Nyewood CofE Infant School, Bognor Regis

Age group 4−7 Inspection date(s) 16−17 May 2012 Inspection number 381181 Nyewood Church of England Infant School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 126052 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 381181 Inspection dates 16−17 May 2012 Lead inspector Janet Sinclair

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Type of school Infant School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4−7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adrian Pinel Headteacher Jacqueline Cobb Date of previous school inspection 14−15 October 2008 School address Brent Road Bognor Regis West Sussex PO21 5NW Telephone number 01243 823283 Fax number 01243 823283 Email address head@nyewood.inf.west-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 inspectors spent eight hours observing teaching and learning in 17 lessons or part-lessons. They observed eight teachers and several teaching assistants. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, listened to a sample of pupils read and looked at examples of pupils’ work. They considered a wide range of documentation, including: school policies, particularly for safeguarding, the school development plan and records of pupils’ progress. The inspectors also held meetings with members of the governing body, senior staff and groups of pupils. They considered the 74 responses from questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Nyewood is an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are White British. There is a below average proportion of pupils of minority ethnic heritage, an above average proportion of whom are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average; these are mainly speech and language or emotional and behavioural difficulties. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average. There is a below average proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are in three classes, one of which is a mixed Reception/Year 1 class. There is a high level of turbulence caused by pupils joining the school at other than the usual times.

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Information about the school

The school has experienced a range of staffing difficulties in the recent past, including the long-term absence of some senior staff. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. It is not yet good because weaknesses in teaching do not yet promote higher standards of achievement. It has a strong, caring ethos which ensures a supportive learning environment for pupils. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged as satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.  Children make a sound start in the Reception classes. Teacher-led activities are planned well but, although there is a range of independent activities for the children to engage in, there is insufficient planning to guide staff on how to extend children’s learning and this, combined with weaknesses in leadership, slows overall progress. Attainment is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Pupils make at least satisfactory and sometimes better progress given their starting points.  Teaching is satisfactory. Lessons are well planned and organised. However,

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Key findings

sometimes work is not well enough matched to pupils’ needs, particularly for high attaining pupils, and questioning does not challenge or involve pupils sufficiently, and this slows learning. Additionally, the use of targets, marking and feedback to fully involve pupils in their learning, although effective in some classes is inconsistent, so not all pupils benefit.  Good behaviour, both in lessons and around the school, supports well pupils’ learning. Pupils feel safe in school and say that there is no bullying and that there are only a few pupils who do not always behave well who are dealt with quickly by adults.  The headteacher provides caring, thoughtful leadership. She and her senior staff have increased their focus on tracking and effective interventions to accelerate learning, and undertake more frequent monitoring of teaching in order to improve consistency; these actions are beginning to have an impact.

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Key findings

However, there is not yet enough rigour in ensuring that new initiatives are fully embedded, leading to inconsistencies in practice, which affects pupils’ achievement. Performance management is satisfactory and improving. 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 provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage by:  providing detailed planning for activities that children undertake by themselves to enable more effective, timely interactions and questioning in order to extend children’s knowledge and skills more effectively  ensuring leadership sets high expectations and ensures effective modelling of good practice that gives clear guidance to all staff.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school so that it is at least good by December 2012, by:  matching work more closely to the differing needs of pupils, particularly high attaining pupils  asking questions that fully challenge pupils and provide more opportunities for them to respond in order to extend their ideas  ensuring that targets, marking and feedback help pupils understand the specific steps they must take in order to improve their work.  Ensure that leaders exercise greater rigour in implementing key initiatives so

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

that they become fully embedded across the school, in order to accelerate the pace of improvement.

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Achievement of pupils

Children start in Reception with skills and abilities that are broadly as expected for their age, except in aspects of communication, language and literacy and number, which are below expectations. They make satisfactory progress and mainly meet the expected learning goals on entry to Year 1. A consistent approach to teaching letters and sounds (phonics) is helping to promote early reading and writing skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment is broadly average in Key Stage 1, including in reading by the end of Year 2. Pupils make satisfactory and sometimes good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The use of specific programmes, guided reading and small group targeted work provides sound support for pupils’ progress in reading. Regular writing assessments ensure staff are clear about the next steps in pupils’ learning. Pupils also have good opportunities for writing across the curriculum, for example, writing about animals after a visit to Marwell Zoo. In mathematics, pupils in Year 2 are now organised into ability groups for several sessions each week in order to accelerate progress and provide more effectively for high attaining pupils. Pupils’ language and social skills develop well due to the good opportunities provided for collaboration and discussion. This was particularly noticeable in a Year 2 class where there was a good

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Achievement of pupils

buzz of involvement as they discussed objects that were specific colours. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those at an early stage of learning English are well supported through small group work, ensuring they make similar progress to their peers. Potentially vulnerable pupils and those who arrive at 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

the school at different times of the year are well supported to ensure that they are fully integrated.

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Achievement of pupils

Although the vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that their children achieve well, the inspection evidence shows that achievement is satisfactory overall.

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Quality of teaching

Good relationships across the Reception classes ensure children have a positive attitude to their learning. The teaching of phonics and number in small groups ensures children make sound progress in developing their knowledge and skills. The classroom and outdoor play area are appropriately organised so that children can access resources easily and engage in activities quickly. Children particularly enjoyed the activities following on from a visit to the fire station. They acted as fire officers using their hoses to put out fires and made a plan of Bognor Regis to record their journey to the fire station, including some of the landmarks. However, staff do not always make best use of activities such as these to interact with and question children and extend their ideas, knowledge or skills. Additionally, a lack of planning to guide staff on how this can be maximised limits the overall impact of the teaching.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers in Key Stage 1 have good relationships with pupils and manage behaviour well, thus ensuring good attitudes to learning. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent. In good lessons, teaching inspires and engages pupils fully in their learning. For example, in a Year 1 lesson the teacher’s well-planned lesson engaged and challenged pupils so that they developed good problem solving strategies for ordering and subtracting numbers. In a literacy lesson in the Year 1/2 class, enthusiastic teaching and good involvement of pupils ensured they were excited by their learning and came up with a good range of similes, for example, ‘as black as the dark night sky’ or ‘bleeding as red as a ruby’. In less successful lessons, work is not well enough matched to pupils’ needs and questioning does not challenge or involve pupils in responding, and these slow progress. For example, in a guided reading session, independent groups were copying from books rather than having

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Quality of teaching

work well matched to their specific reading needs. In some lessons marking, targets and self-assessment are used well to promote effective learning, but this is not yet consistent practice across the school. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs through focused small group work. Pupils at an early stage of learning English have good opportunities to practise their language skills through the use of games and drama. Homework plays a useful role in consolidating learning. The school has recently audited parents’ and carers’ views in order to increase their involvement in reading at home with their children.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers make good use of topics, visits and visitors to interest and engage pupils in their learning. They promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Teachers ensure pupils have opportunities to work together on tasks and involve them in writing their own class charters and learning about cultures 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

represented within the school through, for example, celebrating Diwali.

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Quality of teaching

Although the vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire consider that their children are taught well, inspection evidence shows that teaching is satisfactory.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school provides a safe environment for pupils and all parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire agree. Staff ensure that pupils learn about safety through, for example, visits from the fire and police services and pupils report any unsafe apparatus to school staff.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

There is a consistent approach to managing behaviour and this ensures good behaviour in lessons and around the school. Behaviour over time has also been good. The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire agree that behaviour is good. Pupils, including those new to the school and those from different cultural backgrounds think that the school is a very friendly place and they all get on well with each other. Attendance is average and pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

School records and discussions with pupils confirm that any form of bullying is rare. Pupils say that there are only occasional minor issues but that they are quickly dealt with by staff. The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire agree that the school deals well with any bullying issues.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and senior leaders have an accurate view of the school and a determination to bring about further improvement after a prolonged period of long- and short-term staffing issues that have adversely affected school development. Good support from the local authority has given them clear guidance and increased focus, which the school has fully embraced. However, senior staff and governors acknowledge the need for greater rigour in monitoring the impact of their work in key areas, for example pupils’ progress and teaching and learning.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders now monitor pupils’ progress carefully. There are regular pupil progress meetings to ensure that any pupils falling behind are fully supported through individual programmes or small group interventions in order to accelerate their progress. The school has worked hard to ensure that girls’ progress has accelerated and in this it has been successful. This demonstrates an improving commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination, as well as together with the growing impact of professional development. Despite successful developments in some aspects of the school’s work, effective leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has not been secured. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning takes place. It is being further developed to determine its wider impact on pupils’ learning and to improve its quality; for example, through work sampling and Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Leadership and management

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

pupil progress meetings. Additionally, any satisfactory teaching is being carefully monitored and coaching is provided to improve its quality. The school has addressed the key issues from the previous inspection; it has sought support where needed and progress is accelerating. This shows that the school has the capacity for sustained future improvement.

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Leadership and management

Members of the governing body provide effective support and an increasing level of challenge through greater involvement in the school’s work. There is close attention to safeguarding, which meets all statutory requirements, and ensuring a secure learning environment. There are productive links with parents and carers who are positive about the school’s overall provision. Effective support for parents and carers of pupils with English as an additional language through, for example, coffee mornings and the support of a translator, ensures their inclusion in the life of the school. Additionally, an annual ‘10 weeks in’ meeting for parents with children in the Reception classes provides information and guidance on the school’s provision. Close and fruitful links with the junior school ensure a smooth transition as well as providing Year 6 reading buddies for pupils in Year 2.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is satisfactory rather than good because in some lessons work is not always well matched to pupils’ needs. It is enhanced well by visits, for example those to Marwell Zoo and a beach study as well as after-school clubs. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through its caring ethos, regular collective worship and social activities such as dance and drama clubs.

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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 Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school. Your school is giving you a satisfactory education. This means that it does some things well but some things still need to be improved.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

Here are some of the best things about your school.  Your headteacher and all the staff are working hard to make your school better.  You behave well in lessons and around the school and enjoy working on tasks together.  You enjoy all the visits, visitors and after-school clubs that are on offer.  You feel very safe in school and are confident that adults will take good care of you.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

These are the things we have asked your school to do to help you learn even more.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

 Help those of you in Reception to learn more quickly by planning carefully for your independent activities and ensuring all adults support you in ways that help you learn even better. Ensure that leaders are clear about what is good learning for you and work hard to ensure you do really well.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

 Ensure all teachers question you in a way that will develop your understanding more fully, always provide work that is at the right level so you can make the best possible progress and mark your work helpfully to ensure you know your targets and how to improve.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

 Ensure that any new plans to improve your learning are carried out fully by all staff.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

You can help by continuing to work hard and enjoying your learning.

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Inspection of Nyewood Infant School, Bognor Regis PO21 5NW

Janet Sinclair 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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