Langley Green Primary

133967 Unique Reference Number West Sussex LEA 282403 Inspection number 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 Inspection dates Eira Gill RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Langley Drive School address Primary Type of school Langley Green Voluntary aided School category Crawley RH11 7TF 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01293 525675 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01293 538 342 Fax number 304 Number on roll Mr Mark Sudan Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Alison Wallis Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282403 31 October 2005 - 3 to 11 1 November 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Langley Green is a large primary school in Crawley. About three quarters of pupils are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. A high proportion enter the school with very little experience of speaking English. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. Of these, most have moderate learning difficulties. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is average. Many more pupils than usual leave or join the school between Year R and Year 6. The school opened in 2004 following the amalgamation of a First School and a Middle School.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Langley Green Primary is an improving school that makes good provision for pupils’ education. The school considers its overall effectiveness to be satisfactory but improvements in many aspects of the work of the school, including the considerable rise in test results in 2005, show that its effectiveness is good. Good improvement has been made in attendance although further improvement is needed. Good teaching helps the children in the Foundation Stage to achieve well and move forward effectively in their personal skills, although standards are below those expected for their age. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress because of effective teaching that is strengthened by good systems of monitoring as well as those put into place to track pupils’ progress in detail. Pupils are well supported and guided and the curriculum further enriches their development. The headteacher and team leaders provide good

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Grade: 2

leadership that is well focused on improvement. Governance is satisfactory. The school gives good value for money and has a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Continue to improve pupils’ attendance.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good because they make good progress from their well below average starting points to reach average standards by the end of Year 6. When children start in the Nursery and Reception classes, many are at the early stages of learning English. Their personal development is well below average, particularly with regard to their confidence to work and play independently. Few children are on course to meet the goals expected for their age at the end of the Reception Year, despite making good progress in all areas of learning. They achieve well because of good teaching, the effective support of the multilingual teaching assistants and a broad curriculum that meets their needs well. All pupils continue to make good progress from Year 1 and by the time they leave the school in Year 6, standards are broadly average. There has been considerable improvement in the school’s test results in 2005. Standards are rising, partly because

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Grade: 2

of the good emphasis on monitoring teaching and learning by senior staff and partly due to good systems for tracking pupils’ progress. Well-organised booster classes make an effective contribution in ensuring that all pupils improve their literacy skills. All pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, together with those who speak English as an additional language, make equally good progress. In the past year, the older pupils have made a significant improvement in mathematics compared with previous years. 2 Inspection Report: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 This is due to a well-focused programme specifically to improve teaching and learning. Older pupils know the targets they are working towards and work hard to meet those challenges.

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Grade: 2

The school is a happy, harmonious community that enables pupils to make good gains in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The pupils respect and know about cultures other than their own. However, the school does not celebrate fully the many cultures in the school. Pupils enjoy their learning. Their behaviour is good and pupils enjoy good relationships with each other and the adults. They are exuberant and excited about their learning which they are eager to share with others. The school has worked hard with parents to bring attendance in line with national averages. However, a few pupils are absent from school for reasons other than illness. Pupils speak of a strong sense of a school community that cares about itself and about others. This does not happen by chance but because the school’s values and its curriculum meet the individual needs and interests of the children and their families.

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Grade: 2

The school is outward-looking and the children have several opportunities to go into the community and develop useful skills for future work. The school council provides good opportunities for pupils to have a say in how their school can improve; for example, they make decisions about which after-school activities they would prefer. Pupils have a secure awareness of safety, regular exercise and healthy eating. Improvement in achievement in mathematics has equipped pupils to develop relevant skills for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. The well-planned lessons ensure that pupils are fully engaged in the work, which is closely matched to their individual needs. Most teachers have good questioning skills and this helps them to check pupils’ learning and enables all pupils to contribute well in lessons. There is a constructive working atmosphere in all lessons, with good behaviour management of the pupils. The work of the teaching assistants, especially those who are multilingual, is well planned. Their contribution to learning is effective and is one of the reasons why achievement is good. The good use of interactive whiteboards immediately engages pupils and helps their understanding. Teachers plan well to meet the different needs of all groups of pupils in the mixed age classes. The introduction of more effective methods of teaching has had a significant effect on improving the pupils’ speaking, listening, and writing skills.

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Grade: 2

Marking has improved since the school opened and mostly ensures that pupils know what they need to learn next. 3 Inspection Report: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 Assessment and recording procedures are good. There is detailed and frequent discussion of pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science in Years 1 to 6 and in all six areas of learning in the reception class. Pupils are assessed in other subjects when they come to the end of a unit of work, enabling teachers to plan the next steps.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is very relevant to the needs of all groups of pupils and builds on their skills and experience. The curriculum is well planned and ensures equal opportunities for all. School activities, visits and a residential visit for Year 5 and 6 pupils enrich the curriculum and pupils’ experiences well. The school is innovative in the effective way it works with parents so that the whole family can enjoy their learning. Pupils have good opportunities to learn through first-hand experience and role-play, so overcoming any language problems or lack of confidence. Pupils learn how to be safe and healthy, and how to play their part in the school and wider community. A good programme of personal, social and health education enriches this overall approach. The pupils are very keen to say how much they enjoy their work and are keen to learn. The curriculum supports good personal development and this extends into the wider community.

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Grade: 2

Pupils receive good care. Effective guidance and support promotes their personal development well. Pupils work in a happy, safe and secure environment in which they are valued. The teachers’ expectations result in good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. Pupils who have particular needs, for example those who speak English as an additional language or with learning difficulties or disabilities, are quickly identified and monitored carefully. Well focused support helps them to make good progress. The school has worked hard to involve parents in their children’s learning and, as a result, relationships are good. Arrangements for pupils’ safety, including child protection, are fully in place and links with external agencies robust. The new systems for assessment target and track pupils’ progress successfully and this is one of the reasons for pupils’ good progress.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and successfully focus on raising standards and promoting the personal development and well-being of pupils. The determination of the headteacher and the team leaders, together with the very sharp analysis of test results and the detailed tracking of pupils’ progress, are the driving force behind improvement. Through rigorous self-evaluation and close work with parents, the community and the local authority, the school has a well-grounded understanding of its performance. It shows a clear insight into what needs to be done. 4 Inspection Report: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 Governance is satisfactory. The chair of governors is exceptionally well informed and is fully aware of the challenges facing the school. The governing body has considerable prior experience and expertise despite only recently having become a permanent group. Governors are doing all they can to ensure good governance. However, a few statutory

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Grade: 2

requirements are only partly in place relating to completing a few policies, such as the policy on provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and the equal opportunities policy. Monitoring and evaluation are well focused on the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This ensures that all learners are valued and enabled to do their best, and any barriers to learning are removed. Resources are used well. The headteacher has worked very hard to set up effective systems and procedures and, as a result, the school is well placed for further improvement. Her calm, purposeful direction has restored staff morale and learning in classrooms after the recent amalgamation of the two schools. Parents feel involved and hold positive views of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 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: Langley Green Primary, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 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 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 NA 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 2 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 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 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 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

Langley Green Primary School Langley Drive Langley Green Crawley RH11 7FT 3 November 2005 Dear Children, Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we came to inspect your school recently. We very much enjoyed talking to you and seeing your work. These are the things we liked most about your school: your school is a good school and your headteacher leads it well standards have improved a lot in the last year – well done! you behave well, and are polite and helpful to one another and visitors the teachers and assistants are very careful to help you if you do not understand you enjoy your work, listen carefully and try your best all the adults look after you well and make sure you are happy and safe. These are the things we think your school could do even better: the school needs to work with your parents further to make sure that you all attend more often. Some of you stay away even though you are not ill

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Mrs Eira Gill Lead inspector

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