Claygate Primary School

Inspection of Claygate Primary School Foley Road, Claygate, Esher, Surrey KT10 0NB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 8–9 January 2020

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their parents recognise the many improvements that have been made to this school since the current leaders arrived. Pupils are now safe in the knowledge that they can play and learn happily. This is because expectations about behaviour and learning are higher and there are many more things to learn and experience.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

There is no sense of complacency within the hardworking and dedicated team. They know there is much more to do to achieve their ambitions of providing the best possible education for all pupils. They have chosen the right things to do and have made a bright start on their journey. For example, more pupils are learning to read earlier.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are already benefiting from the differences. They have a wide range of extra- curricular activities to enjoy. Pupils celebrate success in sport and music, in and out of school. They love the simplified school values and take them seriously. Pupils enjoy responsibilities, such as looking after the guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

A few parents were worried about bullying. The many children and parents we spoke to were not concerned. They know that adults will help them to get along if they fall out with their friends.

p.2

better?

After the last inspection, the school lost its way and standards began to slip. The current headteacher has tackled the decline head on and is making the changes needed to improve the school. In our survey, many parents wrote about the way the leadership team is transforming the school for the better.

p.2

better?

Leaders have focused on the most important things first. There is now a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics across the school, and pupils throughout the school have begun to catch up. A more consistent way of teaching phonics, including in the early years, has helped more of the youngest pupils learn to read sooner. However, well-thought-out strategies to help older children read more widely, and with fluency and accuracy, are not yet being applied consistently in all classes.

p.2

better?

In the past, pupils have not done well enough in writing. Some teachers did not assess pupils’ writing accurately. Too much emphasis was given to linking the teaching of writing to topic work rather than teaching the necessary writing skills. Leaders are still making their new higher expectations clear in this area. For example, not all teachers are using assessment information to check that work is suitable for their pupils.

p.2

better?

Specialist teachers and coaches are used successfully to teach music and physical education. Other curriculum subjects are often organised into topics. Sometimes the links between subjects are tenuous. Leaders are now ensuring that the national 8–9 January 2020

p.2

3

curriculum for all subjects is being covered in full. In the early years, the environment and teachers’ planning ensure that all areas of learning are covered. However, leaders have not yet thought about how the teaching of knowledge and skills in different subjects is sequenced.

p.3

3

Leaders have welcomed the support of the local authority and leaders from other schools. High-quality training has helped to improve the quality of teaching and develop subject leadership. This support, together with the appointment of an experienced leader who is responsible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), has improved the identification of additional needs. As a result, there have been improvements in the provision for pupils with SEND.

p.3

3

Behaviour in classrooms and around the school is good. This includes in all the different areas where pupils play and socialise at lunchtimes. Children in the early years quickly learn the daily routines and become part of the school family. Staff explained to us how leaders have raised expectations about behaviour. Leaders have ensured that there is now a consistent approach.

p.3

3

Claygate’ pupils are certainly living up to the higher expectations of behaviour. They are enjoying a much wider range of opportunities. The ‘Claygate Charter’ provides pupils with a variety of enrichment activities, such as gardening, sport, art and Japanese. These help promote pupils’ physical and mental well-being. Many more pupils are representing the school in sporting fixtures. More pupils are taking on additional responsibilities. For example, they are looking after the pets, and they act as ambassadors or members of the ‘sports crew’. Older pupils are able to explain how the school’s ‘scarrf’ values help prepare them for the future.

p.3

3

Governors realise that they had not challenged leaders enough about past weaknesses. However, they are confident that they have the leaders and staff in place to make the rapid improvements needed. Governors want every child to thrive as well academically as they do socially.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders proactively commissioned a local authority safeguarding audit in May 2019 that identified historic weaknesses in record-keeping relating to recruitment and child protection.

p.3

Safeguarding

Previous weaknesses have been fully addressed. Leaders have ensured that all staff receive regular and relevant training. Staff know how to refer any concerns about pupils’ safety to leaders and know concerns will be dealt with diligently.

p.3

Safeguarding

School leaders work well with a wide range of other professionals to support families and keep pupils safe. However, they are not afraid to challenge colleagues in other services when they feel more can be done to support the most vulnerable pupils. 8–9 January 2020

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils have not achieved as well as they could in writing. In the past, some teachers’ assessments in writing were not accurate. Sometimes, writing tasks are linked to topic work unnecessarily. This hinders pupils trying to improve their writing. Leaders need to have clear expectations about what pupils should achieve in writing in each year group.  Leaders have made improvements in the teaching of reading, especially the teaching of phonics in early years and key stage 1. However, the planned reading improvements have not yet been implemented consistently across the school. Leaders should ensure that pupils are taught to read widely and often and with good fluency and comprehension in all classes. This will enable all pupils to confidently access the curriculum.  There are inconsistencies in teaching across year groups and the school. This is because not all teachers are using assessment information well to plan learning or

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

to adapt tasks in lessons. As a result, sometimes, work is not as challenging as it could be. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers use assessment information effectively in order to help pupils learn and remember more.  Leaders have begun to ensure that the national curriculum is covered in all subjects. However, they have not yet thought about the acquisition of knowledge and skills in many foundation subjects. As a result, the curriculum is not well sequenced to help pupils learn and remember more, including in the early years. Sometimes links are made between subjects that are unnecessary. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is well planned and sequenced in all subjects and in all areas of learning in the early years.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 8–9 January 2020

p.4

5

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 8–9 January 2020

p.5

School details

Inspection number 10122229 Type of school Primary

p.6

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Chair of governing body Brian Howells and Linda Wells (co-chairs)

p.6

School details

Date of previous inspection 28 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2018. There has been a substantial turnover in staffing since then, with seven new teachers and a new inclusion leader starting at the school in September 2019.  The school is part of the Ember Learning Trust, which is a cooperative of local schools.

p.6

Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 We talked to senior leaders throughout the inspection and looked at a wide range of school documentation. We talked to pupils informally around the school and more formally in different discussion groups.  We did deep dives in reading, writing, mathematics, physical education, music and history. Each deep dive involved talking to subject leaders, visiting lessons along with senior leaders, talking to pupils about their learning, looking in detail at pupils’ work and talking to teachers. The lead inspector heard some pupils read as part of the reading deep dive. 8–9 January 2020

p.6

7

 To inspect safeguarding, we checked recent recruitment processes and records, spoke to leaders responsible for safeguarding and sampled some records about vulnerable pupils. We also talked to many staff about their understanding of safeguarding.  We spoke to four governors, including the two co-chairs of the governing body. We also met with a representative of the local authority.  We considered 30 responses to the confidential survey for staff. We spoke to parents before school and took account of 202 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey, including 132 free-text comments.

p.7

Inspection team

Lee Selby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Clementina Aina Ofsted Inspector 8–9 January 2020

p.7

8

regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

8

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 .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8