Uplands Primary School and Nursery

Inspection Report Uplands Primary School

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109847 Unique Reference Number Bracknell Forest LEA LEA 278290 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Inspection dates Rob Crompton AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Albion Road School address Primary Type of school Sandhurst Community School category GU47 9BP 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01252 873069 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01252 871651 Fax number 197 Number on roll Mrs Diana Pidgeon OBE Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Anita Warwick Headteacher 4 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278290 15 June 2006 - 4 to 11 16 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, 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 carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized school has achieved the Healthy Schools Awards and the Investors in People standard. Most children have already had some pre-school education before they start at Uplands. Children's attainment on entry is typical of the age group. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. Most pupils have White British heritage. Ten percent are from other ethnic groups, none being at an early stage of learning English. A below average proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 1

This an outstanding school where pupils thrive. Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, all staff and governors successfully promote the school's vision for pupils 'to feel secure in a learning environment where they achieve their full potential'. In striving for continuous improvement, the school is rigorous in its self-evaluation. Excellent progress has been made since the previous inspection, when several weaknesses were identified. There is no complacency, reflected in the fact that inspectors felt that the school underestimated its overall effectiveness. The reception class provides a secure foundation for subsequent learning. Pupils build well on this good start, reaching above average standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils are extremely well cared for and excellent provision for personal development is reflected in the school's day-to-day life. Pupils' behaviour is outstanding. Their positive attitudes,

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Grade: 1

sense of fairness and enthusiasm for school are evident in lessons and around the school. The school has an excellent capacity to improve. It is well aware of the need to improve standards in writing further, particularly for the most able, and of the need to extend opportunities for writing across the curriculum. Parents are justifiably very happy with the school which gives excellent value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve standards in writing, especially for the more able pupils * Provide more opportunities for pupils to write outside literacy lessons.

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Grade: 2

Children progress well in the reception class and most meet or exceed the standards expected, especially in language and numeracy, by the time they reach Year 1. Building successfully on this good foundation, they achieve well during Years 1 and 2 and reach above average standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This rate of progress continues during Years 3 to 6, reflected in the well above average performance by Year 6 pupils over the last five years in English, mathematics and science. Good standards are also achieved in art and design, information and communication technology (ICT) and religious education. Within this very positive picture, although standards in writing are above average, there is potential for more pupils to do as well in writing as they do in reading, especially the more able pupils. Generally, however, pupils, including those with learning difficulties, meet the challenging targets set for

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Grade: 2

them. Indeed, pupils of all abilities benefit from the school's careful attention to their individual needs. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds do at least as well as their peers. 2 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils' outstanding personal development is reflected in their positive attitudes and excellent behaviour. They enjoy school immensely and attendance levels are good. Pupils develop very good interpersonal skills and self-discipline in an atmosphere of trust and respect. They have an extremely strong sense of fairness, justice and a compassion for others, frequently taking the initiative to support those less fortunate than themselves. Pupils increasingly reflect on their own beliefs and develop personal values through sensitive assemblies and work in religious education. Concern for their fellow pupils is evident in the way they respect one another and get on so well. One pupil said, 'Everyone literally has a smile on their face.' Although parents raised concerns about bullying, pupils were adamant that bullying is extremely rare. One said, 'The problem is that some younger children and some parents think that a little

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Grade: 1

squabble is bullying.' Older pupils willingly take on responsibilities, such as 'buddies', peer mediators and membership of the school council; an indication of their very mature attitudes. Pupils' have a good understanding of different cultures, for example, through links with a school in Africa and a good start has been made in promoting pupils' awareness of cultural diversity in the United Kingdom. Pupils know how to stay safe and avoid hazards. Their understanding of the benefits of a healthy life style is exemplary and is evident from the level of participation in many sporting and other physical activities. Pupils' good basic skills, together with their ability to work cooperatively and independently, augur well for their future well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Pupils develop good learning habits because teachers skilfully promote their study skills. Pupils pool their ideas through 'talking partners' and group work and are keen to contribute to class discussions. Teachers successfully encourage pupils to evaluate their own work and this works particularly well when teachers provide clear criteria for success. In an excellent literacy lesson in Year 5, for example, pupils made very good progress in narrative writing because they knew precisely what to do to improve. Careful monitoring of pupils' progress enables teachers to set challenging work for different abilities. They plan lessons very carefully and modify them in the light of pupils' responses. Classrooms abound with stimulating displays, which promote learning and celebrate pupils' achievements. Teachers increasingly use ICT in lessons and pupils said that this was having a positive effect on their learning. This was evident in an outstanding

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Grade: 2

lesson in Year 6, where the teacher used a slide sequence very effectively to reinforce pupils' knowledge of Islam and Sikhism. Teachers are generally skilled at teaching writing and this helps most pupils to achieve well. Some lessons outside literacy sessions 3 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 provide opportunities for more able pupils to practise and improve their writing skills but the school is aware that this approach needs to be adopted more frequently. Most lessons move at a brisk pace. Occasionally, introductions take too long which leaves too little time for independent work. Support staff make a valuable contribution to lessons but are not sufficiently involved in introductions and summaries.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Provision for enrichment activities and clubs is excellent. Sporting activities are enjoyed by pupils of all ages and have an impact on standards in physical education. Exciting events, such as the party to celebrate the Queen's birthday, enable pupils to share enjoyable activities, such as devising games and making hats. The outdoor play areas and grounds are outstanding and increasingly used to support learning. Educational trips, including a residential visit in Year 6 contribute to and enrich pupils' learning. Art is strong and pupils draw and paint with sensitivity and creativity. Since the last inspection the school has significantly improved provision for ICT, which is now good. Throughout the school, pupils are given the opportunity to develop their independence and skills in collaborative work in lessons. The key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT are utilised in other lessons but the school is aware of the need to plan systematically

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Grade: 2

for writing opportunities across the curriculum.

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Grade: 1

Care guidance and support for pupils are excellent and contribute significantly to their good standards of achievement. The school site is clean, safe and welcoming, and pupils feel happy and looked after. Effective health and safety procedures are regularly reviewed. The benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise are very well promoted; this is a great strength of the school. Relationships are very good and pupils have confidence in their teachers and other members of staff to support them if they have concerns. Staff receive training in child protection and the identification of vulnerable pupils. There are effective links with outside agencies. There is a dedicated commitment to inclusion and a strong focus on helping every pupil to improve. Consistent and robust target setting and the tracking of pupils' progress throughout the school ensure that individual pupils, including those with learning difficulties, receive the support and challenge they need.

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Grade: 1

4 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher is dynamic and forward looking and provides excellent leadership. She is well supported by highly effective senior managers and a hardworking, committed staff and governor team. A clear and shared vision for improvement is based on rigorous and accurate self-evaluation. This is translated into a comprehensive improvement plan which is reviewed regularly. All staff are involved, including subject leaders who identify how they can develop the curriculum and pursue initiatives to raise standards. Challenging targets are set and achieved with a constant aim to raise standards still further. Consultation is a great strength of the school. Whenever possible, the headteacher and governors seek the views of parents, pupils and members of the school community through questionnaires, meetings and informal discussion. These views are taken very seriously and there are many examples when these are acted upon, for example the

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Grade: 1

changes to the admissions arrangements. Governors are involved in the school at all levels. They are visible, proactive and passionate about the school. They actively support the senior management team as 'critical friends' and play a significant role in sustaining the very good relationships with parents that the school enjoys. School leaders take strong and determined action to improve the quality of educational opportunities for all pupils. The school has made great headway since the previous inspection. One parent commented that the school is a completely different place since then. This is evident in the way the school has addressed previous weaknesses in behaviour, information and communication technology (ICT), provision for pupils with learning difficulties, the standards achieved by more able pupils and the use of assessment. This track record and the school's vision for the future demonstrate an excellent capacity to improve.

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Grade: 1

5 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Uplands Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Children Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school last week. We really enjoyed our time at Uplands and you helped by being so friendly and telling us what you thought about the school. We agree with you that Uplands is an outstanding school. It was good to see how much you enjoy lessons and all the other activities. We were particularly impressed by the way your teachers provide interesting work and encourage you to do your best. It was clear from what you told us and what we saw that you are very well looked after and cared for. You obviously know all about healthy lifestyles and keeping fit and we are confident that you will attain the New Healthy Schools Award that you have worked so hard to achieve.You are rightly proud of your school and we like the way the older pupils help things run smoothly by being peer mediators, prefects and school councillors. It was good to see how

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

well you take care of one another and help to look after the lovely school grounds and play equipment. You made some excellent suggestions for the design of the new outdoor classroom and are obviously keen to use it. Mrs Warwick is an excellent headteacher. She and all the other adults work extremely hard to help you do as well as you can. This, together with your eagerness to learn and the support of your parents, means that you reach good standards. We agree with the school, that your writing could be even better and we are sure that you will continue to make every effort to improve. Yours sincerely, Rob Crompton Lead Inspector

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