West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School

West Park CE First and Middle School Marlborough Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 4HD

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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 Good 2

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This school requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Although teaching is improving, it is not yet securely good across the school and is not ensuring fast enough progress to raise attainment further.  Although the best marking is good, this is not consistent enough in all classes to make sure that all pupils, whatever their previous attainment, make good progress.  Achievement in mathematics is not as good as it is in reading.  Most pupils make expected progress, but a much smaller proportion makes good progress than is the case nationally. The progress of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium varies too much between subjects and between year groups.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is a happy, welcoming and inclusive community where pupils get on well together.  Pupils behave well in school and enjoy their learning. The youngest pupils settle quickly and well into school, as do those pupils who join the school in Year 4.  The leadership team is strong and is bringing about real improvement in the school. The team is well supported by subject and year leaders.  By Year 6, achievement in reading is good and pupils did well in the spelling, punctuation and grammar tests taken for the first time in 2013.  Pupils with physical disabilities are well supported so that they can play a full and active part in school life.  Governors know the school well and provide a good balance of support and challenge. They check carefully on how well the school is helping pupils to make better progress.  Pupils take part enthusiastically in the many and varied activities offered in sport, art, music

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 33 lessons or part lessons, including some joint observations with the leadership team.  Discussions were held with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority, the headteacher, other members of the leadership team, staff and pupils.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentary evidence, including records of pupils’ attainment and progress, pupils’ work, documents relating to safeguarding and special educational needs and the school’s view of its own performance.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, at break times and at other times around the school.  Inspectors attended assemblies.  The views of 87 parents and carers, as recorded on Parent View (Ofsted’s online survey), were considered. The inspection team received an email from one parent and discussions took place with parents and carers in the playground.

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Inspection team

Grace Marriott, Lead inspector Additional inspector Jill Thewlis Additional inspector Kenneth Bryan Additional inspector Andrew Lyons Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than most primary schools. It admits 60 pupils into the Reception classes each year and a further 105 pupils at the start of Year 4 from local first schools. A few pupils leave the school in Year 6 to join secondary schools and a few join at the start of Year 7.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. Two specially resourced units provide up to 20 places for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is lower than nationally. In this school the funding is used to support children entitled to free school meals, those in the care of the local authority, and those from service families.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved a range of awards including the Artsmark, and it has Healthy School status.  The school is currently undergoing a building programme to accommodate additional classes and until this programme is completed it will not have a specialist resource base.  Since the previous inspection the leadership and management have undergone a restructuring, a new deputy headteacher has been appointed and there have been changes to the leadership of English and mathematics.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are not managed by the governing body and are subject to a separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards and increase the rate of progress of pupils, particularly in mathematics, by increasing the proportion of outstanding and good teaching by making sure that: – the activities planned and the level of challenge are more precisely matched to what pupils already know, understand and can do – activities and expectations can be adjusted to take account of the progress pupils make during lessons.  Making sure that all marking is at the level of the best so that teachers are more specific about the next steps pupils need to take to improve their work and also giving pupils enough time to respond to the guidance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013 attainment at Key Stage 1 was in line with the national picture. Results in reading dropped to below the national at the higher Level 3, but results in writing and mathematics improved. The school attributes this drop tin the higher level of reading to more rigorous and accurate assessment. Pupils make at least expected progress and some groups make better than expected progress, but there are variations between subjects and groups. For example, in 2012−13 Year 2 pupils entitled to free school meals made less good progress in writing, but better progress in both reading and mathematics than their peer group. In the Year 1 phonics check (linking sounds and letters) in 2013, the outcomes were broadly in line with the national results and similar to 2012.  Children enter their Reception Year with skills and knowledge that are somewhat below the levels expected for their age. The majority of children make expected progress and some make

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

better than expected progress, so that by the time they move into Year 1 the gap between their achievement and that of their peers nationally is narrowing. In 2012−13 the children made particularly good progress in communication, language, literacy and mathematical skills.  In mathematics, results in Year 6 were broadly in line with the national results, but progress from the end of Key Stage 1 was below expectations. As a consequence, the proportion of pupils achieving Level 4 or better in all three areas of reading, writing and mathematics was significantly below the national picture. The school is focusing on improving achievement in mathematics and the evidence for current pupils is that standards are rising and progress is improving.  Improvement in reading skills is evident. In 2012, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 were broadly in line with the national average. In 2013, standards rose significantly in reading and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

were above average, as they were in the new spelling, grammar and punctuation test.  Most pupils made at least expected progress across Key Stage 2 and some made more than expected progress, particularly in Year 7. Pupils who have been in the school since Reception tended to make faster progress than those who joined in Year 4.  The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those supported through the enhanced resource provision, is variable. Where the school put a range of specific intervention programmes into place, these are successful. For example, in Year 2 and Year 6 these pupils made better progress than their peer group because they received skilful guidance on what they needed to do to succeed. In Year 5 and in Year 7, where the intervention programmes were less evident, they made less progress than other groups of pupils. The few pupils who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding also receive additional help in lessons and in small groups. In the 2012 national tests, these pupils were 12 months behind other pupils in English and just under eight months behind in mathematics, but in Year 6 in 2013 the gap closed considerably because of the focus on their needs. In some other year groups, however, they made slower progress than their peers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection but there is not yet enough outstanding or consistently good teaching across the school to ensure consistently good progress, even though much of the teaching is good and some is outstanding.  The recently introduced marking policy is starting to have an impact as teachers and pupils get used to using it. The best marking is good and gives pupils detailed feedback on their work and the time to read and respond to the advice. This practice is not yet consistent enough across the school.  Where teaching requires improvement, teachers tend to take the same approach for all pupils. As a result, the work is not accurately enough matched to what the pupils can already do. Sometimes work does not challenge pupils enough and at other times it is too challenging for some. Teachers do not always adjust what they are doing quickly enough to take account of progress during a lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In contrast, in an outstanding mathematics lesson in Year 6, the level of the work was very accurately matched to the pupils’ needs, the pace of the lesson was brisk and pupils responded well to the challenge to raise their standard of work.  The teaching of phonics in Reception and Key Stage 1 is giving pupils a secure base from which to develop their reading and spelling skills and reading is taught well. Pupils learn to read confidently and to enjoy books. They read regularly and can talk knowledgeably about the type of books they enjoy.  Teachers are increasingly providing good opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. For example, in a good mathematics lesson in Year 2, the current topic of Antarctica provided the stimulus for enjoyable practical work. In a good English lesson in Year 4, the pupils’ knowledge of their history topic on the Tudors was being used

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

effectively to help them plan and write a factual guide. This lesson also showed how well pupils from different schools had been integrated into their new school.  Teaching assistants are well deployed in lessons to support pupils with special educational needs. The support provided for pupils with disabilities is particularly effective. It enables these pupils to participate very fully in lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants understand their individual needs and tailor support accordingly. The staff work hard to minimise the impact of any unavoidable absence. Similarly, the pupils with additional learning needs for whom there is specialist provision are well supported.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are enthusiastic learners, particularly when they are being well taught. Occasionally, when the teaching is less effective, they did not learn as well. Pupils say that, in general, teachers deal well with any low-level disruption.  Pupils are polite and friendly and understand why it is important to behave well. Pupils from different background get on well together showing respect for each other’s cultures and traditions.  Pupils know about different types of bullying and are confident that any bullying will be dealt with quickly. They feel safe in school and understand how to stay safe on the internet.  The school has worked hard to improve attendance. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is now above the national average.  All parents and carers who responded to the Parent View survey said that they feel that their children are safe and almost all said they are happy and well looked after. They believe that the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

school manages behaviour well and also deals well with any issues of bullying.  The school works very hard to make sure that the transfers at different stages run very smoothly. One parent commented particularly on how well her child had been helped to settle into the school in Year 4.  The school is using the new funding for physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools well to provide additional coaching and opportunities in PE and games. Participation in sports is good and contributes well to pupils’ well-being. The pupils themselves would like even more sporting activities.  Pupils take the responsibilities they are given very seriously. The school council was thoughtful and pupils were mature in their attitudes. They believe that they go to a good school, but at the same time could identify areas where they would like it to improve further, for example they would like more practical activities especially in science.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection the headteacher and leadership team, strongly supported by effective year leaders and subject leaders in English and mathematics, have focused rigorously on raising attainment and improving teaching. They have tackled the areas identified for improvement at the last inspection systematically and demonstrated that the school has good capacity to improve further. The effect of the work done since the previous inspection is being seen in better teaching and better progress, but some of the developments are recent and have not been in place long enough to make the improvement secure over time.  The introduction of regular focused reviews of year groups, alongside the tracking of pupils’ progress, is providing good information on which to base target setting. This information is being used increasing effectively to raise standards. Support for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is

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The leadership and management are good

beginning to improve their achievement. However, more needs to be done to ensure the gap between their performance and that of other pupils closes more rapidly in some year groups.  The arrangements in place for the performance management of teachers are clear and robust. Performance objectives set for teachers are linked closely to pupils’ progress and whole school areas for improvement and pupils’ progress. These factors are informing pay progression and promotion. Teachers know that they are accountable for the progress their pupils make.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. The spiritual dimension of the school is strongly in evidence and the use of prayers and moments of quiet reflection help to promote a calm atmosphere. The promotion of moral, social and cultural development is also good. Pupils are able to explore their own and other cultures through the

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The leadership and management are good

celebrations of different festivals. The curriculum provides many opportunities to extend and enrich pupils’ experiences through visits, visitors and special projects, such as the Newspaper Day which was giving Year 7 pupils real insight into the role of the media.  The local authority is giving the school an appropriate level of support to the school last year and worked with senior leaders on developing teaching and learning. This led to improvements in teaching and achievement, especially in mathematics.  The governance of the school: – The governing body both challenges and supports school leaders. Governors’ discussion of the main issues facing the school, and how these are being tackled, show that the governors are well informed and actively involved in planning for the future. Governors take their responsibilities seriously and have evaluated their own work to ensure that they are effective.

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The leadership and management are good

They regularly receive reports from year and subject leaders as well as the leadership team. They have a clear understanding of how well pupils are achieving and know that some of the progress of some groups of pupils and in some subjects has been inconsistent. They are monitoring what is being done to raise standards and increase the rate at which pupils make progress. They understand the teachers’ performance standards and links to pupils’ achievement and ensure that staff salaries and performance are closely linked. Governors have overseen the allocation of the pupil premium and new sport funding and know how well it is being used. They take their safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and make sure that the school meets the statutory requirements.

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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 126016 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 429577

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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 Middle deemed primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4−12 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 780 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kris Pillai Headteacher Peter Neale Date of previous school inspection 20–21 March 2012 Telephone number 01903 243099 Fax number 01903 240928 Email address office@westpark.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

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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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