Turners Hill CofE Primary School

SCHOOL

Unique Reference Number: 126010 LEA: West Sussex

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SCHOOL

Inspection Dates: 25 – 26 May 2004 Reporting Inspector: LINDA MCGILL HMI

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SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996, and was deemed section 12 (3) under the same act 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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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 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.

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INTRODUCTION

The inspection was a pilot of the new arrangements for inspection announced by Ofsted in its consultation paper of February 2004. It was carried out with the support and co-operation of the staff of Turners Hill C of E Primary School and of the local education authority.

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INTRODUCTION

The inspection was carried out by two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Key for inspection grades:

Grade 1 Very good Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Adequate Grade 4 Not adequate

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Description of the school

Turners Hill C of E Primary School is a small primary school situated in the village of Turner’s Hill, near Crawley in West Sussex. There are 148 pupils on roll. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is not known. Just over one quarter of the pupils have identified special educational needs, and three have a formal statement of special educational need. As the school is small, it is attractive to parents who value the close, family ethos. In recent years, there has been a fairly high degree of mobility of pupils, but the staff group has remained very stable. On entry to the school, attainment is average. Very few pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds and none are at an early stage of learning English.

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOL

The school provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. There are significant strengths in its work. In particular, the pupils’ personal development is given high priority and is very good. The pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are also very good and their enjoyment and enthusiasm in lessons is excellent. The school works effectively with a wide range of other agencies, and strives successfully to improve and enrich the quality and range of the curriculum. Taken overall, however, the standards the pupils achieve are broadly average, reflecting the steady progress that they make over time and the sound teaching they receive. A few pupils are not challenged enough in lessons, and there is scope to increase their rate of progress. The headteacher has a strong vision for the school, but there are weaknesses in the quality of strategic planning and the evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Improvement since the last inspection

Overall, improvement since the last inspection in 1999 has been good. The school has continued to strengthen and improve the provision for the pupils’ personal development, which is now very good. Extending and enriching the curriculum has also been a major thrust of the school’s work and in this it has been very successful. Many links have been set up with other agencies and schools, and Turners Hill benefits from the expertise and skills which these links bring. The standards pupils achieve have been maintained and at this inspection, no unsatisfactory teaching was observed, which is an improvement. The previous inspection required the school to work on financial planning, improving short-term lesson planning and establishing procedures to monitor the quality of teaching, and these issues have by and large been addressed.

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Capacity to improve

It is clear that those involved with the school have the interests of the pupils at the forefront of their thinking. The headteacher and staff have successfully striven to develop the pupils as thoughtful and confident individuals who enjoy learning. The school has shown a willingness to move forward, and the senior staff and teachers have the capacity to take improvements further. The governing body takes an active interest in the school’s work and is well placed to interrogate information more rigorously. The recent drive to improve standards in English was successful, and demonstrates the school’s capacity to bring about improvements in key areas of its work.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to continue to build on the school’s successes, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

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What the school should do to improve further

• ensure that all pupils make the best possible progress, particularly in mathematics and science • improve the quality of strategic planning and the evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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ACHIEVEMENT AND STANDARDS

The pupils make steady progress during their time at Turners Hill and achieve sound standards. The results of last year’s national tests for pupils aged seven and eleven in English, mathematics and science were in line with, or above, the figure for schools nationally. The results in English, especially at Key Stage 2, were good, and more than half of the pupils gained a higher level. Nevertheless, the school, while noting the data in comparison with similar schools, does not always take sufficient action in the light of the important issues that are raised.

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ACHIEVEMENT AND STANDARDS

The school keeps information about the attainment of each pupil, and sets targets for the end of the year. This shows that most of the pupils make progress at the rate which is expected of them, a few exceed this and one or two fall behind. The inspection confirms this. The rate of progress which is expected is not always challenging enough for a few pupils and is not sufficient to make sure that they make good, rather than satisfactory gains from year to year.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The inspection confirms the school’s view that the pupils’ personal development is very good; they are confident in their learning, enthusiastic and work hard. The pupils are encouraged to be investigative and open-minded, and as a result apply themselves very well to a wide range of learning tasks. Attendance is good and nearly all pupils are punctual. Behaviour is very good in lessons and around the school. There have been no recent exclusions. Staff adopt a consistent approach in managing the pupils’ behaviour; a very good improvement since the last inspection. Pupils know what is right and wrong. They also know how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The pupils have warm and supportive relationships with one another. Older pupils often have the responsibility of mentoring new pupils or looking after younger ones. The school ensures that the pupils are aware of the communities and cultures of the wider world. The pupils are very well prepared to make a strong contribution to the life of their community.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

At playtimes, the pupils are energetic but mindful of others. The school provides very well for their physical development. It offers a wide range of clubs and activities to extend the pupils’ interests and develop their talents. Every opportunity is used to promote the pupils’ spiritual development in lessons and assemblies. The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development is very good.

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QUALITY OF PROVISION

The school judges the quality of teaching to be effective, and the inspectors note that there are strengths in the teaching but that it is adequate overall. There were particular strengths in the quality of relationships between teachers, support staff and pupils, the provision of stimulating activities which successfully exploited cross-curricular links and work which built well on what the pupils had learned before. The teaching in English is good. The teachers know their pupils well and accommodate different learning styles effectively. However, the impact of the teaching over time has enabled the pupils, overall, to make only steady gains in their knowledge and understanding. The pupils’ work, the school’s records of how well they are doing, discussions with pupils and observations in lessons showed that there is scope to increase the degree of challenge for a few.

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QUALITY OF PROVISION

Some of the pupils speak knowledgeably about their work and their progress, and are able to say what they need to do to improve. They receive good feedback on their work in lessons, but marking does not usually reinforce this and say what the pupils have done well and what they need to focus on next. The teachers keep portfolios of samples of each pupil’s work and assess their learning regularly, which gives them a good picture of the gains they are making; however, the assessments are not always clearly linked to National Curriculum levels.

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QUALITY OF PROVISION

The school judges that the curriculum is very good and inspectors judge it to be good. The pupils have a rich and varied experience, and the potential offered in the school’s grounds and the neighbourhood is eagerly exploited in lessons. The pupils have very good opportunities to study topics in depth, and the teachers are very skilled at linking their learning across different subjects. As a result, the curriculum is meaningful for the pupils and makes a substantial contribution to the school’s aim of promoting learning through first hand experience. The school has taken effective steps to develop the curriculum in the light of a recent national initiative. A very wide range of extra curricular activities is provided, and the pupils are keen to take part in the sporting, recreational and academic activities on offer.

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QUALITY OF PROVISION

The inspection confirms the school’s positive view about the quality of its care. The school takes good care of its pupils and provides a safe environment for them. It places the highest priority on providing support for all pupils and particularly for those who have special educational needs and for those who are vulnerable. The school works effectively with other agencies to provide for these pupils. It also ensures that there is good support in the classroom. As a result, vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Parents recognise and appreciate the quality of care the pupils receive. Relationships between adults and children are very positive and as a result, pupils feel that they can turn to teachers for help and guidance. The pupils’ progress and welfare are carefully monitored. The guidance provided for pupils’ academic progress is sound.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

At the time of the last inspection, leadership and management were judged to be good overall, and the school’s view is that they are now very good. The inspectors’ findings are that leadership and management are adequate overall, but that there are particular strong features. The headteacher provides a clear sense of direction for the school which is shared by all staff and governors. Her firm leadership is very effective in promoting the pupils’ personal development and in enriching the curriculum. Partnerships with other organisations have been very effectively promoted and the school has good links with its own pre-school and local secondary schools. However, there are weaknesses in strategic planning because plans are not sufficiently linked to learning outcomes for the pupils. It is not always clear how initiatives will help to raise standards. In determining its priorities the school has not taken into account all available

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The governors are effective in monitoring agreed aspects of the school’s development plan, and provide good support for the school through their planned visits and reporting the findings. Financial management is good and the school is well resourced for learning. The school has well organised systems to track and measure the pupils’ progress. The monitoring of teaching and learning is sound. The school meets all statutory requirements including those for racial equality.

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Grade: 3

in the leaflet 'Complaining about HMI-led Ofsted inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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Grade: 3

non-commercial purposes, provided the source and the date are acknowledged.

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