Chalfont St Giles Infant School and Nursery

Chalfont St Giles Infant School and Nursery School Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, HP8 4JJ

p.1

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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well, making good progress in Years 1 and 2 and outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Teaching is good, with examples of outstanding teaching. Teachers plan interesting activities that help pupils to want to learn.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour enables them to concentrate well in class and to be polite and helpful around the school. They feel very safe.  Leaders are clear about what needs to be done to make the school even better. The school is improving.  The leadership and management of teaching is good, and members of staff receive clear guidance on how they can improve.  Governance is strong and provides effective challenge and support in all the school does.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported very well through the school’s ‘gems’ system, which identifies behaviour that helps pupils learn.  The headteacher provides valued support for

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are occasions when teachers do not give all pupils hard enough work or move them on to new work quickly enough.  Teachers do not always check that all pupils are taking enough notice of marking.  Pupils are not consistently expected to produce their best writing and some make errors in their spelling and punctuation.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed teaching in 16 lessons, two jointly with the headteacher, and a further tour was made of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, teachers, pupils, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  The inspectors took into account 56 responses to the online Parent View survey and held informal discussions with a sample of parents and carers.  The inspectors considered the views expressed in survey responses from 27 members of staff.  A range of information supplied by the school was scrutinised, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents, checks on the quality of teaching, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding documents.

p.2

Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Westall Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This school is of average size.  About one in 25 pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs are supported through school action. One in 20 pupils is supported through school action plus or has a statement of special educational needs. These figures are below average.  Approximately a fourteenth of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (additional money provided by the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority, and the children of service families). This is well below the national average. Currently, there are no children in local authority care or from service families at the school.  The school is in a ‘hard federation’ with a junior school, which means the two schools have the same headteacher and governing body. The junior school was inspected separately in July 2012.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move more of the good teaching to outstanding by making sure that pupils are always expected to complete hard enough work and that time is not lost repeating work that is already mastered.  Make sure that pupils consistently produce their best writing and make use of the skills they have learned, including in spelling and punctuation.  Check that pupils respond to the comments teachers write on their work.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good because pupils make good progress and attainment is above average by the end of Year 2. For example, in reading, pupils read with expression and can talk about the text. They know how they can improve and make comments such as ‘I could sound out more (words), but I’m quite good at that.’  Attainment in the current Year 2 is on target to be lower than in recent years, reflecting the lower starting points of the pupils in this year group. While pupils achieve well overall, especially in mathematics and reading, they do not consistently produce their best writing and some pupils make errors in spelling and punctuation.  Most children start school working within the levels expected for their age, although there is significant variation from year to year. They make outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they learn especially quickly when working independently. For

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

example, children in the Reception Year were able to compare prices in the role-play ice-cream parlour and knew that the ice cream was ‘more expensive’ than the lollipops.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Recent developments have had a positive impact this year. Progress has been monitored rigorously and consequently work is more sharply focused on what the pupils need to learn next.  Pupils who are known to be entitled to the pupil premium funding make good progress and the attainment gap between them and other pupils at the school is closing. In the most recent national assessments at the end of Year 2, these pupils were about a term behind others at the school in English and mathematics.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching and learning are good, with examples of outstanding teaching, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where members of staff are very skilled in providing timely and sensitive support when children are working independently. For example, in the Reception classes, children were supported very well as they chose to rewrite a story they had heard. In the Nursery, skilful questioning enabled children to learn very quickly about insects, using books and magnifiers to help them to find out more.  A significant proportion of teaching is lively and enthusiastic and this supports pupils especially well in their behaviour and in developing positive relationships. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to discuss their learning with each other. For example, in Year 1 when testing the absorbency of materials, pupils made valuable comments that showed they were predicting carefully, such as ‘This one will not work, it will get too soggy.’

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Very good use is made of interesting resources to motivate the pupils and to hold their attention. For example, in mathematics in Year 2, pupils were very excited about measuring the girth of trees to help calculate their likely age.  Lessons have a clear structure enabling pupils to understand what they are to learn. In Year 2, pupils listed adjectives before writing sentences to describe mystery objects.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) are taught well and pupils use this knowledge well in their reading. For example, when learning about letters and sounds, pupils in Year 1 enjoyed the cartoon about how ‘e’ at the end of the word altered the vowel sound in the middle. However, some pupils do not consistently make use of this knowledge when writing independently.  Teaching is not yet outstanding because there are occasions when pupils are not expected to complete hard enough work or when pupils go over work they have already mastered. For

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

example, pupils carried on with the same mathematical calculations when they were ready to move on to something different.  Teachers often write helpful comments on pupils’ work to show them how they can do better next time, but do not always check that pupils respond to this advice straight away. As a result, the advice does not always have enough impact in helping pupils to improve.  Pupils appreciate the interesting homework they receive, especially the mathematics games.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are very keen to learn because they respect their teachers and develop very positive relationships with them. The school promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination robustly, so that all pupils are enabled to take part and learn well.  Parents and carers, and pupils, are happy with the exemplary behaviour at school. Pupils are very polite and friendly, and enjoy helping others by being play leaders or ‘talk partners’ (partners identified for them to discuss work with in lessons). Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make choices about their work without adult help and share resources well. They show consideration for others. For example, in the Nursery, one child showed concern for another by asking ‘Are you happy?’  The well-established ‘gems’ system to promote personal qualities is fully understood by the pupils because teachers constantly refer to these desirable learning behaviours during lessons.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

For example, pupils in Year 2 understood the importance of ‘amethyst power’ by very maturely including everyone’s ideas during discussions.  Pupils say that they feel very safe at school and they have a thorough grasp of the importance of safety. For example, they can explain how helmets protect you when you fall off your bike and know that it is important to stay safe when using the internet. They are happy about speaking to members of staff or play leaders if they have a problem they need to discuss, and say that any form of bullying is very rare and dealt with straight away by the teachers.  Pupils’ enjoyment of school is evident in their smiles and laughter. They say that they especially enjoy taking part in lessons where they are actively involved and when they are learning new things.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has established a very clear sense of direction for the school and members of staff work together well as a team to continue to develop the school.  The leadership and management of teaching and learning are good. Leaders check up on how well teachers are doing frequently and areas for development are linked to the needs of individuals and the school as a whole. Leaders are not yet securing outstanding teaching and achievement, and are right to focus on moving more of the good teaching to outstanding. Good and better teaching has been successfully consolidated since the last inspection, despite a number of unavoidable long-term staff absences.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key strength of the school and members of staff have high expectations for moral and social behaviour. For example, in a whole-school assembly, pupils were asked probing questions enabling them to

p.5

The leadership and management are good

consider qualities needed to be an effective leader. Pupils show their appreciation of art through their artwork in the style of Lowry and Banksy.  The curriculum supports learning well and ensures that pupils learn new skills quickly. Pupils do not consistently make good use of the skills they have learned when writing and do not always complete work at the level of which they are capable. Nevertheless, they are prepared well for the next stage of education and later life.  The money the school receives through the pupil premium is used effectively to support the pupils involved. The funding provides additional small-group teaching and places at the breakfast club.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are robust. All those who work with the pupils are checked for their suitability and are fully trained in how to care for the pupils.  The local authority provides the right level of light-touch support for this school which they

p.5

The leadership and management are good

regard as outstanding, and the headteacher is a valued and valuable asset in the local authority, providing support and guidance for schools that are requiring improvement.  There are close links between the school and parents that support pupils in their learning. Parents typically make comments such as ‘The school is welcoming and involves parents’ and ‘The teachers are so lovely.’  The governance of the school:  Governors are thoroughly informed and understand the school’s strengths and remaining areas for development. They carry out their roles and responsibilities with rigour and know how to analyse school data. They understand how well the attainment of pupils compares with that in other schools. They know that good teaching is rewarded and weaker teaching challenged and developed. They have a clear understanding about how good teaching is as a whole but governors do not yet receive full information about how well teachers are improving

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 110214 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 412480

p.8

School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Eleanor O'Connor Headteacher Elen Peal Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2008 Telephone number 01494 872160 Fax number 01494 870560 Email address Infantoffice@csgvillageschool.org 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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9