Shelley Primary School

SHELLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short 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.

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SHELLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Shelley Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Wickhurst Lane Broadbridge Heath Nr. Horsham West Sussex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Diane Linksted

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 7 – 11 July 1997 Shelley Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 12487 John Lilly Registered inspector 9115 Terry Clarke Lay inspector 22180 Shree Lekha Mistry Team inspector 20483 Debbie Yates Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Open Book Inspections 6 East Point High Street Seal Sevenoaks Kent TN15 0EG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Shelley Primary School - 5

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REPORT CONTENTS

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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PART B: COMMENTARY

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 17 - 18

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PART B: COMMENTARY

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 19 - 22 Shelley Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Shelley is a primary school of slightly above average size, with 297 girls and boys on roll between the ages of 4 and 11. The school serves a large village close to the town of Horsham and most pupils come from this locality. The village has a mixture of housing and a significant proportion is social housing, although much of this is now owner-occupied. Most pupils come from homes that are as socially and economically favoured as is the average nationally. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low. Children join the school aged four, with attainment that is slightly below the average expected at their age. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is broadly average, although the number with statements of those needs is slightly above average. Few pupils are of minority ethnic heritages; two of these pupils speak English as an additional language. In 2000 and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

2001, the school won national Achievement Awards for improvement and achievement over time.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Shelley is a very good school that is improving rapidly and it has many excellent features. Most pupils join the school with slightly below average attainment and leave with attainment that is well above the national average and the standards expected by the end of Year 6. This very good progress is because the headteacher provides very strong, expert and clear leadership for pupils and staff alike, and staff and governors support her ably and with complete commitment. Staff are determined to achieve the highest standards and, as a close-knit team, they show effective leadership in the areas for which they are individually responsible. Teaching is very good, and very good use of assessment allows teachers to identify each pupil’s potential and set girls and boys challenging goals to achieve. It is a school that sets no limits to what a pupil can achieve, and perceptive care and focused support extends to all pupils, whatever their ability or background. Pupils behave well and are

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

keen to learn because the school gives equal priority to the pupils’ personal development alongside their very good academic progress. They go on to secondary school as balanced and mature young people, eager to succeed. The school offers very good value for money.

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improving because:

• The headteacher provides inspiring leadership and very effective management. • Staff lead and manage well in their own areas of responsibility. • Teaching is very good. • Accurate assessment guides each pupil’s progress very effectively. • The curriculum provides very rich, broad, balanced and relevant opportunities for learning, and each subject supports the others. • Specialised and focused support for pupils at all levels of ability is very good. • Provision for pupils’ personal development is very effective; this generates an exciting and stimulating ethos through which pupils become keen and independent learners. Shelley Primary School - 7

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governors need to improve further the following because:

• There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and, consequently, they do not feel they have a productive partnership with the school. • The governors do not systematically identify ways they can improve the school. • There is a need to develop further the links with the secondary schools to which the pupils progress. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in July 1997. For a time, standards tended to rise slowly, but within the last two years they have risen dramatically and are now high in almost every area of the curriculum. Leadership and management are now strong throughout the school, and as a result, teaching and planning are now very good, challenging all pupils to achieve the highest standards. These improvements are founded upon a clear and practical improvement plan guided by rigorous self-evaluation. Standards in information and communication technology have risen, and clear planning ensures that standards of attainment should rise still further once the school has its new computer suite. Improvement overall has been very good, and the school has the skills, determination and values to go on improving.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English C C A A well above average above average A B Mathematics C A A A average below average C D Science C A* A* A well below average E

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STANDARDS

A* shows results that are in the top five per cent nationally.

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STANDARDS

Most children join the reception classes with levels of attainment just below those expected of children before their fifth birthday. Girls and boys of all abilities make very good progress as they move through the school and most attain above the standards expected nationally in all areas of the curriculum by the end of Year 6. Standards at the end of Year 6 are rising at a rate higher than that nationally. Results in National Curriculum tests and assessments for English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 2 in 2001 were well above the national average, and, overall, were in the top five per cent of all schools nationally. Virtually all pupils attained the expected level and a high proportion achieved the higher Level 3. The greatest improvement in results in National Curriculum tests has been at the end of Year 6, and the results in 2001 overall were in the top five per cent nationally. Attainment of current pupils

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STANDARDS

reflects these very high standards, with particular improvement in writing by the end of Year 2. By the end of Years 2 and 6, virtually all pupils attain the nationally expected standards in Shelley Primary School - 8 all subjects and the majority exceed them, achieving the higher Levels 3 and 5. Standards in information and communication technology are average by the end of Year 6 because the school does not yet have a computer suite. Throughout the school, standards in art and design are very high. The school sets itself challenging goals and targets for future improvement, and improves planning so that it can achieve them.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes towards their work and other people.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good and inspectors found no evidence of bullying or racial intolerance.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils and adults, and amongst pupils, are good. Pupils develop well as balanced and mature young people who value themselves and others.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Children join the reception year with the social and personal skills expected of children of that age. They develop well, gaining in maturity, confidence and in their ability to manage their own lives. By the end of Year 6, they have a more responsible and thoughtful maturity than usually expected of pupils aged eleven. Even so, their aspirations remain rather narrow, and this shows, for example, in the extent and overly limited range of their reading at home.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Very good Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is very good throughout the school and this enables girls and boys of all abilities to make very good progress. Teaching is effective because it is very well planned and teachers are very expert and knowledgeable in each subject they teach. Teachers base their planning and teaching upon accurate assessment that allows them to set challenging work for each level of ability, and to show each pupil how well they are doing and how to improve. Teachers manage classes very well. Their lessons have pace and challenge, and inspire the pupils to accept the challenge confidently, independently and with determination. At the heart of the very good learning is the shared commitment of teachers and pupils to achieving the highest standards possible. Pupils learn to manage their own learning and set their own standards. They are determined to succeed, realising this means working collaboratively. Literacy and

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

numeracy are taught very effectively, and teachers use opportunities in all subjects to practise and extend these skills. Consequently, pupils learn to use their very good speaking skills to talk through problems and order their thoughts. They use their very good writing skills to express what they learn and to set out arguments for what they think is true, and use their good numerical understanding to solve problems and analyse data.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Shelley Primary School - 9 Aspect Comment

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is balanced, broad and relevant to pupils’ present and future lives. It meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and for religious education. Provision for learning outside lessons is very good, especially in Years 3 to 6.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision is very good because it is led, planned, managed and implemented very well.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Although few in number, these pupils are well supported and make good progress in their general work as well as in their acquisition of English.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision overall is very good. For spiritual development it is good, and for moral, social and cultural development very good. Because it is effective, this provision makes a major contribution to pupils’ academic learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Care for the health, safety, welfare and security of pupils is very good. Very effective assessment leads to very positive guidance for both academic learning and personal development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

A strength of the curriculum is that it is planned and taught as a whole with strong links between subjects and other learning opportunities, for example the residential trip. Particularly good is the way teachers know pupils’ abilities and personal qualities very well. They use this knowledge and understanding skilfully to ensure that pupils achieve their academic and personal potential.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Relationships between home and school are, in the main, very good, and parents make a major contribution to the success of the school. There is, however, a small but significant minority of parents who feel this is not the case for them. Inspectors find their concerns valid, and this offers an area for improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides excellent leadership for staff and pupils and expert management. Staff follow her lead and work as a highly effective and close-knit team, clear as to where the school is going and needs to be.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are very involved with the life and work of the school and meet their statutory responsibilities well. Even so, they need to play a more pro-active role in future improvements.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is very effective because it evaluates everything it does so that it can identify ways and means to improve.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school manages its resources very well.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school has enough qualified staff to meet the requirements of the curriculum, and very good staff development improves their skills continuously. Teaching assistants make a Shelley Primary School - 10 major contribution to the pupils’ learning. Administrative staff ensure that the school runs efficiently and the care-taking staff ensure that the school is not only clean but ‘sparkles’. Accommodation is good and there are sensible plans for improvement. Learning resources are of good range and quality, although the school urgently needs the computer suite that will be in place in September 2002. The school has a good relationship with many other groups such as the local education authority and this helps staff to learn new ideas and compare their performance with others. It is a school that sees every area as capable of improvement. Governors ensure that the school gets best value from any investment.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What some parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school and behave well. • The children are well taught and make good progress. • There is an open partnership between home and school. • The school helps their children gain in maturity. • Homework is not set consistently and is sometimes inappropriate. • The partnership and communication with some parents is not good enough. • The learning and teaching in one class is not as effective as in other classes. • Activities outside lessons are insufficient, especially for Years 1 and 2.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with the positive views of parents. They find that homework is an effective part of the pupils’ learning but it is not used equally well in all classes. They find that activities outside lessons are good in quality and range, and these include visits out of school, visitors to school and clubs. Pupils in reception classes and in Years 1 and 2 are encouraged to take part in community activities while all teachers are involved in providing clubs, mainly for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Observation and analysis of pupils’ previous work shows that one teacher, while teaching satisfactorily, is not as effective as the other teachers. Communication and partnership with most parents is good, but with some it is not. This is often the case when parents need to work and, therefore, cannot speak with teachers during the day. Shelley Primary School - 11

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The headteacher provides inspiring leadership and very effective management.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. The headteacher took up her post comparatively recently and inaugurated a period of rapid change and improvement. She brought with her experience from a previous headship and from working with other schools; these experiences have given her a very wide expertise and a clear vision and understanding of what makes schools excellent. She provides excellent professional and personal leadership. She sees that, in itself, this is not enough, and she shows considerable skills in building a highly effective team of teachers who are willing to share her commitment, determination, vision and values. She shares authority and accountability, and ensures that advice and coaching help each member of the team to play their full part. Consequently, she has enabled staff to become a highly effective team who share planning, management responsibility and the joys of success. Problems that do arise are shared and solutions found together. By

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

being in lessons and always around the school, she shares her passion for learning and gives pupils and staff the confidence to strive to do their best.

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Staff lead and manage well in their own areas of responsibility

2. The heart of the school’s success lies in the way teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers, parents and other support staff work as a committed, determined and close- knit team. They take individual responsibility but share tasks and ideas. This has created a secure, coherent and comprehensive management foundation of clear policy and procedures, set against quality criteria and standards to meet. Consequently, staff rarely seek excuses, confident that solutions can be found and even greater success achieved. This is bedded upon a shared belief that good schools are concerned about learning and that teaching is the tool to support it. Therefore, staff, through assessment and training, have a very good understanding of how children learn and what may block or support progress. Everyone knows what is expected of her or him and what she or he needs to do.

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

3. The school achieves very high standards because teaching is almost always good or very good. Teachers plan very well, showing their wide and secure subject expertise. This planning is very coherent, using one subject or activity to support another. Teachers place central priority on building pupils’ speaking, literacy and numeracy skills but this does not lead to narrowness or imbalance because these skills are not only taught in focused sessions but also thread their way through all lessons. For instance, pupils write empathetically in history and analyse numerical data in geography. Accurate assessment tests the effectiveness of teaching and how well the pupils are learning, and this leads to immediate adaptations to teaching and extra support for learning outside the classroom if progress slows. This extra provision is very well managed so that learning in class is not damaged. Average ability pupils know these

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

sessions as ‘kangaroos’ leaping forward, and the high ability pupils know their groups as ’giraffes’ reaching for the very top of the tree. Shelley Primary School - 12 4. Teachers create a very good environment for learning by:

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

• ensuring that pupils acquire the skills to manage their own learning through guidance and feedback; • providing exciting resources and displays; • and sharing with pupils a pride in achieving very high standards.

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

5. Teaching is often highly innovative, for example creating a magnificent woven picture using plastic bags and the school fence. Relationships between teachers and pupils are very ‘adult’, a balance between the warm yet firm authority of the teacher and the responsible attitudes of the pupils. This is because teachers and the school as a whole give equal priority to the pupils’ personal development and nurturing their self-esteem. This highlights the very good provision in reception classes that creates strong foundations upon which others can build.

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

6. Inspectors often found that the quality of learning was not quite as could be expected from the very good teaching. This is because the pupils are now experiencing a very different type of challenging learning, and have yet to gain in full the high aspirations this generates and needs. For example, although reading is taught very well, many older pupils do not read a great deal at home, and when they do read, they choose a narrow range of books. The school realises this and has improved resources and given pupils greater guidance. Even so, most pupils, although they read quickly, accurately and with enjoyment, still get carried away by the excitement of the story, missing the nuances of meaning in words and the depth in the description of events and characters. The school could usefully consider even more structured guidance for reading at home by pupils in Years 4 to 6, and linking this more tightly to wider ranging and demanding

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Teaching is very good throughout the school

7. Information and communication technology is playing an increasing role in teaching and learning, and pupils use these technologies with confidence. Improvement has been hindered, however, by not having a computer suite. There are very clear plans for improving both teaching and learning once this vital learning resource is available next year.

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Accurate assessment guides each pupil’s progress very effectively

8. All staff recognise the crucial importance of assessment. They plan the curriculum, therefore, as a set of standards to be achieved in each lesson and over time, carefully matching each standard to each level of ability. Frequent assessment allows teachers to test the effectiveness of their teaching and track the progress of the pupils. This leads to very effective feedback to pupils on where they are succeeding and what they need to learn next. In the main, teachers do this best on a one-to-one oral level and in plenary sessions when they get pupils to evaluate their progress in a lesson, sometimes helping them evaluate each other’s progress. There is greater inconsistency between teachers as to written marking. The most effective teachers mark work immediately, making clear to pupils what particular skill they will be looking for. They use this marking to test immediately the effectiveness of their teaching, and adapt the

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Accurate assessment guides each pupil’s progress very effectively

next lesson. Written comments tell the pupils why they have succeeded, and where and how they need to improve.

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Accurate assessment guides each pupil’s progress very effectively

9. When teaching is less effective, it is because the teacher does not fully comply or conform with the quality set for teaching in the school, for example in the frequency and Shelley Primary School - 13 type of homework required and in the correct ways of speaking to pupils. Consequently, in these lessons relationships are less positive and pupils learn more slowly.

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learning, and each subject supports the others

10. Effective schools have been likened to well-built ships that move strongly across the waters. They are well steered by leadership and management, crewed and powered by good teaching and learning and navigated by effective assessment. At Shelley, the curriculum provides the well-designed and founded ship. It is designed very skilfully around a clear structure of skills and understandings to be gained at each age. Staff have prepared excellent portfolios for each area of the curriculum that show staff, pupils and parents how this works in practice. Time and priorities are carefully allocated to create strong balance and cohesion, and themes ensure that each subject supports the others. Areas of knowledge, for example, Ancient Greece, are not simply patched in to ensure National Curriculum coverage but planned for study at the same time in different years so that pupils of different ages can swap ideas and the exciting things they are

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learning, and each subject supports the others

learning. Often, senior managers use assemblies to forge these links by sharing ideas and achievements with the whole school. A good range of visits out of school and visitors to the school enriches the learning because they are carefully selected and planned. The very good range of additional support ensures all pupils have equal access to learning. In these ways, the curriculum provides clear guidance for teaching, balanced by ensuring that pupils learn skills and knowledge in the right order and at the correct level of challenge. A good range of high quality clubs and community events such as competitive sport and music festivals enriches pupils’ learning and raises their social skills and aspirations. The high quality of the curriculum makes a major contribution to the high standards achieved by the school.

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Specialised and focused support for pupils at all levels of ability is very good

11. The school uses a wide range of additional provision to ensure that every pupil has equal access to learning and what they need to make very good progress. This additional help ranges from very good support for pupils with special educational needs to focused lessons for pupils at each level of ability or those in danger of underachievement. The provision is very carefully planned and skilfully managed so that each pupil gets what she or he needs when she or he needs it. Teaching in these sessions is often very good and sometimes highly innovative, for example, sessions to increase pupils’ physical co-ordination and therefore, confidence. It is the flexible and responsive quality of the support that makes it so effective, while rigorous monitoring ensures that important opportunities to learn in class are not missed. Specialist teachers, already highly skilled, are looking for better ways of helping pupils who have

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Specialised and focused support for pupils at all levels of ability is very good

particular blocks to their learning, for instance those with dyslexia. This is another example of the way staff work as a coherent and close-knit team. Shelley Primary School - 14

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learners

12. The school recognises the essential link between provision for personal development and academic progress. The very good provision drives very good personal development that, in turn, underpins good progress and high attainment. Adults in the school provide pupils with fine role models.

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learners

13. Provision for spiritual development is good. Much of the artwork and literacy is highly reflective, and from the start in reception classes, living things and the study of nature through science engender a sense of wonder and responsibility towards creation. Discussion in many subjects helps pupils grapple with questions of meaning and purpose in human lives, and the part faith plays in the life of communities. This learning is enriched by ‘circle time’ (sessions when children can discuss and share problems, feelings and concerns) and a developing programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education. However, the school misses opportunities for quiet reflection and the learning that comes through ‘stillness’. Assemblies are dynamic but tend not to give pupils enough opportunity to reflect quietly on matters that do not have the certainty of facts, or to consider how a divine creator may bring purpose and meaning to life.

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learners

Overall, this aspect of provision offers an opportunity for improvement, especially when addressing the low aspirations of some pupils.

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learners

14. Provision for moral, social and cultural development is very good. Pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong and why this is so. They are helped to understand why deciding what is right is not easy and, even when decided, why doing right is difficult. The school and classes work out clear codes and rules, and, therefore, pupils learn to see them as sensible and just, and that they apply to themselves as well as to everyone else. Pupils are held to account when they do wrong, and helped positively to improve. Provision for social development comes mainly through learning to play a full part in an orderly and purposeful community. Adults help pupils to see the part they play through taking responsibilities of increasing challenge, for instance starting with simple duties for clearing away in reception classes to taking responsibility in Year 6 for helping younger children. The school council provides a powerful and well-understood way for

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learners

pupils to learn the skills of citizenship, and pupils learn how to share in the running of the school. Involvement in school events such as the school fete, and meeting adults from outside the school, helps pupils transfer their learning in school to the wider society and world. Carefully chosen and managed support for charities gives pupils experience of making a real difference to the well being of others locally and world-wide. The rich curriculum introduces pupils to a wide range of cultural achievement in past and present times, and experience of and learning about different cultures and faiths nurtures true appreciation of other traditions and faiths. This prepares pupils well to look upon life in a multi-faith and multi-cultural society as positive and enriching. The school ensures that it recognises pupils’ achievements in their own communities, for example swimming, and this builds a secure link of mutual respect between pupils’ cultural achievement at

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learners

home and their achievements at school. Some very effective schools use home-school books that include records of achievement at home and school, to build this link, and the school could usefully consider such initiatives. This very good provision overall makes a major contribution to high standards because it enables pupils to make a mature and responsible contribution to their own learning.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

consequently, they do not feel they have a productive partnership with the school.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

15. The school faces a puzzling paradox. While productive and very positive relationships exist with most parents, evidenced by the high involvement of parents in the life and work of the school and the very warm and valuing views expressed to inspectors, there remains a small but significant number of parents who are not convinced that the school wants to work in close partnership, evidenced by the negative responses to certain areas of the parents’ questionnaire and many notes and letters sent to inspectors. The concerns of these parents tend to focus upon changes that they do not feel are improvements, for example the new venue for the residential trip and the new arrangements for consultation with parents. While some parents are still concerned about consultation arrangements, feedback from parents about the residential trip now it has happened has been extremely positive. Some parents do not feel that concerns

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

over less effective teaching or precise support for special educational needs are addressed, and are concerned that the homework policy is not implemented consistently. Inspectors find that the school does follow up these concerns immediately and with determination, but that this message does not always get back to parents. Even so, in the real world, no school can get everything right and the concerns of these parents have some basis in fact. However, inspectors find that the key weakness is communication. Letters home often use the language of schools rather than the language of parents, and this leads to misunderstandings and misconceptions. Although the school thinks it makes things clear, not all the audience fully understands. Similarly, because messages tend to be ‘the same fits all’, some parents may feel that it does not fit them well; for example, although the new arrangements for consultation with

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

teachers in fact improve significantly the opportunities for meaningful partnership, this does not appear to some parents to be the case if both parents need to work and cannot get to school until after work has finished. Some of these parents feel that they are imposing on teachers if they take up the offer of an evening meeting. The school needs to realise that parents who work may need more warning of events or things to do than parents who can pick up this information when they collect their children from school.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

16. Within a period of rapid improvement and change, especially when increased standards make greater demands, it is inevitable that misunderstanding arises and ‘feathers become ruffled’. Because this is the case, and in a fast improving school will continue to be the case, the school needs to become better and better at communicating with parents. It needs to consider innovative ways to build that partnership, for example, through home-school books and frequent parents’ forums to discuss concerns and ways forward. Parents who work say how much they enjoy performances in the evening when they can get to know the life and work of the school and these help them feel full members of the school ‘family’. The school has already proved it can be highly innovative through its development of an excellent and interactive website. Shelley Primary School - 16 The governors do not systematically identify ways they can improve the school.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

17. The governors have helped the school to become so effective by recruiting good staff and being very supportive. They have made this more secure by prudent and efficient control of the budget. However, now the school is so effective, they need to find new ways of supporting further improvement.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

18. Governors recognise that their monitoring and evaluation of standards are too informal and removed from first-hand evidence, and they are beginning to work with the headteacher to build their skills of evidence gathering and evaluation against understood criteria. It is essential that these practices become more systematic and these evaluations more precise. Once in place, this process can feed back to the school what is working well, what needs to improve and what the school should do next. Governors also realise that they miss working with other governors and intend to re- build partnerships with other schools. Since Shelley is already very effective, governors would find partnerships with Beacon Schools useful, because by ‘seeing others we see ourselves differently’, and this will help them spot what needs to change.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

19. The school already evaluates performance and quality against the Ofsted Framework, and other quality standards would enrich this process; these frameworks include Investor in People, International School Award and Charter Mark. This process allows the school to compare its performance and quality against best-practice elsewhere, identifying opportunities to work in a new and better way, and identifying factors within or outside the school that may threaten success. Since a very effective school is extremely dependent on recruiting and retaining very high quality staff, the Investor in People module, ‘Recruiting and selecting staff’, offers such a tool for further improvement.

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

20. The headteacher has the vision of being a ‘learning school’. This means a school community that seeks feedback on everything it does, so that it can identify ways to adapt and improve continuously, and that it goes out of its way to learn from others, for example the ‘Think First’ Network Learning Community that the school is joining. Much of this vision has become reality, but governors recognise they have an important role in gaining this feedback, for example, from parents with concerns, and in building learning partnerships with other governing bodies, for example, Beacon Schools and secondary schools. This should help them identify improvement projects that they are best placed to lead, and that make best use of the considerable range of expertise and experience members of the governing body offer. The business and professional interests of several governors make them well placed to build links with the wider community, for

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There is confused communication with a small but significant number of parents and,

example seeking ‘mentors’ for pupils in danger of underachievement because their aspirations are low or narrow. Schools involved in government initiatives such as Education Action Zones or Excellence in Cities would be good sources of information.

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pupils progress

21. The pupils progress to several secondary schools and there are sensible arrangements for helping pupils make a smooth transition. The very good relationship between the headteacher of Shelley Primary School and the headteacher of the secondary school to which most pupils progress provides a strong opportunity to ensure that pupils not only go on to secondary school well prepared but that they continue to make the very good progress they have made up to the end of Year 6. This means that a much higher proportion of pupils than is the average nationally progress to secondary school already Shelley Primary School - 17 attaining Level 5; this presents new opportunities. The two schools already have several ways to make sure this very good progress continues, for example projects that are started at Shelley and are completed at the secondary school, and have planned training that will lead to further initiatives, such as introductory teaching in the secondary

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pupils progress

school before pupils go ‘for real’ and secondary pupils acting as mentors for the Shelley pupils in Year 6. The current links offer significant opportunities. Failure to move forward in these areas poses a considerable threat to Shelley pupils who are already powerful learners and most of whom are already attaining at a level above that expected of pupils aged eleven.

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pupils progress

22. Most teaching at Shelley in Year 6 is targeted at the higher Level 5, and the school is developing ways to help very able pupils learn at the very high Level 6. This offers an opportunity for the primary teachers to learn from their secondary colleagues who are more experienced at this level. Again, the schools are building ways for this to happen and could usefully consider not only reciprocal visits and observation, but also actually teaching in each other’s schools. Shelley could acknowledge that the secondary schools have greater experience of teaching at these higher levels and have the specialised resources needed to teach, for example, science, design and technology, music and art and design at the higher Levels 5 and 6.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

23. When a school is as effective as Shelley, governors, staff and to some extent pupils are entering uncharted waters. There are few other schools to learn from and new ways to underpin improvement need to be found. Similarly, the slightest weakness can lead to standards dropping.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

24. To ensure that the high standards are maintained and continue to improve, staff and governors need to:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the communication between the school and a small but significant number of parents who feel they do not have a productive partnership with the school by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that written communication with parents is capable of being fully understood by all parents; (Paragraphs 15–16) • considering that different parents have different needs, so that, when policy changes, the school finds ways to meet their specific needs and concerns; (Paragraphs 15–16) • looking for new and innovative ways to involve all parents. (Paragraphs 15–16)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Make more systematic the way governors identify ways they can improve the school by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• monitoring the work and life of the school more systematically, ensuring that evaluation is based upon first-hand and reliable evidence; (Paragraph 18) • challenging previous views by analysing strengths and weaknesses more precisely against external quality standards, so identifying opportunities offered and threats that might frustrate success; (Paragraph 19) Shelley Primary School - 18 • seeking and sharing experiences with other governing bodies, especially governors of other very effective schools; (Paragraphs 18 and 20) • identifying projects that are best led by the governing body rather than the school’s staff. (Paragraph 20)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the links with the secondary schools to which the pupils progress by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• building on the good relationships with these schools to identify further ways to support a smooth transition by pupils from primary to secondary schooling; (Paragraphs 21–22) • increasing opportunities for primary and secondary teachers to learn from each other. (Paragraphs 21–22) Shelley Primary School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 15

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 297

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 55

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 11

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Attendance

School data 5.7 School data 0.0 Shelley Primary School - 20 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Shelley Primary School - 21

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 31 14 45

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 30 30 30 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 98 (95) 98 (90) 98 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 30 30 31 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 98 (92) 98 (97) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 19 18 37

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 18 17 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 16 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 92 (87) 89 (87) 97 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 16 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 13 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 81 (84) 78 (84) 92 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Shelley Primary School - 22

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 4 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.87 Financial year 2000 –

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 573195

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 555045

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 161 Expenditure per pupil 1941

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 4847

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 22997

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Shelley Primary School - 23

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 50 45 4 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 41 53 2 2 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 28 45 22 2 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 47 23 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 34 5 1 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 55 43 0 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 34 50 14 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 47 39 7 1 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 48 42 5 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 36 17 4 11

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

• Some parents felt that difficulties arise when parents are very concerned about their children’s education but cannot get into school because they work until the evening. • Several parents felt that one teacher teaches unsatisfactorily and speaks to children inappropriately. • Some parents felt that changes concerning the residential trip were not an improvement. • The new arrangements for consultation with teachers.

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