Manorfield Primary and Nursery School

Manorfield Primary and Nursery School Sangers Drive, Horley, Surrey, RH6 8AL

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils’ overall achievement requires improvement, because the school does not do enough to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress, and reach the highest levels that they could.  The quality of the teaching is not always strong enough to raise pupils’ achievement to good.  Tasks are not always set at the right level of difficulty. Pupils are not always given enough chances to do their own research, instead of being told.  The quality of marking is not consistent, and pupils are not always given enough guidance on how to improve their work.  Pupils’ writing needs improving. They have too few chances to write on a range of interesting topics. Spelling is weak.  School leaders have not done enough to improve the quality of teaching and make sure that it is consistently good. Some teaching is over-praised. Leaders do not always focus enough on pupils’ learning rather than on teaching styles.  Governors do not always hold leaders to account

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

for the inconsistency in the quality of teaching.  Since the previous inspection the school has improved in some areas but not others. Although attendance has risen and behaviour is now good, teaching and achievement are not yet good.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Governors have successfully kept the school on an even keel through leadership changes.  The new leaders have made significant improvements that have set the school on an upward path.  Pupils behave well and get on well with one another. The school is happy, and is liked by pupils, parents, carers and staff alike. It promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons across a range of subjects, most observed jointly with the acting headteacher or the executive headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, looked at samples of their work, and attended assembly.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and teachers with responsibilities for specific subjects, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and groups of pupils. Inspectors took account of the views of staff in 19 questionnaires.  There were 22 responses to Parent View, the online survey of parents and carers. Inspectors considered these, and also spoke to a number of parents and carers during the inspection.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents including: the school’s own views of how well it is doing; its plans for the future; information on pupils’ attainment and progress; safeguarding information; records relating to behaviour and safety;

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Information about this inspection

and minutes of meetings of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Natalia Power, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Cliff Mainey Additional Inspector Gordon Jackson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Manorfield is a little larger in size than the average primary school.  Around two in five pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides schools with additional funding for children looked after by the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those with a parent or carer in the armed services. This proportion is higher than the national average. At Manorfield, nearly all of the pupils who qualify for the pupil premium do so through eligibility for free school meals.  Over one third of pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic heritages, and this proportion is a little higher than usual. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also a little higher than average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is higher than average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a

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Information about this school

statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The acting headteacher, who was formerly the deputy headteacher, and the part-time executive headteacher, who is headteacher of a nearby secondary special school, took up their posts in March 2013 and will continue for the duration of the headteacher’s leave.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by making sure that teachers:  plan tasks carefully so that they match the abilities of pupils, making sure that they always receive work that is neither too easy nor too difficult for them  make sure that pupils have as many chances as possible to find things out for themselves, rather than being told  provide clear and consistent guidance, when marking pupils’ work, on what they need to do to improve.  Secure at least consistently good teaching, by ensuring school leaders check the quality of teaching carefully, making sure when they visit lessons that they:  clearly convey to teachers their strengths and areas for development, and do not over-praise them  focus sharply on how pupils are learning and how they can be helped to learn better.  Improve the quality of pupils’ writing by giving them many more chances to write on a range of

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

topics, and not letting them get away with weak spelling.  Ensure governors hold school leaders more rigorously to account for improving the quality of teaching by asking searching questions about the link between the performance of teachers and pupils’ progress. 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 do not make rapid enough progress from their starting points, which is why achievement requires improvement. Their overall attainment in tests taken at the end of Year 6 has been below average for some years, indicating only adequate progress from the end of Year 2, when their attainment in tests has also been below average. Too few pupils reach the highest levels. Pupils tend to do less well in writing than they do in reading and mathematics.  Over the past two years, the proportion of pupils gaining the expected Level 4 grades in English and mathematics has come closer to the average, but the proportion gaining the highest grades has not improved. This is because teaching is not always sufficiently challenging to enable pupils to make the strong progress needed to raise their achievement.  Children begin the Nursery and Reception classes with language, number and social skills at various levels but which are typically below those expected for their age. The teachers and other

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

adults make sure that the children have interesting and inviting activities, with a focus on learning new skills and getting on with one another. This provides them with a secure start to their education.  Disabled pupils and those with a range of special educational needs receive effective support in class and in small withdrawal groups, and this enables them to make similar progress to others.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language also receive effective support, tailored to their needs, throughout their time at the school. This helps them to make progress in line with other pupils.  The school successfully teaches the youngest children their sounds and letters (phonics), and how these combine to form words. As a result, pupils in Year 1 did a little better than average in the phonics screening checks in 2012 and 2013. Reading skills by the end of Year 6 are broadly average. The school promotes a love of reading, and parents and carers are actively encouraged

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

to listen to their child read at home to support their reading at school.  The pupil premium funding, aimed at narrowing the gap between the large proportion of pupils eligible to receive free school meals and all others, is used effectively to benefit the pupils concerned. As a result, pupils supported by this extra funding do as well or better than others in the school. For example, in Year 6 in 2013, pupils eligible for this support were around a term ahead of others in both English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because, over time, it has not been strong enough to secure good achievement. Though some teaching is good, enabling pupils to make good progress in their learning, other teaching is less effective.  In the best lessons, pupils are inspired to explore topics and ideas for themselves. In one Year 4 English lesson, for example, pupils wrote about their favourite toy and what it meant to them. The teacher had prepared the pupils well to begin exploring their thoughts and ideas, and the calm atmosphere in the room, promoted by incense and music, encouraged them to produce original and personal pieces.  Sometimes, however, the teachers do too much that pupils could do for themselves. In such instances, the pace of learning slows, and pupils receive too little challenge.  While in some lessons teachers are careful to match the difficulty of the tasks to the abilities of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the pupils, at other times they give too little attention to the differing abilities of pupils, setting them tasks which are too easy or too difficult. Consequently progress slows.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes have varied and interesting tasks, which promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. It was lovely to see nursery children singing songs, designed to help them with language and number skills, with enjoyment and a sense of shared fun.  Marking is not consistent across the school. Sometimes, pupils’ work is thoroughly marked, with clear guidance on what they should do to improve, but this is not always the case, and sometimes pupils are not certain how to make their next piece of work better.  At times teachers are so keen to improve the flow of pupils’ writing that they overlook some very weak spelling. They do not share high enough expectations and so pupils get into the habit of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

not considering spelling important.  Teaching assistants provide helpful assistance to class teachers, supporting those who struggle or have a range of additional needs to learn and make progress in line with others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour has improved since the previous inspection. This reflects a concerted and successful drive at all levels to improve behaviour. However, though pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive overall, there are occasions when they become a little fidgety when the pace of learning slows.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, and as a result pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and heritages get on very well together. The school is inclusive, and leaders ensure that there is no discrimination.  Parents and carers described the school as a family, reflecting its strong community ethos. Pupils are polite and respectful towards visitors and considerate towards one another. Even the youngest children in the Nursery and Reception Years are ready to share and take turns, and on rare occasions when one or two find it difficult to settle into their new routines, the adults

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

handle the situation kindly but firmly.  Pupils told the inspectors that they feel safe and happy at school, and that they enjoy their lessons. Inspectors observed good behaviour in lessons and around the school, and pupils confirmed that this is typical. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well, and there are positive attitudes to learning in the classroom.  Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying means and of different types of bullying, such as cyber or racial bullying. They told inspectors that, although there was scarcely any actual bullying, occasionally, one or two pupils bothered others in the playground. In these instances, the adults sorted things out quickly.  Most of the parents and carers who spoke to inspectors or responded to Parent View said that they were happy with the school, and felt that it keeps their children safe and happy.  The school has worked hard to bring about improvements in attendance, which had been low for

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

some years. By taking robust action, such as clamping down on holidays in term time, the school has made an impact and attendance is now rising.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because teaching and pupils’ achievement are not yet good.  The acting and executive headteachers, supported by the governing body, have put school improvement as their priority, and rather than just hold the school steady, have forged ahead. In a relatively short period of time, they have improved the systems for checking pupils’ progress, enabling teachers to understand quickly and securely how well their pupils are doing. They have strengthened the school’s planning in order to meet the recommendations from the previous inspection. As a result of such initiatives, the school is well placed to improve.  The school has improved in some respects since the previous inspection. Attendance has risen, and behaviour, which was graded as satisfactory in the previous report, is now good. The local authority, which is accurate in its view of the school’s strengths and areas for development, has

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The leadership and management require improvement

made an effective contribution to supporting it.  Leaders, over time, have not had enough success in raising the quality of all teaching and learning to the level of the best. The new leadership team members have made a promising start since they took office. They visit classrooms often and provide copious feedback to teachers. However, their judgements tend to err on the side of generosity, and they do not always make clear enough to teachers what they need to do to improve. Sometimes they focus too much on how the teacher is teaching, rather than concentrating on how effectively all groups of pupils are learning.  Leadership and managers have created a happy and harmonious school, which is supported by pupils, parents, carers and staff, and which provides equality of opportunity to all.  The school keeps pupils safe and ensures that those who work with them have been properly checked.  The curriculum has an appropriate focus on English and mathematics. Pupils told inspectors that

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The leadership and management require improvement

the subjects they most enjoy are the ones they cover in topic lessons because, as one told inspectors, ‘You get to learn about other countries.’ Inspectors noticed, however, that there was too little work in their topic folders, and this reflects the lack of time devoted to subjects that arouse pupils’ curiosity and fascination with the world around them. It also means that pupils have too few chances to write about a range of topics which they find stimulating. It was striking that, when they are given the chance to explore subjects which really interest them, such as the Year 6 topic of ancient Egypt, the quality of their writing improves.  The school has acted swiftly to make good use of the additional sports funding, appointing a sports coach, and this has resulted in an increase in the popularity of sport.  Leaders ensure that the curriculum develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural qualities

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The leadership and management require improvement

well, giving them good opportunities to explore their feelings and those of others. For example, a whole-school assembly took as its starting point the story of a little bear who was afraid of the dark and who was helped to confront his feelings by a big bear. This helped pupils understand how they can make a difference to the lives of others.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors have kept the school on an even keel through recent changes of leadership. Their vision in appointing the new leadership team has begun to set the school on an upward path.  Governors play an active part in the life of the school and know its strengths and areas for development. They are well informed about how well the school performs in comparison to other schools.  Though governors visit lessons to see teaching for themselves, they recognise that they do not sufficiently probe the link between teachers’ pay and the progress made by all pupils, or hold the school sufficiently to account for the lack of improvement in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection. Since pupils’ achievement is not good, there is not a close enough match at present between pupils’ outcomes and how well teachers are paid to ensure good value for money.  Governors keep a firm hand on the school’s budget. They carefully check the uses to which

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The leadership and management require improvement

pupil premium funding is put, making sure that it benefits those for whom it is intended. They make good use of the additional primary sports funding.  Governors are well trained and effectively carry out their statutory duties, including safeguarding and ensuring equality of opportunities.

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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 134732 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 426527

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 264 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rob Turner

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Executive Headteacher

Jonathan Kirkham Sharon Lawrence Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2012 Telephone number 01293 782 839 Fax number 01293 822 511 Email address info@manorfield.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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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

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