Maple Infants' School

102577 Unique Reference Number Kingston Upon Thames Local Authority 286430 Inspection number 15 February 2007 Inspection date Margaret Coussins Reporting inspector

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

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Maple Road School address Infant Type of school Surbiton Community School category KT6 4AL 3 °7 Age range of pupils 020 8399 3341 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8390 4492 Fax number 228 Number on roll (school) Mr Richard Whitley Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Liz Robinson Headteacher 3 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 286430 15 February 2007 3 °7 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is an average size infant school. Pupils come from widely diverse social backgrounds with the majority living in close proximity to the school. The proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and those with learning difficulties or disabilities are below the national average. Over a quarter of pupils have English as an additional language, which is higher than average and 53 pupils are at the early stages of learning English.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. The school is a safe, welcoming and attractive place, pupils are happy and eager to attend because they enjoy all that they do. The outstanding care, guidance and support provided by the school contribute very effectively to pupils' excellent personal and academic development. Pupils want to do well and are proud of their good achievements. Everyone is included in the life of the school whatever their background or needs. Parents are very positive about what the school offers. One parent said, 'My two children attend Maple and their lives, I feel, are better for the wonderful foundations that have been afforded them.' The headteacher provides excellent leadership and is very well supported by senior leaders and governors. There is a shared vision for the future. Central to the success of the school is the pace of change driven by the headteacher. The school has excellent

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Grade: 2

procedures to find out what it is doing well and where improvement is needed and takes very effective action to deal with any weaknesses. This has been shown, for example, by the outdoor developments, which have had a direct and successful impact on boys' writing achievement by motivating and stimulating their excitement for writing. As one boy said, 'The trails in the playground give you interesting things to write about.' These positive results demonstrate that the school has a good capacity for further improvement. Pupils feel part of a community and enjoy being involved in decision making and taking responsibility. They have been inspired by opportunities to be involved in the planning and design of the outdoor area for the Foundation Stage and in doing so, have shown their awareness of the needs and safety of others. They have a good awareness of how to stay healthy. One of the youngest children said, 'Chocolate and crisps are

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Grade: 2

unhealthy because they've got lots of sugar. Vegetables are healthy because they've got vitamin C in them.' Children start at the school with average attainment. They get off to a flying start in the Foundation Stage because of good provision from an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team. By the time they leave, standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average, which represents good achievement. This is as a result of good teaching and a good curriculum, which mostly meets the needs of pupils of all abilities well, including those who are learning English as an additional language. There is some inconsistency in the opportunities afforded pupils to develop their independent learning skills in some lessons, particularly for more able pupils. This is when activities lack exciting challenges and opportunities to learn through investigative, collaborative means.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that more able pupils have opportunities to learn in ways which helps them to become more independent. 2 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Children start at school with average attainment. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage and by the end of the Reception Year many achieve beyond the goals for learning expected for children of this age. Currently children in the Nursery and the Reception classes are growing in confidence and making rapid progress in their knowledge of sounds and letters and in their early writing. Because they have a good start and continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above average by the time they leave. More able pupils do well, but there is some inconsistency in the level of challenge across the school. Overall, girls do better than boys. The school's focus on raising achievement in boys' writing is showing a marked improvement in their current work. Pupils with learning difficulties and those who have English as an additional language make similar

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Grade: 2

progress to others because their needs are identified very early on and they are supported well in class and in small groups

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Excellent care, guidance and support enable pupils to develop positive attitudes to their learning. They feel exceptionally safe in school, greatly enjoy being there as shown by their good attendance and behave well. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils reflect on their feelings and respect those of others, have a good understanding of other cultures and are gaining an appreciation of the wider world through art and music. Pupils show an outstanding awareness of the need to live healthy lifestyles and participate enthusiastically in the wide range of physical activities provided. Responsibilities are taken seriously and they enjoy getting involved in school and community activities. Their good attainment in basic skills, including those in information and communication technology (ICT), prepares them well for the next

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good because teachers have very good relationships with their pupils and help to make learning fun by, in most cases, matching activities to children's interests and abilities. A group of pupils agreed that 'It's fun when we can try things out and work together and we would like to do it more often'. However, on occasion tasks are not challenging enough to help pupils develop different ways of learning or take the initiative for their learning. This is particularly the case for higher attaining pupils. The teaching of the younger children is effective because 3 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007 it is based on giving children first hand experiences and making choices which helps to develop their independence. Questioning is used well to check pupils' understanding and to encourage speaking and listening skills.

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Grade: 2

The range of learning activities provided for children in the Foundation Stage is stimulating and meaningful and includes good opportunities to learn in the outdoor area. Children learn to share and play together well and develop good personal skills. A strength of the curriculum is the provision of many enrichment opportunities including dance, drama, musical and physical activities and the many visits and visitors to school which the children spoke about with enthusiasm. In their work to continually improve, the school is rightly revising curriculum planning for lessons to ensure learning is even more meaningfully linked across different subjects. There are good links with other groups and parents to provide a wide range of well-attended, popular clubs.

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Grade: 1

Children and their parents agree that the school looks after its pupils very well. One parent said, 'The support from the school has had a hugely positive impact on my son's confidence.' Very good induction procedures help children to settle happily when they start school. Rigorous attention is paid to health, safety and child protection issues and legal requirements are met. The school works exceptionally well with parents and outside agencies to make sure all pupils have good access to the opportunities. Systems for identifying and supporting pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities or are at an early stage of learning English are comprehensive and well thought out. Support is carefully targeted to meet individual needs. This often includes helping pupils to improve their personal and social skills so that they make better progress and achieve higher standards in their academic work. Tracking pupils' progress enables

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Grade: 1

teachers to know exactly how well both individuals and groups of pupils are doing. This information is used to provide excellent guidance.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides excellent leadership and drives the pace of improvement and change central to the success of the school, whilst maintaining previously high standards. She has ensured that all leaders and governors share a clear vision for pupils' continuing good achievement in their academic and personal skills. They have demonstrated that the school is outstanding at evaluating where its strengths lie, knows what needs improving and acts effectively to bring this about. The structure of the leadership within the school is in a transition period with new appointments about to be made to reflect more shared responsibility. Currently senior leaders in post make a good contribution to planning and improving what the 4 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007 school offers. The governing body supports the school well and fulfils all its statutory

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Grade: 2

responsibilities. The school has excellent partnerships with other schools and agencies and the local community, which contribute well to pupils' achievement. 5 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome and helping me when I visited your school. I enjoyed my visit very much. These are the things that I think are best about your school: • It is a happy, safe place to be and you really enjoy school. • Your teachers make learning fun and interesting for you. • You do very well in reading, writing and mathematics at school and are well prepared to go on to the juniors. • Everybody looks after you really well and you behave well. • You eat fruit and drink water in school because you know they are good for you. • Your parents like the school very much. • Your headteacher does an excellent job to make the school even better than it is. To make things even better I have asked that your teachers give you more opportunities to work things out for yourselves in your lessons. Thank you again for being so friendly and helpful when I came to see you. Yours sincerely Margaret Coussins

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Maple Infant School, 15 February 2007

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