Shawley Community Primary School

Shawley Community Primary School Shawley Way, Epsom, KT18 5PD

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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 and deputy headteacher have worked together effectively to improve the quality of teaching throughout the school since the last inspection. As a result, teaching is now good.  Children make a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics has improved since the last inspection and is now above average overall.  Current pupils are making more rapid progress through Key Stage 2.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress and are closing the gap in achievement with their peers.  Attendance is above average.  The subject leaders for English and mathematics have had a significant impact on improving teaching in these subjects.  Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy the demanding and exciting curriculum.  The school takes very effective action to keep pupils safe.  Governors have refocused their work and now hold

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the school much more closely to account. This has contributed to the improvement in achievement.  Teachers benefit from good-quality training and coaching to help them improve their skills.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is a strength of the school and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More-able pupils are not always challenged to move on to harder work as soon as they are ready.  The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress is not high enough.  Marking and feedback to pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics does too little to help pupils to improve their work or deepen their understanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in all 11 classes and also made shorter visits to a number of lessons and intervention groups. Four sessions were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings and discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector met with the Chair of the Governing Body and five other members of the governing body, and also had a discussion with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors met formally with a group of the most-able pupils and held informal discussions with various groups of pupils throughout the inspection, including at break and lunchtime. They also heard some children from Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Inspectors scrutinised various school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, the quality of teaching, the achievement of pupils and teachers’ pay. They also looked at the governing body minutes.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered two letters from parents and the response of 44 parents to the Parent View questionnaire.  Inspectors also analysed the 27 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Lee Selby, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school has 11 classes and is slightly larger than the average primary school.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional funding through the pupil premium is below the national average. Pupil premium is additional funding from the government for some groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below that found in primary schools nationally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.  Early years provision is in two Reception classes which pupils attend full time.  The school operates a breakfast club that was part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is typically outstanding by:  always providing work that challenges the more-able pupils and extends their learning so they make more rapid progress  refining marking and feedback procedures so that pupils always receive clear guidance on how to improve their work in subjects other than English and mathematics  developing the current effective use of individual monitoring and coaching programmes for teachers so that teaching ensures a greater proportion of pupils make better than expected progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have worked together effectively since the last inspection to improve the quality of teaching throughout the school so that it is now consistently good. Actions to check the quality of teaching are extremely rigorous.  Leaders produce a detailed action plan for each teacher that recognises their strengths and any training needs. These are updated each term, and teachers value the professional development opportunities that result from them and confirm that the guidance they have received from leaders using these plans has helped to improve their teaching. However, leaders recognise there is more work to be done to develop these plans so that they improve the achievement of all pupils.  Pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well to help them close gaps in attainment with their peers. For example, funding supports effective one-to-one tuition in mathematics that is tailored to

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The leadership and management are good

the needs and gaps in knowledge of individuals.  The school is characterised by positive relationships between staff and pupils, and also between home and school. Parents are very complimentary about the school.  The school’s values of respect and self-discipline help ensure that there is no discrimination of any kind.  Middle leaders, especially the subject leaders for English and mathematics, have had a substantial impact on improvements in teaching and to the curriculum. The curriculum is driven by the desire to allow pupils to communicate, solve problems, understand the world and recognise the possibilities available to them.  Pupils say that they find lessons interesting because of the new curriculum. It is relevant to them and, as well as preparing them well for life in modern Britain, it also gives them an understanding of issues from around the world. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development permeates all activities and pupils are

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The leadership and management are good

aware of the four aspects through the poster displayed in each classroom.  Extra government funding for physical education and sport is used well. Over the last year, the number of pupils taking part in sporting activities has increased and staff have benefited from extra training in the teaching of gymnastics and dance.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet all statutory guidelines.  The local authority has provided intensive support to the school which has enabled leaders to make marked improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. The level of support has reduced recently as the capacity for further improvement within the school has increased.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has improved its effectiveness since the last inspection and now has a more accurate view of how well the school is performing. Governors have benefited from having an advanced skills governor, commissioned by the local authority at their request, working with them. They know how well different groups of pupils are achieving and challenge school leaders about any remaining underperformance. Relevant governors are given detailed information about the quality of teaching, know what the strengths in teaching are and understand what needs to be improved. Consequently, they ensure that teachers are rewarded for good performance, ensuring that the best teachers are retained.  The governing body manages the school’s financial resources, including the pupil premium funding, very well at a time of funding reductions due to a falling roll.  Governors benefit from a wide range of training and have plans in place to reconstitute their

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The leadership and management are good

membership to ensure they maintain an appropriate range of skills and experience.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils play harmoniously together and conduct themselves well around the school. They have good manners, demonstrating the school value of politeness.  Incidences of poor behaviour have continued to decrease due to the restorative processes that the school has embedded. Pupils appreciate this and know that any problems will be sorted out quickly.  Pupils normally have positive attitudes to learning, although there are rare occasions when they become distracted and need to be refocused by adults. Older pupils confidently extend their own learning, for example by following different lines of enquiry in mathematics.  In lessons, pupils work together well and are respectful when assessing work completed by their peers. For example, in a Year 4 physical education lesson, pupils gave helpful feedback to their friends on the quality of their gymnastic sequences.  Pupils are rightly proud of their school and enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and the

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Behaviour

more demanding and exciting curriculum that has been developed since the last inspection.  Older pupils take on a range of responsibilities around the school and especially appreciate the democratic process of electing team captains.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Policies and procedures to keep children safe from harm are extremely rigorous and staff receive regular training to keep themselves updated in this important area. Leaders have commissioned external audits of procedures to test their effectiveness and acted promptly on their recommendations.  Pupils know how to stay safe in a range of situations, including through e-safety when working online. They report that bullying is very rare and are proactive in promoting anti-bullying messages and awareness. Parents are extremely positive about behaviour and safety at the school.  Systems for following up absence from school are very robust. As a result, attendance is above average.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection because of the systematic monitoring of each individual teacher’s strengths and weaknesses. Teachers understand how to improve because of the robust individual action plans produced by school leaders.  This good teaching has led to improvements in the achievement of pupils throughout the school. For example, in mathematics, older pupils are now able to apply their calculation skills to solve real-life problems, such as redesigning the school car park using their knowledge of area.  Teachers ensure that pupils are required to apply their literacy skills across other subject areas, for example in historical newspaper reports about the Battle of Marathon. Grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are taught well.  Detailed marking and feedback in English and mathematics using the school’s agreed format has a positive impact on the progress pupils make. This is because errors are addressed and pupils are given clear

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The quality of teaching is good

guidance on how to improve their work. Sometimes, they are challenged with further questions which allow them to demonstrate and deepen their understanding.  Feedback is less well developed in other subject areas, so when pupils apply their written and mathematical skills in different topics they do not always receive clear advice on how it can be improved.  Teachers successfully engage and motivate pupils, and this allows them to enjoy their learning and usually make good progress in lessons.  Teachers’ questioning skills are well developed and make children think. For example, in a Reception class, the teacher asked children to think carefully about how to mix different coloured paints to create the desired colour when painting different sea creatures.  On some occasions, more-able pupils are held back when they are ready to move on to more challenging work in lessons. This means that these pupils are not all making rapid progress.

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is good

 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has improved since the last inspection and is now above average in reading and mathematics, and average in writing. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 in reading and mathematics was above average in 2014.  Performance in the Year 6 grammar, punctuation and spelling test is a strength with pupils performing better than pupils nationally for the last two years.  The proportion of pupils making expected progress through Key Stage 2 has improved and is now above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, attainment at the end of Year 6 has also improved so that 2014 results were at least average in all areas.  Progress has been more rapid in Key Stage 2 over the last two years. Pupils are developing their skills as writers and are able to write using a wide range of genres, in different subject areas. Current Year 6

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is good

pupils have made better progress than previous cohorts. School data, and evidence seen during the inspection, indicate that more of these children are on course to reach the higher Level 5 at the end of this year.  The most-able pupils have not always achieved to the best of their ability. Although this is improving, they are not always moved on to more challenging work quickly enough.  The gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing. In 2014, the gap had narrowed so they were nearly one year behind when compared to all children nationally in mathematics, two terms behind in reading and half a term behind in writing. When compared to other pupils in the school, the gap is half a year in mathematics and two terms in reading. In 2014, disadvantaged children did slightly better than their peers in school in writing.  Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs make similar progress to their peers due to the good

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is good

provision within the school.  Pupils make good progress in developing their phonic skills (the sounds that letters make). They are able to apply these skills further as they improve as readers. More confident readers in Year 2 could apply their skills to more challenging texts and were able to talk about the books they enjoy reading.

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is good

 From starting points that are broadly typical for their age, children make good progress so that a higher proportion than that found nationally achieve a good level of development. Therefore, most children leave the early years with the skills needed for the next stage of their learning.  As a result of good teaching over time, there are good opportunities to learn in all areas of the curriculum.  Activities are carefully chosen and promote children’s high levels of engagement and cooperation, for example by planning activities to interest pupils around the theme of ‘pirates’.  Children are able to apply their phonic skills in a range of activities in different areas of learning, although more-able children are not moved on to more difficult words and sounds quickly enough in whole-class sessions.  Staff know their children well and plan exciting activities that interest them within the stimulating

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is good

classroom and outside environment, such as introducing blocks of ice with treasure inside for children to reclaim using a range of tools.  Children behave well because they are keen to learn and want to succeed. Very occasional minor disputes are quickly sorted out by the caring adults.  The early years leader knows her team and children well and understands the strengths and areas to develop in the provision. She works with other leaders to plan relevant training opportunities for all staff and to ensure all safeguarding procedures are robust and effective.  The provision is not yet outstanding because children make good rather than rapid gains in their learning.

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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 125005 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 453484

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 272 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nick Harrison Headteacher Chris Gill Date of previous school inspection 30–31 January 2013 Telephone number 01737 350344 Fax number 01737 362484 Email address info@shawley.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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