Walsh CofE Junior School

Walsh C of E Junior School Ash Street, Ash, Surrey, GU12 6LT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Require improvement 3 Leadership and management Require improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Teaching is not good enough and pupils do not make sufficient progress. Pupils have not made enough progress in mathematics in particular.  Pupils’ achievement in some year groups is weak, and some groups of pupils underperform.  Pupils’ handwriting is poor and their work is often not presented neatly.  Teachers do not expect enough of their pupils. Pupils produce work that is not of sufficient quantity or quality.  Some pupils are easily distracted and do not readily engage with their lessons. Their poor behaviour affects other pupils’ learning.  School leaders and managers, including governors, are taking effective action but this is not yet having a noticeable impact on pupils.

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The school has the following strengths

 School leaders and managers, including governors, are clear about what the school needs to do to improve. Some key improvements have already been achieved, such as higher attendance and more effective behaviour management, and some measures are being taken to improve teaching.  Pupils with special educational needs and pupils in the school’s learning centre make good progress.  The provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development is very strong.  Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending. They feel safe and happy.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection took place over two days. Inspectors observed 24 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 large range of pupils’ workbooks. Teachers’ planning and record-keeping were examined.  Inspectors spoke to pupils informally about school life during breaks and lunchtimes. The breakfast club was also observed, as were two assemblies.  At the start of the day 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 67 responses when planning the inspection activities.  Inspectors received 16 staff questionnaires. They also met with a representative of the local authority and school governors.  Inspectors talked to senior school leaders and analysed the school’s documents for tracking

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ progress. Behaviour records and records of bullying were also scrutinised closely.  Safeguarding records were checked thoroughly and pupils’ attendance documents examined.

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Inspection team

Louise Pearce, Lead inspector Additional inspector Philip Littlejohn Additional inspector Christine Bennett Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average junior school. Pupils transfer to the school from two local infant schools, one of which is on the same site.  Pupils are taught in 12 single-year-group classes, with three classes in each year.  The majority of children are of White British heritage. There are fewer pupils from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds than the national average. A small minority of children are from Gypsy/Roma families.  The school has a much higher-than-average proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported through school action and school action plus, and statemented children. Some 15 of these pupils are based in the specially resourced learning centre for pupils with statements of special educational needs. Most of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties but there are also pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, extra medical needs, and behavioural, emotional and

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Information about this school

social difficulties.  The number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is lower than average.  No pupils attend any alternative provision.  The school runs its own breakfast club and a range of after-school clubs.  The school meets the current floor standards, which set out the government’s minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, particularly of mathematics, in order that significantly more pupils attain at least national average standards, by:  ensuring all work is marked according to a consistent format across the school, including giving pupils specific guidance about the next steps they need to take in order to improve  quickly establishing across the whole school an expectation of neat handwriting and well- presented work  ensuring that the tasks teachers set for pupils are very well matched to their needs.  Rapidly improve pupils’ behaviour in lessons and their ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, especially when working independently, by:  ensuring introductions to lessons are not too lengthy  raising teachers’ expectations of the quantity and quality of work that pupils can produce.  Strengthen the school’s leadership in order that underperformance can be tackled quickly, by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensuring that governors regularly hold school leaders to account for pupils’ progress  further training senior and middle leaders to monitor the school’s quality of teaching.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because by the time they leave the school, pupils’ attainment is lower than that of other pupils nationally, and lower than could be expected given their starting points on entry to the school. This is especially true in mathematics.  First-hand observation of lessons, pupils’ workbooks and pupils’ progress records shows that pupils are making quicker progress in reading and writing than previously. However, it is not fast enough because teachers’ expectations of how much work pupils should do and the required quality are not always sufficiently high.  Recently, pupils’ overall achievement has improved and current lessons show them to be working at an appropriate level of challenge. This is especially the case for younger pupils, whose standard of work is improving rapidly across all subjects.  Pupils’ achievement is improving most rapidly in writing. This is because the English manager

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

has introduced and established good planning for writing that is well matched to the pupils’ needs.  Pupils’ reading standards are below average but rising. Younger pupils know how to use their knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make), which are taught each day. Older pupils are reading challenging books and using their knowledge to produce better standards in their writing. In a Year 6 lesson based on the book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, pupils responded with empathy and produced some interesting writing: ‘The book moved me to tears,’ said one child.  The average point scores of pupils supported by the pupil premium show they are achieving similar standards to their peers at school, and in line with pupil premium pupils nationally. This is because of effective actions by the school to provide extra support, such as the home–school link worker to improve attendance, and a range of extra help for learning, such as one-to-one

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

booster sessions.  Pupils from all backgrounds attain similar standards.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Pupils who attend the learning centre achieve well, better than pupils of similar ability nationally. Spoken language skills are given a high priority and pupils converse well with adults and with their friends.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because its quality is too variable across classes. Teaching is especially weak in mathematics. Inspectors saw clear evidence that teaching has improved recently but it is not yet having a positive enough impact on pupils’ overall attainment.  Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils should be able to do: pupils are praised for working hard when they have done little, given their age and ability. A key feature of the better teaching was the greater demand being placed on pupils.  Pupils’ ability to get on with their work by themselves is too variable; in one lesson a child was able to get a globe to check a place name, but in other lessons dictionaries stood unused even though pupils wanted help with spelling. A very small minority of pupils can only produce work if they are supervised closely by an adult.  In all classes handwriting is poor. Few pupils join their letters confidently and set out their work

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

neatly. This means they write slowly and do not produce as much work as they could.  Teaching in the learning centre is good. Pupils are very settled and happy; they talk freely and confidently about their learning, showing enthusiasm and mastering basic skills steadily. Teaching in the centre is not yet outstanding as there should be an even closer match between pupils’ needs and the tasks they are set. Pupils were observed in an information and communication technology session making dinosaur pictures; they had good concentration and completed their tasks to a high level of skill, naming shapes and colours and working cooperatively at all times.  Younger pupils experience the best teaching. This is especially the case for those pupils who entered the school with below-average attainment. A key feature of this better-quality teaching is the imaginative use of other curriculum areas to enhance pupils’ ability to read and write. In a

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

Second World War topic, pupils pretended to be spies and take secret notes in their spy notebooks: all pupils were thoroughly engaged and produced good-quality written work.  Where teaching is weaker, teachers spend too long introducing subject matter, or do so in a way that does not engage pupils. This leads to a lack of concentration among some pupils, who then produce not enough work, or work of poor quality. In some lessons older pupils spend too long sitting on the carpet awaiting instruction. Pupils’ work is not marked consistently and in line with the school’s marking policy.  Art, design and technology and religious education are taught well, with a range of outside visitors enhancing the pupils’ experiences. In these subjects work is of high quality and pupils are very proud of it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement because a small number of pupils do not engage as much as they should with lessons. They are easily distracted and this slows down learning for the whole class. Governors, parents and staff all agree that this requires rapid improvement.  Pupils’ behaviour in corridors, and at break and lunchtimes is good. Pupils have polite manners and ask adults for playtime equipment. The introduction of playground zones has made break times more orderly.  Pupils feel safe at school and most parents agree. Occasionally bullying occurs but pupils are confident that adults will help sort out any problems. Pupils say behaviour is improving. The school’s record of actions taken in response to bullying incidents is very thorough.  There are positive relationships between adults and pupils because of the school’s ethos, which is clearly promoted by all staff.  Pupils are proud to be part of the school council and they know that the teachers take note of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

their ideas and act on them. This has helped behaviour improve.  Incidents of very poor behaviour and pupil exclusions have declined. This is due to very clear, focused and effective support for some pupils. Records of behaviour are very thorough and are used to plan new support.  Learning centre pupils behave well because of close, individual support.  All safeguarding procedures are thorough and meet the required standard.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because neither pupils’ achievement nor teaching is good. The newly formed leadership team has taken action to raise standards but this has not yet had a discernible impact on all subjects.  The headteacher is clearly holding staff accountable for the progress of their pupils and leading training to improve staff skills in this area, although this has yet to have an impact on pupils’ standards.  Most staff are proud to work at Walsh Junior and are committed to its improvement. However, governors, parents and staff feel that leaders need to be stronger and more focused to drive forward progress, and inspectors agree.  Leaders of some areas, for example English and special educational needs, are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, but this is recent. The actions undertaken are thorough and explained well to other staff members, most of whom adopt them readily.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The local authority and the diocese support the school with appropriate advice, and have supported senior leaders and governors in some key recent improvements.  Provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is strong. Values are clearly communicated in assemblies and by displays in classrooms: this helps foster good relationships, tackle discrimination, and ensure equality of opportunity. Inspectors observed the very inclusive ethos in an assembly where all pupils sang enthusiastically.  School leaders and managers, including governors, demonstrate the capacity to improve the school further.  The governance of the school:  Governors are clear about pupils’ standards at the school and that they require rapid improvement in order to meet those expected nationally. They have engaged fully with headteacher and the local authority in planning for improvement, and have undertaken robust

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The leadership and management require improvement

training themselves. Governors are beginning to hold the school to account for the progress of pupils, including those eligible for the pupil premium, and 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 125156 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 406300

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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 Junior School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 305 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Pauline Baxter Headteacher Sue Roper Date of previous school inspection 9–10 June 2011 Telephone number 01252 329525 Fax number 01252 319184 Email address school@walsh-junior.surrey.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

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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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