the quality of teaching and the rate of pupils’ progress varies significantly between different classes. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.  Achievement is satisfactory. Attainment has remained low since the last inspection. In just under half of the classes in Years 1 to 6, pupils make good progress, but in the others it is only satisfactory, leading to satisfactory progress overall. Progress in mathematics in 2011 was good. Recently- introduced strategies are having a positive impact on raising achievement in English, especially in writing. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make satisfactory progress and the gap with national expectations is closing. Pupils enjoy school and parental views confirm this.

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Key findings

 Behaviour and safety are good and pupils show very positive attitudes to their learning. Attendance is affected by a small minority of families who take their children out of school for prolonged holidays.  Although performance management has improved some aspects of teaching, it remains satisfactory overall. Work is not always matched closely enough to pupils’ abilities and needs. Additional support in lessons is not deployed consistently well. This can restrict pupils’ learning, including that of higher attaining pupils. Relationships are good and pupils respond by working hard.  Leadership and management are satisfactory. Leaders have successfully tackled some key issues from the previous inspection but not yet eradicated inconsistencies in teaching. Senior leaders appointed since September 2011 have had a good impact on improving achievement. Members of the governing body are supportive of the school, but have not had sufficient impact in holding

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Key findings

the school to 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better by January 2013,by ensuring that:  teachers plan consistently challenging activities for all lessons so that pupils’ progress, including that of higher attainers, accelerates  teachers deploy additional support in lessons more effectively  school leaders adopt a systematic approach to supporting and improving teaching, especially where it is consistently no better than satisfactory  the governing body monitors the impact of school leaders in improving teaching.  Improve overall attendance so that it is at least at the national average by January 2013, focusing particularly on the small minority of parents and carers who take their children out of school for extended holidays.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire expressed confidence that their children are making good progress. Inspection evidence indicates that achievement is satisfactory overall. Children enter the school with skills that are below, and some well below, those normally expected for their age. A large majority are almost complete beginners in learning English. They progress satisfactorily in the Nursery and Reception classes, particularly with their personal, social and emotional development and their knowledge and understanding of the world, but attainment is still well below average at the end of the Reception Year. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall in Years 1 to 6. The introduction of a new scheme to improve attainment in English has been successful. The scheme offers a good framework for teachers to plan for accelerated progress and pupils like the resources that are used. Pupils are now making better progress, particularly in writing, and as a result

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Achievement of pupils

attainment is also improving. For example, in Year 6 it is now broadly in line with the national expectation.

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Achievement of pupils

Teaching assistants and other adults support pupils in class, but the pace of learning sometimes slows when adult helpers do too much of the work. This limits opportunities for pupils to work independently and practise new skills. Sometimes the tasks set are too easy and the work is not demanding enough. Assessment information is not always used to best effect in the Nursery and Reception classes so, on occasions, children repeat some of the activities and this slows their progress. In better lessons pupils progress well, responding to the strategies for improving writing, for example producing imaginative play scripts in Year 6 and innovative alternative endings to a story in Year 5. Pupils in Year 6 responded outstandingly well to the challenge of first determining and then applying the properties of ‘magic squares’. In 2011 pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6 was significantly below the national average. However, attainment seen in

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Achievement of pupils

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

school during the inspection was markedly better than this. When reading, older pupils were generally confident readers, demonstrating broadly average attainment. Younger pupils are able to use appropriate decoding skills and have an appropriate grasp of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Pupils in Year 2, who were hearing each other read, tested their partner on words and punctuation and challenged them to read with expression.

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Achievement of pupils

Current pupils’ learning and progress, as reflected in the school’s tracking data, in their work in books, and as seen in lessons, are satisfactory and improving. In 2011 the progress of girls, White British pupils and those eligible for free school meals was not as good as that of their fellow pupils. Currently however, the progress of these groups and their learning in lessons are similar if not better than that for the school as a whole. The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is similar to the rest of the school. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress with their acquisition of English language skills and as a result their overall progress is similar to that of pupils in the school generally. Pupils who join the school part way through their education settle quickly and achieve satisfactorily, reflecting the school’s positive promotion of pupils’ personal

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Quality of teaching

A large majority of parents and carers feel their children are taught well. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and usually listen carefully to instructions and explanations. They set to work quickly once teachers have given them their tasks. However, the quality of teaching varies across the school; almost half the teaching seen by inspectors was found to be good or better, but in other lessons the pace and challenge were only satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching

In these lessons, the level of work set is often not sufficiently demanding and can result in pupils’ lack of attention, leading to reduced learning and progress. On occasions, adults supporting pupils do too much of the work for them. Pupils are not always challenged to generate their own ideas or to comment on how well they have tackled a task. Variations in the quality of teaching are also found in the Early Years Foundation Stage. These are sometimes seen in the lack of linkage between the indoor and outdoor activities and also in the quality of planning which does not offer consistently challenging activities to accelerate progress.

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Quality of teaching

Nevertheless, measures taken to improve teaching have had a positive impact in some areas, for example in the teaching of mathematics, where progress is now good. Teachers use a commercial scheme well to improve reading and writing, as seen when Years 3 and 4 pupils wrote book reviews and demonstrated their understanding of the focus text. Specific teaching of phonics is helping pupils make better progress. Outstanding teaching in a Year 6 numeracy lesson fully engaged the pupils through thought-provoking dialogue. A broad curriculum which encourages creativity, for example through the use of African drumming, helps to foster pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The teaching of disabled pupils and 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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Quality of teaching

those with special educational needs helps them make similar progress to their fellow pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils’ work is marked regularly. The quality of this marking varies, with differences in the quality of guidance that pupils are given to help them improve their work. The extent to which teachers check up on children’s progress in lessons is also variable. Where this is less effective, learning activities are not adapted quickly enough to meet pupils’ needs.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils behave well in lessons, at lunchtimes and in the playground. The positive views of parents and carers, and of the pupils themselves, were endorsed by inspection findings. A very large majority of parents and carers feel that there is a good standard of behaviour at the school and confirm that disruptive incidents in lessons occur very rarely.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ enthusiastic attitudes make a positive contribution to learning in lessons and to the friendly and welcoming attitude around the school. Incidents of any type of bullying are rare and pupils told the inspectors that they are dealt with quickly and effectively. Pupils say there is some name calling, which is dealt with effectively by staff, although staff do not always record the incidents appropriately. Pupils are clear about the steps they should take to keep themselves safe from harm in a variety of situations, for example when using computers.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Despite the school’s best efforts to discourage this, a small minority of families take their children out of school for prolonged holidays, which has a negative effect on overall attendance figures. However, the school has good procedures in place to monitor and promote better attendance and for the large majority of pupils it is above average.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management are satisfactory, with school leaders taking appropriate steps to tackle areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection report. The needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language have been accurately identified with the help of multilingual assistants. Initiatives such as the one to improve writing have been extended consistently across the school. Leaders have a vision for raising standards and accelerating progress and are beginning to translate this vision into reality.

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Leadership and management

Since September 2011 new staff have been appointed to complement the existing leadership. Senior leaders have been given time during the school day to spearhead the drive for improvement in areas for which they have responsibility. Evidence from the inspection and from the school’s monitoring shows leaders have successfully used this increased capacity to improve some aspects of teaching and learning. For example, expectations have been raised generally so that pupils are consistently on 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

task and work purposefully. In addition, enhanced provision is now in place, such as a Level 5 writers group and a targeted Level 6 mathematics group. However, in other areas, such as planning consistently challenging activities, more remains to be done.

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Leadership and management

Leaders are accurate in their evaluation of the quality of teaching and have identified appropriate priorities for improving teaching in the development plan. A programme of professional development and performance management is in place. However, at present, these measures do not focus systematically enough on those aspects of satisfactory teaching which are currently holding back more rapid progress. The governing body is supportive of the school and aware of what needs to be done to improve the school’s overall effectiveness. However, it has not been sufficiently effective in holding leaders to account. School leaders have taken effective steps to ensure that different groups of pupils, for example those eligible for free school meals, progress at a similar rate to others. Efforts to reduce the differences in progress between different classes have been less effective. In general, equality of opportunity is adequately promoted and discrimination not tolerated. Governors and

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Leadership and management

school leaders ensure that statutory safeguarding requirements are met.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum contributes satisfactorily to pupils’ academic and personal development. Much time is appropriately directed to raising attainment in English and mathematics. The curriculum provides pupils with opportunities for enrichment through a variety of extra-curricular activities and clearly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school population reflects a diverse ethnic, cultural and religious mix, but there are insufficient opportunities to celebrate this diversity.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

Thank you very much for welcoming all the inspectors to your school. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank those of you who met inspectors to tell us about all the many different things that you do. Your school is providing you with a satisfactory education. These are some of the strengths.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

 You tell us that you enjoy school and feel safe here. If bullying occurs it is dealt with quickly and well.  You behave well in lessons, have positive attitudes to learning and settle quickly to work.  You make satisfactory progress in your learning overall. It is good in mathematics and improving in English, especially in writing.  School leaders know what needs to be done to help you make even better progress.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

We have asked the headteacher, staff and members of the governing body to do the following to make your school even better.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

 Ensure that all the teaching in the school is at least good.  Ask teachers to plan activities that challenge you and help you to progress well.  Ask teachers to use the other adults in the lessons to help you make better progress.  Ask some of your parents to help improve your attendance by not taking you out on family holidays during school time.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

You can help by continuing to work hard and by attending well.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

Once again, thank you for the welcome you gave us and all the friendly and very interesting chats that you had with us.

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Inspection of Langley Green Primary School, Crawley RH11 7TF

Timothy Feast 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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