Colgate Primary School

Colgate Primary School Blackhouse Road, Horsham, West Sussesx, RH13 6HS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  School leaders have established a culture of high expectations and a positive climate for learning in which all pupils achieve well, both academically and personally.  Pupils make good progress across the school and reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are above average by the end of Year 6.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates because they receive good support.  Teaching across the school is typically good with an increasing proportion that is outstanding.  Staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently and so pupils feel safe and they behave well. They enjoy working and playing together, reflecting the school’s good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They settle well into classroom routines and they work and play

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

happily together.  School leaders have successfully addressed issues from the previous inspection, demonstrating that they have capacity to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough to ensure that pupils make outstanding progress. Not all pupils are given enough opportunities to work independently or to read widely enough.  Although the school knows its strengths and weaknesses, this is not always clear in its action plans and there is not enough emphasis to show how the school is to develop in the longer term.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited nine lessons or parts of lessons taught by five teachers. She listened to pupils read and scrutinised their work. Some lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, members of the governing body and parents and carers. The inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.  Among the documents scrutinised were school development plans, pupils’ assessment and tracking information, minutes from meetings of the governing body and documents relating to safeguarding pupils.  The inspector took account of the 15 responses to the Parent View online survey as well as results from the questionnaire administered by the headteacher to establish the views of parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average primary school in which pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, for which the school receives additional income, is lower than average.  The proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups is lower than average. There are no pupils who are in the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion of pupils who are supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher joined the school in January 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that a higher proportion is outstanding by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to work independently  making wider use of good quality books in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve school development planning by: – ensuring a close match between the outcomes of self-evaluation and actions for improvement − including a focus on the vision for long-term development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well throughout the school. From starting points that are broadly as expected for children of their age, they work hard and they make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, their standards are above average. They speak clearly and listen to teachers and to each other attentively and they confidently use information and communication technology (ICT) to assist them in their work.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates. The pupil premium funding has been used to provide additional support for those pupils who are at risk of falling behind. This has included additional staffing to provide one-to- one support for pupils, which has enabled them to make good progress. It has also been used to provide enrichment activities for more-able pupils within the group.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage enjoy school and they make good progress in most

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The achievement of pupils is good

aspects of their development. Many count to 20 and use their knowledge of phonics (letters and sounds) to read and write simple sentences. They speak confidently and they share and take turns. They are curious and enjoy the opportunities they have to investigate and find things out for themselves.  Pupils enjoy reading. By the end of Year 2, most read fluently using skills, including phonics, to read unknown words. They talk about their favourite parts of the story and predict what might happen next. By the end of Year 6, they select books to find information or to read for pleasure. They particularly enjoy reading lively and entertaining stories about history to learn about life in the past. However, they do not always have access to enough high-quality books to support their learning in lessons.  Pupils’ skills in writing have improved since the last inspection and are now good. They write confidently in many subjects, choosing vocabulary to interest the reader. In mathematics, they

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The achievement of pupils is good

explain the way they solve written problems. Pupils in Year 6 were given information about a day in the life of a farmer. They enjoyed analysing this information to produce a written timetable to ensure he completed all his tasks on time. Pupils respond well to teachers’ efforts to provide opportunities to use their writing skills in a range of subjects but have too few occasions when they can take the initiative and work independently.  In mathematics, pupils use their knowledge of number well to solve problems. Pupils in Year 4 used multiplication facts to create a Venn Diagram to show how multiples of numbers fitted into different groups. This was a challenging task which enabled them to make good progress in understanding number patterns associated with multiplication facts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good. All teachers have high expectations of their pupils and this enables pupils to make good progress. Teaching is typically lively and engaging and provides plenty of practical experiences. In a Year 1/2 lesson, pupils had to share cubes among a number of ‘hungry wolves’ to develop their understanding of sharing. They were encouraged to use correct mathematical vocabulary such as ‘remainders’ and ‘division’.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults carefully observe children and use this information to plan learning tasks to meet their needs. There is a good balance of activities that are led by adults and those that children select for themselves. Children work and play indoors and outside. During the inspection, a group of children were fascinated by the movement of leaves blowing in the wind as they tried to catch and count them.  Teachers make good use of assessment information to plan lessons that meet the needs of all

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils. The purpose of the lesson is made clear to pupils so that they understand what they are expected to learn. Most lessons build on previous learning so that pupils develop their skills continuously.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons, teachers use imaginative methods to capture pupils’ interest. They use ICT effectively to introduce their lessons. They ask questions that challenge pupils and make them work hard. Pupils are encouraged to speak and to share their ideas with ‘talk partners’ and this gives them confidence to express their views.  Teachers usually plan interesting activities that challenge pupils. In a Year 3/4 lesson, pupils had to create an additional character to add to the story, The Lion and the Unicorn. They used their imagination to create the character and to select appropriate describing words to portray their character. Pupils benefited from this challenging activity and made good progress as a result.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning throughout lessons and alter their plans where necessary. They make good use of resources but pupils do not always have enough access to a wide range of books to strengthen their understanding. Although teaching assistants make a valuable

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The quality of teaching is good

contribution to lessons, they occasionally remain with individual pupils or a group of pupils and this prevents these pupils from developing their independent learning skills.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly. They provide helpful comments telling pupils what they have done well and what they need to do to improve and correct their work. All pupils have individual targets for English and mathematics. Pupils’ workbooks show that they work hard and make good progress in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and they behave well. They listen carefully to teachers and show respect towards adults and each other. They get on well together regardless of background and are considerate towards the feelings of others. They are polite and friendly and will go out of their way to help each other.  Staff have consistent approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour so pupils understand what is expected of them. Classroom routines are well established and this means that little time is wasted in lessons. Incidents of low-level disruption are rare so that lessons proceed calmly. Pupils attend school regularly and are punctual to lessons.  Pupils say they feel safe in school because adults care for them. They understand different forms of bullying, such as that related to prejudice, and cyber-bullying. They say there is no bullying but that adults are on hand to sort out any disagreements that occasionally arise. School records

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

show no reported incidents of racist behaviour or bullying and there have been no exclusions in recent years. Pupils are aware of the need to keep safe and understand the dangers outside school, for example, substance and tobacco abuse and the need to take care on the roads.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage behave well. They are sensible and during the inspection it was clear that they had quickly settled into classroom routines. They feel safe and secure and are developing confidence in speaking to each other and responding to the teachers’ questions when in a large group.  Parents and carers agree that behaviour is good and that their children are well looked after. They say that the school has a strong family atmosphere and that pupils and adults get on well together.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders are ambitious and have high expectations for pupils and staff. Since joining the school, the headteacher has built on the strengths of the previous leadership. She has established strong teamwork among staff and morale is high. School leaders have successfully addressed the issues from the last inspection and have capacity to improve further.  School leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They use a range of data, including that relating to pupils’ achievement, to identify priorities. However, although the actions for improvement in the current development plan are appropriate, they do not link closely enough to the findings from self-evaluation. There is not enough emphasis on planning for the school’s development in the longer term.  School leaders check the work of staff and set targets for improvement. There is a programme

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The leadership and management are good

of professional development that takes into account the training needs of staff. There are clear links between the quality of teaching and salary progression. Consequently, the quality of teaching has improved and pupils’ achievement has risen since the previous inspection. The school receives light touch support from the local authority and responds positively to advice given.  The curriculum is well organised to meet the needs of mixed-age classes. It provides rich and stimulating experiences for pupils and helps them to develop their skills across a range of subjects. Classroom activities are supported by a wide range of visits to local places of interest, including a residential visit for pupils in Year 6. This makes a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development  School leaders are aware of the needs of a small number of pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable. They have used support from external agencies to provide

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The leadership and management are good

additional support for these pupils and their families. Staff value pupils for the unique contribution they make to the school. They actively promote equal opportunities by ensuring that all groups of pupils achieve equally well. Discrimination is not tolerated.  All statutory safeguarding requirements are met and are effective in keeping pupils safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  knows the school well and governors regularly arrange visits to classes and meet with subject leaders  analyses performance information to monitor and challenge school leaders, particularly regarding the quality of teaching  is involved in evaluating the work of the school and recognises the need to provide a clearer strategic direction, related more closely to the school’s development plan  meets its statutory responsibilities and ensures that funds, including the pupil premium, are spent wisely  ensures that it is fully up to date on legislation through attendance at appropriate training activities.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 125825 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 402357

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 131 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Bantin Headteacher Kate Powell Date of previous school inspection 10 November 2009 Telephone number 01293 851254 Fax number 01293 851165 Email address admin@colgate.w-sussex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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