St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath

Inspection Report St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath

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126056 Unique Reference Number West Sussex LEA 282051 Inspection number 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 Inspection dates Patricia Davies AI Reporting inspector

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

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Eastern Road School address Primary Type of school Haywards Heath Voluntary aided School category West Sussex RH16 3NL 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01444 413707 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01444 414743 Fax number 387 Number on roll Mr A M Bucke Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Alison Goodfellow Headteacher 9 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282051 27 June 2006 - 4 to 11 28 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

St Wilfrid’s is a large primary school with pupils from a wide range of social backgrounds. Pupils come from families living in the Haywards Heath area, including areas with economic and social disadvantage. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Just two pupils speak English as their second language. When children join the Reception classes, their attainment is below the attainment of children of a similar age, particularly in relation to language and literacy skills. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is a little above average, but the extent and type of need vary within individual year groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006

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Grade: 2

One parent wrote, ‘This is a good school and I hope the inspection bears this out.’ Inspection evidence confirmed this view and, indeed, the school’s own judgement that its overall effectiveness is good. Pupils speak warmly of the helpfulness, friendliness and kindness of staff, and these attributes are reflected in the school’s good pastoral and academic care. Its Christian foundation makes a significant contribution to pupils’ outstanding spiritual and moral understanding. Relationships are of a high quality and pupils behave well. As one pupil remarked, ‘It’s just a really nice school.’ Attendance is satisfactory, but procedures for following up unexplained absence are not tight enough. All pupils achieve well. Provision in the Reception classes is well planned and organised. These children make good progress and standards are largely average in the current group. Good quality teaching offers pupils a wide variety of stimulating experiences

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Grade: 2

through creative and open-ended activities. These tasks provide pupils with much enjoyment and a good level of challenge, particularly for the more able. Standards in the present Year 6 are above average in English, mathematics and science. By Year 6, pupils produce a substantial quantity of high quality written work, although writing is less successfully promoted in Years 1 and 2. Some pupils are given pointers about how they can improve their work through written comments, but this practice is not yet consistent. Value for money is good. The school is well led and the headteacher’s strong sense of direction has been highly influential in the school’s success. The good level of improvement that has taken place since the last inspection indicates that the school is well placed to move forward. Systems to monitor the quality of education and pupils’ progress are well established and recent improvements have been made so that teaching

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Grade: 2

and learning will be checked more frequently.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Increase the range and accuracy of pupils’ writing in Years 1 and 2. •Ensure that pupils consistently receive written feedback about how to improve their work. •Introduce procedures that follow up unexplained absence at the earliest opportunity.

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Grade: 2

The above-average standards reached by the present group of Year 6 pupils exemplify the good achievement of all pupils, including the more able and those with learning difficulties. Having entered with below-average attainment, pupils make good overall progress across the Reception year and Years 1 and 2. Standards in the current Year 2 are broadly average. Good progress continues across Years 3 to 6 and, during this time, the school is particularly successful at raising the attainment of the more able. Early data from this year’s national test results indicates that the present Year 6 2 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 exceeded challenging targets at the expected and higher levels, despite this group having a large proportion of pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties. Open-ended tasks that require pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge and

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Grade: 2

understanding ensure good progress in mathematics in all classes. Pupils’ spoken language develops particularly well and, by Year 6, the creative content of writing is often of a high quality. However, the range of writing opportunities in Years 1 and 2 is not sufficiently wide and the more formal aspects, such as spelling and correct letter formation, are not always given enough attention. As a result, pupils in Years 1 and 2 make satisfactory, rather than good, progress in writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ good personal development gains much from the school’s religious heritage. The influence of this background is powerfully illustrated in pupils’ outstanding spiritual and moral development. They are respectful and responsive during worship, and develop clear insights through drama, discussion and writing. Socially, pupils are well developed. They behave responsibly and safely, work together comfortably and willingly help each other out. Cultural development is good, with pupils gaining a valuable understanding of other cultures through art, music and religious studies. Pupils clearly enjoy school and are very keen to join in the many extra-curricular activities. Their positive attitudes lead to thoughtful, lively and well-presented work, although a small proportion of pupils are not easily motivated. Attendance is broadly average. Pupils willingly take on duties that involve them in the life of the school, although

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Grade: 2

children in the Reception year and pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not have the chance to participate in the school council. Pupils’ good basic skills and willingness to cooperate with others promise well for their future well-being as adults. They have a good understanding of how to keep safe, nurtured by the school’s close attention to these matters. The benefits of physical exercise and a healthy diet are also well known. Many enthusiastically attend sporting activities and pupils enjoy tending the school’s vegetable garden.

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Grade: 2

Good quality teaching and learning are characterised by lively and challenging activities that are pitched well for all ability groups. For example, pupils thoughtfully and systematically explore and work their way through demanding problems that call on them to apply their mathematical knowledge and skill. Exciting stories act as a powerful stimulus for reading and writing activities. Regular opportunities for discussion and collaboration allow pupils to develop ideas and clarify their thinking. Children in the 3 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 Reception classes gain much from the good balance between activities where they can make individual choices and those that are led by adults. Sometimes, however, the pace of lessons is too leisurely when planning and drafting written work. Opportunities are occasionally missed by teachers to explore ideas in

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Grade: 2

greater depth with the whole class or individual pupils. These shortcomings are relative weaknesses within an otherwise positive picture, but are factors that prevent pupils making even more rapid gains in learning. Assessment is used well to track the progress of class groups and individual pupils, and particularly to identify those whose progress has faltered. Teaching assistants are then deployed effectively to work with small groups of pupils needing extra support.

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Grade: 2

The school maintains a good, well-rounded curriculum, which is successfully designed to increase achievement by making learning enjoyable. The emphasis on developing creativity and independent investigation sets a good level of fun and challenge for all, including the more able and those few whose interest is difficult to engage. Those with learning difficulties are given well-planned support in lessons and when withdrawn for intensive instruction. Good links between subjects are particularly notable in the use of information and communication technology, with animations and presentations of work in literacy, art and science, for example. Not enough attention is given, however, to increasing the accuracy and scope of pupils’ writing skills in Years 1 and 2. Pupils’ experience is enriched by an excellent range of additional activities. The many clubs offer opportunities in a diverse range of areas, such as sport, the arts, gardening,

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Grade: 2

French and Spanish. Visitors offer specialist teaching of drama, dance and music, which helps to lift the standard of pupils’ public performances. Strong links with the local community include those with the church and the local allotment association.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are of a good quality and firmly built on the excellent relationships staff members have with pupils. Pupils confirm that they can turn to any member of staff if they have a problem. Very effective steps have been taken to improve the behaviour of a few older pupils, including group sessions for them to explore and write about their thoughts and feelings. Health and safety are given close attention through personal and social education. Pupils say how much they appreciate the action taken to resolve safety issues on the playground. Security and child protection procedures are thorough and well understood by all the staff and good links with outside agencies ensure that vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties receive all the help they need. The school takes a firm line over term-time holidays and lateness, but does not follow up unexplained absences promptly enough.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 A rigorous system for setting targets keeps a close track of pupils’ progress. Pupils are involved in monitoring their achievement through discussion about their learning targets. Older pupils feel that they have good guidance on how to improve, but younger pupils are less sure. The quality of written feedback in workbooks reflects this inconsistency, as it does not always give guidance on how pupils could do better.

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Grade: 2

The school’s good leadership and management are forward-thinking and reflective. The headteacher sets high standards and teamwork is strong. The analysis of assessment and test data is comprehensive and has spread accountability for academic performance to all staff members. Issues raised at the last inspection have been tackled well, particularly those related to achievement in mathematics and of more-able pupils, although inconsistency in the quality of marking has yet to be fully eradicated. This level of success points to the school’s strong capacity for further improvement. There are firmly established management structures and monitoring systems for evaluating the school’s work and these ensure that the school has an accurate view of its effectiveness. A tightly-focused schedule for reviewing each subject in turn ensures a constant round of development. The school has set in place new procedures

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Grade: 2

to keep a still closer check on the quality of teaching and learning. The views of parents and governors are actively gathered. Governors are also reflective and generally well informed. Robust discussion between key governors and senior members of staff ensures that the school is challenged to do better where there are areas of weakness. Visits from governors give the school good informal support, but few formal links have been made to monitor more closely the development of particular subjects or projects. 5 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 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: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath, 27 June 2006 to 28 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 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

Dear Pupils We enjoyed our visit to your school and thank you for making us so welcome. It was good to be with you while you had so many exciting things happening, such as the theatre group and sports day. This letter is to tell you what we found out about your school. You like your school and think it is good, and we agree with you. What your school does particularly well: •Adults are friendly and helpful, and take good care of you so that you feel safe and know you have someone to turn to if you have a problem. •There are lots of interesting and exciting things to do in lessons and in clubs and other activities, which you really enjoy. •You all make good progress because good teaching challenges you to do well and helps you to think for yourselves. •You are extremely thoughtful and understanding about the kinds of important and deeper things of life that are discussed during worship. •The headteacher and staff work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

hard to make sure that the school keeps getting better. What we have asked your school to do now: •Make sure that those of you in Years 1 and 2 write in a lot of different ways and pay more attention to improving things like handwriting and spelling. •Always give you written comments in your books about how to make your work better. •Check up more carefully when it is not clear why you are not at school. We wish you all the very best in the future. Yours sincerely Patricia Davies Lead Inspector

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