Godalming Junior School

Inspection Report Godalming Junior School

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125044 Unique Reference Number Surrey LEA LEA 281869 Inspection number 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 Inspection dates Olson Davis AI Reporting inspector

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

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Hallam Road School address Junior Type of school Meadrow Community School category Godalming, Surrey GU7 3HJ 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 01483421597 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01483419605 Fax number 227 Number on roll Mr R A Gordon-Smith Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D E Andrew Headteacher 15 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281869 19 September 2005 - 7 to 11 20 September 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Godalming Junior school is broadly average in size compared with other primary schools nationally and caters for pupils between the ages of seven and eleven. There are two classes to each year group. Pupils come from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds but the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is low. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is similar to that in other primary schools but the number of pupils with statements is slightly above the national average. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is low and there are very few pupils for whom English is an additional language. A building programme to improve the school's entrance hall and administrative facilities is currently in progress.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005

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Grade: 3

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good. Inspectors consider the overall effectiveness to be satisfactory because the school needs to be sharper in evaluating some areas of its work. The school has many positive aspects. The standards pupils attain in English, mathematics and science at age eleven are above average and pupils make satisfactory progress. Pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and form good relationships. Their personal development and well-being are good. The good attendance figures achieved by the school are an indication of how much pupils enjoy coming to school. Pupils enjoy the good curriculum provided by the school. The curriculum is broad and balanced with many enrichment activities. The links with other agencies to support pupils' needs are good. Pupils are well cared for and supported. The school provides good guidance to pupils with learning difficulties. The use of

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Grade: 3

assessment information to set improvement targets for pupils is not undertaken consistently for all pupils.The quality of teaching is satisfactory with many good features. The school recognises the need to monitor and evaluate more rigorously so that good practice can be better identified and shared within the school. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Improvements since the previous inspection and improvement initiatives in school demonstrate the leadership is capable of securing further improvements. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that all teachers make effective use of assessment information to raise the achievement of lower attaining pupils.* Develop the leadership and management roles of all school managers so that they can play a full part in raising pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 3

Pupils attain standards that are above the national average and they make satisfactory progress from Year 3 to Year 6. Standards in English, mathematics and science have been consistently above average but there was a slight decline in 2005. This was because the year group contained a greater proportion of lower attaining pupils. These pupils did not achieve as well as they could. Overall standards remained above average because a high percentage of more able pupils reached the higher levels in the national assessments. The school's decision to group by ability in mathematics has helped to raise the achievement of pupils since the previous inspection, especially the achievement of the more able pupils. The school's targets set for the current Year 6 are based, in part, upon pupils' prior attainments and are suitably challenging. However, the school does not make effective use of assessment data to set targets for

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Grade: 3

improvement for individual pupils and groups of pupils, especially lower attaining pupils. Achievement for this group is not as high as for other groups of pupils. Pupils' standards of attainment on entry are above average. Pupils leave at the end of Year 6 with good standards, having made satisfactory progress. Pupils from minority ethnic 2 Inspection Report: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 backgrounds and pupils for whom English is an additional language make similar progress to their classmates. The well-organised and effective support that pupils with special educational needs receive is an important factor in the sound progress that they make.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Assemblies are effective because they are recognised by staff and pupils as important opportunities for shared reflection. Pupils are involved in cultural activities and show an awareness of the diversity of cultures within our society. They benefit from the school's clear guidelines on how to behave. They know the difference between right and wrong and treat other children and adults with respect. They behave well in class and are keen to learn. The good relationships that exist between staff and pupils are a positive feature of the school. As a consequence, pupils enjoy coming to school and show this by their good attendance levels and punctuality. Pupils understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They are active at break times and are aware of the benefits of drinking water during the school day. At lunch times many bring a well-balanced packed lunch or

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Grade: 2

choose the healthy options made available within the school canteen.Members of the School Council take their responsibilities seriously, as do the Year 6 buddies who give confidence and reassurance to the newly arrived Year 3 pupils. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Many have taken part in the road safety training for pedestrians and cyclists. Pupils make a positive contribution to the wider community by working together to organise events in aid of charity and by taking part in local festivals. Similarly, pupils' economic awareness is raised through their active participation in money raising events for the School.

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school that teaching is satisfactory overall. There was no evidence of inadequate teaching. We noted some good features to the teaching. One such feature is the good relationships between teachers and pupils. As a result, pupils behave well in class and enjoy their lessons. Teachers plan and work closely to ensure there is a consistent approach to the teaching in classes within the same year group. The method of grouping pupils by ability in mathematics has helped to raise pupils' achievement. Teachers are able to provide work that is more closely matched to pupils' abilities. This has resulted in a greater number of pupils reaching the higher levels in the national assessments. Teachers give clear explanations so that pupils have a good understanding of what they have to do. The quality of teachers' questioning in some classes is good. Questioning is challenging and pupils are expected to give extended

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Grade: 3

answers to develop their thinking further. Teaching assistants are well briefed and play an effective role in ensuring that pupils with learning difficulties achieve as well 3 Inspection Report: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 as other pupils in the class. Teachers' use of assessment data to set targets for individuals and groups of pupils is not so strong. There is inconsistent practice in school. As a consequence, pupils are not sufficiently sure what they need to do to improve in some lessons and do not make as much progress as they could.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum which succeeds in meeting the learning needs of all pupils in school. The inclusion of French for Years 5 and 6 is an effective addition to the provision. Much effort is devoted to enriching the curriculum with exciting and interesting activities and many pupils enjoy taking part in these activities. Theatre and music groups visit the school to give performances. Pupils talked with great enthusiasm about a science week that took place during the last academic year and are looking forward to a similar activity, focused on art, scheduled for the coming year. There are good residential visits for pupils in Years 5 and 6. After-school clubs are provided at a good level, taking into account the size of the school and the consequent demands placed on staff. These cover a range of sports for boys and girls and more sedate activities such as chess and sewing.

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Grade: 3

This is a caring school. Child protection and health and safety measures are in place and known by all staff. Adults share a strong commitment towards ensuring the safety and happiness of all pupils. This is shown for example, by the thoughtful provision of seating in the playground which is attractive, comfortable and shaded from the sun. Good quality climbing equipment is designed to maximise children's safety. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and any problems that occur are dealt with quickly and effectively by staff. Pupils in Year 3 speak appreciatively of the school's welcoming nature. A recently introduced buddy system, as well as providing a good opportunity for older children to take responsibility, is contributing well to this. Pupils with learning difficulties are given effective support and guidance in working towards their challenging but achievable targets. There are well organized systems for identifying

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Grade: 3

and meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and for evaluating their progress. The school is now in the process of developing a more consistent approach towards the setting of targets for improvement for other pupils in the school.

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Grade: 3

Inspection evidence indicates that leadership and management are satisfactory. The school judges leadership and management as good. The headteacher, staff and governors rely too heavily on informal systems when monitoring and evaluating some aspects of the school's performance for leadership and management to be judged good at present. Processes for monitoring pupils' achievement to set targets for 4 Inspection Report: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 improvement are used inconsistently and systems for evaluating staff performance are not sharply focused. As a result, some pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The future planning for the school rightly identifies the need to develop more rigorous systems. Work to improve the situation is well underway.The leadership of the school is effective in promoting a positive ethos, within which pupils make good personal development. Parents are overwhelming in their praise for the care and

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Grade: 3

concern shown by the headteacher and staff for the pupils. They are also pleased with the academic and social progress made by their children. Actions to improve pupils' achievements in mathematics have been effective and have arisen out of the schools' analysis of standards. An initiative to improve pupil attendance has proved particularly successful and demonstrates the school's capacity to make further improvements.Subject leaders carry out their leadership responsibilities satisfactorily. They improve standards in their subjects through discussion and checking pupils' work for strengths and areas for development. However, they have limited opportunities to evaluate the quality of teaching in their subjects.Governors ensure that all statutory duties are fulfilled. They are supportive and have a good understanding of the strengths of the school. They monitor the use of financial resources to make sure that money is

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Grade: 3

well spent. Until recently, governors relied on the school to determine the priorities for future planning. This situation is changing. The role of governors in providing the school with challenge is developing well. 5 Inspection Report: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 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: Godalming Junior School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 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 NA 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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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

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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 3 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 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

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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

We enjoyed our visit to your school and would like to thank you all for making us welcome. We enjoyed talking with you and took note of what you had to say. We were impressed by how much you all like your school and by how well you all behaved. Here are some of the many things we thought your school did well:* Your school helps you to do well in your national curriculum tests. This means that you are well prepared for secondary school.* Your school is a happy place in which to learn because you behave well and get on well with each other and with the staff.* Your teachers provide good opportunities for you to learn new skills and knowledge in school time and in extra-curricular activities. * Adults in the school look after you well. There are some things that your school needs to do better. The main thing that we have asked your headteacher and staff to do is this:* Make sure that all teachers use the information about

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

what you can do to help you make even more progress.* Make sure that all the staff with responsibilities are given the chance to make improvements to the school. We know that you continue to enjoy your school. We hope that you will support your teachers as they try to make your school the best that it can be.

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