Stretton School at West Lodge

Stretton School at West Lodge Independent school standard inspection report

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DfE registration number 926/6031 Unique Reference Number (URN) 121226 Inspection number 361352 Inspection dates 28–29 September Reporting inspector Julie Winyard HMI achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you

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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’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk No. 090070 Independent school standard inspection report

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PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE INSPECTION

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. 1, 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Stretton School at West Lodge is a small, co-educational independent day school in Norwich. The headteacher is also the proprietor of the school. There are 91 boys and girls on roll, aged between 12 months and 7 years. The school, which was established in 1969, provides full and part-time education and full day care. It also provides before- and after-school care. The school was previously inspected in November 2007. The provision for children under 3 years was last inspected by Ofsted in March 2010 and judged to meet the requirements of the Early Years register. This provision was not inspected as part of the current inspection. The school is divided into four parts:  the Nippers department provides full and part-time day care for children aged 12 months to 2½ years  the Nursery is for children aged 2½ to 3½ years and children can attend part-time or full-time  the Transition class is for those aged 3½ to 4½ years and all attend full-

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

time  the main school, for pupils aged 4½ to 7 years, is divided into three classes, Prep 1 (Reception), Prep 2 (Year 1) and Prep 3 (Year 2).

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school provides government-funded nursery places in the Nursery and the Transition class. Most pupils are of White British origin. A small number are of Asian, Black or mixed heritage. No pupils have a statement of special educational need. The school has two main aims: ‘to promote a happy environment where individuality is respected and to give children the opportunity of a broad co-educational experience’ and ‘to help children achieve their full potential academically, socially and emotionally according to their ability’.

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EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education and meets its aims. Good progress has been made since its last full inspection in November 2007 when a number of

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EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL

1 www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/ukpga_20020032_en_14#pt10-ch1-pb4-l1g162 2 www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2005/ukpga_20050018_en_15#sch8 Independent school standard inspection report

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regulatory requirements were not met; these have all been addressed and the school now meets all regulatory requirements. The overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Pupils are friendly, enthusiastic about learning and really enjoy coming to school; they receive excellent care and their welfare is of the highest priority, with all safeguarding requirements being met. Pupils’ behaviour is good, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are excellent relationships between adults and pupils. Teaching, assessment and the curriculum are good and this enables pupils to make good progress throughout their time at the school. The vast majority of parents and carers are extremely positive about the school and are becoming increasingly involved in strategic development planning. The school provides a good breakfast and after-school club.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Stretton School provides a good quality of education. The good curriculum, based on the National Curriculum, is broad, balanced and enriched by a wide range of visits, visitors and, for the older pupils, specialist teaching provision. For example, the excellent links with two local independent high schools enables good provision for information and communication technology (ICT), science and physical education (PE), including weekly swimming lessons. The school also provides French for all pupils from Prep 1. The lessons are conducted in French and pupils rapidly learn basic vocabulary and speak with excellent accents and intonation. Science is also taught weekly in Prep 2 and 3, and includes a good range of investigative work. For example, pupils in Prep 3 really enjoyed testing different materials to see if they were waterproof. The curriculum is underpinned by effective long, medium and short term lesson planning. Teachers use a similar planning format: this shows what will

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

be covered in the lesson and activities pupils will be doing. However, there is not a separate space for the learning objective which means this is not always as clearly defined as it could be for every lesson.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Teaching and assessment are good overall and, because of this and the good curriculum, pupils make good progress. Pupils enter the school with a range of abilities. They make good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage and enter Prep 1 with attainment that is slightly above that expected for their age. They continue to make good progress and leave Prep 3 with attainment that is higher than average in English, mathematics and science. Teaching has improved since the last inspection because the headteacher closely monitors and advises teachers on how to improve their lessons. The staff know the pupils extremely well and this contributes to the excellent relationships throughout the school and to the pupils’ great enjoyment of their lessons. Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach and resources are used well to support learning. Teaching assistants are effectively deployed to support the learning of individuals and groups. For example,

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

in one lesson about odd and even numbers, the assistant carefully explained why numbers are described as ‘odd’, enabling the youngest pupils to begin to understand this concept. Teachers match learning activities to the needs of most abilities but very occasionally there is insufficient challenge for the most able pupils; for example, Independent school standard inspection report

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in a comprehension exercise where pupils were able to think more deeply than was indicated by their written answers.

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Teachers make accurate assessments of pupils’ attainment and record this regularly. However, there is not a consistent approach for recording and tracking pupils’ progress which makes it difficult for the school to demonstrate the rate of progress pupils make from Prep 1 to Prep 3. While verbal feedback and marking in pupils books are both thorough and affirmative, they are not always focused precisely on what pupils need to do to improve their work.

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The breakfast club provides activities for pupils to engage in before school and meets all requirements. Parents provide food for their children. The after-school club has a wide range of activities which also enrich the school’s curriculum, including craft, sports and music. All activities are well planned and are regularly evaluated by staff. Two rooms are used, one for older and the other for younger pupils: both provisions are well staffed, have a very positive ethos and pupils’ behaviour is excellent.

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PUPILS

Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and, because they love coming to school, attendance is good. Pupils’ good spiritual development is evident in their ability to reflect on their work and their behaviour; for example, in a discussion time where a pupil shared a beautiful piece of embroidery with the class. There was a gasp of delight and a moment of quiet as pupils examined their classmate’s work with great appreciation of the achievement. Behaviour is good throughout the school day. Pupils have a good understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Their good social and moral understanding is also evident in how kind and considerate they are towards each other and towards adults; for example, in one lesson where a pupil went and congratulated another on a good drawing. ‘Thank you very much,’ was the reply. Teachers manage behaviour well, but because the special needs

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PUPILS

policy does not have procedures and approaches outlined for managing specific special needs, they do not always have a consistent approach to managing pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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PUPILS

Pupils make a good contribution to the community, particularly through a variety of fund-raising activities for a range of charities. This helps them to gain an understanding of, and to develop positive attitudes towards, people less fortunate than themselves. Pupils are very keen to be helpful and talk confidently about how they help their parents and carers with the chores at home. A school council is about to be elected and to prepare for this, pupils are learning about democratic processes. Older pupils have a good understanding of the application and use of ICT and parents and carers have been extremely supportive in fund raising so that all pupils can have access to computers. This, together with the good progress in English and mathematics, prepares pupils well for the next stage in their education. Independent school standard inspection report

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Pupils’ good cultural understanding is developed well through the curriculum and through the school, taking every opportunity to celebrate the festivals related to all faith communities represented by staff, pupils and parents.

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WELFARE, HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

The school has put in place outstanding measures to promote the welfare, health and safety of the pupils, including child protection. All safeguarding policies procedures, including appropriate staff recruitment and pre-appointment checks, are fully in place and meet requirements. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to live healthily. They are very keen to explain that fruit and vegetables are good for you because they have ‘lots of minerals’ and, while one pupil felt it was better to be ‘thin than fat’, another moderated this by saying ‘we should all be in proportion.’ Pupils say they feel very safe at school and that there is no bullying, and parents and carers wholeheartedly endorse this view.

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WELFARE, HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

The school has an effective plan to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 and is this is reviewed annually. The school is making every effort to ensure that it is fully accessible to all pupils and parents. The specific welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage are also met.

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SUITABILITY OF STAFF, SUPPLY STAFF AND PROPRIETORS

Robust systems and procedures for appointing staff are in place, in line with requirements. The necessary checks have been carried out on the proprietor, staff and volunteers working in the school and these are correctly recorded on a single central record.

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PREMISES OF AND ACCOMMODATION AT THE SCHOOL

The school’s premises and accommodation enable pupils to learn effectively, safely and securely. Classrooms are of an adequate size for the number of pupils being taught. The decoration and furnishings are of adequate quality.

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PROVISION OF INFORMATION

A comprehensive prospectus includes all the information for parents and carers required by the regulations. It informs parents and prospective parents about the work of the school and is readily accessible to all, both in hard copy and on the website. The school has developed excellent practice in this area since the last inspection, including email and text messaging services to ensure all parents and carers are kept fully informed. The school website includes a ‘blog’ managed by a parent member of the parent teacher association. This has a wealth of information Independent school standard inspection report

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provided by teachers, including what pupils are learning about each week in every class.

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MANNER IN WHICH COMPLAINTS ARE TO BE HANDLED

There are good procedures for handling complaints which meet requirements and parents are informed about these in the school prospectus.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

The overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and children make good progress. However, in the promotion of children’s welfare, health and safety, including child protection and safeguarding, provision is outstanding, as it is in the rest of the school. Children receive a very high standard of care from dedicated and well-trained staff. Children of all ages quickly settle in, separating from their parents and carers without fear and rapidly becoming familiar with daily routines. Behaviour is good. Children quickly develop excellent speaking and good listening skills because they are given lots of opportunities to share their ideas. They demonstrate some independence in the choices of activity they make.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

The quality of provision is good and teaching assistants provide good support to teachers. Teaching is good because sessions are carefully planned and there is very careful assessment of the progress children make. Observations are detailed and very well recorded in ‘learning journeys’ that include photographs to illustrate achievements and the next steps in leaning. There are a good range of resources for children to use both in the classroom and the outside area, which is used well throughout the day and in all weathers. Future plans for the further development of outdoor activities are ambitious and take appropriate notice of safeguarding and health issues.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. There are very good links with parents and carers who say they are happy with the school. Good use is made of external expertise; for example, there is particularly effective partnership work with the local authority adviser who has supported the development of the provision. All adults reflect continuously on their practice and what has gone well or what needs further development. All risk assessments are comprehensive and thorough, covering every aspect of provision.

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COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

The proprietor has ensured that the school meets The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, schedule 1 (‘the Regulations’). Independent school standard inspection report

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WHAT THE SCHOOL COULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

While not required by regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL COULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

 Improve assessment procedures by ensuring that all written and verbal feedback enables pupils to know and understand exactly what they need to do to improve their work.  Ensure the school has a precise picture of the progress all pupils make from their starting points through establishing a consistent approach to how and when pupils’ progress is evaluated.  Ensure the school’s special needs policy includes clear procedures and guidance to staff on how to manage pupils’ specific special needs. Independent school standard inspection report

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

outstanding good satisfactory inadequate

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The quality of education

How well the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of pupils 

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The quality of education

How effective teaching and assessment are in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs 

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The quality of education

How well pupils make progress in their learning 

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The quality of education

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Quality of provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

The overall welfare, health and safety of pupils 

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The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage 

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The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 

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The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage 

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The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage  Independent school standard inspection report

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 33 Girls: 21 Total: 54

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Number on roll (part-time pupils) Boys: 20 Girls: 17 Total: 37

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Number of pupils who are looked after Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Annual fees (day pupils) £ 1,800 – £8,388

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Address of school West Lodge,1 Albermarle Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 2DF

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SCHOOL DETAILS

Email address enquiries@stretton-school.co.uk

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