Powell Corderoy Primary School

Powell Corderoy Primary School Longfield Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 3DF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

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

 Teaching is not yet good enough to make up for inadequate progress in the past. Consequently, too few pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils still have gaps in their knowledge, particularly in mathematics, which slows their progress.  Not all teachers ask questions that make pupils think deeply about their learning.  Pupils are not always given time to respond to the useful comments teachers write when marking their books, which limits the progress pupils could make.  Middle leaders are not yet analysing the academic performance of different groups carefully enough to ensure all pupils are helped to make rapid progress.  It is not clear in all lessons what skills pupils are supposed to be practising, which prevents pupils from benefiting fully from the activities provided.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because teachers provide stimulating activities which really interest and motivate them.  The headteacher, leaders and governors have built an effective and cohesive staff team which has resulted in progress in all subjects being far more rapid this term.  There is a robust system in place to manage the performance of teachers. This provides them with the appropriate support and training to continue to develop their skills.  Achievement in reading is improving rapidly because provision for reading has been well organised.  Behaviour has improved and is now good. Pupils show a great deal of interest in their learning and are keen to persevere and do their best.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the leadership of the school. Pupils feel very safe at school and parents unanimously support this view.  Governors are absolutely clear as to what still needs

p.1

The school has the following strengths

to be done to ensure that the school continues to improve.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited each class in the school, observing 11 lessons or parts of lessons. One of these was completed jointly with the headteacher.  The inspection team looked carefully at pupils’ work in lessons as well as work they have completed over time in their books.  Inspectors met with pupils, parents, staff and representatives of the governing body and the local authority. They attended an assembly and listened to pupils reading.  The 76 responses from parents to the online Parent View survey were considered, as were the views of the 24 staff that completed questionnaires.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection, logs of behavioural incidents, attendance figures, the school’s development planning and self-evaluation, and information relating to pupils’ academic performance.

p.2

Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Powell Corderoy is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is similar to the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils in the care of the local authority or those known to be eligible for free school meals) is much smaller than national.  The very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. Six ethnic minority groups are represented in smaller numbers. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language; some of those who do are at the early stages of acquiring English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Children attend the Reception class full time.  The school provides breakfast and after-school facilities for its pupils.  There have been major staff changes since the previous inspection. A new headteacher took up post in

p.3

Information about this school

May 2014, most senior leaders only joined in September 2014. None of the teaching staff has been in post for more than two years. There have also been changes on the governing body, including the appointment of a new Chair of the Governing Body.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least consistently good by ensuring:  all pupils have time to respond in depth to the useful comments teachers make in their books  all teachers ask effective questions that make pupils think more deeply  pupils are clear about the skills they should be using in each lesson.  Increase the proportion of pupils who make rapid progress, especially in mathematics, by ensuring:  middle leaders make careful checks on the academic achievement of different groups  all the gaps in pupils’ knowledge are identified and plans show how these will be addressed.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has transformed the school in many ways since taking up post. Rightly, staff, parents and pupils hold her in high regard. She stands by her vision of a school where excellence is the norm and is highly organised in the way she approaches school improvement. This has ensured success in improving behaviour so that it is now good, and accelerating progress for pupils currently in the school. She has not had enough time to make up completely for past underperformance, although school figures show that the current Year 6 pupils will achieve more highly than those in previous years.  Staff recruitment has been exceptionally well managed by the headteacher and governors. This means the school now has a full complement of competent teachers and a strong senior and middle management team which is vital for continued improvement to be successful.  The headteacher has introduced a clear and robust system for managing the performance of individual

p.4

The leadership and management are good

teachers. Teachers are set challenging targets. This supports the drive to improve teaching; teachers will only receive a pay rise if pupils in their classes make good progress.  Systems for checking the quality of teaching are well organised and thorough, and involve both senior leaders and phase and subject leaders. Lesson observations and scrutiny of work in books identify areas for development and teachers are then given the training necessary to improve their practice. Teachers are all very supportive of this process and strongly agree that their professional needs are well met.  The headteacher and governors quickly understood that the pupil premium funding had not been used effectively and that gaps between the achievement of eligible pupils and others were far too wide. They put new measures in place immediately to redress this. Initiatives are now carefully evaluated to ensure maximum impact and gaps are narrowing rapidly.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are not outstanding because middle leaders are not yet fully involved in evaluating and analysing information about the academic achievement of different groups. This limits the effectiveness of the school’s commitment to equal opportunities because, although individual pupils have an equal chance to experience success in their learning, middle leaders are not checking to make sure that the few who are less successful are not from the same group.  Discrimination is not tolerated in any form; pupils embrace difference and enjoy excellent relationships with each other. For example, although pupils who speak English as an additional language are few in number, the school has an interactive display which celebrates their languages. Pupils from all backgrounds are fascinated to hear what different phrases sound like and regularly press the sound buttons. The display is a focal point in the school and ensures everyone feels welcome.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is varied and pupils find it interesting and motivating. Strong links across subjects mean pupils can practise key skills such as reading and writing throughout the school day. The breadth of study, supplemented by well-chosen trips and visitors into school, ensures pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, a recent visit to a local mosque helped to promote vital dialogue and understanding between people of different faiths.  The primary sports funding is being used well. Pupils now engage in a wider range of sports. For example, because the National Volleyball Centre is situated locally, pupils now play volleyball and avail themselves of high-quality support. The school now takes part in well-organised inter-school and county-wide tournaments in a range of sports, which motivates pupils and engenders pride in the school. The teaching of physical education has improved. Teachers now have a rigorous system for ensuring all pupils make

p.4

The leadership and management are good

good progress in their sporting skills. These measures have had a positive impact on pupils’ physical well- being.  Provision for the more able has improved. Teachers are planning more carefully to meet the spread of abilities in their classes and leaders make a point of checking the work that the more able are offered. This ensures that they are also making accelerated progress.  The school actively promotes democratic values through the work of the school council and planning regular visits to the Houses of Parliament. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well provided for. Leaders reinforce key values such as tolerance, fair play and a strong work ethic.  Leaders and governors ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are robust and meet all statutory requirements. This leads to pupils and their parents having full confidence in the school’s work to keep pupils safe.  The local authority knows the school well and provides effective support which is helping leaders to

p.4

The leadership and management are good

improve achievement and teaching.  The governance of the school:  Governors are deeply involved in shaping and evaluating improvement plans and work closely with the headteacher, who is both challenged and supported as appropriate. They know that the quality of teaching has been very poor but is now improving. They have not shied away from difficult conversations where staff were performing poorly and have been judicious in the new appointments they have made. This has ensured there is now a strong team to continue to push through further improvements to teaching and learning. Governors analyse information on pupils’ academic achievement and know that, despite accelerated progress this term, there are still areas that require improvement for it to be good overall and to compare well with schools nationally. The designated governor for pupil premium regularly updates the rest of the governing body as to the increasing

p.4

The leadership and management are good

effectiveness of the funding to accelerate progress for eligible pupils. She holds the school to account well for the impact of spending on specific initiatives. Any that are not eliciting enough progress are dropped. In this way, gaps are beginning to close. Governors fully understand and support the system the school has adopted to manage teachers’ performance. They know that underperformance will result in the withholding of salary increments but are equally keen to reward strong practice.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have ensured that pupils understand and observe key rules. Pupils treat everyone with courtesy and respect because the school fosters positive relations exceptionally well. Adults model and expect high standards of behaviour throughout the school day and beyond.  All staff use the behaviour system introduced by the headteacher to ensure pupils behave well in class and around the school. This has been highly effective in dramatically reducing incidents of poor behaviour to almost zero. Parents and pupils all appreciate how much better behaviour is now. There have been no exclusions in the last two terms.  Pupils follow the instructions adults give well. Classrooms are well organised and therefore lessons begin swiftly and no learning time is lost when changing from one subject to another.  One of the biggest changes has been how positive pupils are about their learning. Most pupils now are

p.5

Behaviour

keen to persevere. Even the very youngest pupils can explain how this means they must ‘try and try and try again’ with their learning. Consequently, pupils apply themselves with a great deal of commitment to the tasks they are given and this is beginning to rapidly accelerate the rate of progress they make.  Parents and pupils are very positive about the school, as evidenced by pupils’ regular attendance and good punctuality, and the high proportions of parents present at assemblies and other functions.  Behaviour is not outstanding because pupils do not always respond to the comments teachers make in their books, particularly in mathematics. Although this is often because they are not given the time, it still impedes rapid progress.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are robust and staff have regular training to ensure they know how to keep pupils safe.  Pupils feel very safe at school and all the parents who completed Parent View stated that this was the case. Pupils are very clear about how to stay safe on the internet and understand that social media and mobile devices can be used for hurtful purposes as well as positive communication.  Pupils have a good understanding of many aspects of bullying. They know that name-calling, particularly when referring to someone’s ethnic background or skin tone, is completely unacceptable. Older pupils help younger ones settle minor playground disagreements. Staff are quick to deal with any issues that occasionally arise so that they do not escalate.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is not yet outstanding because pupils are not always fully alert to

p.5

Safety

the more subtle forms of bullying, such as ignoring someone or excluding them from games.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has not been good enough over time to ensure that pupils achieve well. While many of the recommendations from the previous inspection report have now been met, there are still areas where teaching requires further improvement so that pupils make the rapid progress needed to overturn past underachievement.  Teachers are not all equally adept at asking pupils searching questions that challenge them to think in greater depth about the subject they are studying. This limits pupils’ thinking, which means they do not make progress as rapidly as they could.  It is not clear in all lessons what skills pupils are supposed to be developing. This means pupils focus on the task they are completing rather than how they are completing it. They are therefore not able to identify what they have learnt and whether they have improved.  Pupils are given helpful comments, both written and oral, so that they know what they need to do to

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

improve their work. However, teachers do not always give pupils the time to act upon the written advice, which limits the impact the comments have on pupils’ progress.  Leaders have not yet supported teachers sufficiently well to identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means that some new learning is not successful because pupils do not have the underlying understanding to grasp it fully, particularly in mathematics.  More-able pupils are benefiting from better teaching of writing. As a result, they are using very ambitious vocabulary and exciting techniques to improve the flow of their writing, and this is having a positive impact on the progress they make.  There are a lot of strengths in the current teaching team and this has led to accelerated progress for most groups of pupils so far this term, especially in reading.

p.6

requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils requires improvement because, until very recently, not enough was done to accelerate progress and address past underperformance so that pupils could catch up and reach the standards of which they are capable.  At the end of Year 6 in summer 2014, too few pupils reached national standards in the grammar test and in higher levels in mathematics. This is because pupils’ progress across Key Stage 2 was too slow.  Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding did not achieve well in tests at the end of Year 6 in summer 2014. Too few from any starting points made rapid progress. The gaps between them and other pupils in school were narrower than nationally in mathematics, at approximately two terms, and reading, at only just over a term. However, the gap was much wider in writing, at over three terms. Because achievement was low in general, the gaps between eligible pupils in school and other pupils

p.6

requires improvement

nationally were very wide – nearly four terms in reading and over five terms in writing and mathematics. There is a strong focus on using the funding appropriately to improve the attainment of those still currently in school and figures indicate that gaps are narrowing rapidly now.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs have also not achieved well over time. Their needs are better met now but, in common with other groups, there are numerous gaps to fill in their understanding to ensure their achievement improves sufficiently.  The most-able pupils have equally made variable progress over time and, as a result, too few of them have reached the higher levels in writing and mathematics. Standards in reading are broadly average.  The achievement of pupils from different ethnic groups has also been variable over time. Along with all pupils, achievement is improving for them as individuals. The lack of thorough checks on this group of

p.6

requires improvement

pupils’ progress means that effective plans are not yet in place to address the variability of progress.  Achievement is improving in reading. Pupils are keen readers. They really appreciate the new systems for organising books because they know which books are at the right level to help them improve their reading skills. According to school figures, progress in reading is set to rise to levels comparable to nationally for pupils in the current Year 6.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those at the early stages of learning English, do better than other groups in school because their language needs are well met by multilingual teaching assistants, who help them to develop fluency.

p.6

is good

 Many of the children have had little pre-school experience when they join in the Reception class. Staff are adept at providing activities which stimulate their interest so they soon begin to develop very positive attitudes to learning. For example, several boys really persevered when drawing and writing on the large whiteboard because they wanted to share information about the model rockets they had made with the rest of the class.  Children’s spiritual development is well planned for. Children were genuinely awestruck when watching plastic figures appear as the ice, in which they were embedded, melted. This led to excellent language development which adults were quick to capitalise upon.  Good teaching ensures that children make good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage, and as a result, the majority are well prepared for Year 1. Staff are now refining the observations they make on children so that activities can meet individual needs even better and this proportion rises further next

p.6

is good

year.  Leadership of early years provision is good. Staff note what children can do and are interested in, and leaders make sure this is reflected in the activities planned. Parents are involved in their child’s learning by having opportunities to contribute to the notes staff keep on individual children’s progress.  Behaviour is good in the Reception class because adults keep a watchful eye and make their expectations clear. They remind children gently of the rules they have all agreed and they respond well to these prompts.  Pupils are kept safe because staff are vigilant and ensure that all safety procedures are carefully adhered to.

p.7

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 failing

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

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.8

School details

Unique reference number 125151 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 449031

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 192 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alex Cliff Headteacher Emma Hendy Date of previous school inspection 29–30 November 2012 Telephone number 0130 6603372 Fax number 0130 6875059 Email address info@pcps.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 .

p.9

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.10

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.10

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 and 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.10

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.10

School details

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

p.10