Wisborough Green Primary School

School report Wisborough Green Primary School Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, Billingshurst, RH14 0EE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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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This is a good school

 Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics during their time in the school.  Good teaching ensures that pupils learn successfully. Effective planning, good use of resources and interesting topics ensure that pupils enjoy their learning and are keen to do well.  Support staff make a good contribution to the effective learning of small groups and individuals.  Strong, supportive leadership by the headteacher and the commitment of all staff and governors secure good quality provision for all pupils.  The school is an orderly, caring community. Consequently, pupils behave well and are kind and caring towards each other. They feel very safe in school and are confident of adult support should they need it.  There is rigorous tracking of pupils’ progress so that any pupils falling behind are quickly identified and given targeted support so that they catch up.  Exciting topics such as ‘Out of this World’ in

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This is a good school

Key Stage 2 and ‘Adventures on the Seven Seas’ in the Reception class and Key Stage 1, and events such as The Victorian Christmas Bazaar enrich the curriculum and develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always provide enough opportunities for practical problem solving in mathematics. Additionally, teachers do not always ensure that pupils respond to their marking and this limits pupils’ involvement in their learning.  Leaders do not always make sure that the success criteria for key improvements are measurable and so do not always clearly know how successful they have been.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons or part lessons of which one was a joint observation with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, a local authority officer, the leadership team and other senior staff.  Inspectors took account of the 65 responses to the online Parent View survey. They also spoke to a few parents and carers who brought their children to school.  They observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and checks on the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors listened to pupils reading in Years 2 and Year 6.

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Inspection team

Janet Sinclair, Lead inspector Additional inspector Joyce Lydford Additional inspector Christopher Crouch Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Wisborough Green is a smaller than average size primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The vast majority of pupils are White British.  The number of pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils in local authority care, those from armed forces families or those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  None of the school’s pupils receives alternative provision (taught elsewhere).  The school has a breakfast club managed by the governing body.  A new headteacher was appointed in September 2010.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to further raise achievement by:  ensuring pupils are given more opportunities to solve practical real-life problems in mathematics  giving pupils time to respond to teachers’ marking so that they are more involved in their learning.  Ensure that all aspects of school improvement have clear and measurable success criteria so that senior staff and governors know more accurately how well they have done.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment is above average in English and mathematics for pupils currently in Year 6. A minority of them are working at the higher Level 6 in their English and mathematics (the expected level for 15 year olds). Their progress is particularly good.  Progress across the rest of the school is almost always good. Improved tracking enables the school to check quickly on pupils who are not doing well enough and put support in place to ensure they catch up. This helps to ensure equality of opportunity and discourages any discrimination.  Children start school with skills and abilities that are typical for their age and sometimes better. They mainly make good progress due to effective provision and good relationships.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils. This is because they are quickly identified and monitored by the special educational needs

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The achievement of pupils is good

coordinator and both she and teaching assistants provide effective small-group and individual support that ensures pupils make good progress.  The very small proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium funding perform well. The school uses the funding effectively to provide a range of measures that improve pupils’ progress in English and mathematics and boost their confidence. Their attainment in national tests at the end of Key Stage 2, including their average point score (a method of measuring attainment), is better than the national average for their group. Their progress is also better than the national average for their group.  The school ensures pupils achieve well in reading through well-planned guided reading sessions in Key Stage 2 that focus well on key skills. Regular reading challenges also encourage pupils to read and enjoy books.  Pupils’ writing skills are good. This is due to a successful focus on spelling, punctuation and

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The achievement of pupils is good

grammar. Additionally, topics are used very well as opportunities for extended writing.  Effective teaching of letters and sounds enabled pupils in Year 1 to attain above the national average in the 2012 national phonics screening check.  Although progress in mathematics is good overall, there is not enough emphasis on pupils solving practical problems related to real-life situations and this slows progress. When pupils do get the chance for practical work, as was seen in a Year 4 mathematics lesson about shape, pupils were fully engaged and made good gains in their mathematical understanding.  Pupils who attend the well-organised breakfast club enjoy a hearty breakfast that sets them up well for the school day.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good and occasionally outstanding. It is characterised by well-planned and organised lessons, strong relationships and effective use of resources that stimulate and engage pupils effectively. For example, in Year 1, pirates’ treasure was used well to get pupils to write sentences describing the objects that made up the treasure.  Teachers plan well for guided reading. They make sure that the activities are interesting and work is well matched to pupils’ learning needs and this ensures pupils learn well. Pupils say that they enjoy guided reading because there is a clear routine and they can get on quickly.  There is much evidence of effective marking, particularly in English, but teachers do not always ensure pupils have time to respond fully or involve them enough in setting the next steps in their learning and this limits their involvement in improving their work.  Pupils enjoy the opportunities they get to work together. For example in Year 2 they enjoyed the

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The quality of teaching is good

opportunity to work in pairs and discuss the strategies for making 50p using only silver coins. In this lesson, the teacher also extended the learning of higher-attaining pupils by getting them to use decimals when making amounts in excess of £1 and £10.  Effective use of teaching assistants ensures they make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium applies.  Homework is used well to support pupils’ learning in school. It is linked well to the topics pupils are studying as well as focusing on their reading and mathematical skills.  Children in the Reception class are inquisitive learners. For example, they enjoyed exploring the ice that had formed on a bowl of coloured water. They also make good progress through teacher-led activities, for example in developing their knowledge of letters and sounds.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons, around the school and in breakfast club. They know the expectations for their behaviour and work and play well together. Very occasionally, where teaching is less effective, pupils lose interest and become fidgety.  Pupils are clear about what bullying is, particularly as a result of what they learnt in anti-bullying week. They say that there is very little bullying, mainly some name calling or minor disagreements that are quickly sorted out by staff. The school keeps appropriate records, but recorded incidents of bullying or racism are extremely rare.  Pupils feel safe in school and know that there is always someone they can go to if they have any concerns. They appreciate the fact that they can share any concerns through using the ‘worry box’ or talking things through with the headteacher, if necessary.  Pupils have good attitudes to school and are kind and caring towards each other. Older pupils

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

particularly enjoy the responsibility of looking after Reception class children in the playground when they are new to the school.  Attendance is good and the school has worked hard to improve this, particularly through reducing the amount of holidays taken in term-time.  The school provides a safe environment for its pupils. Staff ensure pupils develop safety awareness through, for example, cycling proficiency training and talks on e-safety. Policies and procedures for behaviour and safeguarding are fully in place.  The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the online Parent View survey agree that behaviour is good and their children are safe in school. School staff are also in full agreement. Inspection evidence confirms these views are accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 Effective leadership ensures a clear sense of direction and a strong focus on continuing improvement within a supportive nurturing environment. As a result, progress across the school is good and accelerating, and teaching is effective. This indicates that there is capacity for further improvement.  Senior and subject leaders are fully involved, both in setting the direction of the school and taking responsibility for their subjects and aspects. This ensures that they have a good grasp of key improvement areas and their responsibilities within these.  School self-evaluation is accurate. The school development plan and subject action plans are clearly set out to ensure key areas are tackled systematically and governors and staff are fully involved in monitoring progress. However, the success criteria are not always sufficiently specific or measurable to enable leaders to clearly see how successful they have been.

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The leadership and management are good

 Monitoring of teaching and learning is wide-ranging and effective and includes checks on teachers’ planning, work sampling and drop-ins as well as detailed lesson observations. This ensures that the headteacher and senior leaders have a clear view of teaching quality and what needs to be done to improve it further. Effective feedback to staff helps them to reflect on their teaching and how they can improve their practice.  The process of setting individual and whole-school targets for all staff and ensuring they are met is fully in place. However senior leaders do not always ensure that measures of success are specific enough so occasionally full accountability for performance is lost.  The curriculum offers wide and interesting opportunities for pupils to develop their skills through interesting topics. A good range of visits, visitors and after-school clubs enriches the curriculum well.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils are very polite

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The leadership and management are good

and courteous towards each other and adults. They know right from wrong and enjoy social activities.  There are very good links with parents and carers who are very supportive of the school and appreciate the fact that their children are very happy and achieve well and any issues are dealt with quickly.  The school receives light touch support from the local authority.  The governance of the school:  The governing body fulfils its statutory duties well. Governors have a good knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning because the headteacher keeps them informed and they visit classes regularly so they can see for themselves. They make sure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place so that pupils and staff are kept safe. They carefully monitor the school’s finances including the pupil premium funding and how it is spent. They have a much clearer idea of how well pupils in the school are doing due to the improved

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The leadership and management are good

tracking that is in place and regular updates from the headteacher. All governors undertake appropriate training so that they develop their knowledge and skills and are well informed of local and national initiatives. They are involved in setting performance management targets for the headteacher and know that there is a similar process for staff. Consequently, they know how the performance of staff links to increases in salary.

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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 125860 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 412166

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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 165 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tom Dewar Headteacher Trudy Emberson Date of previous school inspection 1 July 2009 Telephone number 01403 700280 Fax number 01403 700102 Email address head@wisboroughgreen.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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