Dedworth Green First School

Dedworth Green First School Smiths Lane, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5LP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils, including those supported by the pupil premium, make at least good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage progress well and are well prepared for the next stage of education.  Teaching is good and most pupils are keen to learn. Adult support is well used and teachers plan activities that build well on pupils’ previous knowledge to ensure pupils achieve well.  Behaviour and safety are good in class and around the school. The ‘nurture’-based support has a good impact on improving pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Pupils feel very safe. Parents and carers and staff feel that behaviour has improved over time.  Leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher, with the support of senior leaders and the governing body, is well organised and has set ambitious targets for improvement.  Senior leaders are successfully raising the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of teaching and students’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to ensure most pupils, especially the more able, make excellent progress.  Marking is not sufficiently consistent to help pupils improve their work more quickly.  Achievement in reading is not as high as in writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2.  A few middle leaders are not clear about their role in their subject or area of responsibility for the quality of teaching, learning and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors made a number of shorter visits to other lessons. They also listened to and observed pupils reading and scrutinised work in their books. Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors, a local authority representative and senior leaders.  Inspectors looked at documents relating to safeguarding, the arrangements for checking how well staff perform, the tracking and assessment of pupils’ achievement, records on attendance, behaviour and safety and the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning.  Inspectors also took note of the 34 views of parents registered on Ofsted’s online questionnaire ‘Parent View’ and four written responses. Inspectors met parents at the end of the school day and during a parents’ afternoon. Nineteen questionnaires completed by staff were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Zahid Aziz, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector Carol Worthington Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Dedworth Green First School is smaller than the average-sized first school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium funding is above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those pupils who are looked after by the local authority and other groups.) At this school, it applies mostly to those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and a small number are from a range of different minority ethnic backgrounds.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further so that more is outstanding by:  improving the quality of reading to ensure pupils’ achievement is consistently high throughout the school and matches that of writing, especially for Key Stage 2  making sure that teachers get the most out of every pupil in their class, especially the more able, both in terms of their work rate and in the amount of thought and effort pupils are required to put into their work  improving the consistency of marking so that all pupils have a clear understanding of how to develop their work and are able to demonstrate to their teachers that they have understood and acted on the advice given.  Improve leadership and management by making sure that all middle leaders are clear about the responsibility for their areas and subjects, particularly for improving the quality of teaching, learning and progress of the pupils in their subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children enter Nursery with skills and knowledge below that expected for their age. Children learn well as a result of adults using different strategies to support them. By the end of Reception, children have skills that are expected for their age and they make good progress in all areas, especially in personal, social and communication skills.  Most pupils build well on their earlier learning at Key Stage 1 and make faster progress. In Key Stage 2, pupils reach standards which are at least in line with national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, although they are relatively weaker in reading.  In 2013, Year 3 progress was not as fast as in other years due to the lack of good teaching and a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. However, with additional support, the use of different strategies and improved teaching, the same pupils are now making faster progress in Year 4.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Key Stage 1, pupils are becoming more skilled in reading and understanding the text in books. However, at Key Stage 2, a few pupils are occasionally not able to apply phonic skills (sounds that letters make) to sound out words correctly; as a result their progress in reading is not as fast as it should be.  Writing standards are improving because teachers are providing pupils with a good range of opportunities to write for different purposes, including poetry, reports, preparation of leaflets and fictional stories. Work books indicate that pupils make good progress over time in both writing and mathematics.  The school actively promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination. It ensures that pupils who are not making fast enough progress are given extra help to achieve well through the ‘nurture’ group. Therefore disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make at least good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups make the same progress as those from White British backgrounds.  There is very little gap between pupils supported by the pupil premium funding and other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics in different years. This is because the funding has been very effectively targeted on meeting the needs of identified pupils through additional adult support to speed up progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is consistently good and some is outstanding. As a result, pupils learn well and make good progress over time.  Good teaching has brought about the improvement in the rate of pupils’ achievement in mathematics and writing over the past two years throughout the school.  Children progress well throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, in an outstanding lesson in the Reception class, children made excellent progress because they were provided with a wide range of interesting activities designed to extend their personal, social and language skills. The very good support by adults encouraged children and kept them interested. As a result of this typically good teaching, children are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils’ reading is good and they are enthusiastic and frequent readers. The choose books that interest them but also that are well matched to their reading ability. However, occasionally a few

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils are not encouraged to use their phonic skills, especially at Key Stage 2; as a result their progress in reading is not as fast as it should be.  Where learning is strongest, the teachers plan activities that provide just the right level of challenge to all groups of pupils. For example, in a Year 4 mathematics lesson, pupils were asked to work out problems on perimeter. Good questioning by the teacher and the pupils’ enthusiasm resulted in a wide range of responses in ‘doubling and adding’ on three different shapes. However, in a few lessons, a small number of more able pupils are given work that is too easy for them. As a result, their progress is not as quick as it should be.  Teachers mark and assess pupils’ work regularly and systematically. Although very effective in some classes, it lacks consistency across the school. Not all teachers provide clear enough advice for pupils about how to further improve their work. Teachers do not always make sure that

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils respond to their guidance and consequently this limits the improvement.  Displays of pupils’ work in classrooms and corridors are very attractive and they reinforce good learning. This raises pupils’ self-esteem and gives them the confidence to undertake more challenging work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are friendly, welcoming to visitors and talk with confidence. They really enjoy learning and work well because lessons are interesting.  Pupils show consideration to one another. Those from different cultural backgrounds relate well to each other. Pupils are keen to help those who find work more challenging.  Behaviour policies and procedures are implemented effectively. Strategies are in place to record and analyse incidents, and to reward and improve pupils’ behaviour such as the ‘Golden Rules’. As a result, few incidents occur across the school.  Pupils who exhibit more challenging behaviour are issued with a ‘Behaviour Passport’. They are effectively supported through the ‘nurture’ group and helped to improve their behaviour.  The school council has been proactive in identifying areas for improvement. Pupils are keen to support the community and raise funds to help both local and national charities. Pupils are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

enthusiastic about the role of ‘Sports Leaders’. These roles prepare them well for their next stage of education.  Attendance is broadly average. The school takes effective steps to ensure that pupils attend the school regularly and are punctual.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are fully aware of the different forms of bullying and learn about internet safety. They know how to keep themselves safe and have been taught about e-safety.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong leadership of the headteacher, senior leaders and governing body are working effectively to secure more improvements in teaching and raise pupils’ achievement further.   The school has an accurate view of its strengths and areas for improvement. Senior leaders are ambitious and they endeavour to develop high quality teaching through the provision of effective training. As a result, staff are quick to adopt the school’s policies and procedures.   Behind the school’s success is the efficiency of managing staff performance linked to the Teachers Standards and regular checks on the progress of all pupils. The school’s highly committed governing body ensures that pupils’ achievement continues to rise, especially in writing and mathematics and for those who receive the pupil premium.   Some middle leaders, a number of whom are new to the role, have provided valuable guidance to teachers and this has led to improvements in teachers’ planning. This is not always the case

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The leadership and management are good

and not all have the skills and confidence to develop their teams, particularly in relation to improving the quality of teaching, learning and progress.  The topic-based subjects are well planned and provide extensive experiences for learning. This is broadened by a variety of enrichment activities including trips, visits, art and music. New approaches to learning such as ‘Forest School’ are helping pupils to learn more effectively than previously.  Pupils have many opportunities to participate in activities that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and there is a strong focus on environmental issues through the work of the ‘Eco Council’.  The school has a very strong relationship with parents and carers through the Parent Teacher Association and the Community Committee. This relationship helps to develop strong community links, for example through providing food parcels for those in need. Many parents and carers

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The leadership and management are good

from a wide range of backgrounds take advantage of the various training provided by the school to help their children at home.  The school makes good use of the additional funding for sports by linking with a local college to train staff and using sports trainers to extend the range of sports experience for pupils. As a result, pupils gain new skills and are encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle.  The local authority provides light-touch support for this good school. It works well with the school and has confidence in the school’s leadership in maintaining good rates of pupils’ progress through its effective provision.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good range of expertise. This is making a strong contribution to the quality of education the school provides. The governing body knows how well the school is performing against national standards and pays close attention to the school’s assessment and

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ performance information. Governors are rightly proud that the achievement gap has been further eliminated between pupil premium pupils and others. They were very keen to improve and commissioned an external audit to enable them to improve their performance; recommendations have been implemented with notable impact. The governors hold the headteacher to account for the school’s performance and the management of its finances, which are sound. Governors know about the quality of teaching and make sure that the system for managing the performance of staff is robust and linked closely to pay for teachers and senior leaders. The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and seeks out parents’ and carers’ views of important issues.

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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 109834 Local authority Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Inspection number 426571

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School details

Type of school First School category Community Age range of pupils 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 177 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Cash Headteacher Simon Woodbridge Date of previous school inspection November 2008 Telephone number 01753 861 668 Fax number 01753 865 018 Email address dedworthgreen@rbwm.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 .

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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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