Warfield Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Warfield Church of England Primary School

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109982 Unique Reference Number Bracknell Forest LEA LEA 278329 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates David Humphries HMI Reporting inspector

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

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All Saints Rise School address Primary Type of school Warfield Voluntary controlled School category Bracknell RG42 3SS 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01344862074 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01344861310 Fax number 242 Number on roll Lynne Hughes Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Andrea Griffiths Headteacher 11 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278329 2 November 2005 - 4 to 11 3 November 2005 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Warfield is a Church of England primary school with 242 pupils on roll. The social and economic backgrounds of pupils are generally favourable and the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well below average. Children join the school at different times during the reception year depending on when they reach age five and so there are marked variations in their experience of school when they start Year 1. Thereafter the proportion of pupils leaving or joining the school is variable, but higher than average in some year groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspectors judge that Warfield is a good school. This confirms the view held by senior managers and governors, because they have a clear understanding of the school's overall strengths and weaknesses which they are taking forward into a more rigorous approach to self-evaluation and improvement planning. The school has good capacity for further improvement and provides good value for money.There is a very positive and productive atmosphere, underpinned by mutual respect and a common sense of purpose. The school is highly regarded by the great majority of pupils and parents. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Behaviour is very good and pupils respond well to opportunities to take initiative and responsibility. Pupils feel safe and appreciate the ways in which they are supported by the school.Pupils make good progress throughout the school so that the standards they achieve at age eleven are often

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Grade: 2

above and sometimes well above average. Nevertheless, there is scope to raise standards in literacy, particularly writing; the school is beginning to address this. While the overall quality of teaching is good, teachers do not always make the best use of assessment information or set individual targets which help pupils to improve. A well planned curriculum meets pupils' needs and is greatly enhanced by a rich programme of visits and extra-curricular activitiesThe very good leadership of the headteacher underpins many of the strengths of the school. She has a clear view of how to drive the school forward and is well supported by a capable deputy and committed governing body. The overall effectiveness of key stage and curriculum coordinators is satisfactory, but more variable.

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What the school should do to improve further

* improve the quality of pupils' writing throughout the school* implement fully the recently adopted and more rigorous approach to evaluating the impact of the school's work on teaching and learning and pupils' achievement* make better and more consistent use of assessment information, particularly when setting individual targets for pupils* develop the role of key stage and curriculum coordinators so that they have a greater impact on the quality of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 2

Children start the school at different times during the reception year, depending on when they reach age five. Those who start earlier often reach or exceed the standards expected by the start of Year 1; in contrast, those who join the school later in the year often have a lot of catching up to do. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1, though it is greater in reading and mathematics than in writing. The standards they reach at age seven are variable because of their different starting points. Consequently, in some years pupils' test results at the end of Key Stage 1 are well above what is expected; in other years they are much closer to the national average.Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2 and their overall attainment at age eleven is 2 Inspection Report: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 often well above the national average, though this varies from year to year and is

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Grade: 2

sometimes affected by the relatively high proportion of pupils who join or leave the school during the course of each school year. Pupils make better progress in mathematics and science than in English. The school recognises that while test results in English are generally above the national average, there is scope for pupils across the school to reach higher standards in literacy. This is particularly the case in writing where pupils' performance in national tests does not always build on their good work in lessons; the school is beginning to address this by focussing more sharply on how teachers' assess pupils' work and set targets for improvement.

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Grade: 1

The school is a harmonious and hard working community where the quality of the pupils' overall development is outstanding. Mutual respect and very good behaviour are evident throughout the school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is impressive. The school council plays an important part in the life of the school; its elected members meet regularly to discuss and decide on improvements and changes. Pupils contribute to a wide range of events in the local community, eagerly take on responsibility for the school environment and are keen charity fund-raisers. They have mature and responsible attitudes to issues such as respect and understanding of religious and cultural differences. They are kind to one another, feel safe and are confident about approaching friends and adults for help and support. Pupils involved in the peer mediator programme make a valuable contribution to the

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Grade: 1

life of the school and, in turn, benefit from opportunities to take responsibility. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They are attentive, keen to be involved in lessons and their attendance is good. They are proud of their school and participate enthusiastically in the wide range of enrichment and extra-curricular activities.

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Grade: 2

Although there are variations across the school, the overall quality of teaching is good. Pupils are encouraged to give their opinions and respond confidently even when they are unsure of an answer, because they know that their contributions are valued. Pupils make most progress when teachers make their expectations clear and refer to them regularly in order to check on pupils' learning. The best lessons are lively and challenging and enable pupils of different abilities to make good progress. There is a strong emphasis on raising standards in writing and pupils benefit from stimulating experiences provided by visiting theatre groups, poets and storytellers. The development of a more detailed target setting and tracking system has the potential to build on recent improvements and is increasingly being used to identify the needs of specific groups of pupils. However, teachers do not always make the best use of

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Grade: 2

assessment information; while pupils receive helpful praise and encouragement, teachers 3 Inspection Report: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 do not always provide them with sharply focussed advice about their learning or targets for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is planned well to meet pupils' needs. Pupils have many opportunities to apply their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology [ICT] skills in other subjects and to develop knowledge and understanding of the arts, humanities and physical activities. The curriculum is greatly enhanced by a rich programme of visits and extra-curricular activities. The school is now developing a more creative curriculum to enable pupils to understand the relevance of their work and appreciate the links between subjects. A well designed programme of personal, social and health education enables pupils to develop social awareness, an understanding of what is involved in belonging to a community and an appreciation of the importance of celebrating diversity and respecting each other's views and feelings.

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Grade: 2

In the reception year well planned and enjoyable induction activities help pupils to feel safe and valued and this lays the foundations for the good quality care and support that they receive throughout the school. Pupils with a wide range of special educational needs are well supported and provision for the most vulnerable pupils is outstanding. The school meets statutory requirements for health and safety and for child protection, and staff are familiar with the relevant procedures. The few incidents of bullying are dealt with sensitively and effectively. Pupils receive helpful general guidance on their learning and social development, but teachers do not consistently provide sharply focussed targets which identify key areas for improvement. Physical education lessons are complemented by a good range of after school clubs and activities and high quality play equipment is provided for breaks and lunchtimes. These features, along with the

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Grade: 2

availability of healthy eating options in the school canteen, help pupils to develop a good awareness of healthy lifestyles.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher, who is well supported by a capable deputy, provides very good leadership. She has successfully established a very positive atmosphere in the school. Staff and pupils treat each other with care and respect and are proud of their achievements. The school is highly regarded by the great majority of pupils and parents; increasingly, their views are being sought and taken into account when planning for the future.A comprehensive school development and improvement plan sets out clearly how the school plans to meet the needs of pupils. The headteacher has a very good understanding of what needs to be done to improve teaching and learning in order to 4 Inspection Report: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 raise standards. However, there is some unevenness in how effectively curriculum and key stage coordinators implement the changes and improvements that she

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Grade: 2

instigates.The school has effective arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching and the judgements that are made about the quality of individual lessons are accurate. This, together with annual reviews of the quality of provision in each curriculum area and analysis of pupils' performance in national tests enables senior managers to form an accurate general overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Until recently the school has not paid sufficient attention to evaluating the impact of its policies and initiatives on teaching and learning. However, it is now adopting a more rigorous approach to self-evaluation, linked to whole-school improvement planning and more sharply focussed on pupils' achievement. A committed governing body is playing an increasingly active role in self-evaluation by objectively, but supportively, challenging the work of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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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: Warfield Church of England Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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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 2 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 2 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 1 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 2 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 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 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

I am sure that you will remember that your school was inspected on 2 and 3 November 2005. Some of you met with inspectors and many of you will have seen us around the school. We enjoyed talking to you and listened carefully to what you had to tell us because what you think about your school is very important. Many of your parents and carers filled in a form to let us know how they felt about the school and we were very interested in their views. I hope you will talk to them about the report because it explains what your school does well and how you can help it to be even better. Warfield is a good school. There is a friendly atmosphere and most of you work hard. You have good teachers who care for you and want you to do well. This helps you to learn in your lessons. After school many of you enjoy going to clubs and activities. When you have the chance to take on responsibility, you do this well. For example, some of you help other pupils by being

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

peer mediators.One of the main reasons for the success of your school is that you have a very good headteacher. She knows what the school does well and understands how to make it better. You can play your part by working hard to improve your writing. This is very important and we think that some of you could do better. We think that your teachers can help you learn more by setting targets which explain what you need to do to improve your work. You can help by doing your very best to achieve them. Yours sincerely David Humphries, Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools

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