Oak Tree Primary School

Manor Field Primary School Junction Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0PZ

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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.  Good teaching that is well matched to pupils’ needs enables all pupils to make good progress. Lessons are interesting and develop a wide range of skills.  Pupils’ achievement is good overall. Older pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Children enjoy coming to school and are proud to belong to Manor Field. Relationships between pupils, families and school staff are very positive.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They show kindness and tolerance and respect for each other. They are eager to learn and participate in school life.  The provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is a particular strength: diversity is valued and promoted positively.  The school has improved since its last inspection because the headteacher and her senior team check pupils’ progress and the quality of their work regularly. They quickly implement action to improve any

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

shortcomings.  Governors have a clear, accurate view of the school. They check carefully that all improvements are rapid and effective.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching in every year group.  Pupils do not always know what they should do next in mathematics.  The presentation of pupils’ work is not always of the highest standard.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons. For some lesson observations, inspectors were accompanied by school leaders. Inspectors also made shorter visits to classes to observe pupils working.  Inspectors heard some pupils read and looked at a wide range of pupils’ workbooks. Teachers’ planning was scrutinised.  Inspectors spoke to pupils informally about school life at breaks and lunchtimes, and observed their behaviour around the large school site.  Inspectors were able to meet and talk to parents as they dropped off their children. Inspectors also looked at the online questionnaire (Parent View) and took account of the 69 responses, as well as some letters and emails from parents.  Inspectors took into account 46 staff questionnaires. They also met with a number of governors and a representative from the local authority.  Behaviour and bullying records were thoroughly checked, as were the school’s documents for

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Information about this inspection

tracking pupils’ progress.  Safeguarding records were closely examined and pupils’ attendance documents checked.  Inspectors paid particular attention to the attendance and progress records of those pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding.

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Inspection team

Louise Pearce, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Valere Cobb Additional Inspector Anthony Byrne Additional Inspector Fiona Robinson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school. Pupils are taught in 20 single-year-group classes.  The majority of children are of White British heritage. A small minority of pupils are from Gypsy/Roma families.  There is a breakfast club and after-school care that are not managed by the school’s governing body.  The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs and those who are supported through school action plus is higher than average; the proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported by school action is lower than average.  The number of pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium, additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and the children of service families, is below average.  The school meets the current floor standards, which set out the government’s minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress throughout the school by:  improving teachers’ written feedback to pupils in their workbooks, and expecting pupils to respond to this marking  ensuring that pupils always know what they have to do next in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Insist that pupils’ presentation of their work is always of the highest standard.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement is good because when they join the school their levels of skills and knowledge are what might be expected for their age and by the time they leave they are attaining levels that are above average. Inspectors saw clear evidence that standards are rising rapidly in Key Stage 2.  Pupils achieve consistently good standards in reading. This is because teachers plan carefully for the pupils and match work to their needs. A good range of books and reading materials is used and this gains pupils’ interest and engagement. For example, older pupils were observed reading and responding to poetry from the First World War. They each assumed a character and planned a poem of their own describing their feelings. Pupils clearly demonstrated their understanding and empathy.  Younger pupils are learning to read and spell to a good standard more quickly than in the past. This is because the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) has improved

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The achievement of pupils is good

rapidly. It is now very well organised, closely matched to pupils’ needs and taught in an engaging way.  Pupils’ writing standards are now improving rapidly to match their high achievement in reading. However, pupils sometimes do not put enough care into the presentation of their work.  Achievement in the Early Years’ Foundation Stage is good for all groups of children including those who have special educational needs. This is because all the staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. Reading, writing and communication skills are a high priority and thoughtfully planned so that all pupils achieve well.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs across the school make good progress and the attainment of Gypsy/Roma pupils is improving.  The average point scores of all groups of pupils supported by the pupil premium show that in 2012 these pupils did as well as similar pupils nationally in mathematics at the end of Key Stage

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The achievement of pupils is good

2, but less well in English. However, their attainment was lower in both subjects than that of other pupils in the school. Current information from the school’s own progress records shows that this gap is closing very quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because it nearly always meets the needs of the individual pupils. Staff plan carefully to make sure the work set is at the right level and all pupils are expected to work hard and to give their best effort.  When teaching is good or better, lessons are introduced with interesting subject matter and crisp explanations. Pupils are expected to contribute fully to discussions and plan their work carefully; they respond to this challenge with articulate comments and thoughtful work. In the outstanding lessons, teachers make sure that there is ample opportunity for pupils to show what they had learned in extended pieces of work.  In English lessons pupils know what they have to do to improve their work and are shown techniques for making their writing better. Pupils’ enjoyment of and engagement in these lessons is very good.  Mathematics teaching is sound and teachers’ subject knowledge is good. Pupils learn skills and

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The quality of teaching is good

formal methods that help them to make progress and teachers ensure that they acquire good number skills. However, teachers’ feedback to pupils in mathematics is not as useful as in English and pupils sometimes do not know what they have to do next.  In a few lessons, teachers’ explanations are too long or not clear enough. Occasionally, too many short pieces of work are set, rather than pupils being challenged to work in a sustained way for longer periods of time on more complex tasks.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is usually thorough but pupils often do not have the chance to respond to this feedback and so improve their work.  Most teachers make good use of questioning to check that all pupils understand the work being covered before pupils settle down to their tasks for the lesson. This ensures that any misconceptions can be addressed and extra help given if required. It also helps teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

challenge higher-attaining pupils.  The teaching of science is particularly good.  The curriculum is rich and interesting for all pupils and fully contributes to their enjoyment of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is good; they participate fully and enthusiastically. There is no disruption of lessons because all staff have high expectations and remind pupils very often of the required standard of concentration. Pupils’ behaviour is not outstanding because in a few lessons they are too passive and uninvolved.  Pupils are quiet, well mannered and orderly as they move around the large school site. Staff are vigilant and carefully manage groups of pupils to ensure this good standard of behaviour.  Pupils feel safe at school and almost all parents agree. Pupils know that adults will help them with any problems. Records of behaviour are thorough and allow the school to plan carefully for pupils who require extra help to behave well. As a result, exclusions, which were high in previous years, have reduced very considerably.  The school promotes its values of respect, kindness and equality very clearly and staff regularly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

refer to these in lessons. This contributes to a very positive environment that is commented on by parents, staff and pupils. Pupils understand that discrimination of any kind will be tackled robustly. Bullying incidents are rare but are dealt with firmly when they occur.  All safeguarding procedures are thorough and meet the required standard.  Pupils’ attendance is in line with similar schools. The school has a number of pupils who have complex medical needs and cannot always attend school regularly; the school has good procedures for supporting these pupils and their families.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and her new leadership team are determined to ensure that pupils’ good progress is everyone’s highest priority. Lessons are observed frequently and leaders make sure that any improvements required are put in place rapidly. These improvements are then checked regularly to make sure that they are effective.  Staff training is good and helps teaching to improve. Writing was identified as needing rapid work after a drop in pupils’ outcomes in national tests in 2012. Leaders quickly put into place new teaching programmes and trained staff to deliver them effectively and, as a result, standards are rising.  The staff are committed to the continuing improvement of Manor Field and are proud to work at the school. Some staff feel that they need more training to be fully effective and school leaders are responding appropriately.  The new leadership team has acted quickly and firmly to hold all staff accountable for how well

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The leadership and management are good

pupils are progressing. This has proved an effective spur to the improvement of teaching and the raising of pupils’ levels of attainment.  Leadership is not yet outstanding because responsibility for improving teaching has only been shared with subject leaders relatively recently. These middle leaders are developing their roles well, are already beginning to monitor effectively the progress of pupils and have implemented some effective measures, such as those to improve phonics teaching.  The local authority is providing effective support to the school and has been particularly helpful in supporting improvements in the teaching of English and phonics.  Governors, parents and staff are confident that the headteacher is providing a clear direction for the school and that her energetic, committed leadership helps all pupils to enjoy school and do well. Inspectors agree and judge that the school has good capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they are actively involved in looking at pupils’ progress data and gathering the views of staff, families and pupils. They use this information to make sharply focused plans for improvement. Working closely with the headteacher, they evaluate the leadership of teaching across the school and plan staff recruitment to strengthen it.  Governors check on school initiatives carefully to assess their impact on pupils’ progress. In particular, they hold the school to account for its use of the pupil premium funding to ensure that eligible pupils achieve as well as their peers.  Governors are managing resources effectively and have taken clear action to ensure that salary increases for staff reflect good quality teaching.

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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 125930 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 402364

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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 520 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Margaret Foote Headteacher Ms Kit Messenger Date of previous school inspection 10 – 11 March 2011 Telephone number 01444 4233368 Fax number 01444 870770 Email address school@wsgfl.org.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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