Audley Primary School

Whyteleafe Road, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5ED

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher provides decisive leadership. He has worked with school leaders and governors to create a climate of high expectations in which teaching is good and pupils achieve well.  School leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and what needs to be improved. Their ambitious plans reflect their ability to improve further.  Pupils enjoy learning and they make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics to reach standards that are above average at the end of Year 6.  Good teaching captures pupils’ interest. Activities are usually challenging and enable all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to achieve well.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Carefully selected books provide pupils with opportunities to think about moral issues.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They get on well together

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and they are kind and thoughtful towards each other and to adults.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. They say that bullying is rare and that adults are always there to help if a problem should arise.  Governors provide a good level of support and challenge to school leaders. They know the school well and hold leaders to account effectively.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class. They behave well and they feel safe. They enjoy learning and make rapid progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching is not yet outstanding. Some questions teachers ask are not hard enough to deepen pupils’ understanding. Adults do not always challenge children in the Reception class to extend their learning.  Pupils have too few opportunities to write at length when learning in different subjects. Occasionally their handwriting and presentation of their work are untidy.  Some subject leaders are new to their roles and have not yet had time to support and improve teaching in their subjects.  Occasionally the work is too easy for some pupils and so they start to fidget and chat among themselves. This slows their progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils working in 14 lessons or parts of lessons, 12 of which were observed jointly with school leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils reading in Year 2 and Year 6. They attended an assembly and they observed pupils in the playground and as they moved around the school.  Meetings were held with school leaders, pupils and governors. Inspectors also met with a representative from the local authority.  The school provided a range of documents for inspectors to read. These included school plans for development, minutes from governors’ meetings, records relating to pupils’ learning and progress, and other documentation regarding pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Inspectors also examined information showing how the school keeps pupils and staff safe.  The views of parents and carers were considered by taking into account the 37 responses to the online

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Information about this inspection

survey, Parent View. Inspectors also spoke informally to parents and carers during the inspection. The views of staff were considered by analysing the 14 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school and pupils are taught in single-age classes.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and there are no pupils at the early stages of learning English.  About 15% of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium funding, which is lower than the national average. Pupil premium funding is additional funding provided by the government to support disadvantaged pupils.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than the national average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Reception class. These children attend full time.  There have been significant changes to the teaching and leadership team since the previous inspection. The headteacher joined the school in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of teaching that is outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length when learning in different subjects  teachers increase the range of questions they use in all year groups, including in the Reception class, to probe pupils’ knowledge and deepen their understanding  pupils write neatly and always present their work to the highest possible standard  all lessons are suitably challenging so that pupils behave well and concentrate on their work.  Provide time for new leaders to visit classes so they can support their colleagues more effectively in the teaching of their particular subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher has secured the confidence of staff, governors and parents and carers by building on the improvements made by the previous headteacher. He is ambitious and has created a climate in which teaching is good and pupils behave well.  School leaders have created a purposeful atmosphere with a strong sense of teamwork. All staff are fully involved in plans for further improvement by contributing their ideas to shape the future of the school. They understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They support each other to achieve the school’s ambitions.  Teaching has improved, with effective support from the local authority. In addition to formal lesson observations, school leaders informally ‘drop in’ to lessons and talk to pupils about their learning. They provide support to help teachers develop their skills through a planned programme of support and guidance.  New subject leaders have had training to help them prepare for their roles in school. However, they have

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The leadership and management are good

not yet had time to make a significant impact by bringing about improvements to the way in which their subjects are taught.  Systems to track pupils’ learning and progress are effective. Leaders check that all pupils are on track to reach their challenging targets. They provide support for those pupils who are at risk of falling behind. School leaders monitor pupils’ attendance and behaviour. They act quickly to pick up problems and consequently pupils usually behave well and they attend school regularly.  Thoughtfully planned learning opportunities help all pupils, regardless of ability, to progress well. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively through assemblies and through the choice of resources that support learning. The school promotes values such as tolerance, respect and diversity through the curriculum. This prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The additional funding has been used to good effect to help disadvantaged pupils. New technology programmes are helping to improve their reading and writing skills. Some funding is used to help subsidise school trips so that these pupils do not miss out.  Current performance information shows that disadvantaged pupils often make better progress than their classmates. This shows the school’s commitment to ensuring that all pupils have equal opportunities. Leaders provide additional help in classrooms to help disadvantaged pupils develop confidence to take part in lessons. This is an example of the school’s effective work to ensure that there is no discrimination.  The government sports funding has been used effectively to provide specialist coaches to support teachers to develop their skills. This provides pupils with access to a wider variety of sports activities to keep them fit and healthy.  Arrangements to keep staff and pupils safe are robust and meet all statutory requirements. Leaders

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The leadership and management are good

respond very quickly to concerns raised by staff. They work in close partnership with other professionals to ensure pupils are safe in school.  The governance of the school:  Governors quickly acted on recommendations from the previous inspection by attending training to improve their skills. They are now well equipped to challenge and to hold school leaders to account for the progress pupils make. Governors have a good understanding of performance information and they know how well the school performs in comparison with other schools. They know that teaching is good and that leaders take action to address weaker performance. Governors ensure that arrangements to manage the performance of teachers are secure and they know that only the best teaching is rewarded. They are confident that school leaders will address any weaknesses in teaching. They know that procedures to keep pupils safe are good and that they meet all statutory requirements for keeping

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The leadership and management are good

pupils safe. They have a wide range of professional skills that they use to good effect to support and question the performance of the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are happy and they enjoy school. This is reflected in their attendance which has improved and is above average. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they show respect to adults and to each other  Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations because teachers implement the school’s policy for behaviour consistently. Pupils get on well together in lessons and in the playground. They are proud of their school and they enjoy talking about their learning. They appreciate the newly introduced systems of coloured cards that encourage good behaviour. They say it has already helped to improve pupils’ behaviour.  The school’s records show few reported incidents of poor behaviour and there have been no recent exclusions. Pupils’ behaviour is not yet outstanding because there are times when they do not have enough work to do and they start to chat among themselves. Additionally, they do not always take

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Behaviour

enough care with the way in which they present their work.  Pupils behave well in class and when moving around the school. They are sensible and very aware that the way in which they behave can affect the feelings of others. They are polite and will go out of their way to help others.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe in school because adults are always on hand to help. They say that adults listen to them and take their concerns seriously and so they can rely on them to help if things go wrong.  Pupils understand different forms of bullying, including that related to computers. Those who spoke to inspectors say it rarely happens and would be dealt with quickly should an incident arise. Safety is not yet outstanding because a very few pupils and parents and carers expressed concern about the behaviour of a very small minority of pupils who have specific needs relating to their behaviour and which made them feel unsafe.  Arrangements to protect pupils are robust. All staff have had recent child protection training and know what to do should a concern be raised. School leaders work closely with other professionals to ensure that

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Safety

pupils are safe. They check on pupils who are absent and this has helped to improve rates of attendance.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe from risks outside school. They know how to stay safe on the roads and they know that tobacco and some drugs can be dangerous.  Staff, parents, carers and governors who gave their views agree that pupils are safe and behave well in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good.  Classrooms are usually lively places, buzzing with conversation as pupils share their ideas and discuss their learning. This helps all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to progress well.  Teachers know their pupils well and so they provide work for them that is at the right level. Most teachers provide a good level of challenge to help all pupils, including the most able, to progress well. Just occasionally, pupils do not have enough work to do. When this happens, they chat among themselves and do not achieve as much as they should.  Teachers frequently check on pupils’ understanding when they are working. They intervene by providing additional help to enable pupils to progress well. However, they sometimes miss opportunities to ask probing questions to deepen pupils’ understanding. This is one of the reasons why teaching is not yet

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The quality of teaching is good

outstanding.  Teachers mark pupils’ books regularly and provide detailed comments to help pupils improve their work. However, they do not always insist on high standards of presentation and handwriting.  The teaching of writing is planned well. For example, in a Year 6 literacy lesson, the teacher provided pupils with some carefully chosen illustrations to stimulate their writing. The illustrations showed children as prisoners in a concentration camp during the Second World War. This led to thoughtful discussions that contributed well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It inspired them to produce some sensitive and thoughtful writing.  Reading is taught well across the school. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop their reading skills. They are taught to use letters and sounds (phonics) systematically to tackle unfamiliar words. By Year 6, they read widely and often in different subjects and this strengthens their skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy mathematics because teaching is good. Activities are interesting and provide pupils with opportunities to solve real-life problems. Work in pupils’ books in Year 6 showed that pupils are presented with a high level of challenge. For example, they had to apply a range of mathematical skills to calculate the cost of redecorating a house of a given size to include paint, bathroom tiles and carpets.

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is good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved and is now good. Pupils make good progress to reach standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Consequently, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs progress well because they are taught well. For example, in a mathematics lesson, a small group were challenged to calculate the cost of items when provided with different coins as the change. They discussed how to solve the problem and this helped them to understand what they had to do to complete the calculation correctly.  The use of the additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils has been spent well. They were about two terms behind other pupils in the school in their attainment in the national tests in 2014. However, they made better progress than their classmates. In comparison with other pupils nationally, they were a

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is good

term ahead in writing, at the same level in reading and about a term behind in mathematics. Information held by the school shows that the gap is rapidly closing, with disadvantaged pupils now attaining at least in line with, and often above, other pupils in school.  The most able pupils progress well because they are provided with work that is challenging and makes them work hard. Often teachers intervene to extend what pupils are learning and they then provide them with harder work.  Pupils enjoy reading and happily chatted to inspectors about the types of books they read and how much they read at home. Pupils in Year 2 read confidently using punctuation, including speech marks, to read with good expression. In Year 6, pupils read fluently and respond to questions by referring to the text to support their views and opinions.  Pupils make good progress in writing. They have a wide vocabulary and they use punctuation well to

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is good

express meaning and interest the reader. They write at length in literacy. However teachers occasionally miss opportunities for pupils to do the same in other subjects and so reinforce their skills.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy mathematics and make good progress. This is because they are provided with challenging activities. By the end of Year 6, they have a good grasp of basic number skills, including those relating to fractions, decimals and percentages, which they successfully apply to solve written problems.

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is good

 Children achieve well so that by the time they enter Year 1, the majority of them have reached a good level of development. Teaching is good. Staff know children well and they provide activities that are interesting and meet their learning needs. Consequently, children make good progress and their behaviour is good.  Children have settled quickly into school because staff have provided a stimulating environment in which they feel safe and secure. They get on well together and share and take turns. They behave well and help each other by cooperating in work and play. This was seen during one activity in which they helped each other to design and build a raised train track in the outdoor area.  Staff observe children carefully and use the information they gain to plan activities that build on what the children already know and can do. Although they intervene by asking children questions, these are often

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is good

limited in scope and do not extend children’s learning and progress. This is why the early years is not yet outstanding.  There is a good balance of activities that are led by staff and those that children select for themselves. Children choose to work and play indoors or outside and show independence by selecting the correct clothing to wear for messy activities or when going outside on a cold day.  The leader has a good understanding of the strengths of provision and what needs to be improved. She works in close cooperation with other staff to ensure that all children, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, achieve well.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 125060 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 449029

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rhett Leveridge Headteacher Brian Grogan Date of previous school inspection 5 December 2012 Telephone number 01883 342330 Fax number 01883 348563 Email address info@audley.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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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 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

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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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