South Green Infant School

Inspection Report South Green Infant and Nursery School

p.1

115039 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LEA LEA 279504 Inspection number 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs. Alison Pangbourne LI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Ganels Road School address Primary Type of school CM11 2TG Community School category 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01277 651478 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01277 651506 Fax number 191 Number on roll Mr.Julian Horspole Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Stephanie Ireland Headteacher 20 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279504 13 March 2006 - 3 to 7 14 March 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by a team of two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This is an average sized infant school. Most pupils come from White British families with a few from minority ethnic heritages. Very few are at an early stage of learning English. There is a very small number of pupils from traveller families. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. Most of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties or autism. The number of pupils taking a free school meal is below average. When children start school, standards for most are below those typical for 3-and 4-year-olds, particularly in social development.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

p.3

Grade: 3

This school rightly thinks of itself as an improving school that gives pupils a satisfactory education and inspectors agree. Parents and pupils hold the school in high regard and this is reflected in pupils' good personal development. When children enter the Nursery, standards are below those typical for 3-year-olds, particularly in social development. After recent re-organisation of staffing and the curriculum, children now get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes and make good progress. In the last two years, standards have been a little below average for 7-year-olds in reading and mathematics but above average in writing by the time they leave the school. Overall, children make sound progress through Years 1 and 2. This year, the school expects standards to be higher because many things put in place to raise standards, such as improved resources and extra support programmes are beginning to have an impact.

p.4

Grade: 3

However, the number of pupils who exceed the level expected for their age is below average in reading. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers use questions well to encourage pupils to think but pace could be improved in some lessons and not all teachers encourage the minority of pupils who find concentration difficult, to pay attention. The headteacher provides sound leadership and has taken appropriate action to ensure that the issues from the previous inspection have been suitably addressed. This shows that the school has a sound capacity to improve. Although governors and subject leaders monitor the work of the school, this needs to be more rigorous in order to raise standards still further. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

- Continue to raise standards in reading, by improving the proportion that exceeds the expected level for 7-year-olds. - Raise the quality of teaching by improving pace and ensuring that teachers encourage all pupils to pay attention. - Ensure that all subject leaders and governors use information about pupils' achievements more rigorously to plan how to raise standards further.

p.4

Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school that achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes now make good progress because of the good teaching and the interesting things to do. In spite of this, by the beginning of Year 1, many children have not quite reached the level expected for their age, particularly in social skills, because they still have a lot of catching up to do. In recent years, standards have been somewhat below average in reading and mathematics for 7-year-olds. Nevertheless, this represents satisfactory progress from their starting points in Year 1. Standards in writing have been above average because the school places a strong emphasis on teaching writing in other areas of the curriculum. Here, pupils make good progress. The school has been working hard to raise standards, 2 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

p.4

Grade: 3

particularly in reading but there is still room to improve the proportion that exceeds the level expected for their age. Pupils are on course to meet the challenging targets set for them. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language and those from traveller backgrounds make sound progress because they are given tasks that meet their needs and they are suitably supported by teachers and teaching assistants.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Attendance is satisfactory and the school works hard with parents to keep absences to a minimum. Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy being at school. Pupils know how to keep safe. Behaviour is often excellent in the playground because they are supervised well by adults and have many activities to keep them occupied. In class, most behave well and lessons proceed smoothly. However, a small number of pupils are inattentive or do not listen well. There is no evidence of any oppressive behaviour between pupils and they trust adults to sort out any problems. The school places an effective emphasis on activities that enable pupils to be healthy. They have regular access to exercise, fresh fruit, water and milk. Most pupils take advantage of opportunities to try foods they do not usually eat, such as

p.5

Grade: 2

when they tasted mango and pineapple as part of a multicultural day during the inspection. They learn how to stay safe, for example, on the roads. They contribute soundly to the school community through the school council that values and acts on their ideas and in their jobs as monitors. They are also aware of the part they can play in the wider community, such as when performing music for senior citizens or raising funds for charity. Their satisfactory skills of literacy and numeracy, coupled with their developing social skills, give them an effective grounding for the next stage of their education and the world of work.

p.5

Grade: 3

The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teaching is good in the Nursery and Reception classes where children have a wide range of interesting activities and their skills are developed well. Teachers plan activities well and most lessons stimulate pupils' enthusiasm and foster a desire to learn. In good lessons, teachers show an awareness of the different learning styles of pupils, for instance, tailoring activities to the separate interests of boys or girls. They use questions well to extend learning. Where teaching is satisfactory rather than good, it is typified by a slower pace to lessons and the inattentive response of a few pupils is not tackled urgently enough to ensure their full attention. Teachers mark work regularly and are developing effective systems for setting targets for further improvement with individuals and classes. These would be improved by linking teachers' written comments on pupils'

p.5

Grade: 3

3 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 work more regularly to their targets, to make it clear what they need to do to improve. The school has developed good systems for tracking pupils' achievements in English and mathematics. These assist teachers in planning the next stages of pupils' work, as well as ensuring that all areas of the curriculum are covered. As a result, all groups of pupils, including those who are identified as having learning difficulties, make at least satisfactory progress.

p.5

Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and improving. All the required subjects and areas of learning are taught and there is an appropriate emphasis on practical activities. Teachers are currently reviewing all programmes of work and developing further links between subjects to ensure that pupils' learning is relevant, interesting and purposeful. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities has developed well since the last inspection, when it was a key issue for improvement. However, some of the individual plans written for these pupils would benefit from more detail of the small steps they need to take to make progress. There is an effective programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education. The school makes good use of visits and visitors to enhance its curriculum. For example, the storytellers who visited during the inspection. There is a typical number of clubs and extra activities for the age of the

p.6

Grade: 3

pupils. Within these, a high priority is given to music and this promotes good achievement in this subject.

p.6

Grade: 2

The school cares for its pupils well. Parents are unanimous in their support for this aspect of its work. The level of pastoral care for all pupils, including those who may be especially vulnerable, is good. There are thorough systems to ensure pupils' safety and security, including attention to child protection procedures and the vetting of adults who work in school. Staff know the pupils very well and are able to give strong pastoral support because lines of communication with home are well established. There are good links with the junior school to ensure that transition to the next stage of education is smooth.

p.6

Grade: 3

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The headteacher provides sound leadership, well supported by the deputy headteacher and the office manager. They are committed to the pupils' personal development and well-being. The school works hard to include pupils from all backgrounds and this contributes to the family ethos. The school's self-evaluation is satisfactory. It has identified the right areas for improvement in its development plan. For example, it is already working to raise standards in reading. However, areas identified for improvement are not as tightly matched to raising 4 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 standards as they could be and this makes them difficult to measure. Subject leaders for English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) have a sound understanding of standards and areas for improvement, but this is not so well

p.6

Grade: 3

developed for those who lead the other subjects. The views of all members of the community are welcomed and parents are very positive about the school. One parent said, 'My children have progressed thanks to the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere in the school!' The team spirit among the staff and governors is helping to drive the school forward. The governors are committed and watch over the school appropriately. They rightly recognise the need to develop a more rigorous approach to monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. The school has taken appropriate action to address the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. It has a sound capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 .

p.7

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: South Green Infant and Nursery School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

p.8

Overall

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

p.9

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 3 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

and supporting all learners?

NA 3 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 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Following our visit to your school, we would like to thank you for helping us. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. What we liked best : - you made us feel welcome and greeted us with a friendly smile - your behaviour is good and you play very nicely with your friends in the playground - you enjoy your lessons - you learn how to be healthy and stay safe - all the adults in school take good care of you - the children in the Nursery and Reception classes get off to a good start in school - your parents like the school. What we have asked your school to do now to make it even better : - help more of you to do better in reading - help you to work a little quicker in lessons - some of you can help by listening more carefully and working hard - improve the way that the school plans for the future. We wish you all the best with your learning. Carry on enjoying your time at South Green Infant School.

p.11