Chalk Ridge Primary School

Inspection Report Chalk Ridge Primary School

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116057 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279736 Inspection number 23 November 2005 to 24 November 2005 Inspection dates Barry Jones AI Reporting inspector

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

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Sullivan Road School address Primary Type of school Brighton Hill Foundation School category Basingstoke, Hampshire RG22 4ER 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01256461733 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01256812453 Fax number 398 Number on roll Mr Colin Davies Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Donna Shave Headteacher 25 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279736 23 November 2005 - 4 to 11 24 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Chalk Ridge is a large primary school and serves a community that is a little more advantaged than most nationally. The pupils are predominately of white British origin. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is average. Last year the number of pupils that can be admitted to the school increased and the school now has a two form entry. All classes now contain a single year group.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Chalk Ridge Primary is a good, improving school and the inspectors agree with the school's own evaluation of its effectiveness. It has a very positive, welcoming ethos and the parents speak very warmly of the school.Leadership is good and this has resulted in pupils making good progress and attaining standards which are significantly above the national average by Year 6. The standards and quality in the Foundation Stage are also good. The new headteacher has acted decisively to improve the quality of the curriculum for younger pupils and this is now good, and matches that in the rest of the school. The quality of teaching is also now good throughout the school. These improvements are not yet reflected in national tests at the end of Year 2. While these younger pupils achieve satisfactorily overall, the most able pupils do not write as well as they should. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils enjoy school,

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Grade: 2

behave well, feel safe and lead healthy lifestyles. This derives from the good care provided by the school. The effective partnerships forged with other agencies also contribute to the good progress made by pupils with learning difficulties.The school has made good progress since the previous inspection. It gives good value for money. The rising trend in pupils' achievements and the strong leadership team means that the school has good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the standard of pupils' writing including handwriting* Monitor and evaluate the effect on standards of the changes to the curriculum for younger pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Attainment on entry to reception is broadly average but in Year 6 in 2005 pupils attained standards that were well above the national averages. Consequently, progress through the school is good overall but it has not been even. Typically, progress has been satisfactory in the reception classes and in Years 1 and 2, good in Years 3, 4 and 5 and very good in Year 6. Within the last year, single-age classes have been adopted and changes in staffing and leadership have resulted in significant improvements in the quality of the curriculum and the teaching for the younger pupils. As a result, these pupils are also now making good progress in their lessons. This is not yet reflected in the national test results in Year 2 and which are average. Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress and there are no underachieving groups. Higher attaining pupils do particularly well at age 11 years

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Grade: 2

and in 2005 attained significantly better than expected in English, mathematics and science tests. However, at age seven years there are too few pupils attaining good standards in writing and the quality of handwriting is too inconsistent throughout the school. The school sets challenging targets which are met or nearly met. 2 Inspection Report: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is shown by their positive attitudes and their good attendance. Relationships are good and pupils support and help each other. For instance, they help run the `early morning exercise group` and older pupils are trained to be `buddies'. These help pupils who find certain times of the day, such as outside breaks, difficult to handle. Other pupils spoke enthusiastically about the `buddies' who contribute to their feeling safe. In addition, pupils are very aware that some people are not as fortunate as themselves. For instance, pupils in Year 6 have recently organised an event that has raised a substantial amount of money for Children in Need. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good because all these areas are promoted well daily. This is reflected in the pupils' good behaviour in lessons, in assemblies and around the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are developing healthy lifestyles. The youngest children in reception spoke of bananas and oranges being very good for them and that they should not bring sweets and chocolate to school. Pupils make good progress in numeracy and literacy skills and sound progress in using computers. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good. The school's own assessment of teaching is accurate and confirms that teaching is of consistently good quality across the school and very good in Year 6. Teachers explain clearly to the pupils what they are to learn, and then help them to assess how well they have done by the end of the lesson. The learning is well organised so that pupils move from activity to activity with the minimum of fuss or disruption. Teachers manage pupils' behaviour well and are skilled at creating a learning environment where children are learning to think for themselves. Learning support assistants are deployed well and contribute significantly to the pupils' learning. The quality of teaching for the younger pupils has improved significantly in the last year. This has been achieved partly by the appointment of good, enthusiastic teachers and partly through extra support. There are now ample opportunities for children to

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Grade: 2

find things out for themselves through imaginative or creative play. This has had a positive impact on attainment and progress. Teachers use effectively their daily assessments of how well pupils' are learning to plan future learning activities. The involvement of pupils in self-assessment is successfully helping them to understand how well they are doing. As one pupil said 'I know my targets and it helps me to learn and to do better'. 3 Inspection Report: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality. It covers a wide range of interesting activities and experiences, which help the pupils to achieve well. Detailed and regular monitoring has led to adjustments to the learning activities organized for the younger children and to broadening the range of writing across all subjects. The switch to single-age classes for the youngest pupils has simplified the planning process. Teachers have used this opportunity well to plan jointly and improve the match of work to pupils' needs. Since the previous inspection, there are many more computers and a good quality programme of work has been produced recently. This means that teachers use computers more frequently in all subjects. For example, younger pupils were successfully exploring patterns by changing the shape, colour and orientation of simple shapes. The pupils' understanding of how to stay safe and healthy is highlighted in many

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Grade: 2

activities including science, physical education and personal, social and health education. The school provides a good range of after-school activities and visits, which add to pupils' enjoyment and learning during their time at the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils receive good care and guidance. Teachers and their assistants create a friendly and secure learning environment where all pupils are valued equally. They provide pupils with clear and effective guidance about their performance and how they can improve. Additionally, they are successfully helping pupils to assess their own performance. Older pupils say it gives them the confidence to seek help when they need it and to try new ways of working. This is a good example of the impact of the school's care and support on increasing pupils' independence and initiative. The systematic tracking of the progress of pupils with learning difficulties is helping the school plan an appropriate level of support. There are regular and effective meetings between teachers, support assistants and outside agencies with the result that these pupils are able to achieve well. Arrangements for safeguarding children are robust and

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and contribute significantly to the good achievements of pupils and to the good quality of care. The new headteacher provides excellent direction for the school. In a very short time, she has initiated reviews of the curriculum for the younger pupils and made the monitoring of teaching more effective. This firm leadership has already led to improvements and parents comment positively on the changes. She has also encouraged more after-school clubs and these are popular with the pupils. The headteacher is supported by an able senior management team and the coordinators carry out their duties well.The quality of the school's self-evaluation is satisfactory and is rapidly improving. The school is now developing 4 Inspection Report: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 November 2005 new tracking processes for all pupils to enable underachievement to be identified at

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Grade: 2

an early stage and support to be given. This is an integral part of the strategy to raise the standards in writing.The governing body is relatively new and gives satisfactory support to the school. It is currently re-establishing and strengthening its monitoring role. Parents are consulted well and contribute to decision-making. The accommodation has been considerably enhanced in recent years. The school uses its accommodation and deploys its resources well. The school is financially sound and gives good value for money. Consequently, the capacity to improve further is good. 5 Inspection Report: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 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: Chalk Ridge Primary School, 23 November 2005 to 24 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 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

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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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 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 2 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 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 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

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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

Many thanks for welcoming us into your school and for helping us with our inspection. We spoke to some of you in small groups and others in classrooms or around the school. It was clear that you enjoy school and as one of you said 'the teachers are cool and make the lessons fun so that we learn'. You were also enthusiastic about the 'buddy' system and explained how older pupils look after younger ones. This helps you to feel safe. We were impressed by your school. We agree with your parents that yours is a good school. Pupils do well in their lessons and in the national tests at age 11 years. The adults in the school are very caring and have your interests at heart. They work well with your parents and other people outside the school to make sure all pupils receive the support they need. The school is always looking for ways to improve further. The results at age seven are satisfactory but the school would like to do better. This is likely to happen because you have some good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

teachers and they are trying to give you even more interesting work so that you can learn better. They will need to check whether this raises standards for the younger pupils. There is a focus this term on improving your writing and we agree that this is needed. It was a privilege for us to visit your school. Barry Jones Lead inspector

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