Moss Lane School

125049 Unique Reference Number Surrey LEA LEA 281870 Inspection number 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006 Inspection dates Derek Watts AI Reporting inspector

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

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Moss Lane School address Infant Type of school Godalming Community School category GU7 1EF 4 to 7 Age range of pupils 01483 417214 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01483 861338 Fax number 176 Number on roll Mrs Angela Terelak Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Hilary Loder Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281870 18 May 2006 - 4 to 7 19 May 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

Moss Lane is a smaller than average infant school. Children start in Reception with just above average knowledge and skills. Most of the pupils are from White British backgrounds. There are a few pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is lower than most schools. The current headteacher took up her post in January 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Under the good leadership and direction of the new headteacher, Moss Lane is an improving school. The school's overall effectiveness is satisfactory. The school judges itself to be better than this because some of its judgements are generous. Nevertheless, the headteacher has a clear understanding of the school's performance and is taking effective action to bring about improvements. The school provides satisfactory value for money. The school has the overwhelming support of the parents and several have commented on how impressed they are with the new headteacher. 'The arrival of the new headteacher has seen a lot of positive changes' and 'The school has benefited from the appointment of a new energetic headteacher'. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall. Children start school with just above average knowledge and skills and make good progress in the Reception year because of the effective provision. In 2005, standards at the end of Year 2 were well above average

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Grade: 3

in reading, above average in mathematics and average in writing. There was some underachievement in writing. Effective action is being taken to raise achievement in writing by extending the range of reading and writing opportunities. Pupils' progress in writing is now satisfactory and standards are now closer to those in mathematics. Pupils enjoy their time at school. They have positive attitudes to learning and behave well. Relationships within the school are good. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Attendance and punctuality are also good. Teaching, learning and the curriculum are satisfactory. There are examples of good teaching but it is not consistently good to ensure that pupils achieve well in all areas. Assessment procedures are being improved but this is at an early stage of development. Assessment is not used consistently well to inform pupils of the next stages of their

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Grade: 3

learning. A good range of additional activities enriches the curriculum and contributes well to pupils' enjoyment. The school has not made enough progress since the last inspection particularly in the area of assessment. However, it is now demonstrating a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

Focus on: • building on the work to improve and extend the range of writing so that pupils make more progress and attain standards in line with those of reading • establishing effective systems for assessing and tracking pupils' attainment. Use assessment information to guide planning and inform pupils of the next stages of their learning • improving the consistency of teaching and learning by turning satisfactory lessons into good ones. 2 Inspection Report: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Overall, all groups of pupils are achieving satisfactorily as they move through the school. Children in Reception make good progress in all areas of learning although their progress in writing is less strong. Pupils enter Year 1 with above average knowledge and skills. In 2005, standards in Year 2 were well above average in reading, above average in mathematics but only average in writing. These results indicate that while pupils achieved well in reading and satisfactorily in mathematics, they did not make enough progress in writing, particularly the higher attainers. Under the leadership of the new headteacher, there are signs that standards and progress in writing are improving. The school has increased the range of reading material to inspire writing, enlisted visiting artists and used other subjects for pupils to apply and develop their writing skills. Pupils are now making satisfactory progress

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Grade: 3

and standards in Year 2 are closer to those in mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and those with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall. The school has set appropriately challenging targets for reading and mathematics. It is now setting more challenging targets for writing as part of the drive to raise achievement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. They show positive attitudes to learning and clearly enjoy school. Good relationships within the school lead to good pupil behaviour in lessons and around the school. Pupils are polite, friendly and show respect for others. As one pupil in the playground remarked, 'We choose our play equipment and share it'. Attendance is good and pupils arrive on time. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Through interesting and stimulating assemblies, pupils reflect on important issues such as poverty, the importance of water to our lives and sharing. Pupils contribute well to the community. They raise funds for charities and participate in a May Festival. Pupils are beginning to have a greater say in what they would like to see improved in their school. They develop an appreciation of art through the study of famous artists and create good quality work themselves. Pupils adopt safe practices and have a good understanding

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Grade: 2

of the importance of healthy life styles. They show considerable knowledge about healthy diets and engage enthusiastically in a range of physical activities including swimming. Pupils' sound basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) and their ability to work well with others prepares them well for the next stage of their education. 3 Inspection Report: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. While there are examples of good teaching this is not consistent across the school. Children in Reception classes progress well because tasks are interesting and challenging. There is a good balance between child initiated and staff directed activities. In Years 1 and 2, effective management and good relationships ensure that there is good behaviour in lessons. Lessons have clear learning intentions so pupils know what they are to learn. In the most effective lessons teachers are enthusiastic and use a range of strategies to involve the pupils. Tasks are well matched to pupils' needs and lessons maintain a brisk pace. As a result, pupils are challenged, productive and make good gains in knowledge and skills. Where teaching is less effective, lessons are too teacher directed and over long introductions reduce pupils' learning and interest. The support provided for pupils

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Grade: 3

with learning difficulties enables them to be fully involved in lessons. However, teaching assistants are not fully utilised during overlong introductions. A good start has been made recently on improving assessment procedures. However pupils are yet to be involved in checking their own learning through individual or group targets.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum which enables pupils to achieve satisfactorily over time. The school is taking effective steps to raise pupils' achievement in writing. The focus on writing is providing pupils with good opportunities to apply and develop their writing skills in other subjects such as history, geography and science. Pupils' writing on what the school was like 100 years ago is a good example of this. ICT is not used consistently well to support pupils' learning but there are plans to improve this. The provision for promoting healthy lifestyles is good. The recently introduced 'Healthy School' initiative and 'Fit and Fun Week' support this area well. The good range of additional activities enables pupils of all ages to develop their interests and specific skills. These are poplar and include: country dancing, football, French, gardening, gymnastics and sewing. Art and singing have a high profile on the

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Grade: 3

curriculum and this has led to pupils singing with much enthusiasm and there is high quality art displayed around the school. As a pupil said, 'Art is great!' The school was awarded the 'Art Mark' in 2005.

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Grade: 3

The care for pupils is good and the support and guidance given is satisfactory. Good induction arrangements ensure that children in the Reception classes settle quickly into a new learning environment. Health and safety procedures are thorough and 4 Inspection Report: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006 regular risk assessments are carried out to ensure pupils' safety. Child protection procedures are secure and all staff have had appropriate training in this area. Communication with parents is good and the recent workshops for parents are helpful in involving them more in their children's learning. One parent commented, 'The headteacher gave an excellent presentation on inspiring pupils' to read'. The assessment and tracking of pupils' attainment is improving but is not yet firmly established across the school. Assessment information is not being used consistently well to inform pupils of what they need to learn next.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The new and enthusiastic headteacher is providing strong leadership in raising pupils' achievement and improving the quality of provision. Her initiatives are already having a positive effect on enriching the curriculum, increasing parental involvement and improving pupils' progress in writing. This drive for improvement, so that pupils and the school reach their full potential, is well supported by the assistant headteacher and most of the staff. The headteacher has very quickly gained the confidence and respect of the parents who appreciate the improvements in communication and the learning opportunities provided. As one parent remarked, 'She has brought some wonderful innovative ideas which parents, children and staff welcome'. The school seeks parents' views and has responded positively to their suggestions. Overall, monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory. Some of the school's judgements

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Grade: 3

about teaching, guidance and overall effectiveness are generous. However, the headteacher knows what the school has to do to improve. The headteacher has a good overview of teaching in the school through effective monitoring. Subject leaders' roles in monitoring and evaluation are less well developed. Improvement planning and action is effectively addressing the school's most pressing issue of raising achievement in writing. The school is developing clear criteria to measure improvements in writing. Assessment and tracking procedures are improving but still at the early stages of development. The governors have been astute in the appointment of the new headteacher. They are committed, supportive and now more informed about the school's performance. They ensure that statutory requirements are met. The school has not made enough improvements since the last inspection particularly in the area of assessment. However,

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Grade: 3

there is good capacity for further growth and development. 5 Inspection Report: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 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: Moss Lane School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 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 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 No 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 3 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

Children Thank you so much for welcoming us into your school and showing us your work. We enjoyed our visit and would like to tell you what we found out about your school. The things we were particularly pleased with are:* you enjoy school and take part in activities well* the children in Reception have settled well and are making good progress* you are making good progress in reading * your singing and art work are fantastic* you are polite, friendly and well behaved* you get on well with other children and adults* your new headteacher leads the school well and knows how to make it even better* there is a good range of clubs and visits, which you tell us you enjoy* your parents are very pleased with the school and support it really well. There are a few things that we think could be improved:* some of you could do better at writing and your teachers are working hard to make this happen * your teachers could give you more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

guidance on how to improve your work* in some lessons, you could be given more interesting things to do so that you make better progress.Finally, thank you once again for all your help. We wish you all well in the future. With kind regards Derek Watts and Bharathi Kutty Inspection Team

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