Laleham CofE VA Primary School

Inspection Report Laleham CofE VA Primary School

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125229 Unique Reference Number Surrey LEA LEA 281918 Inspection number 28 June 2006 to 29 June 2006 Inspection dates Daniel Kilborn AI Reporting inspector

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

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The Broadway School address Primary Type of school Laleham Voluntary aided School category Staines TW18 1SB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01784 453556 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01784 465556 Fax number 415 Number on roll Mr Michael Parker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Shirley Lunn Headteacher 11 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281918 28 June 2006 - 4 to 11 29 June 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than average. It is set in a ward where many households are affluent but attracts pupils from a wide area. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is lower than average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below average and five pupils have a statement of special educational need. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below average. Attainment on entry is broadly average but varies from year to year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the senior management's view that this is a good school. A strong Christian ethos underpins all aspects of the school's work and it has the overwhelming support of the parents. As one parent said, `I think the school is a wonderful, happy place for children'. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection and there is good capacity to develop the school further. The school provides good value for money. Pupils' personal and social development is good; they behave well, and develop mature attitudes to learning. Provision for pupils' care, guidance and support is strong. They enjoy the many extra-curricular activities and the good school curriculum. Leadership is strong and effective. The new headteacher has high aspirations for all of the pupils. She has empowered senior staff and given them the support, confidence and opportunity to further develop their roles. As a result she has the respect and full

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Grade: 2

support of staff, parents and governors. The school has maintained consistently high standards in English, mathematics and science over the past three years. Whilst standards are above average in mathematics, there is scope to increase the level of challenge for the more able pupils. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the previous inspection, although they are not as high as in the other three subjects. Achievement is good and pupils progress well. This is because teaching is good, and sometimes outstanding. It is particularly strong in the Reception classes and Years 2 and 6. Provision in the Foundation Stage has improved since the previous inspection and is now good; consequently children make a very good start to school life.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in ICT to the level of those in English, mathematics and science. Use classroom computers more to develop skills and to support learning in other subjects. • Increase the level of challenge for the more able pupils in mathematics and provide more opportunities for them to use their good basic skills in independent investigative work.

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Grade: 2

Children make very good progress in the Foundation Stage and reach the goals expected for their age and a significant minority of children exceeds expectations. At the end of Year 2 standards for reading, writing and mathematics are well above the national average because pupils make very good progress during Years 1 and 2. At the end of Year 6 standards remain well above average in English and science. Pupils make very good progress. Standards are above average in mathematics and pupils 2 Inspection Report: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 2006 make good progress. However, more could be done to boost the achievements of the more able pupils. Investigative learning is not as strong as other aspects of their mathematics work. Nevertheless in all three subjects, the overall high standards achieved previously have been maintained and the school's targets predict a trend of improvement.

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Grade: 2

High quality work was seen in art and music. Standards in ICT have improved since the previous inspection and are now broadly average. However, they do not yet match the high standards in other subjects. In all subjects, pupils with learning difficulties make good progress towards their targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. Attendance is similar to the national average and pupils enjoy coming to school. Relationships between adults and learners are excellent. Behaviour is good and pupils have positive attitudes towards learning. They are polite and courteous to visitors and to each other. The school council is well established and pupils' views are taken into account, for example, in the proposed changes to the school uniform. Pupils have good knowledge about other faiths as well as Christianity. They contribute to those less fortunate through regular fundraising. As one parent said, `I feel Laleham has helped my children to be creative, imaginative and kind and caring to others.' Pupils have good knowledge of their own and other cultures through lessons, visits and residential activities. Their social and moral development is good. Pupils make a positive contribution both to their school and the

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Grade: 2

local community. They willingly take on responsibilities, for example as peer mediators. Pupils know about the importance of healthy lifestyles. They develop good social and academic skills, which prepare them well for their future economic well-being. The school recognises the need for more able pupils to be given more opportunities to become more independent, particularly in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and parents say how much they appreciate this. Teaching is particularly effective in the Foundation Stage and Years 2 and 6, where some lessons are outstanding. At these times the pace of learning is rapid and meets the needs of all pupils successfully. Across the school, relationships are outstanding. This leads to happy, confident learners who develop a very good work ethic. Classroom management is strong and the few incidents of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with consistently well. Classroom assistants help pupils with learning difficulties to make good progress. In some mathematics lessons, the more able pupils are not challenged sufficiently and work is too teacher directed. As a consequence, they do not have enough opportunities to apply their good basic skills in independent investigative work. Assessment systems 3 Inspection Report: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 2006

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Grade: 2

and marking are good and pupils are involved in assessing their own progress against individual targets. Teachers are now more knowledgeable and confident in developing most aspects of ICT, for example, all are now using interactive whiteboards well. There are still gaps in their knowledge of the 'developing ideas' and 'making things happen' strands of the subject and this places some limitations on pupils' achievements.

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Grade: 2

There is a good, broad and balanced curriculum. It meets the needs of most pupils well, although more could be expected of more able pupils in mathematics. There are good opportunities for pupils to contribute to the community. For example, they represent their school at events run by the local council and have involvement with local business enterprise. The curriculum is enriched by specialist teaching in sport, music, art, drama and French and by special events such as themed weeks, and projects, like the micro society project. Pupils enjoy these activities and they contribute well to the development of their self-esteem and self-confidence. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities, which are well attended and appreciated by both pupils and parents. Resources for literacy, numeracy and ICT are good. However, classroom computers are not used enough to develop pupils' skills in ICT or to support their

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Grade: 2

learning in other subjects. Curricular provision for pupils with learning disabilities is good and enables them to make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is strong. There are secure and sensitive procedures in relation to child protection issues. Health and safety, including careful attention to risk assessments and security are promoted and monitored very well and enable pupils to feel secure and safe. Pupils say they feel confident that they will be listened to if they have a problem. The school provides very good support for pupils with learning difficulties allowing them to play a full part in school life. Pupils are very well prepared for their transfer to secondary school. Academic support is good and work is usually well matched to pupil needs. Pupils are well aware of their personal targets and are given good guidance to improve their work. The school works very well with other agencies to support pupils' needs.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The senior managers and subject leaders support the new headteacher very effectively. She is an excellent role model and has empowered curriculum leaders to contribute more effectively to school improvement. There are 4 Inspection Report: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 2006 now good systems to allow all staff, governors, pupils and parents to have a voice in how things might be improved. The leadership and management of the school have been successful in ensuring standards have continued to rise and pupils' academic and personal achievements are good. Through rigorous and accurate self-evaluation linked to a good school development plan the school has a clear view of its strengths and areas for further improvement. Effective monitoring of teaching and learning and use of pupils' performance data has enabled the school to set challenging and realistic targets. As a result it is well placed

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Grade: 2

to improve. Teachers who are new to the school and those who are new to the profession are well supported. The value placed on the importance of all members of staff and on every pupil has created an excellent ethos. Governance is good and governors hold the school accountable for the quality of education it provides. They ask incisive questions about pupils' performance with a view to maintaining high standards and improving further. Financial planning is good and spending is linked well to priorities in the school development plan. 5 Inspection Report: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 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: Laleham CofE VA Primary School, 28 June 2006 to 29 June 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 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 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 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 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

Pupils I am writing on behalf of the inspectors to thank you for the very friendly and helpful way you welcomed us to your school. We enjoyed our visit and were very impressed with the way you all get on well together. It is clear that you enjoy coming to your school and are very proud of it. Your headteacher and all the staff are working very hard to make your school even better. We agree with your parents that the school is good. You behave well and work hard in your lessons. You tell us you trust your teachers, and adults who work in the school will always help you if you have a problem. We[t1] know your teachers and visitors teach you about healthy eating and the importance of taking regular exercise. You are especially good at English and science. You are also good at mathematics but we think some of you could be doing even better and have asked your headteacher to give you more opportunities to plan your own work. Your work in ICT is improving well and we know you use

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the computer suite regularly, but we would like your teachers to give you even more opportunities to use ICT. We think your work in Art and the quality of your singing are outstanding. We were pleased to see how many of you take part in the after school activities and you tell us how much you enjoy the special event weeks. We hope you enjoyed sports day and that the Year 6 show goes well. Best wishes for the future, Daniel Kilborn Lead Inspector

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