Walsh CofE Junior School

Walsh Church of England Junior School Ash Street, Ash, GU12 6LT

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders and governors have taken effective action to attend to the issues that required improvement, identified in the last inspection. They have been relentless in their efforts. As a result, all aspects of the school’s work have improved and are now good.  Pupils in all year groups and subjects made good progress last school year. Their current work in lessons and their books demonstrates this good progress is continuing.  Pupils make good progress because of effective teaching. Teachers use the information they gather on how well pupils are doing to challenge and support pupils to make good progress.  The guidance teachers give pupils in verbal and written feedback enables pupils to improve their work. Pupils work hard, take a pride in their work and are keen to make the improvements that teachers suggest.  Parents and carers, pupils and staff all agree that behaviour is good. They acknowledge that it is

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

much better than it was previously because all staff have the same high expectations. Pupils also say that they behave well because the work in lessons is engaging and interesting.  The school is rigorous in its efforts to keep pupils safe. Policies and procedures are regularly checked. Pupils say they are well looked after.  Pupils work together harmoniously, showing care and consideration for those with additional needs. Equality and tolerance are key values of the school and these are promoted well through pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The work of the specialist learning support centre is outstanding. The pupils who attend make excellent progress in their personal and educational development. This is because of the very high quality of support and teaching they receive from all of the adults involved.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Although current progress is good, progress over time in mathematics is not yet as strong as in reading and writing.  Pupils do not always use the spelling rules and patterns they learn when writing in English or in other subjects.  Leaders of subjects, other than key leaders of English and mathematics, until recently have relied too heavily on senior leaders to drive improvements in their subjects. They have yet to develop their skills fully to carry out effective checks on their areas of responsibility.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning across the school. They visited lessons or part sessions in all of the classes as well as the specialist resource base. The majority were jointly observed with either the headteacher, deputy headteacher or inclusion leader (in her role as the leader of the learning support centre). Pupils' work in books, including some from the previous academic year, was scrutinised by the team alongside the headteacher. The inspectors listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector also held a meeting with six members of the governing body. She met with a representative of the diocese and held a telephone call with a representative of the local authority.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons and at various times around the school, including lunchtime, playtime and assembly. Inspectors spoke to pupils informally throughout the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The views of parents and carers were taken into account by analysing the 55 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire. Inspectors looked at the school’s most recent survey carried out in the autumn term. They also spoke to a number of parents and carers informally at the start and end of the day. In addition they took account of a letter from a parent or carer whose child recently transferred to secondary school.  Staff views were considered by analysing the 28 inspection questionnaires completed by them as well as through discussions with staff throughout the inspection.  Among the documents scrutinised were records of pupils’ standards and progress, minutes from governors’ meetings and information showing how the school keeps pupils and staff safe and secure.

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Marshall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized junior school. Most pupils are of White British origin.  Pupils join from two local infant schools in Year 3. Year 3 and Year 4 pupils are taught together in mixed classes. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils are taught in single-age classes.  The school has an additional specialist resource base, known as the learning support centre, to support pupils with a range of learning needs. Some of their needs are complex and include autistic spectrum conditions, moderate learning difficulties and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. All the pupils have statements of special educational needs or education and health care plans. There are places for 16 pupils on roll, all are currently filled.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium across the school is broadly average. The specialist resource base has a large proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium. The pupil

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Information about this school

premium is additional government funding provided to give extra support to disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement, especially in mathematics and spelling, making sure that:  the rate of pupils’ progress in mathematics over time speeds up through the increasing challenge teachers provide  standards in spelling rise as teachers consistently ensure pupils use the skills they have learnt whenever they are writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Hone the skills of subject leaders so that they use the training and advice they have received from experienced leaders to drive improvements in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, effectively supported by the deputy headteacher, worked alongside the diocese and local authority to drive successfully improvements in all aspects of the school’s work. Well-targeted training enabled other leaders to develop their skills in checking on the work of the school. As a result the headteacher is now ably supported by a team of effective senior leaders and governors, including English and mathematics coordinators. Together they use information about pupils’ progress to ensure they have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are accurate in their judgements about the quality of education the school provides.  Senior leaders focused on raising the expectations of all staff in regard to pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Staff overwhelmingly support the headteacher and senior leaders’ drive for improvement, commenting that ‘morale is positive’. They are keen to explain the ‘massive shift in culture’ and that

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The leadership and management are good

‘children’s learning is at the forefront of what we are about’. Staff are held to account for the progress of pupils and how successfully they help to narrow gaps in achievement. This ensures that pay awards reflect best practice and good progress.  Work to develop the roles and responsibilities of leaders of subjects, other than English and mathematics, has already started. They are ensuring that the new National Curriculum is introduced successfully. They have begun to take greater responsibility for their own subjects and increasingly take the lead in checking the quality of teaching and learning in their areas. Working alongside senior leaders, subject leaders are starting to become increasingly rigorous in their checks. However, they have not yet had time to secure all of the planned improvements in their areas.  Leaders ensure that teachers plan topics so that the full range of subjects link together. This helps pupils

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The leadership and management are good

make better sense of what they are learning and increases their engagement and enjoyment. Recent topics included ‘Harmony and Conflict’ in Year 6. Focusing on the world wars, for example, allows pupils to reflect on spiritual, moral and social matters. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain through this approach and as a result of assemblies, the school values system and school rules. Cultural development is promoted effectively through the arts as well as topics linked to other countries, faiths and cultures.  Primary school sports funding is used to good effect. Pupils have increased opportunities to participate in inter-school sports competitions and a wider range of extra-curricular sports clubs, such as cricket club. This enables specialist training for teachers and coaching for pupils to be provided. The result is more pupils taking part in sporting activities each week.  The leadership and provision for pupils who are disadvantaged or who are disabled and have special

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The leadership and management are good

educational needs in the mainstream school are effective. Over the last academic year, progress for these pupils has risen. Additional support is more effective than previously and teachers use information on pupils’ progress to ensure gaps in achievement are narrowing. This demonstrates that the school is ensuring that equal opportunities for different groups of pupils are promoted well. The school does not tolerate any form of discrimination.  In the learning support centre, extremely effective leadership has developed a team of highly skilled and trained staff, specialising in offering very precise support for each individual pupil. This is targeted to meet specific difficulties and, as a result, pupils’ progress is rapid.  The local authority and diocese have provided timely and effective help since the last inspection. For example, advisers gave support and provided training for staff, identified by the school, to improve teaching

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The leadership and management are good

and learning. They worked with the headteacher to strengthen senior leadership and governance, regularly reviewing the school’s progress. Their role has increasingly reduced as the senior leadership team has grown in effectiveness.  School and centre staff follow safeguarding procedures rigorously. Alongside senior leaders, governors play a leading role in making sure Walsh Church of England Junior School is a safe place to work and learn. They ensure that all statutory safeguarding responsibilities and requirements are fully met.

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The governance of the school:

 Following an external review of governance, governors worked hard to increase their expertise and effectiveness. Support from the local authority and diocese, alongside training and reorganisation of the committees, has secured a much more knowledgeable and effective governing body.  Governors use their newly honed skills to both support and challenge the school. They link their visits closely to the school’s priorities so that they have first-hand experience of its work. This allows them to know and discuss the school’s strengths and areas for development well.  Governors are fully aware of the systems in place to check the quality of teaching in relation to pupils’ progress and how this links to teachers’ pay and progression. They ensure that teachers are rewarded where appropriate. They know where the strengths lie and that leaders take swift action to deal with any weaknesses.  Regular checks are made to ensure that additional funds are spent wisely and are improving outcomes,

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The governance of the school:

particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s results and how these compare with national figures. They are fully aware of any impact that the learning support centre has on whole-school figures. However, they are strenuous in stressing the many benefits the centre and its pupils bring to the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils and parents and carers agree that behaviour has improved considerably over the last two years because everyone knows the rules and sets the same high standards.  Pupils’ books are well kept and displays of artwork in corridors are well looked after because pupils are proud of their work and their achievements. Pupils undertake duties, for example, as school councillors or playground pals, and contribute well to the smooth running of the school.  School rules and values are well known. Pupils think they are fair and know that there are consequences to their actions. They speak positively about the school’s regular reminders about ‘choices’ and how they help them to manage their own behaviour. Pupils are able to give examples of when its advice to ‘talk it out’ or ‘wait and cool off’ has helped them to diffuse a problem.  Pupils are becoming increasingly less reliant on teachers to sort out their problems and manage their

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Behaviour

behaviour. However, very occasionally this increased freedom to work independently is too great a temptation to chat to friends and work slows for a few.  Behaviour in the learning support centre is exemplary. Very strong relationships between staff and pupils ensure pupils try their hardest. Staff are highly skilled at supporting individual pupils’ social and behavioural development very well.  Pupils typically get on well together regardless of their background. They show care and sensitivity towards those pupils who have additional difficulties or find behaving well challenging. Records show staff are successful when supporting the very small number of pupils with particular behavioural needs and their families. Exclusions have continued to reduce since the last inspection. This reflects the school’s focus on ensuring everyone has the same chances to develop and helps to foster good relationships.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe because teachers and other staff take good care of them and because there are clear rules in place. Parents, carers and staff agree that pupils are safe.  Pupils talk confidently about how they would keep safe using the internet and when crossing the road. The school utilises every opportunity to teach pupils how to stay safe. As part of a recent visit to the cinema by Year 5 pupils, for example, how to catch a train safely was discussed. Pupils are confident that if ever they were to feel unsafe there are people in school who would help them.  Pupils have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying. They know about different forms of bullying such as name calling, being unkind, either physically or over the internet, or on mobile phones. They say that bullying does not happen very often and certainly less than it did. Logs of behaviour indicate that any

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Safety

occasional instances of unkindness are followed up by staff well.  The school council recently consulted with pupils from all classes to update the ‘Children’s Anti-bullying and Friendship Problem Information Guide’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Alongside productive working relationships with staff, this helps them to achieve well. Older pupils in particular are keen to explain that they now work hard and enjoy their learning because the ‘work is interesting and fun’. Teachers and teaching assistants share the leaders’ vision for improving pupils’ achievement.  Consistently good teaching of reading, writing and mathematics, in school and through homework, supports the good progress of pupils. Previous weaknesses in teaching have been tackled by senior leaders. However, while pupils now achieve well, this continues to have an impact on some older pupils’ progress over time.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together in classes to share information on how well pupils are doing. Teachers check pupils’ progress regularly through questioning during lessons and marking their work. They use this information well to plan additional support to help pupils catch up if they are at risk of

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The quality of teaching is good

falling behind. Any support is regularly evaluated to make sure pupils have improved. Disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress as a result of high-quality support. Those in the learning support centre benefit greatly from individualised support provided by very well-trained staff.  The most able pupils are increasingly challenged in their work because teachers set higher expectations than previously of what they can achieve. Leaders and teachers use information on pupils’ earlier learning to adapt their teaching approaches and accelerate the progress pupils make, for example, by deciding recently to group older pupils by ability for mathematics.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and all staff follow the marking policy. Pupils are encouraged to respond to teachers’ comments and are able to explain clearly how they have done so to improve their work. For

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The quality of teaching is good

example, one pointed out a comment asking him to try to write in paragraphs and proudly demonstrated, using his book, that ‘I do it all the time now’. However, the school has identified that there is not yet consistent practice about how to tackle spelling mistakes in pupils’ writing. As a result, pupils agree that there are too many incorrect spellings and the same mistakes in several pieces of work are not picked up by staff or pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School leaders have raised expectations of what pupils can achieve and made teachers more accountable for the progress every pupil makes. As a result, standards are rising in reading, writing and mathematics and all pupils make good progress across the school.  Historic weaknesses in teaching and learning have been tackled. However, the legacy of this is still seen in the lower than national proportion of pupils making better than expected progress from their starting points at the end of Key Stage 1. Information about pupils’ current levels and progress shows that as they move from Year 3 to Year 6 this proportion increases, with more pupils achieving well over time.  The school experiences difficulty in comparing its published results with national figures. Although the number of learning support centre pupils is small, the impact of their results in the end of Year 6 national tests is significant. As a result, the school analyses the achievement of pupils in the centre separately from

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The achievement of pupils is good

that of those in the rest of school, as well as considering the school as a whole.  School figures show a positive trend in attainment in reading, writing and mathematics over the last three years. In 2014, for the first time, attainment was average overall. While attainment was average in mathematics and just above average in reading and writing, results were weaker in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Leaders quickly identified that spelling was the area in need of improvement and commenced targeted spelling sessions in the autumn term. As a result, there is an improvement in pupils’ spelling in more formal tests. However, leaders acknowledge that pupils do not always use what they have learnt to spell correctly when they write in other lessons and subjects, which hinders their progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress across the school because support is well planned and teachers increasingly focus on providing quality teaching within the class.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Those pupils in the learning support centre make outstanding progress from their starting points because each pupil receives highly individualised and targeted support which meets their needs extremely well. Their personal and social development is celebrated as much as their academic achievements.  Increasing numbers of pupils are reaching the highest available levels by the end of Year 6 because of the increased focus by staff on challenging the most able pupils. Greater use of information about pupils’ progress and the raised expectations of staff are helping to ensure these pupils are challenged more effectively in their learning.  When compared with national figures, gaps have widened between the attainment of pupils eligible for additional pupil premium funding and their peers both in school and nationally. Gaps of about one term in reading and writing and almost three terms in mathematics remained when compared with other pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally and with others in the school. This was because in 2014, a quarter of pupils eligible for additional funding made good or better progress in the learning support centre but their attainment was below national average. Attainment for the other pupils eligible for this funding rose from the previous year. In 2014 and in their current work, disadvantaged pupils now make similar progress across the year groups to that of their peers in all subjects.

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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 125156 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 453485

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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 Junior School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 292 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pauline Baxter Headteacher Sue Roper Date of previous school inspection 10−11 January 2013 Telephone number 01252 329525 Fax number 01252 319184 Email address school@walsh-junior.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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