Northchapel Community Primary School

Inspection Report Northchapel Primary School

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125846 Unique Reference Number West Sussex LEA 282010 Inspection number 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 Inspection dates Juliet Ward HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Piper's Lane School address Primary Type of school Petworth Community School category West Sussex GU28 9HZ 5 to 10 Age range of pupils 01428 707352 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01428 707447 Fax number 70 Number on roll Mr Ian Harman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Jane Kent Headteacher 19 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282010 14 June 2006 - 5 to 10 15 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.

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Description of the school

This is a small school located in an area of mixed economic circumstances. The pupils’ attainment on entry varies considerably from year to year, but is currently below average. All pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is well above average. Seven per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. There has been recent staff recruitment and temporary staffing due to long-term illness.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is an effective school that gives good value for money. Central to its success is the vision of the headteacher. She is a very good leader and manager who motivates staff and pupils well to achieve as much as they can. The school is modest in evaluating aspects of its provision as satisfactory. The school’s family ethos makes it a very welcoming place to be, and every pupil is included, cared for and supported well. Because of the small number of pupils in each year group, standards vary considerably from year to year. However, the pupils achieve well from their initial starting points, and reach satisfactory standards. Teaching is effective and takes good account of the wide range of ages and abilities in each class. Although pupils are set challenging targets to achieve and teachers check their progress towards them very carefully, the most able pupils could be challenged even more. The provision for pupils’ personal

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Grade: 2

development and well-being is outstanding, and pupils’ enthusiastic attitudes to learning help them to achieve well. Pupils benefit from a very well-planned, exciting curriculum that is enriched by a wide range of additional activities and visits. The pupils in the Foundation Stage settle into school easily, make at least steady progress and achieve at the expected levels by the end of the Reception Year. Since the last inspection, pupil achievement has fluctuated and, after a dip in 2004, standards are rising. The school has made good improvements to accommodation and learning resources. Very able and well focused leadership and management, together with effective teamwork amongst all staff, ensure the school has a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• accelerate pupils’ progress to raise standards further and set targets which will challenge the higher-attaining pupils even more • strengthen the systems for accurately assessing pupils’ skills on entry to the Reception class to provide a secure baseline from which to plan.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good overall, including in the Foundation Stage. By the end of the Reception Year, most children attain the expected goals for their age and are becoming confident learners. Test results at the end of Year 2 declined in 2004, but saw a modest rise in 2005, mainly due to the vast differences in the attainment on entry of each group of pupils. The school’s initiatives on reading and writing, and the improvements in teaching, mean that standards are now average in reading, writing and mathematics. The recent Year 2 2006 test results should confirm the improvement. Pupils throughout the school are generally confident speakers but their written work does not always reflect this and varies in quality. The school has exceeded the challenging targets set for this year, although some able pupils are capable of achieving even more. They 2 Inspection Report: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

attain above average standards in end-of-year tests but their work in books is not always as good as it could be. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress and benefit from well-focused support.

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Grade: 1

The attention paid to the pupils’ personal development and well-being is outstanding. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and take great delight in learning. Behaviour throughout the school is good and pupils know exactly what is expected of them. They are polite and courteous to visitors. The strong emphasis given to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development helps pupils develop a sensitive approach to life and everyday issues, and to appreciate the achievement of others. Pupils are very proud of their school. They consider it a ‘great’ school where they feel safe and free from problems such as bullying. One pupil stated, ”We are just a big family at Northchapel”. Attendance is above the national average. Pupils contribute very well to the school and local community, including to the Petworth Area Schools (PAS) activities. They show much initiative and enjoy taking responsibility. The school council is most effective in contributing to the day-to-day life of the school.

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Grade: 1

Through fundraising for a wide range of charities and good causes, pupils gain a clear understanding of those less fortunate than themselves. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles. They have a secure awareness and understanding of the need for safety, regular exercise and healthy eating. Pupils enjoy the headteacher’s ‘fruit tea parties’ and thrive on the many sporting events and activities provided for them. They take responsibility for spending the school’s supermarket vouchers, and have excellent opportunities to prepare for transition between classes, year groups and ongoing schools. As such, they develop a very good range of skills that prepares them very well for life beyond school.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. There is well-focused support for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. There has been recent improvement to the teaching of writing, resulting in pupils’ higher attainment and better quality work. Skills such as using correct spelling, good presentation and handwriting are taught well. Teachers plan and prepare lessons making good use of resources, especially in information and communication technology (ICT). They make clear what is to be learned and explain tasks clearly. Behaviour management is good and teachers handle inappropriate responses effectively. Occasionally, the pace in parts of lessons is too slow and teachers do not expect enough of pupils, especially the higher-attaining pupils. The teachers use assessment effectively to plan appropriately to meet the age and ability ranges in each class, although the assessment systems in place in the Foundation Stage are in

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Grade: 2

the early stages of development. They mark pupils’ work conscientiously and provide 3 Inspection Report: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 specific guidance to help pupils improve. The very high focus on developing the pupils’ independence and their skills at thinking through problems in order to solve them has successfully enabled the pupils to make faster progress over the past year. The learning environment is stimulating, with much of the pupils’ work displayed very attractively.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is enhanced through a good range of additional activities and special events. Pupils speak highly of their involvement with other local small schools and the friends they make, for example their roles in writing and acting a scene for the PAS production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. Provision is constantly reviewed to ensure it meets the range of pupils’ interests and priorities to improve standards further, for example setting in place peer coaching programmes, and opportunities to encourage the pupils to make evaluate their own needs. Pupils’ understanding of healthy lifestyles is very good, and they enjoy taking part in family walks. Basic skills in mathematics and ICT are used well to support work throughout the curriculum. The school’s programme to support pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is outstanding. Circle times, assemblies and the many opportunities to take responsibility contribute to the pupils’ enjoyment of learning.

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Grade: 2

Parents are pleased with the high levels of care and guidance in the school. This begins with an excellent induction into the Reception class and ongoing transition programmes throughout the school and beyond. Staff willingly listen to pupils and support both them and their families. One parent echoed the views of many, saying, “the headteacher and staff are very easy to contact to discuss any problems”, and another said, “the school is the focal point of the village”. Evaluating pupils’ progress is good and the information is used effectively to pinpoint the next steps in learning. Staff are vigilant in meeting the needs of vulnerable pupils and have an excellent grasp of child protection procedures. The school works very well with outside agencies and has good systems to ensure the pupils’ health and safety. Procedures to identify risks are well established and understood.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management provided by the headteacher are very good. Rigorous assessment of pupils’ achievement has been used successfully to set challenging targets for most pupils. These are followed through by the staff so that most of the pupils have made good progress over the past year. The school evaluates its performance realistically, although has been modest about the quality of overall provision. It regularly seeks the views of parents and pupils, and 4 Inspection Report: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 makes good use of additional expertise and experience in the parent body. The headteacher provides excellent information for governors and involves them in training days at the school, for example when drafting the school evaluation form. Governors have attended training provided by the local authority and know the school well. Some governors visit the school regularly to observe sessions such as peer coaching, and

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Grade: 2

provide reports for fellow governors on the outcome of these visits. The headteacher rightly strives for high standards of teaching which contributes effectively to the school’s capacity to improve further. This permeates the school so that staff seek and view feedback in a positive light. Pupils, too, view the importance of learning in this way. This was illustrated well when one boy commented, “we need to be independent learners so we can do all sorts of things when we are older, like you did when you found your way to our school”. 5 Inspection Report: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 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: Northchapel Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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 3 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 1 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

Thank you for all the help you gave me when I came to visit your school. I enjoyed working with you very much, especially having lunch with you and looking at your work. It was delightful to see your super school. I enjoyed looking at the sculptures and sitting on your maze seat. You have played a very important part in making it a good place to learn. Many of you said how much you enjoy school and like your teachers. We think that your school gives you a good education and that things are getting better all the time. Here are some of the highlights: you are good at listening to your teachers and sharing your ideas you work hard, are well behaved and try to do your best your teachers really care about you and want you to succeed the headteacher has helped your teachers to become more effective and the work that is set for you to be more exciting. There are two things which would help to make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

some of you could do even better and have even harder work the teachers in ‘Little Acorns’ and Class 1 could work even closer together to check what the small children starting school already know and need to know. With best wishes, Juliet Ward Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools

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