Grovelands Primary School

Grovelands Infants School

Reporting inspector: David James Ofsted number 15162

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Grovelands Infants School

Dates of inspection: 15.to 18.November 1999

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Grovelands Infants School

Under OFSTED contract number: 708535 Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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Grovelands Infants School

Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the appropriate authority must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. Every registered parent of a registered pupil at the school should receive a free copy of the summary of the report within ten working days of receipt of the summary by the appropriate authority. A charge not exceeding the cost of supply may be made by the appropriate authority for any other copies of the report and/or its summary provided to any person who asks for one. The appropriate authority should make a copy of the report and the summary available for inspection by members of the public at such times and at such a place as may be reasonable Any enquiries about this legislation should be addressed to the OFSTED Compliance Helpline Tel. 0207 421 6567 Grovelands Infants-3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Terrace Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. KT12 2EB

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Surrey County Council

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr. B. Mehta

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1996 Grovelands Infants-4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

David James, RgI Mathematics Attainment and progress Information communication technology Teaching

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Physical education Leadership and management Graeme Norval, Lay Inspector Attendance Pupils’ welfare and guidance Partnership with parents and the community Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Morag Thorpe Science Attitudes, behaviour and personal development Design and technology Curriculum and assessment Art Efficiency Special educational needs Mo Ashby English Music Under fives Abul Maula History Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Geography Religious education Equality of opportunity Pupils for whom English is an additional language

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd 51 St Andrew’s Road Chesterton Cambridge CB4 1EQ

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Grovelands Infants-5

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What the school does well

• . Teaching in more than half of the lessons is good. • . There is a positive ethos for learning in the school and pupils make good progress. • . There is a clear educational direction for the school and its leadership is good. • . Relationships within the school are very good. • . There are very good links with the community. • . The partnership with parents is good and they share the school’s values. • . Pupils’ attitudes to school and their behaviour are good. • . The school has very good involvement and support from its governors which contribute positively to its good leadership. • . The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good. • . The school’s arrangements for training are good.

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What the school does well

· Where the school has weaknesses I. Standards of attainment in writing do not match the very good standards in reading, mathematics and science. II. Though there is some very good practice, assessment, marking and target setting are not consistent enough across the whole school. III. The brighter pupils are capable of greater progress, including those who are aged five in the reception classes. IV. The way that success of the school’s priorities is judged is not sufficiently detailed or well focused.

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What the school does well

The school’s weaknesses are easily outweighed by what it does well, but they will form the basis of the governors’ action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school.

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What the school does well

· How the school has improved since the last inspection The school has improved a great deal since its previous inspection. That inspection gave six key issues for action. Of these, the school has successfully developed a set of aims that are used to guide, monitor and evaluate the work of the school. It has successfully managed the school development planning process through a collaborative and shared process with clear tasks and responsibilities. The management structure has however, only recently been extended. There are now good systems for financial management and control that include costings of the development plan and measures of cost effectiveness. The school now has coherent systems and procedures for staff induction and staff development although the formal appraisal system is not in place. The school has developed a consistent and successful approach to the management of behaviour to a point where

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What the school does well

behaviour is now good. The school has set up some systems to meet the needs of more able pupils, but these are not fully effective. Of the six key issues the school has successfully dealt with four and many aspects of the other two. The school has also made good progress in most of the more minor issues raised in the previous report; these improvements are referred to in the main report. The standards of attainment have risen in relation to national averages and in comparison with similar schools and the school has met its targets for these standards.

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What the school does well

The high level of involvement and support of governors, the quality of teaching, the good leadership, the extension of the management team and the good ethos for learning all give the school the capacity for further improvement.

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What the school does well

· Standards in subjects This table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds in 1999 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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What the school does well

Performance in Compared with all Compared with · Key Grovelands Infants-8

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schools similar schools

well above average A above average B Reading A A average C Writing B C below average D Mathematics A A well below average E

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schools similar schools

By five years of age almost all pupils do well across the range of their work. By the end of Year 2 pupils do very well in science and their skills in information and communications technology are better than those in most schools. The table above shows that for pupils who are seven standards of reading are well above the national average and well above those of pupils in similar schools. For writing, the standards they attain are above the national average but are at average levels in comparison with similar schools. In mathematics, the standards pupils attain are well above the national average and well above those for pupils in similar schools. Inspection confirms that the school is on course to maintain these good standards. In religious education, pupils make sound progress and attain standards in line with the demands of the locally agreed syllabus.

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Quality of teaching

English satisfactory satisfactory Mathematics satisfactory good Science good Information technology good Religious education satisfactory Other subjects satisfactory satisfactory

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is at least satisfactory in 97 per cent of lessons. In 43 per cent it is good, in 9 per cent it is very good and in 1 per cent it is excellent.

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Quality of teaching

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour With very few exceptions it is good throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory; it is similar to the national average, but has fallen.

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Aspect Comment

Ethos* Good: pupils normally respond very well, have good attitudes to their work and relationships are very good. Leadership and management Good: there is firm leadership by the headteacher with strong governor support. Grovelands Infants-9 Curriculum Sound: it is broad and balanced, provides for the needs of children under five and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. It is enhanced by the visits made. Pupils with special educational needs Sound.

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Aspect Comment

Spiritual, moral, social & cultural development Good.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, resources and accommodation Sound: arrangements for induction and training are good, but the required appraisal system is not in place. Value for money Satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

*Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

V. Their children like school. VI. They feel encouraged to play an active part in the life of the school. VII. They find the school approachable. VIII. The values and attitudes the school promotes. IX. Some parents think there is not enough homework

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

X. The complex procedures for dealing with poor

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Inspectors looked very carefully at the arrangements for dealing with pupils’ behaviour and do not agree that the procedures are too complex; in fact, they believe them to be appropriate and effective. From looking at pupils’ work and the progress they make, inspectors judge that homework is sufficient and makes a positive contribution to the progress made by most pupils. ·

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

To sustain and continue the improvements made over the past three years the governors, headteacher and staff should now:-

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

XI. improve pupils’ average attainment in writing at Key Stage 1 to match their well above average attainment in reading and mathematics and (see paragraphs 8-9, 105, 110-112 )

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

XII. ensure greater consistency across the school by building on existing good and very good practice in teaching that:- (see paragraphs 20, 22) -. uses assessment very well to set targets for pupils (see paragraphs 22, 23, 38) -. specifies clear learning objectives for pupils in short term planning (see paragraph 23) -. ensures that higher attaining pupils including those who are aged five in reception classes are set demanding tasks and (see paragraphs 22, 107, 120) -. insists on high standards of presentation of pupils’ work (see paragraphs (23, 123)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

• . specify detailed success criteria for priorities in the school development plan so that monitoring success becomes more sharply focused and includes the wider management team. (see paragraphs 63, 65) Grovelands Infants-10 · INTRODUCTION ·

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Characteristics of the school

1. Grovelands County Infants and Nursery is a very large mixed school on the eastern edge of Walton-on- Thames in Surrey. The school role of 219 is rising and in addition there are 91 children part-time in the nursery. Pupils come from a wide range of home backgrounds, including owner occupied, rented and local authority owned homes, including some high rise flats. The nursery draws children from a wider area and pupils come into the nursery with overall levels of attainment broadly inline with national expectations. By the time they are five, most pupils have attended some form of pre-school provision if they have not attended the nursery. Fourteen per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. Seven and a half per cent of pupils come from minority ethnic groups, which is above the national average. For seven pupils, English is an additional language. Nineteen per cent of pupils are

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Characteristics of the school

on the school’s register of special educational needs of whom ten are at Stages 3 and 4 of the Code of Practice. No pupils have a statement of special need.

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Characteristics of the school

2. The school aims through its teaching and learning to provide a secure environment and use resources well to enable pupils to achieve their potential. The aims also make it clear that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is important. The school also aims to establish good communications with parents and the local community.

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1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1999 34 27 61

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 32 28 33 at NC Level 2 or Girls 26 26 26 above Total 58 54 59 Percentage at NC School 95(87) 89(82) 97(95) Level 2 or above National 82(80) 83(81) 87(85)

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Results

3. Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 28 33 32 at NC Level 2 or Girls 26 25 26 above Total 54 58 58 Percentage at NC School 89(88) 95(95) 95(90) Level 2 or above National 82(81) 86(85) 87(86)

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Results

1. percentages in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Grovelands Infants-11 4. Attendance

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Results

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed % through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 3.0 reporting year: Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 0.1 Absence National comparative data 0.5 4.

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Results

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) during Number the previous year: Fixed period 0 Permanent 0

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Results

Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 10 Satisfactory or better 97 Less than satisfactory 3 Grovelands Infants-12 6. PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Results

6. EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS AT THE SCHOOL

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Results

4. On entry to nursery children’s attainment is varied, but is broadly inline with national expectations. They make good progress and transfer easily into the reception class in the year of their fifth birthday. At the time of the inspection children new to the nursery were making particularly good progress in their social development. The Surrey Baseline Assessment carried out during the first weeks in reception shows that by the time they are five, their attainment in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, aesthetic and creative development, physical, personal and their social skills are above national expectations and that they meet the desirable learning outcomes for five year olds. There are no significant variations in progress between boys and girls or those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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Results

5. Overall, the school has steadily improved its standards of attainment in national tests over the past three years. By the end of Key Stage 1, in the 1999 tests, standards for reading are well above the national average and those for similar schools. Test results in writing show standards are above the national average and in line with those of similar schools. This is an improvement over the previous year when standards achieved were below those of similar schools. The tests also show that a substantial minority of pupils do not spell well enough. However, standards of literacy are satisfactory and contribute well to, and are developed through, many other subjects such as history, science, design and technology and information and communications technology. In mathematics, the results of the national tests show that the school has maintained its improvement and standards are well above the national average and those of

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Results

similar schools. Standards of numeracy are generally good; skills are applied and developed in science, design and technology and information communications technology. In science, teacher assessments show the standards achieved are above both the national average and those of similar schools.

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Results

6. Inspection confirms these results. At the time of the inspection the majority of pupils are already attaining at least national average levels and by the end of the key stage the school is well on course to maintain its standards of attainment that are above and well above the national average. Pupils overall make good progress as a result of the good teaching they receive. Pupils are normally clear about the work they have to do and respond very well to their teachers’ expectations of them to work hard and behave well. Their progress is good in English, mathematics and science. Pupils co-operate well in whole class sessions and in their groups. They normally listen carefully, understand what they are expected to do and are keen to complete the tasks they are set, but a substantial minority do not present their work carefully enough. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress. There are systems in place to accelerate

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Results

the progress of the most able and there has been an increase in the number of pupils attaining at Level 3 in the national tests. This is an improvement since the previous inspection; nevertheless the higher attaining pupils are still capable of making greater progress. The very few pupils for whom English is an additional language make sound progress. The test results and teacher assessment data shows that differences between the attainment and progress of boys and girls are narrowing in mathematics and reading. Inspection confirms there are no significant differences. However, this good progress is inconsistent and within the overall good progress in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science there are specific areas where pupils’ progress can be improved. The school is not complacent; it is well aware that the improvement made in writing to above national average standards does not match the even higher

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Results

standards attained in reading, mathematics, and science. There are appropriate plans and targets to improve writing, including spelling. In mathematics, the higher attaining pupils are capable of greater progress, especially in their use of skills and in science they can improve upon investigations and experimental knowledge. The school is well aware of the need to maintain the high standards it achieves and that for further improvement specific skills will be targets for particular groups of pupils. Target setting has been agreed and has begun, but is not yet consistent throughout the school.

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Results

7. Pupils’ competencies in information and communications technology (ICT) are above those expected nationally by pupils of the same age and they make good progress. Pupils are taught skills for using computers from an early age and by Year 2 many can apply them well, particularly in word processing, data handling and art based programs. In religious education, pupils’ attainment is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and the progress they make is at least sound. The topics studied and the personal, social and health education lessons contribute to the sound progress made. Pupils make good Grovelands Infants-13 progress in design and technology and learn to apply a good range of skills and techniques in their work. In physical education, although swimming is not a legal requirement for pupils in Key Stage 1, the school has chosen to include it in the curriculum in view of the large amount of water in the local area and so

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Results

progress is higher than in most similar schools. Pupils also make good progress in history and geography and in art and music they make sound progress.

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Results

10. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

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Results

8. Children who are under five in the nursery and reception classes are generally confident, play well together, learn to take turns and interact well with each other and staff. Many take pride in what they can do. At the time of the inspection the new children in the nursery had been in school for a few weeks. They have settled in very quickly and are developing good attitudes and skills for their social behaviour.

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Results

9. Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour, relationships and personal development have improved since the last inspection and are good. Improving the management of the challenging behaviour of some pupils was a key issue arising from the previous inspection. The school has adopted and effectively implemented a wide range of procedures for improving behaviour. This challenging behaviour is now not an issue within the school although, during the inspection week, there were a few instances of boisterous behaviour in the playground at lunchtime which were dealt with promptly. There have been no exclusions in the past three years.

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Results

10. A high percentage of parents believe that the standards of behaviour are good and feel that pupils know the boundaries. A large majority of parents feel that pupils are happy and like school. The only concern raised by a parent was about a recent incident of bullying, but there are clear, effective school procedures for dealing with any incidents and the clear majority of parents have confidence that they are well implemented. Two parents from minority ethnic groups commented positively on the good racial harmony between pupils.

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Results

11. A key issue from the previous report said, “ develop a consistent approach by all staff to the management of challenging pupil behaviour and focus on improving the standards of behaviour of all pupils to an acceptable level.” This has been achieved. The school has made significant and effective efforts to address this issue in both a more consistent approach within classes and the development of a Personal and Social Education policy which focuses on raising self-esteem. This system, which is clearly understood by both pupils and parents is successful. Pupils’ attitudes to work are good. In the great majority of cases pupils are well motivated, enjoy learning and are keen to respond to the challenges and tasks offered. In lessons and during collective worship, pupils listen carefully to their teacher and to each other. Generally pupils have high levels of concentration with most being willing to answer questions and

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Results

12. Behaviour throughout the school is good. Whether in class or moving around the school, most pupils behave in an orderly manner because they know the teachers’ expectations of behaviour and react accordingly. The school environment, especially outside, with the grass areas, the tables and the apparatus for play, is spacious, mostly attractive and enhances pupils’ good behaviour.

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Results

13. Relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff are very good. Pupils are polite and considerate, and always ready to be helpful. In lessons they work well together, handle equipment carefully and share space and apparatus very well. At playtimes and in the dining hall, they are sociable, communicative and friendly.

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Results

14. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. The school’s systems for making sure that pupils are accepted as valued members of the class and the community help to raise their self-esteem and develop their confidence. Pupils understand the importance of taking turns and the need to recognise other people’s achievements. This was particularly evident during some design and technology and art lessons. Pupils work well independently and at lunchtime the recently introduced ‘Buddy’ System is beginning to work well. Pupils who are Buddies explain their roles clearly, seriously and with commitment. Pupils take responsibility for helping in their classrooms and in assemblies. Pupils co-operate well in lessons and their confidence and skills of collaboration are sound overall. Pupils handle resources carefully, share them Grovelands Infants-14 willingly and with confidence. Links with the local community and the wide range of visits, together with

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Results

the good use of the external environment of the school, enhance pupils’ personal development. 17.

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Results

15. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory and make a positive contribution to the progress and development of most pupils. Although attendance has declined from its previously very high level it is still above the national average. There was no unauthorised absence in the previous academic year, but this year it has increased significantly. Much of the increase arises from a very small number of families.

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Results

16. The large majority of pupils arrive on time in the morning. However, there are pupils from a small number of families who are late. This has an adverse effect upon their learning and personal development. The issue of lateness is confused by inconsistency between classes and year groups as to the definition of “late”.

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Teaching

17. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. In the majority of lessons observed teaching is good or very good. Of the 97 per cent that are satisfactory or better, 43 per cent are satisfactory, 43 per cent are good, nine per cent are very good and one per cent is excellent. Only three per cent are unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching directly contributes to the generally good standards of attainment by pupils and to the good progress they make. This overall picture masks some inconsistencies in a few aspects of teaching; there is much good and some very good practice, but this is not consistently the case across the school.

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Teaching

18. Teaching in the early years for children aged under five is sound overall; of the 93 per cent of lessons that are satisfactory or better, 72 per cent are satisfactory and 21 per cent are good and seven per cent are unsatisfactory. The curricular planning is good; it covers all the desirable learning outcomes very well and provides good opportunities for children. Assessment of children’s progress is sound. Teaching in the nursery encourages independence and initiative with planned opportunities for children. For example, when teachers are involved in a planned focus activity with children such as the use of large picture books to develop literacy skills. In reception, sometimes teachers’ expectations of children are not high enough and intended learning is not made clear to children. The teaching of language and literacy and mathematical development is sound and results in the desirable learning outcomes being met.

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Teaching

19. At Key Stage 1 teaching is normally satisfactory and often good or very good; of the 98 per cent that are satisfactory or better, 38 per cent are satisfactory, 46 per cent are good, 12 per cent are very good and two per cent are excellent and two per cent are unsatisfactory. Teachers’ subject knowledge is sound, they plan together well in year groups which helps to share their strengths and expertise. All teachers expect pupils to work hard and to behave well. The good and very good teaching also expects pupils to do as well as they can with work well matched to their different abilities. For example, in mathematics tasks are often set at different levels of difficulty and in the good and very good lessons most pupils can only just manage to do the work because it is so well matched to their abilities.

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Teaching

20. Lessons are planned effectively within the school’s system and good links are made between subjects within the topics studied. Some teachers go beyond what is expected of them by the school’s system and produce detailed short term plans with very good learning objectives based on their assessment of pupils’ progress. This very good practice is inconsistent and work is not always very well matched to pupils’ different abilities. In a very high percentage of lessons, teachers manage pupils very well, relationships are very good and behaviour in classrooms is normally good. This shows good improvement since the previous inspection when some behaviour in class was judged to be unacceptable. Learning resources are well used and teachers ensure support staff make a positive contribution to learning. Tasks are clearly explained to pupils who usually know what they are expected to do, but the purpose of the work is not

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Teaching

always made clear. The pace of lessons is at least satisfactory, in good and very good lessons a rapid pace is maintained and deadlines given for completion of work. Marking is accurate and up-to-date, but Grovelands Infants-15 inconsistent in the quality and range of comments. Some teachers give the context of the work, make helpful comments as work is progressing and when discussing pupils’ completed work. There are also inconsistencies between teachers in the demands on pupils to present their work as well as they can. Homework is regularly set for younger pupils, much of it is concerned with reading and for older pupils it includes spelling, topic and mathematics as well. Homework makes a positive contribution to learning. Effective, regular homework is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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Teaching

21. Although more good and very good teaching was seen in mathematics than in English, teachers are implementing the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies at least satisfactorily and pupils are making good progress in their literacy and numeracy skills. Teaching in mathematics, science, information communications technology and design and technology is good overall and results in good progress by pupils. Teaching in religious education, history, geography, art and music is satisfactory overall, although there is some good and very teaching in these subjects, for example a dance lesson that pupils did not want to end.

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Teaching

22. The cross-curricular elements of literacy and numeracy have a positive impact on the progress of pupils with special educational needs. Individual education plans are available in all classes, including those for higher attaining pupils. The targets set are up-to-date and well focused which result in sound progress.

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Curriculum

23. There is good curricular provision for children under five. All of the desirable learning outcomes are well represented in the curriculum. The flow from inside to outside activities in the nursery is good as are the focused activities that promote children’s language development. The direct teaching of skills for using computers in reception is effective.

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Curriculum

24. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum which meets statutory requirements in all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. It follows the local agreed syllabus for religious education. The curriculum is further enhanced by good provision for personal and social education. The school’s curricular provision for literacy and numeracy reflect its adoption of both the National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategies. The curricular provision for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is good. However, it is unsatisfactory for pupils who are already five and higher attaining in the reception classes. The curriculum planned for these pupils is similar to that planned for the children under five, i.e. the desirable outcomes with an unsatisfactory level of planning to match the needs of the majority of five- year-old higher attaining children. Provision is variable across the classes and depends on the quality of

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Curriculum

25. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, have satisfactory provision. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good in terms of the identification of their needs by the special educational needs co-ordinator and the guidance given to teachers in writing individual education plans. The school is effective in developing good methods for identifying higher attaining pupils.

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Curriculum

26. There are effective policies and schemes of work for most subjects and a programme of school-based topics with appropriate curricular content. Dance has recently been highlighted as part of the physical education curriculum and there are regular music lessons. The school places a good emphasis on art and children use computers to generate pictures as well as work in their drawing and painting. Half-termly planning for all core and foundation subjects is appropriately related to the schemes of work. The weekly planning is related well to the half-termly planning. The school’s system of curricular planning specifies long and medium term planning but leaves daily planning to individual teachers. This daily planning varies; it is very detailed in some classes, but brief in others. The quality of daily plans is a significant contributory factor to variations in attainment and progress, for example, inconsistencies in the

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Curriculum

investigative elements of science in one year group.

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Curriculum

27. Provision for personal and social education (P.S.E.) is good and this is reflected in the high standards of Grovelands Infants-16 behaviour seen both in lessons and around the school. The time set aside for P.S.E. and the effective teaching, together with systems such as the recent introduction of the ‘Buddy’ system and Star of the Week are proving effective in promoting pupils’ personal and social skills. The successful introduction of a P.S.E. system is an improvement since the previous inspection. The governing body has decided not to include sex education in the curriculum, but practice is to answer pupils’ questions as they arise.

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Curriculum

28. All pupils have equality of access and opportunity to the curriculum and careful attention is paid by staff to ensure that the principles detailed in subject policy documents are reflected in the day - to-day life of the school. Pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum and are appropriately integrated into the life of the school. Identification and assessment of their needs meet the requirements of the Code of Practice and individual education plans identify specific appropriate targets.

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Curriculum

29. Teachers’ planning is satisfactory in enabling most pupils to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding as they move throughout the school. Although there is monitoring of planning and pupils’ work, so far it has not resulted in ensuring that standards of presentation are consistent. The extra- curricular activities for French and dance clubs which enhance to curriculum for a minority of pupils are organised by external groups.

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Curriculum

30. The curriculum is enriched by the use of the school grounds and a wide range of visits and visitors, especially for, history, design and technology, art and science. The community is a resource which is well used; recent activities have included a food technology project for all Year 2 pupils organised by a local pizzeria where pupils designed and made their own pizzas. Pupils are involved in performances, including concerts for parents and senior citizens. Parents find that termly plans for the curriculum are easily accessible. The large majority are satisfied with the homework set and the curriculum provided.

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Curriculum

31. The governors are involved well in the curriculum, they attend training, regularly visit the school, spend time in classrooms and are attached to subjects in addition to those for literacy, numeracy and special educational needs.

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Curriculum

34. Assessment 32. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment are satisfactory. Baseline assessment is used appropriately when children enter the school in reception to establish initial levels of attainment and the school meets statutory requirements for testing and assessing pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1. Results of the end-of-key-stage national tests and teacher assessments are monitored and compared with previous years’ figures for each attainment target and for monitoring attainment by gender. A detailed procedure for target setting for literacy and numeracy has been introduced, but its use and effectiveness are inconsistent. Where it is given a high level of emphasis by teachers, pupils are regularly reminded of their targets and it enhances attainment. Assessment of pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science is by annotated assessment of specific aspects. These are trailed within the school and moderated within

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Curriculum

33. There are class portfolios of moderated work in English, mathematics and science and samples of work in other curriculum areas. Pupils’ topic books are also retained. However, the gains in skills, knowledge and understanding are not always easily identified or summarised, but they are satisfactory and relevant to curriculum planning for the next topic. A good detailed assessment and record has recently been introduced for pupils’ progress in the use of information and communications technology.

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Curriculum

34. Assessment procedures for pupils with special educational needs are good and fulfil all statutory requirements of the Code of Practice. There has been a recent development and improvement in the quality of individual education plans and also a higher awareness of the number of pupils with special educational needs. The co-ordinator has recently been appointed and the records are now up-to-date. However, she has insufficient time to monitor the provision for and progress of pupils with special educational needs throughout the school.

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Curriculum

35. The use of assessment when planning pupils’ work is satisfactory overall, but inconsistent. Where it is good, the daily plans for each ability group are specific and appropriate. However, sometimes the pupils are involved in too narrow a range of activities, even though the ability range within the class is wide. Grovelands Infants-17 38. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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Curriculum

36. The school makes good provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This reflects one of the school’s aims which recognises the importance of these areas for pupils as well as their academic progress. The previous inspection required the school to develop a set of aims to guide its work; it success in doing so is an example of the school’s improvement since the previous inspection.

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Curriculum

37. Pupils' spirituality is developed mainly through religious education, assemblies and collective worship. Topics such as 'A Victorian School Day' enable pupils to gain an insight into different values and customs, and environmental activities including the study of 'minibeasts' provide opportunities for reflection, sometimes communicating a sense of awe and wonder in the natural world. Pupils are encouraged to respond to moral teachings of Bible stories by relating these to their personal experiences. There are some opportunities for pupils' experience in art, music and literature to reflect and heighten their spiritual awareness. Provision for daily collective worship fully meets statutory requirement and makes a valuable contribution to pupils' spirituality. Links with local non-Christian faith communities are not strong enough.

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Curriculum

38. The school has a strong moral code which sets boundaries for acceptable behaviour. Its framework of values helps pupils to distinguish between right and wrong. Classroom activities and assembly themes are often focused on moral issues, and good examples are always set by adults. The school's expectations of behaviour are high. Pupils are involved in formulating 'classroom rules', and the practice of pupils and their parents signing 'A Promise' indicates a significant improvement made in this respect since the last inspection. Most parents are happy with the values and principles that the school promotes and inspection confirms these are a good basis for good behaviour and relationships in the school.

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Curriculum

39. The school fosters very good relationships. The excellent way pupils from diverse social backgrounds play and work together reflects pupils' well developed social skills. A comprehensive range of curricular and other activities, including circle time as part of a comprehensive personal and social education programme, and visits and links with the community all contribute well to this aspect of pupils' education. The school provides some good opportunities for pupils to take initiatives and responsibilities such as the 'Buddy' scheme and the election of the star of the week by pupils based on their peers’ good personal qualities. Its strong links with the community have a positive impact on pupils' social skills and encourage pupils to become good citizens, while contributing to the profile of the school in the community.

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Curriculum

40. Pupils have opportunities to develop an understanding and appreciation of the British cultural heritage through art, music, dance and literature. They also learn about festivals and, to some extent, different customs and traditions through history, geography and religious education. This was evident from the successful 'Victorian School Day' experienced by Year 2 pupils through role-play during the inspection. There is some evidence of the school celebrating the cultural diversity represented by its intake, though not through a planned programme of activities.

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Curriculum

41. Religious education, assemblies and the daily act of collective worship are major contributory factors in the promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Curriculum

44. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare

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Curriculum

42. The support and guidance that pupils receive is satisfactory overall, with good procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour. These procedures make a satisfactory impact on pupils’ overall attainment and have a significant impact on their personal development and behaviour. Inspection evidence supports the parents’ view that this is a caring school with a strong concern for the well-being of its pupils. Pupils, and children under five, are well known to all staff, who show a positive and caring attitude towards each other.

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Curriculum

43. There are satisfactory procedures to monitor pupils’ progress and development. Children in the early years unit have detailed portfolios which contain examples of their work. These examples are carefully annotated by teaching staff to demonstrate progress and review any further required action. The work of pupils in Key Stage 1 is recorded and portfolios of their work are kept and targets are set for improvement. Grovelands Infants-18 However, there are some inconsistencies in this recording. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support, their progress is regularly monitored and individual education plans are up-to-date. There is a calendar of annual reviews and appropriate reference is made to parental involvement and response. The school has good contacts with external agencies and uses them well to support pupils with special educational needs.

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Curriculum

44. Children under five are carefully introduced to school life. Staff from the nursery classes visit the children at home and they are introduced into school over a period of time which enables most children to settle quickly and confidently. Children show evident enjoyment and quickly adapt. There is good practice also in the arrangements for transfer to junior school and there are good links maintained by Year 2 teachers and the co-ordinator for special educational needs. Without exception, parents with whom this transfer was discussed appreciate and support the arrangements the school makes.

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Curriculum

45. The very good relationships and good behaviour of pupils are underpinned by good procedures for promoting discipline and behaviour. The “Star of the Week” and the Silver Book Award are eagerly sought by pupils and the “time-out chair” is carefully avoided. The awards and sanctions that support the behaviour policy are clearly understood by all staff, including classroom support assistants and mid-day supervisors. Pupils are aware of what level of behaviour is expected and of the consequences of not meeting the standards required. There are good procedures to support pupils who sometimes fail to meet the expected standards. These include a straightforward agreement drafted in language appropriate to the pupils’ age, which is discussed and signed with staff and their parents.

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Curriculum

46. A key issue from the previous inspection report said, “develop a consistent approach by all staff to the management of challenging pupil behaviour and focus on improving the standards of behaviour of all pupils to an acceptable level.” This has been implemented very well. A significant majority of parents agree that the procedures initiated since the last inspection have been successful in obtaining a noticeable improvement in behaviour and inspection evidence supports their view. There was no evidence found during the inspection to support the view of a small minority who feel that sanctions procedures are unwieldy.

p.18

Curriculum

47. There are satisfactory procedures supporting attendance and punctuality. The school maintains appropriate contact with external support services for those families who consistently fail to recognise the importance of attendance and promptness. However, the procedures are not always consistently followed. The school has acted to ensure that the reasons for absence are more closely monitored and that class teachers are regularly provided with attendance statistics by the administration staff. In a few instances registers have not been properly maintained. For example, acceptable reasons given by parents for their child’s absence have not been entered in the register which distorts the recorded level of authorised absence. Action is being taken by the school to improve. The early morning club which caters for pupils whose parents are unable to leave them at the start of the school day is a good example of

p.18

Curriculum

the school responding to needs of parents and caring for its pupils.

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Curriculum

48. The school has a satisfactory child protection policy that is based on legal guidelines. The headteacher is designated as the person responsible for child protection. Another member of staff has been allocated to a training course in the near future to provide additional support to teaching and non-teaching staff.

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Curriculum

49. There is an appropriate health and safety policy that includes annual risk assessment. The governing body is involved in health and safety matters and the school provides a safe environment for the pupils and children in it care. A number of concerns were drawn to the attention of the school during inspection; the school agrees with the inspection team that two issues should be dealt with quickly. There is an appropriate number of qualified first aid staff and a corner of the administration office serves as a “sick bay” for pupils who are waiting to be collected. The school has satisfactory procedures to inform parents of any concerns. It was noted however, that should the school have pupils on site after the administration staff have left, there is no first aid cover available.

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and the community

Grovelands Infants-19 50. The school’s partnership with parents and the community is good and makes a significant contribution to pupils’ progress, particularly their social development. The very good use of the local and wider community is a strength of the school. The previous inspection report required the school to develop a set of aims to guide its work. The school’s first aim is concerned with links with parents and the community and emphasises good communications, staff and parents working together and involvement with and use of the local community. This represents clear improvement by the school since the previous inspection. At their meeting, parents were most positive about the improvements made by the school since its previous inspection.

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and the community

51. The majority of parents feel that they receive good information from the school, and inspection evidence supports their view. The school has a fairly wide catchment area and the regular newsletters, home-school agreement, diaries and letter of particular events, are essential links with all parents. The prospectus and governors’ report to parents are carefully thought out and present helpful information in a straightforward way. The school is aware that to comply fully with statutory requirements a few minor alterations are required. This work was put in hand during the inspection. Pupils’ annual reports comply with statutory requirements, they identify pupils individually and many contain suggestions for improvement.

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and the community

52. Parents receive good encouragement to support their children’s learning. A significant number help in classes and parent helpers are used well by class teachers. The school recognises their support and the positive effect it has on pupils’ progress. The school has also managed to increase the number of volunteers who hear children read in school. Homework is used positively to support pupils’ progress and the majority of parents assist. The school provides good information to enable parents to maximise the effectiveness of the work they do with their children at home. In some classes targets are on display and information is given in all classrooms about the work for the term. Inspection evidence does not support the small number of parents who believe either that there is not enough homework or that it is excessive or too difficult.

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and the community

53. Parents know that they could see the headteacher if they have an issue to do with special educational needs and the majority know the identity of the new special educational needs co-ordinator. There is a new special educational needs governor who has been recently appointed. The governors’ annual report to parents gives appropriate detail about the schools’ policy, funding and allocation of resources. Parents are appropriately involved in reviews.

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and the community

54. FROGS (Friends of Grovelands School) are very effective and raise sums of money substantially in excess of the average for similar organisations. The committee works extremely hard and is very well supported at all events by parents and other relatives, including members of the general community. Their efforts enable the school to buy learning resources that greatly enhance what is available to support pupils’ learning and progress.

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and the community

55. Year 2 pupils perform in the local community for senior citizens and friends and relatives are invited to assemblies and school events such as Mothers’ Day and Harvest Festival. There is an appropriate number of visitors into school, including the police, who provide training in a range of areas connected to pupils’ personal development. 56. The very good programme of outside visits is a strength of the school, and supports pupils’ progress and personal development significantly. Locally the school visits a museum and zoo and a pizza restaurant; further afield the school makes very effective use of museums in London. These include the National Gallery, Natural History Museum, and Science Museum. To enhance the study of history, visits are also made to Hampton Court and Brooklands Museum.

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and the community

59. THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL 59.

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Leadership and management

57. There is a clear overall educational direction for the school. This is based upon the consistently firm leadership of the headteacher with excellent involvement and support by the chair of governors and is reflected in the good progress made by the school since the previous inspection. The school receives a very high level of support from its governors, particularly the chair of governors. There is an effective Grovelands Infants-20 partnership, but no confusion of roles. Governors have curricular responsibilities, many visit the school regularly and they spend time in classrooms, often helping and supporting the class teachers. As a result they are well informed about teaching and learning and how the school runs. The small senior management team of deputy headteacher and special educational needs co-ordinator supports the headteacher well and a wider management team that includes the curriculum co-ordinators for core

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Leadership and management

subjects team has recently been established. This wider team gives the school good capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

58. Provision for special educational needs permeates the school’s organisational and curricular structures. Each policy refers to equal opportunities and special educational needs and in some policies to specialised equipment. The recently appointed special educational needs co-ordinator has already worked closely with staff, especially in supporting them and guiding their writing of targets. She has monitored all individual education plans and the register is up-to-date. Resources, including staff are managed effectively. Staff have detailed job descriptions related to the pupils they support. All staff have detailed guidelines and procedures for identifying, assessing, completing the individual education plans where necessary and using classroom support for pupils with special educational needs.

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Leadership and management

59. Teaching and curriculum development are monitored, evaluated and supported. The headteacher and deputy monitor teaching and learning and give feedback to individuals, and on general issues to the staff as a whole. For example, a recently agreed system of target setting for pupils is not yet being operated consistently across the school and this was the focus for a recent staff meeting. Those co-ordinators of subjects that have priority in the school development plan have monitored curriculum development and there are good plans for this to continue. For example, monitoring has been done for information communications technology and English and there are clear and appropriate plans for mathematics. Progress is evaluated and the school has introduced initiatives for phonics and spelling as the result of analysis of its results and the monitoring by the co-ordinator.

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Leadership and management

60. Since the previous inspection a set of school aims have been developed which are used to guide the work of the school. This was a key issue arising from that inspection which said, “ develop a set of aims for the school to be used to guide, monitor and evaluate the work of the school.” The school aims for teaching and learning are being met, there has been a steady improvement in levels of attainment over the past three years and pupils make good progress overall. This aim also recognises the importance of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Inspectors judge these aspects of pupils’ development to be good. The aim to provide effective training and good learning resources is being met, there are systems in place for training based on individual and whole school needs and resources are satisfactory overall and well used. Links with parents and the community are good; this is another aim of the school that is being

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Leadership and management

successfully implemented. The aim for the environment is also being successfully pursued; there is a long term plan for its development and use which is steadily being implemented. The reflection of the school’s aims in its work shows good improvement since the previous inspection. The school’s set of policies are up-to-date and are regularly reviewed. They too are reflected in its work. Parents support the schools’ values and commented that they underpin the very good relationships and good behaviour. Inspection evidence agrees with parental views. The school has implemented this key issue of the previous report. 61. There is a positive ethos for learning in the school and a commitment to high achievement in keeping with the school’s aims. The school aims to provide equal access to all pupils irrespective of their gender, ethnicity or background. Pupils have equality of opportunity and relationships are very good. This is

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Leadership and management

seen by the good progress pupils are making and the steady improvement made in levels of attainment over the past three years and the school has met its targets.

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Leadership and management

62. The school’s development plan has a summary which shows those priorities in progress, those completed and those delayed. It is for a three year period. Examples of long term plans are, plans for the school environment including its buildings and the use of additional funds to develop the walkway and investment in information and communications technology. The use of the summary to guide the work of the school is appropriate, however, this is based upon a very detailed plan which gives costs, deadlines, people responsible for the work and it is linked to training. The different aspects of this plan are shared with those responsible for the action to be taken. This method of working has been successful for the school’s improvement so far. However, there are not enough detailed and sharply focused success criteria for the monitoring necessary for continued improvement. The previous inspection report in a key issue

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Leadership and management

said, “fully implement the newly agreed management structure for the school to ensure that the school development planning is managed through a collaborative and shared process with clearly agreed tasks, responsibilities and procedures.” The management structure has only recently been extended to a wider team, but the development planning process is a collaborative and shared process that includes teaching Grovelands Infants-21 and support staff, governors and parents. The involvement of the extended management team and the development and use of more specific success criteria for detailed monitoring of success will enable the school to fully implement this key issue from the previous report.

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Leadership and management

63. Support staff are well managed and make an important contribution to the smooth running of the school and the progress pupils make. With the exception of the formal appraisal system, statutory requirements are met.

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Leadership and management

66. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

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Leadership and management

64. Overall, the school has a good level of staffing, accommodation and resources, which contributes positively to pupils’ academic attainment and personal development. There are a satisfactory number of suitably qualified teachers in the school and their qualifications cover the requirements of the National Curriculum and the needs of pupils who are under five. The average class size is less than thirty. There is one newly qualified teacher, who before joining this school, has had effective experience elsewhere covering for teachers absent for varying reasons. The induction arrangements are good for newly qualified teachers and there is a comprehensive staff handbook. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are both qualified to teach in nursery schools, and the early years unit is strongly staffed. The teacher responsible for co-ordinating the work for pupils with special needs has been recently appointed and

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Leadership and management

65. The number and experience of support staff, including the administrative staff is good. They are enthusiastic, well briefed and work in close co-ordination with teaching staff. The level of support in the nursery classes is particularly effective. The school is providing work experience and at the time of the inspection for three students who are studying to be a nursery nurses.

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Leadership and management

66. The previous inspection report in a key issue highlighted a need to “develop coherent systems and procedures for staff induction and appraisal.” This need has been met effectively and provision is now good. The school does not have the formal appraisal system required, which is a breach of statutory requirements. However, its practice is more comprehensive than the demands of the statutory scheme. A system of professional development interviews is in place, with regular reviews and updating of job descriptions. Job descriptions are up-to-date and have been improved since the previous inspection. The process of teaching and learning is regularly monitored by the headteacher, deputy headteacher and some curriculum co-ordinators with feedback given to staff. This monitoring is used to identify school and individual training needs. Governors also regularly support and observe in classrooms. There is a system

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Leadership and management

to assess the training needs of all staff, and where possible, these are linked with the school development plan. The school is in the process of working for the award of “Investors in People” which is a nationally recognised standard that places great emphasis on the training and development of staff. 67. The accommodation is good and enhances delivery of the National Curriculum. Effective use is made of both halls for physical education, dance and other activities. The library has been recently refurbished and is an attractive and useful resource. Corridors and classrooms are attractive and feature good displays of the pupils’ work. Despite its age the school presents an attractive, clean and reasonably well maintained appearance, and there are routines for on-going maintenance and decoration. Externally, there are good sized playgrounds, although the playground markings in some areas are becoming worn. The

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Leadership and management

nursery playground area is adequate and is fenced, although the fence is in need of repair in two places. Good use is made of some of the grassed areas to provide climbing frames and adventure areas. There is a walkway along one side of the school and a good grassed football pitch beyond the playgrounds. The field space is used for curricular trails which is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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Leadership and management

68. The school’s resources are satisfactory. There are good resources for art and design and technology. The resources for information technology, currently satisfactory, are being uprated. The Friends of Grovelands School (FROGS) are to be commended and recognised for the significant impact that their efforts make in providing funds for vital resources which would not be otherwise available in this school.

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Leadership and management

71. The efficiency of the school Grovelands Infants-22 69. The school has improved the standards of financial management and control since the previous report which in a key issue said, “ develop stronger systems for financial management and control, including the full costing of yearly development plans and measures of cost effectiveness.” There has been a significant improvement and financial management and control are now good. The day-to-day administration of the budget is effectively undertaken by the administrative officer. Responsibilities are clear and administrative procedures are carried out effectively and unobtrusively. The most recent auditor’s report was very favourable and raised a small number of minor issues which have been appropriately addressed by the school. Many improvements have been made to the school’s systems for monitoring expenditure and the school now has a balanced budget at the end of each financial year.

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Leadership and management

70. The school’s financial planning is sound. It plans on an historic basis, in particular of its past experience of additional pupils joining the school throughout the year with the associated funds following them. The need to plan in this way from year to year results in some weaknesses in the systems for longer term strategic planning. Resources available to the school are satisfactorily used to support the development of teaching and learning. However, the school spends a much higher figure on its administrative support than the national average and at the same time cannot guarantee the on-going employment of the classroom assistants, apart from those employed specifically for pupils with special educational needs.

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Leadership and management

71. The governing body has an effective structure of committees and governors fulfil their strategic roles in financial planning, especially in terms of the accommodation and use of additional funds made available to school from the Friends of Grovelands School. The chair of governors has very good contact with the school, is very well informed about budget procedures and has a good overview of the school’s finances. Good support is provided by the administrative officer who monitors expenditure and has a very detailed knowledge of additional income and expenditure. Governors are making appropriate use of performance data in measuring the school’s success and, together with the school, identify additional curriculum needs. A good example of this was the introduction of Jolly Phonics throughout the school in order to have a systematic approach to improving pupils’ spelling skills.

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Leadership and management

72. A detailed development plan includes many priorities for the year ahead. It includes costings and timescales and is devised after a detailed consultative process involving governors, staff and parents. This represents a significant improvement since the previous inspection. Planning is largely on an historic basis which takes account of past expenditure with developments being linked to the small amount of money that is left, plus specific grants and the additional funds raised. A summary of the plan is prominently displayed outside the office. However, all governors do not have a fully strategic view of planning with an overview of the entire budget and have not consistently examined areas of high expenditure and identified where tighter control might be exerted and possible long term changes made. This is reflected in the termly contracts for classroom support staff. 73. Subject co-ordinators and the special educational needs co-ordinator are given their own budgets each

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Leadership and management

year which are monitored. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Co-ordinators have an appropriate level of delegated responsibility for identifying needs within their own subject areas, but do not all justify additional resources or evaluate the impact of initiatives on standards and the quality of teaching.

p.22

Leadership and management

74. Teachers are deployed appropriately according to their experience and expertise. Classrooms support assistants are satisfactorily deployed, although there is insufficient guaranteed use of the classroom assistants in Years 1 and 2. This is reflected in levels of attainment, especially of the higher attaining pupils when class teachers spend too long with lower attaining pupils.

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Leadership and management

75. The equipment and books available to the school are appropriately deployed in most cases and are stored as well as the accommodation allows. Resources for most subjects are used effectively, especially in science and design and technology, and the deployment of computers maximises their use. Satisfactory use is made of the space available, although during the inspection week the newly refurbished library was insufficiently used.

p.22

Leadership and management

76. The headteacher and governors, together with excellent financial support from parents, have successfully found ways of extending and enhancing the accommodation for some pupils in Years 1 and 2 through creating the library, making improvements to the outside accommodation and extending the space available for classrooms, especially in summer. Grovelands Infants-23 77. Funds from specific grants received by the school for staff training and for the support of pupils who have special educational needs are appropriately identified and used effectively.

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Leadership and management

78. Funding available to the school is well above the national average. Unit costs per pupil are high and the school generally makes satisfactory use of its available resources. Taking into account the attainment of pupils on entry and their socio-economic circumstances, the satisfactory quality of education provided, the improvements made since the previous inspection, the high standards attained in English, mathematics and science and the overall good progress made by the pupils, the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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Leadership and management

79. Since the previous inspection the school has substantially improved its systems for financial management and control with costing of its yearly development plan. It has measures of cost effectiveness, but these can be further improved. Grovelands Infants-24 82. PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

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Leadership and management

82. AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE

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Leadership and management

80. The provision for children under five is good. At the time of the inspection 128 children were under five. The school admits children into the nursery classes in the September or January term of the year in which they are three. They attend the nursery part-time for either a morning or afternoon session. On entry to the nursery children’s attainment is varied but the majority of children are broadly average. They make good progress and transfer easily into the reception class in the year of their fifth birthday. The children born between September and March attend full-time from September. Children born between April and August attend part-time in the autumn term and full-time for the spring and summer terms. The Surrey Baseline Assessment is carried out during the first weeks in reception. This assessment shows that by the time they are five, their attainment in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of

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Leadership and management

the world, and physical, aesthetic and creative development and their personal and social skills are above average. Inspection confirms these results, at the time of the inspection pupils are making at least satisfactory progress and are achieving at nationally expected levels. Speaking and listening are the areas of most significant improvement. The provision for under fives is effectively managed by the deputy head who has a clear educational direction for the department. Most of the staff work as a team to establish a happy working atmosphere. Teachers, nursery nurses and learning support assistants interact well with the children and each other. There is an open-door policy which positively encourages parents to support the work of the school. It also supports parents in their role as the main educators of their children at home and as a result a good number of parents help in the nursery and under fives classes. This is having

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Leadership and management

a good impact on children’s progress. The children are well prepared for the next stage of education and the majority are ready to begin the National Curriculum by the time they are five.

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Leadership and management

83. Personal and social development 81. The children are confident and eager to come to nursery. They play well together, very occasionally there is a need for staff to remind them to share or take turns. They interact well with the staff and often with each other. At the time of the inspection the children new to the nursery were making good progress. Most children can sustain concentration appropriate for their age at something of their own choice, particularly play with water or sand. They are very well integrated into the nursery and children of different cultures play harmoniously together. They move with confidence to use all the facilities that are available to them. They can make independent choices about which area of learning they would like to experience. Children give spontaneous and interested responses as they work. They take pride in what they achieve. The children use the toilet facilities appropriately and are learning to fasten their coats, hats

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Leadership and management

and shoes to give them more personal independence.

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Leadership and management

82. Under fives in reception have developed enough confidence to take part in assemblies in the hall and join Key Stage 1 at play in the playground. They master the self-help skills to change into physical education kit to take part in physical education lessons.

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Leadership and management

83. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory. It encourages children to be independent and to take initiative, but there are also some planned opportunities for children to learn to concentrate on a set task or to persevere with a teacher directed activity. However, in reception the time allocated to periods of self- initiated learning sometimes results in children flitting from one activity to another which prevents them from making enough progress. Sometimes the intended learning objective for each activity is not clarified by the teachers. Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough or they miss opportunities to increase children’s ability to concentrate and persevere.

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Leadership and management

86. Language and literacy 84. Most children make good progress, they listen with enthusiasm and show a growing appreciation of the rhyme and sound of language in poetry and songs. Pupils have a sound repertoire of action songs and number rhymes, which they can perform well. For example, they say and act the “five current buns” rhyme with enthusiasm. Most children talk about the texture and colour of fabric and materials. They suggest words like soft, tickle, comfortable and cosy. Several children choose to look at books and there are frequent opportunities for them to do this. In the reception class there is a gradual introduction to the National Literacy Strategy.

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Leadership and management

85. Children know that pictures can tell a story and words have meanings. Teachers encourage all children to Grovelands Infants-25 take their books home to share with and read to their family and some do this regularly. As a result these children are making good progress in early reading skills. Children are developing skills in writing which are appropriate for their age and ability. A few can write their own name and many can recognise their name on the self-registration boards. By the time they are five the majority of the children know the names of up to twenty letters of the alphabet and some of their sounds. Most children can match and name colours.

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Leadership and management

86. The quality of teaching is good when teachers are involved in their planned focus activity with the children. The use of large picture books is particularly successful when there is good support for language development. In addition, staff in the nursery classes identify opportunities where they can extend learning and improve children’s attainment in speaking and listening and literacy.

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Leadership and management

89. Mathematics 87. Most children make satisfactory progress in their skills, knowledge and understanding in this area of learning and a minority make good progress. They use mathematical language from an early age. Most children can count accurately matching one-to-one up to number 5 by the age of four, increasing this to 10 and above by the time they are five. They can do a variety of matching, sorting, sequencing activities accurately. For example, they count pasta into a pot with one-to-one correspondence. Some children use mathematical language accurately to describe position, size or quantity. A good example of this was seen in a large construction activity in the nursery. Children use mathematical apparatus, but do not always achieve the learning objective it was designed to promote. With guidance from a governor who was helping the children they could count totals on a dice and find the corresponding quantity on a matching

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Leadership and management

game. The children are familiar with counting and routinely count and match throughout the day. For example, how many there are in a group, or class or how many pieces of fruit there are for their snack. They can say counting rhymes and most children know two dimensional shapes by the time they are five.

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Leadership and management

88. The quality of teaching is sound but staff do not take enough opportunities to intervene and extend children’s learning during the free play sessions.

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Leadership and management

91. Knowledge and understanding of the world 89. Children make sound progress, they understand the need to plant bulbs in the soil and have in the past grown flowers and vegetables. However they do not show an awareness that living plants need water and light in order to grow. They learn about living creatures when visitors from the local farm and bird sanctuary bring their animals to school. They know the names of different kinds of weather, how the weather effects us and what we do. They are confident about using technology. Many children can manipulate the keyboard, control the mouse, press the space bar and directional arrows to operate a computer program with support. They also operate the tape recorder carefully. Children select a wide range of equipment and build small designs with construction kits. Most children can talk about themselves, their family and where they live. Overall, children are making good progress.

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Leadership and management

90. Teaching is satisfactory, there are many good planned play experiences to develop children’s knowledge and understanding about the world. The topic approach also helps to stimulate the children to learn.

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Leadership and management

93. Aesthetic and creative development 91. There is a wide range of materials available and children make good progress. Many children cut, stick and fold paper and card. They select opportunities and develop creative ideas. For example, in one lesson some children made a pasta pattern which was based on the first letter in their name as direct teaching activity whilst others painted using several colours to make a pattern from choice. They explore the properties of texture, shape and form well using playdough, purple jelly and slime mixtures with a variety of everyday substances to create a texture. Displays of observational drawing skills show that children’s development in drawing is appropriate for their age. They have used paint to produce pictures and print patterns. Children can play percussion instruments to a satisfactory standard for their age and have so far been introduced to the drum, cymbals, wood blocks.

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Leadership and management

92. The teaching is not focused sufficiently well on developing skills. All activities give children good experiences, but many do not challenge them further. For example, the use of different size brushes to gain a desired effect would help children to achieve higher standards in their painting. More opportunities to mix colours using powder paint would emphasise the way different shades of colour are achieved. Grovelands Infants-26 95. Physical Development 93. There is enough space for a range of physical activities to be developed both inside and out. Most children move with confidence in their enclosed play area. There are appropriate activities such as climbing frames, see-saw, sit and ride toys, hoops and skipping ropes. All children improve their co- ordination as they play and move around together. They can pedal, steer and stop a tricycle safely. Children in reception take part in games, dance and gymnastics lessons. They use space well and are

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Leadership and management

learning to listen carefully and to follow instructions. Most children were keen to show how well they could do ‘bunny hops following a lesson on spring jumps.’ Children make good progress in their physical development.

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Leadership and management

94. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. The free flow organisation of children to outside activities in the nursery is good, enabling staff to make appropriate on the spot decisions on the correct level of supervision for the number children who choose to go outside. This is not as a successful arrangement in reception where in addition to their play time and their physical education lessons some children are allowed free flow to the outside whilst their peers follow the National Literacy Strategy.

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Leadership and management

95. The outside accommodation is safe with good facilities for climbing and the safe playground surface enables a good quality of curriculum provision to promote physical development.

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Leadership and management

96. The curriculum for children under five covers the six areas of learning. It makes a good contribution to the intellectual development of all pupils, particularly in literacy. Sound opportunities are provided to promote children’s mathematical, aesthetic and creative development and to extend their knowledge of the world around them. Good opportunities are provided to promote their physical, personal and social development. Curriculum planning is satisfactory, providing a cohesive curriculum for the under fives throughout the school. The work has an emphasis on purposeful play, exploration, development of oral skills and positive attitudes.

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Leadership and management

97. There are satisfactory procedures for assessment. Portfolios of assessed work are being assembled in the nursery. Staff record children’s accomplishments and write their assessment on ‘Post-its’ to be entered on the child’s records later. There is a need to fine tune the existing system to ensure that it is applied systematically to all pupils and in all areas of learning over time. This will also help to monitor equal opportunity to the curriculum more effectively.

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Leadership and management

98. Children in reception are assessed using Key Stage 1 procedures which together with their baseline assessment results, form the basis of a good range of assessment data. This information is beginning to be used well to inform future teaching plans.

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Leadership and management

99. The good range of resources is well organised to ensure effective delivery of the curriculum and resources are generally well cared for.

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English

100. By the end of Key Stage 1, the number of pupils who can listen effectively and read and write to a satisfactory standard for their age is above the national average.

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English

101. In the 1998 statutory tests for seven year olds the percentage of pupils attaining or exceeding the national standard in reading was 87 per cent which is above the national average. The percentage of pupils achieving the higher Level 3 or above was 31 per cent and this was close to national average. The test results improved in the 1999 tests when 89 per cent of pupils achieved Level 2 and above which is well above the national average and 33 per cent reached Level 3 which is above national average. These levels of attainment for 1999 are well above those of similar schools. The test results for reading show improvement over the past three years and the school has met its targets. Grovelands Infants-27 102. Attainment in writing was close to the national average in 1998 with 82 per cent of pupils achieving the national expectation, but the percentage of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 (four per cent) was below

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English

the national average. The school’s results for the 1999 statutory writing tests are an improvement on the 1998 test results with 84 per cent of the pupils reaching Level 2 or above and six per cent achieved Level 3 or above. Standards in writing are above the national average when compared to all schools and inline with those in similar schools. The test results show that standards in writing have improved over the past three years, but not as much as the standards for reading. The test results also show too many pupils do not spell well enough and that boys do not do as well as girls.

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English

103. Inspection findings confirm these good, overall levels of attainment. At the time of the inspection after half a term in Year 2, the present cohort is working well within the Level 2 of the English curriculum and is on course to maintain its above average standards. The percentage of pupils likely to achieve the higher Level 3 is similar to the previous year.

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English

104. The National Literacy Strategy is having a positive impact on the English curriculum. The governors, senior staff and teachers have made a good start on implementing the literacy hour. The school has introduced schemes of work to teach phonics and spelling and to improve attainment in writing and these are beginning to have a positive effect. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Teachers throughout the school follow the recommended structure of literacy lessons. In the whole class part of these lessons, pupils are enthusiastic about the large picture books. They are motivated to use them to learn about grammar and spelling conventions and the structure of stories and poems because they enjoy the books so much. The group activities in literacy lessons in Years 1 and 2 are used effectively by most teachers to improve pupils’ literacy skills. However, in the reception classes group work usually has a

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English

wide focus covering several curriculum areas. In some reception classes, pupils would benefit from more activities which enable them to focus on literacy using practical resources to develop their reading, writing, spelling and handwriting skills. Support staff target their support of pupils with special needs and this works well. However, some pupils with special needs would also benefit from having their own copy for shared reading which helps them to learn new words and make progress. The school has explained the National Literacy Strategy to the parents the majority of whom fully support the spelling and reading homework that is now regularly sent home.

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English

105. Standards in speaking are average; however, pupils listen effectively. They enjoy listening to and taking part in the shared reading stories. They listen to their teachers explanations and to the contributions of other pupils in their class. They sometimes ask questions to find out more. Most pupils are confident when speaking in class, but are generally not experienced at talking for a range of different purposes in varied contexts. The majority of pupils use the correct vocabulary to explain their ideas. For example, pupils working on instructional writing suggest appropriate words to use to explain the correct sequence of threading a needle.

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English

106. Inspectors heard a representative sample of pupils read during the inspection. Currently, standards in reading for Year 2 overall are average, but the school is well on course to match the well above average levels of attainment achieved last year. However, high attainers are capable of greater progress. The school has no strategy in place to ensure that fluent readers have experience of reading different styles and that they regularly respond in writing to the books that they read, for example, in book reviews or comprehension about text. Pupils learn to read from selected schemes by learning to recognise commonly used words. They are able to explain in simple terms the plot and their favourite part of the story. They are secure in using their skills to work out unknown text. For example, they use context clues to work out meanings or blend letter sounds to build up words. Pupils enjoy their reading scheme books but do not

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English

understand about genres or have preferences or knowledge about many authors except the authors they have encountered in the literacy lessons. There is a wide range of fiction books available for them in classrooms and in the library which pupils borrow to read in their quiet reading time. Pupils also take home reading scheme books to share with parents. This practice is well established at the school and many, but not all, parents use this to promote their own child’s progress very successfully. Older pupils can find non-fiction books with help and are developing the skills needed to use a library effectively. Most pupils generally lack experience and confidence in finding information from non-fiction books, although they have some experience of scanning text to find key words in the worksheets used in their topics.

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English

107. Currently standards in writing are average. The majority of pupils write for a satisfactory range of purposes and know how to punctuate their work. This is more evident in Year 2 where pupils experience a Grovelands Infants-28 wider range of purposes for writing. Although spelling is still a relatively weak aspect, many can spell commonly used words correctly. The majority of pupils do spelling homework regularly and this is helping to raise spelling standards. Some pupils have a personal word book for spelling unknown words although this practice is not used consistently across the school. Pupils show confidence in how to apply their own knowledge of letter sounds, but do not check their spelling in dictionaries or use a thesaurus regularly enough. Pupils are not aware of the difference between best work and draft work and there are examples of untidy presentation throughout all year groups, from pupils of all abilities. The large majority

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English

of pupils use correct letter formation. Pupils are taught a cursive style as required by the National Curriculum. Although they are taught to join their letters in their handwriting lessons, pupils do not fully understand which letters have ascenders and descenders and many do not know how to place letters accurately on a line, or how to plan their work on the page to achieve the best layout.

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English

108. Pupils’ progress overall is good and the current Year 2 cohort is on course to achieve standards above the national national average. However, pupils of high ability do not make enough progress. Although the use of computers for writing is generally good, the majority of pupils do not improve the structure of their writing through re-drafting which is appropriate for their ability. Pupils do not make enough progress in speaking for a range of purposes. Pupils for whom English is an additional language who receive support make satisfactory progress. Pupils with special needs make good progress.

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English

109. A small percentage of pupils come from homes where English is not the first language. The two pupils currently receiving support are at Stage One of the Hester stages of fluency for learning English as an additional language and there are five pupils at Stage Three who receive no specific help. The overall quality of Section 11 provision is satisfactory. The pupils receive one-to-one additional language support within the classroom and through withdrawal on a weekly basis. The bilingual pupils relate well to the Section 11 teacher and the additional language support gives them access to the curriculum. They also benefit from the range of strategies used by class teachers and make sound progress. However, limited English does sometimes prevent these pupils from participating fully when specialist help is not available.

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English

110. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good. Most pupils show an interest in their tasks often talking appropriately in the process of completing them. They enjoy stories and are attentive and interested when listening. They respond well with interesting ideas in their planned speaking and listening times. Pupils take care of their resources for English and use them sensibly.

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English

111. The quality of teaching overall is sound. In nine per cent of lessons it is very good, and in 27 per cent it is good. A further 64 per cent of teaching is satisfactory and there was no unsatisfactory teaching seen in English lessons. All teachers use a National Literacy proforma to plan clear learning objectives over a week. In the good and very good lessons teachers also plan individual lessons. This results in some good focused teaching with opportunities for pupils of all abilities to make progress. In all lessons teachers adopt a supportive and caring approach and tasks and activities are clearly explained. Pupils are encouraged and supported by their teachers or support staff as they work. Well timed questions focus pupils’ attention. Class management is good and expectations of pupils to work hard and behave well are generally good. Evaluation takes place at the end of most lessons. In the satisfactory lessons teachers do

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English

not organise the question and answer times well enough to ensure equal opportunities for all pupils and tasks are not all completed in the time allowed. There is sometimes a difficulty when using the large books for a class lesson when all pupils are seated on the carpet because the print is not large enough for those at the back of class to see the text clearly. Nevertheless, the strict use of the National Literacy Strategy and the emphasis on the teaching of skills results in good progress overall. In reception classes many of the pupils aged five and in particular the high attainers, do not make enough progress.

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English

112. The curriculum is satisfactory and meets statutory requirements. The subject co-ordinator has monitored progress in each aspect of the subject with the result of recent introduction of a phonic and spelling schemes. There is a satisfactory policy. There is some whole school acknowledgement of the skills to be taught in each year group. The school has analysed the statutory test results and there is a commitment to raise attainment through target setting although this is not used consistently throughout the school.

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English

113. The school provides a well stocked library and has established a well organised central storage system of reading books including those from reading schemes. For the books they take home to read, the current system limits the range offered to each pupil to what is stored in the classroom. However, these books are closely matched against National Curriculum levels and all pupils have a progressively challenging reading programme. All pupils use the library each week during timetabled sessions. Other resources to support Grovelands Infants-29 the teaching of English, particularly for younger pupils are in short supply. Overall, there is an adequate supply of resources to support the teaching of English which are accessible. Books used for topic with pupils writing and artwork are displayed in all classrooms. There is a good supply of books covering a good range of topics for pupils to enjoy including dual language texts and a wide variety of stories from a

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English

114. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils attain standards that are well above the national average for pupils of their age. In the 1998 statutory tests for seven year olds the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and above was 94 per cent which was well above the national average. The percentage of pupils reaching Level 3 was 31 per cent which was well above the national average. In the 1999 statutory tests the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and above is 97 per cent which is well above the national average and the percentage reaching Level 3 was 23 per cent which is above the national average. These levels of attainment are well above those of similar schools. The test results show standards have improved over the past three years and the school has met its targets. Inspection confirms well above average levels of attainment and the school is on course to maintain them by the end of Year 2.

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English

115. Teacher assessments for the past three years show very few pupils at Level 3 for using and applying mathematics. Inspection confirms that higher attaining pupils need more opportunities and strategies to use and apply mathematics through investigations and problem solving activities to enable them to put their skills to use and increase their understanding of mathematics. The National Numeracy Strategy has been introduced well, teachers are following its structure and it is having a positive effect. Pupils are attentive in the whole class sessions that involve mental mathematics and many are beginning to explain their thinking. Pupils’ number skills are generally good. By Year 2 most understand repeated addition and successfully calculate tasks involving twos, fives and tens and the higher attainers have a good understanding of place value, some to ten thousand. Most pupils use correct mathematical language

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English

although some confuse the symbols for addition and multiplication when calculating in their work. The clear majority can count accurately to 100 and order numbers correctly. Most higher attaining pupils can translate number stories in words into calculations, work out the answer and describe their thinking. By Year 2, pupils can collect information, use tallying, sort data and enter into a computer database. Many can comment appropriately on the printouts of block graphs and piecharts and a few on frequency lines.

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English

116. The curriculum has been modified by the Numeracy Strategy; the co-ordinator is well aware of the need to update the school’s policy and scheme of work to take account of this. There is great emphasis number work and data handling is a strong element of the curriculum. Little shape and space was observed, but it is a part of the planned curriculum. The Numeracy Strategy places emphasis on mental mathematics and the explanation of different strategies used. Some good examples of problem solving were observed, but there is currently not enough emphasis on investigations and problem solving, especially for higher attaining pupils. There are good links with science and design and technology where mathematics skills are used for number and measurement.

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English

117. Overall, pupils make good progress in mathematics. The test results show that the gap between the attainment of boys and girls has narrowed and that girls now attain nearly as well as boys. Inspection evidence confirms there is no significant difference. Higher attaining pupils are capable of greater progress. Although tasks for pupils are usually graded in difficulty according to their abilities, inspectors often found the demands made of higher attaining of pupils were not great enough. Although some very good examples were seen of work being well matched to their abilities, too often they complete their work quickly and accurately because the level of difficulty of the tasks they are set does not challenge them. Pupils with special educational needs receive sound support and make satisfactory progress. Some pupils have number skills included in their individual education plans. The Numeracy Strategy is being

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English

introduced well to pupils in reception classes. However, those pupils who are already five and more able are capable of greater progress in their mathematics.

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English

118. Pupils’ attitudes to their work are usually good. Almost all are keen to contribute in whole class sessions on mathematics, are pleased to be asked to show their work and explain their thinking. When asked to do so they collaborate effectively to complete tasks and generally co-operate well in their groups. Pupils’ behaviour is generally good, they work hard and normally sustain concentration on their tasks, especially Grovelands Infants-30 when working to deadlines.

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English

119. The quality of teaching overall, is good. Almost all lessons are well planned and follow effectively the Numeracy Strategy with a good emphasis on whole class teaching, mental mathematics and direct teaching of skills. More good lessons were seen than those which were satisfactory. Teachers’ questioning is usually good with questions that help pupils to understand as well as those which test knowledge. There is a good emphasis on the use of correct terminology and instructions to pupils for tasks to be completed are clear and understood by them. All teachers expect pupils to work hard and to behave well. Most lessons move along at a satisfactory pace, some at a very good rate with pupils having deadlines for completion of work and being reminded of them. In the good lessons, pupils are also expected to think and to use their skills and this is re-inforced in plenary sessions when teaching points are made as well as

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English

reviewing what has been done. Lessons are usually well planned and have clear objectives. Homework is regularly set each fortnight in Year Two and it has a positive effect on pupils’ attainment.

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English

120. There is a direct link between good teaching and the good progress being made. In some classes there are very good links between assessment of pupils’ progress including marking, the targets set for them to make greater progress and detailed plans. This very good practice is not consistently applied throughout the school. Pupils’ progress is assessed by using the key objectives of the Numeracy Strategy, regular marking which is accurate and up-to-date and the collection of annotated work in pupils’ portfolios. Some marking is very good and work is marked with the child and feedback given. However, the standards of presentation that are accepted by different teachers are variable and what one teacher will accept another will not.

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English

121. The co-ordinator is new to the school. She has an action plan for mathematics and is very well aware of what needs to be done to maintain the good standards and to improve upon them. She is a member of the wider management team and has very good plans for extending and applying the best practice in the teaching of mathematics throughout the school. Detailed plans are in place for training, monitoring, use of assessment information, planning, review of the policy and scheme of work and improving the use of mathematics through problem solving and investigations. Resources are satisfactory, well organised and accessible to teachers although some have to be shared between classrooms.

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English

122. Pupils’ levels of attainment in the 1999 teachers’ assessments are well above average in terms of pupils’ attaining Level 2 and have improved from the previous year. However, the percentage of pupils achieving Level 3 was lower than the previous year. The percentage of pupils achieving Level 2 and above in their knowledge of living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes is above the national average. However, no pupils achieved Level 3 in experimental and investigative science and a high percentage of pupils achieved standards below the national average in this aspect. Inspection confirms these assessments and the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 are expected to reach similar standards by the end of the year. Throughout the school, although there is a strong emphasis on investigations in the scheme of work and the half-termly planning, this is interpreted differently by the various class teachers

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English

and therefore results in varying levels of attainment. 123. Attainment, progress and the quality of teaching have improved since the previous inspection. However, the lower levels of attainment concerned with investigations are similar to the findings of the previous report.

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English

124. Pupils in Year 2 show a secure understanding of materials and can differentiate between natural and person-made materials. They classify materials according to a range of criteria, the main focus during the week being on wood. Pupils understand and explain why wood is suitable for certain purposes such as window frames, tables and chairs and why it is unsuitable for others. A consistently good aspect of the topic is pupils’ ability to observe the structure of wood and identify different types, both before and after being processed. The investigations about wood, however, were variable and depended on the quality of teaching. Another strength is the pupils’ understanding of some aspects of a healthy lifestyle, especially the need for a healthy diet and exercise, and care of the environment. Pupils are able to classify food according to those which are body building and those which provide energy and fruit and vegetables.

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English

Pupils discuss and explain their preferences and understand that some of their favourite foods are not necessarily healthy foods. They have a detailed understanding of the conditions required for living things Grovelands Infants-31 to survive, and can name many bones of the human skeleton. Findings are usually recorded accurately but there is a wide variation in the presentation of their work which reflects the different demands made by the class teachers. Pupils use appropriate scientific vocabulary well and with confidence.

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English

125. Pupils in Year 1 understand floating and sinking and accurately predict which objects which fit into each category. They show an understanding beyond their age group of the effects of floating and sinking, and how floating objects could be made to sink. In one class, this idea is very well developed by the class teacher into the features of a submarine with clear explanations of why a submarine can float as well as move on the ocean floor. Pupils predict outcomes and observe carefully.

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English

126. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress because of detailed half- termly planning and effective use of support when available. Although the progress is often good and never less than satisfactory, it is variable between classes and reflects the quality of teaching and the daily planning. Although the content in parallel classes is consistent and the gains in knowledge are good, the quality of investigations is the inconsistent factor. Good progress is made in the application of mathematics and information and communications technology to science. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are generally high although variable. Pupils have good relationships with their teachers and this increases their confidence and understanding of the subject. In both year groups, the scientific language and demands on knowledge are good, but the demands on research are inconsistent.

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English

127. The quality of teaching is good overall, but inconsistent in both year groups. It is never less than satisfactory and is occasionally very good and excellent. Teachers’ strengths are in their scientific knowledge and relationships with pupils. They manage pupils well and achieve high standards of discipline. Time and resources are used effectively and teachers’ explanations are clear. The inconsistent aspects which impact on standards, especially on investigations, are the quality of daily planning, the range of demands made on pupils’ presentation and the quality of marking. While marking is up-to-date, there are insufficient demands on standards of presentation made by some teachers.

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English

128. Science makes a good contribution to pupils’ cross-curricular work, especially health education, design and technology, numeracy and literacy. Pupils’ attainment is enhanced by visits to Brooklands, Painshill and the school environment. Factors which contribute to the standards of attainment and progress made are the quality of teaching and the organisation and use of resources. Although the assessment procedures, which are rigorously trailed, show levels of attainment there is insufficient rigour in identifying progress made at the end of each topic, especially in investigations . 131. Grovelands Infants-32

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Art

129. Throughout the school pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in art. Strengths are in their knowledge and understanding. Some pupils during an art lesson discussed the work of the Impressionists and identified landscapes and portraits. A strength is the investigative and problem solving aspect of art, especially in the use of colour washes, colour mixing and the use of a limited range of primary colours and white in composition. A weakness is the use of a too narrow range of paints although a wide range is available. Progress is good in drawing from observation, especially using charcoal. Artistic skills are appropriately developed from year to year. Although the standards in art generally reflect the findings of the previous report, the level of investigations is an improvement.

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Art

130. Pupils enjoy art, are very interested and enjoy the challenge of learning new skills, for example, sketching using charcoal. They sustain concentration well, listen carefully and work quietly and imaginatively. All teachers value pupils’ work. Displays in the classrooms and throughout the school are lively and interesting and reflect the guidance given in the display policy. Teachers have secure subject knowledge, organise resources well and have appropriate expectations. Teaching is satisfactory overall. It is never less than satisfactory and occasionally good.

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Art

131. Pupils’ progress is good. The curriculum which is broad and balanced with good links made between art, design and technology, information communications technology and history. Pupils’ cultural development is enhanced very well by a range of visits which includes the National Portrait Gallery, Brooklands and Painshill and working with artists. The work with the African artist, with a particular focus on African masks enhances pupils’ understanding of different cultures. The wide range of visits and visitors reflects the resourcefulness of the co-ordinator in obtaining funds from charity and making the most effective use of the local and more distant communities.

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Art

132. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in all aspects of design and technology. Building on previous experiences, they develop the ability to cut with accuracy, join and shape materials and choose the most appropriate material for the required activity. Pupils of all ages are involved in a range of activities which enables them to acquire good skills and techniques that develop their knowledge and understanding of mechanisms, patterns and structures. Pupils in Year 1 use a wide range of construction kits and recycled equipment to make wheeled vehicles. They study the construction of an envelope, predict the shape of the unfolded paper, disassemble it and then design one of their own. In Year 2, pupils design and make paper bags which have to carry a number of books and test them for comfort and strength. During the inspection week their textile studies relate to the term’s

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Art

topic on the Victorians and this enhances their knowledge of other children’s education during the last century. All pupils in Year 2 visit a local pizzeria and design and make their own pizzas and during harvest they make bread. There are good links with a local supermarket and during the topic on bread the study the style of packaging and materials they are used effectively. Pupils develop a high level of awareness that the product made should fit the specific purpose. They are encouraged to identify problems and evaluate the quality of many items they use. There are good opportunities throughout the two years for pupils to develop skills in all aspects of design and technology and resources are effectively and efficiently used.

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Art

133. Pupils have positive attitudes towards this subject. They concentrate well, listen attentively and ask and answer challenging questions. Pupils take pride in their knowledge and skills and respond well to ideas from each other and their teachers. They share equipment very well and evaluate each other’s work with care, sensitivity and accuracy.

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Art

134. The quality of teaching is good. Plans are detailed and resources are extremely well organised. Teachers manage pupils and time effectively. Pupils’ work reflects consistent and good curricular planning, good teacher knowledge and high expectations. Grovelands Infants-33 135. Pupils’ progress, attitudes and the quality of teaching reflect the commitment, knowledge and enthusiasm of the co-ordinator. She has the high level of expertise required to co-ordinate the subject. The satisfactory range of resources is efficiently and effectively used and, over time, pupils have opportunities to work with textiles, reclaimed materials, construction equipment and food. There is a well-planned progression of skills and good use is made of the community, especially a local supermarket and a wide range of visits. Although the co-ordinator does not have lesson time in which to support teachers, she makes effective use of informal occasions and in-service training.

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Art

136. Standards have improved since the previous inspection when there was under-achievement, especially by the more able pupils who were not sufficiently challenged. A strength of design and technology is the high quality of investigative work and the way in which all possible opportunities are taken to develop it.

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Art

137. The majority of pupils in all ability groups, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in developing their geographical knowledge, understanding and skills.

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Art

138. Pupils learn about seasonal changes reflected in different weather conditions. They understand the use of pictures and symbols in describing weather. Older pupils develop map reading skills, consolidating their ability to label the map of the United Kingdom. Pupils study their environment through a variety of projects including planting of trees, finding out about various modes of travel through a project entitled 'Journeys' and where different types of food are grown around the world. They learn to use appropriate geographical vocabulary. Some high attainers have started to identify their locality on the map and collect some related data using the computer. Pupils' progress in written work is limited by comparison with their oral work.

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Art

139. Pupils show a great deal of interest in activities involving places and maps. They talk about their locality with enthusiasm. They co-operate well and share resources without fuss. They are well behaved and enjoy good relationships with one another and adults.

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Art

140. Teaching is at least sound. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and expertise. Learning objectives are clearly defined, though short term planning lacks consistency and activities are not always well matched to pupils’ differing abilities. Teachers enable pupils to consolidate and extend their vocabulary by encouraging the use of appropriate geographical terminology. Lessons are well resourced and good teaching employs the effective use of questioning and use of the good range of resources enable pupils to understand and carry out their tasks successfully.

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Art

141. The geography curriculum is broad and balanced and covers of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Activities are generally focused on oral work which enhances pupils' literacy skills. Resources are adequate and reflect an improvement since the last inspection. The focus on the study of the environment involves appropriate use of the school grounds. Effective classroom display reflects the subject's strong links with history and literacy. There is however, little assessment that informs planning and limited opportunities for staff development and monitoring by the co-ordinator. 144.

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Art

142. Pupils' progress in knowledge, understanding and skills relating to history is good. This reflects some improvement, particularly in teaching since the previous inspection. Pupils of all abilities broaden their understanding of historical concepts including chronology as they move through the school.

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Art

143. Younger pupils learn about the history of transport by making a time line with cut-out boats from first boats through to modern war ships. Older pupils learn about Victorian schooling through role-play, particularly the strict daily routine associated with the Victorian classroom. High attainers are developing a good understanding of changes over time, for example, how their school day differs from one in Victorian Grovelands Infants-34 times. Lower attaining pupils make appropriate progress in their understanding of past events with adequate individual support. There are no significant differences in the progress made by boys and girls.

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Art

144. Pupils' attitudes to history are satisfactory, and sometimes good. They take a keen interest in activities relating to the past. They are enthusiastic about dressing up in Victorian costumes and experiencing a 'Victorian School Day' through role-play. Older pupils show a mature approach to co-operation, interaction and the use of resources. Many pupils contribute well to discussions, respond well to opportunities given for taking initiatives and have started asking questions about the past. Good, well established relationships between pupils and their teachers enhance the discussions and pupils’ progress, including those of pupils with special educational needs.

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Art

145. The quality of teaching is sound overall, although some good lessons were seen, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. The majority of teachers show good knowledge and use effective strategies such as skillful questioning and the use of a wide range of resources. In the good teaching observed, pupils demonstrated high levels of motivation and were managed well, particularly when tasks required them to engage in discussion in Year 2. Short term planning lacks detail in some cases and activities are not always sufficiently well matched to pupils’ abilities, particularly for the more able.

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Art

146. The history curriculum is broadly based with activities having an oral focus. It has strong cross-curricular links notably with geography and literacy. The curriculum is further enhanced by visits which make a valuable contribution to pupils’ progress and their spiritual, moral, social and personal development. There are adequate resources and the good quality of display around the school enhances pupils' learning. However, a detailed scheme of work is not yet in place and assessment and monitoring are still at an early stage of development.

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Art

147. Pupils’ competencies by the end of Key Stage 1 are above those expected nationally by pupils of the same age. Observations of the use of computers during the inspection were made during the course of classroom observations of other subjects although some direct teaching of skills was observed. Evidence was also collected by scrutiny of pupils’ work and talking with them about it, reading school documents and interviews with the co-ordinator. Information and communications technology (ICT) is a priority for the school and the focus on ICT has resulted in good progress being made by most pupils. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress and boys and girls have equal access to the computers.

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Art

148. The quality of teaching is good. Computers are usually used in lessons and they are seldom not used when they should be. Direct teaching of skills for the use of computers and software takes place with large groups of pupils, for example, with young pupils showing them how to control and use a mouse and how to print out work; and with older pupils how to enter data and retrieve it. Teachers often intervene well and, in addition to organising the use of equipment and software, they often relate the work well to the subject matter of a lesson, set fresh challenges for pupils in their use of the equipment and make good use of support staff and volunteers. A detailed system of assessing pupils’ skills and the progress they make has been introduced recently.

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Art

149. The curriculum is covered well in teachers’ planning. Pupils communicate and handle information mostly through the use of text with word processing and pictures by the use of software that produces images. Some striking pictures of fireworks are a good example of art work using computers. Pupils collect and store information and then retrieve it and by Year 2 data is printed out in the form of graphs and charts. Pupils can describe the process and say what the charts mean. Most pupils can print their work and many older pupils understand that their work is saved by the computer and can be retrieved later. Many Year 2 pupils know the computer can be used for writing and then changing text.

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150. ICT is well led. Much work has been done, equipment and resources have been reviewed, training has taken place, teaching of skills timetabled and the use of computers linked well to other subjects of the curriculum. The chair of governors uses his expertise on behalf of the school to help plan and carry out improvements. For example, in updating the equipment and supporting teachers in the classroom. ICT is well managed. The co-ordinator is confident and has a clear view of ICT in the school, has had time to Grovelands Infants-35 observe in classrooms and has appropriate plans for the future. At the time of the inspection resources are satisfactory, but are about to become good. A scanner and digital camera have just been delivered. There are firm plans for five multimedia computers which will be equipment from local companies modified for school use. The school has an Internet connection; staff have had training and it is just beginning to

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be used. There are also firm plans to purchase £2,000 worth of new software. The number and quality of ICT equipment is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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151. Owing to the organisation of the timetable only three observations of direct teaching were made during the inspection. However, evidence from assemblies, displays around the school and talking with staff and pupils were used to judge the rate of progress pupils make over time and what they know understand and can do in their music. Pupils perform, compose and listen to music regularly and the majority make satisfactory progress in all three aspects. Pupils respond well to the mood and rhythms of music in their dance lessons. Higher attaining pupils, who have additional lessons apart from school, make a useful contribution to help raise attainment.

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152. The last inspection report described standards in music as above average, explaining that music was becoming a strength of the school. Inspection findings judge that standards in music by the end of Key Stage One are similar to those found in most schools. This is mostly because there is a lack of musical expertise in the school. The previous music co-ordinator is no longer on the staff and the headteacher co- ordinates music.

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153. Overall, the progress of the pupils, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory. Throughout the key stage pupils sing songs by heart. They sing in tune and have a good sense of rhythm, often knowing a set sequence of actions to each verse. They sing with accurate pitch to the pre- recorded accompaniment on tape which they follow well, keeping in time to the music throughout the song with a good feel for the rhythm. The songs in their repertoire are often linked to their topic work and they know a satisfactory range of modern religious songs. They can, with support identify long and short or high and low sounds. They represent these with their own symbols, but the majority of pupils do not know or understand notation.

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154. Overall, pupils’ response to music is satisfactory; it is sometimes very good particularly in musical appreciation and in country dancing. Most pupils in Year 2 work well in groups composing music together.

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155. The quality of teaching is satisfactory and one very good lesson was observed. The headteacher uses every opportunity to provide pupils with a good range of music to appreciate in assemblies and they are beginning to recognise some, for example, several pupils correctly identified ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ and the ‘Pomp and Circumstance March’ when they were played.

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156. Teachers provide opportunities for the pupils to play percussion instruments such as an ocean drum, maracas, rainsticks, shakers, chime bars and bells to create atmosphere. Resources are well organised and in addition to a central collection there are instruments in classrooms. Instruments from a wide variety of countries are available. Teachers manage these lessons effectively using circle or group work to control the group. All the pupils have a singing session in the hall every week and they learn new songs as a whole key stage in this way.

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157. Music makes a sound contribution to the pupils’ social and cultural development. For example, they visit Bradshaw House to sing to the elderly each year and they perform for their parents and visitors in assemblies and at school events. 160. Physical education

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158. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment is in line with that expected by pupils of the same age nationally, except in swimming where it is better than for most schools. Pupils, including those who have special educational needs, make sound progress. In games, most pupils can send and receive a ball, some can catch well and throw accurately and others are developing their skills using bats and hockey sticks. Grovelands Infants-36 In gymnastics pupils can perform turns, rolls and balances. They are able to put several movements together in short sequences and transfer floorwork to apparatus. In two lessons, pupils worked well collaboratively to make bridge shapes and move through them. In dance, pupils respond well to the changes of mood, pace and rhythm in music by varying the speed and shape of their movements.

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159. Almost all pupils enjoy physical education lessons. An example is, at the end of one dance lesson pupils were obviously disappointed the session had to come to an end. They behave very well and most work hard sustaining physical activity and concentration on the tasks they are set. They co-operate well in groups and are willing to set out and collect equipment with the guidance of their teachers. During an assembly to share good work, one Year 2 class were proud to demonstrate their country dancing whilst in costume for the Year 2 Victorian day. The whole of Year 2 on the same day performed drill as pupils in Victorian schools did. They took it most seriously and stayed in role very well.

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160. The quality of teaching is at least sound and in half the lessons observed teaching is good. All teachers insist on good behaviour, hard work, include pupils with special educational needs appropriately and give proper attention to health and safety. In the best lessons teachers relate the work to what is being done in classrooms, for example movements connected to the story of Noah’s Ark. In these lessons teachers also set fresh challenges for pupils, make very good use of demonstration and feedback on pupils’ performances and involve them in discussions to encourage them to improve their performances. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. In satisfactory lessons the pace is not always sustained throughout and children are inactive whilst equipment is put out or put away. In these lessons teachers do not give or organise enough coaching or feedback on how pupils can improve which is similar to the

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161. There is an up-to-date policy and scheme of work that ensures good coverage of the curriculum and that progress is made. There is no formal written form of assessment of pupils’ progress. The school has chosen to include swimming in the PE curriculum although this is not a statutory requirement for Key Stage 1. The reason is the needs of the pupils as the River Thames is nearby as are numerous gravel pits and reservoirs. As a result, there is more time devoted to PE than is usual for pupils of this age. The co- ordinator has good experience and expertise and, although PE is not a current school priority, she has organised recent training for cricket which was attended by all staff and has plans for short tennis. The recent emphasis placed on dance is being effective. Large and small apparatus is adequate and good use is made of the generous space available.

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162. Pupils' attainment in religious education at the end of key stage is in line with the expectations of the agreed syllabus. The majority demonstrate a growing knowledge of Bible stories. They understand that stories such as 'Two Houses' carry special meanings. High attainers can retell the story of Noah, demonstrating a grasp of its moral teaching and referring to floods in the news. Lower attaining pupils demonstrate a developing knowledge and understanding of religious stories and festivals such as Harvest, Christmas and Diwali. Pupils' knowledge about major religions, particularly those other than Christianity, is not yet well developed.

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163. The majority of pupils throughout the school make sound progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of Bible stories both in lessons and over time. Younger pupils are learning to identify and explain good personal qualities of their peers such as 'kindness', in the context of electing their 'Star of the Week'. Older pupils are consolidating their grasp of moral teachings of Bible stories and sharing their personal achievement using appropriate vocabulary. Slower learners make sound progress with appropriate support. Lack of command of English prevents the few pupils for whom English is an additional language from participating fully in activities. There are no significant gender difference in pupils' progress, but the quality of written work does not match the quality of oral contributions.

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164. Pupils throughout the school respond well to religious education activities in lessons and assemblies. The majority are well motivated and enthusiastic about contributing to discussion. Pupils from different backgrounds are tolerant of one another's views, work together and behave well, while enjoying good relationships Grovelands Infants-37 165. Teaching is good in the personal and social education lessons and is satisfactory for religious education lessons. Teachers' effective questioning reflects their secure subject knowledge, while ensuring pupil participation in the activity. The best teaching is appropriately resourced and enables pupils to grasp the moral teaching of a Bible story and they are managed well. Teaching is, however, primarily focused on oral work and day-to-day planning and assessment lack consistency.

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166. The programme of religious education is non-denominational. It is consistent with the agreed syllabus. The subject makes a valuable contribution to pupils' oral skills and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, through the focus on oral work relating to Bible stories. The topic approach reduces the status of the subject in its own right, but some aspects such as 'Ourselves' are covered well in personal and social education activities. Resources, including artefacts, are adequate overall. There is a detailed scheme of work, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. There is no systematic approach to assessment or monitoring of the teaching and learning of religious education in the school. Grovelands Infants-38 169. PART C:

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167. A team of five inspectors spent a total of 16.5 days in the school gathering firsthand evidence. A combined total of 67 sessions covering 54.75 were spent in classrooms, which included time spent in discussion with pupils and evaluation of their work. Interviews were held with all 11 of the teaching staff and the headteacher. Some support staff were interviewed and others and parents were spoken with less formally. The chair of governors, six other governors and the chair of the Friends of Grovelands School were interviewed. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, including a representative sample from each class. Inspectors also heard a representative sample of pupils read and examined learning resources and accommodation. School documents, including teachers’ planning and records, school development plan and policies were scrutinised. Inspectors attended assemblies and observed at the French club. They

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INSPECTION EVIDENCE

observed behaviour, registration before and after school and at lunchtimes. 170.

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INDICATORS

171. Pupil data Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school’s register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals YR - Y2 219 0 38 27 Nursery Classes 45.5 0 3 0

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172. Qualified teachers Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 11 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 20

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172. Education support staff Total number of education support staff: 7 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 18

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172. Qualified teachers (nursery classes) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 1.5 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 60.6

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172. Education support staff Total number of education support staff: 5 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 20

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Average class size Key Stage One: 24.3 Grovelands Infants-39 173. Financial data

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£ Total Income 477,885 Total Expenditure 482623 Expenditure per pupil 1462 Balance brought forward from previous year 10760 Balance carried forward to next year 5,945

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Number of questionnaires sent out: 241 Number of questionnaires returned: 57

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Responses, percentage of answers in each category:-

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Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 44 53 3 0 0

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I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 51 46 0 3 0

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The school handles complaints from parents well 12 40 42 4 2

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The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 39 51 10 0 0

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The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 30 54 12 4 0

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The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 28 54 16 2 0

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The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 23 46 23 8 0

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I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 21 56 19 4 0

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The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 33 56 11 0 0

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The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 23 60 16 0 1

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My child(ren) like(s) school 56 37 7 0 0

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