Claremont Primary School

Inspection Report Claremont Primary School

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118456 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 285347 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 Inspection dates Ian Hartland HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Banner Farm Road School address Primary Type of school Tunbridge Wells Community School category Kent TN2 5EB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01892 531395 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01892 520185 Fax number 431 Number on roll Mrs Deborah Bruce Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Sutton-Smith Headteacher 15 June 2006 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285347 15 June 2006 - 4 to 11 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 and one Additional Inspector. Inspectors studied performance data, the self-evaluation form and observed teaching. They also met with pupils and talked to parents, held meetings with staff, the chair of governors and an officer from the local authority and received 181 parent questionnaires.

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Description of the school

Claremont Primary School is much larger than most primary schools. Standards on entry are above average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The percentage with special educational needs is average. The number of pupils from minority ethnic communities is well below average and very few have a first language other than English.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 2

Claremont is a highly effective school with outstanding features. It has many strengths and provides a good education for its pupils. Pupils make good progress in their learning and reach exceptionally high standards in English, mathematics and science because of the good teaching and concerted efforts of all staff to provide the very best for all pupils. The school is a thriving community of learners where leaders and staff are willing to try out new ways of teaching and learning and sharing responsibilities. It is reflective and self-critical and never complacent in seeking continually to make things better for the pupils. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and they make the expected progress in the Reception Year. Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. As a result of the staff’s efforts, pupils very much enjoy being at school and their behaviour is excellent. They have highly positive attitudes and feel safe and valued as individuals.

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Grade: 2

All staff take very good care of them and know them well. Teaching is good. Teachers successfully make lessons interesting to ensure pupils learn. The curriculum overall is good with an excellent provision for extra activities. The leadership and management are good with the highly regarded headteacher providing excellent leadership. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and are very happy with what it offers. As one parent put it, ‘Claremont is a fabulous school. I wish I had gone to such an amazing school when I was a child.’ Another parent added ‘My children are very fortunate to attend Claremont school.’ The school has successfully tackled the areas for improvement in the last inspection report and provides good value for money. Under the resourceful and energetic leadership of the headteacher, the school has a very good capacity to improve further to become an outstanding school. In working towards this goal, it needs to continue to improve

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Grade: 2

levels of achievement in English and ensure opportunities for developing writing skills are fully promoted across the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Overall achievement and standards are good with pupils attaining exceptionally high standards by the time they leave the school. Children make good progress in the Reception Year and last year entered Year 1 with standards above national expectations. Results in the 2005 national tests at the end of Year 2 were significantly above average in reading and mathematics but average in writing. The number of pupils gaining the higher grades in these tests was significantly above average in reading but average in writing and mathematics. At the end of Year 6, overall results in the 2005 national tests were exceptionally high in relation to national averages. The school exceeded its ambitious 2005 targets for mathematics but fell slightly short in English. The number of pupils who gained the higher levels of attainment was significantly above that expected nationally in English, mathematics and science. All pupils make good progress,

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Claremont Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, with no groups of pupils underachieving.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. With reference to her daughter, one parent wrote ‘We are extremely grateful to all the staff at Claremont who have contributed to her development into a happy, self-assured young lady.’ The school ensures that pupils develop into well-rounded individuals with a strong social conscience. For example, the school has raised money to help build new classrooms at a school in Africa. ‘We saw the photos of what their living conditions were like,’ said a pupil, ‘and we had to do something to help.’ Charities nearer home also benefit from being adopted as a ‘house charity’, for which pupils enjoy raising funds. They very cheerfully take on responsibilities as house captains, prefects and playground buddies. Pupils spoke with much pride of how the School Council had been instrumental in improving the school garden. In lessons, pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were exemplary. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Throughout the school, good teaching is the basis of pupils’ good achievement. The pupils are inspired to do well. Teachers have high expectations and pupils readily respond, as when Year 4 pupils scoured the school grounds looking for habitats with a clear regard to their own safety. In the lessons seen, pupils were enthralled and really enjoyed the work, especially when it was practically based with real resources, for example, when examining live snails and considering the differences between hens’ eggs and quails’ eggs after cracking them, and what the live chicks in the classroom needed to survive. Teaching assistants and other adults provide good support for pupils with particular needs.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a good curriculum. Good use of nationally available schemes of work ensures pupils meet progressively harder work as they move through the school. A strong emphasis on writing across the curriculum is not yet fully in place. The range of extra-curricular activities and clubs is excellent and the school has achieved success in sporting competitions. 3 Inspection Report: Claremont Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 1

The school takes justifiable pride in its outstanding care of pupils. Pupils feel safe and secure as a result. Those with a particular gift or talent are strongly encouraged to flourish. For example, one musically gifted pupil is able to work with a visiting composer. Pupils’ progress is very closely tracked which enables the school to take speedy action and to provide effective support for any pupils in danger of underachievement. Impressive individual plans for pupils with learning difficulties and particular needs enable them to do well. Parents are very pleased with the high standards of care their children receive.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management are good with excellent features. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and is correctly held in very high regard by pupils, staff, parents and the local authority. Parents particularly appreciate his approachability. He provides a very clear direction for improvement and works very intelligently to develop all aspects of the school’s work ; he is well supported by an effective leadership team and staff with further responsibilities. Self-evaluation is rigorous and takes into account the views of parents and pupils and acts well upon them. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They are very happy with what it offers. Governors play an active and effective role in improving the work of the school and holding it to account. They know the school’s strengths and areas that need to be improved. 4 Inspection Report: Claremont Primary School, 15 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. 5 Inspection Report: Claremont Primary School, 15 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 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 1 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 1 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 1 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 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 1 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 1 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

I am writing to you following the recent visit of two inspectors to your school to let you know what we think about the school. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful in talking to us about the work you do and what you think about the school. It was good for us to see that you are so happy and enjoy your lessons because the teachers make them exciting so that you can learn more easily. They take care to find out how well everyone is doing and provide the help everyone needs to do as well as possible. Your behaviour is excellent in lessons and around the school. Your enthusiasm in lessons means you all do very well, especially in the tests you take in Year 2 and Year 6, particularly in mathematics and science. You are good at English, particularly reading, and should now work with your teachers to make your writing even better. We think your school is a good school. Everyone in your school takes very good care of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and you get on very well with each other. You told us that you feel safe and that there is always someone to talk to if you have a problem. Teachers listen carefully to what you say and the school council makes things happen. The school is excellent in helping you to grow into thoughtful and caring young people. Your parents are very happy with the school and all that it provides for you. Your headteacher is an excellent leader. He and all the teachers work very hard to make the school even better for you. There are some ways in which your school can get even better and the headteacher and staff are already working to achieve them. They are going to help you to be better at writing and provide you with more regular opportunities to develop your writing skills in all subjects. May I, on behalf of both inspectors, wish you all the very best for the future.

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