Falkland Primary School

Age group 4-11 Inspection date(s) 6 th June 2007 Inspection number 288516 Unique Reference Number 109871 Local Authority West Berkshire Inspection number 288516 Inspection dates 6 June 2007 Reporting inspector Andrew Harrett HMI

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

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed

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Number on roll

Appropriate authority Governing body Chair Mr Barrie Prentice Headteacher Mr Alan Askey Date of previous school inspection September 2002

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Number on roll

School address Andover road Newbury RG14 6NU Telephone number 01635 44949 Fax number 01635 522945 Falkland Primary School Inspection report Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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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Number on roll

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. Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 April 2007

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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

Falkland Primary School is larger than average. The number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is lower than in most schools in England. Few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is in line with the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 April 2007

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

Falkland Primary is a good school where the pupils make good progress in their learning. Good leadership and management ensure that the pupils are well taught, feel happy and safe at school and develop the personal skills that they need for adult life. They enjoy coming to school, behave well and are enthusiastic about their learning.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

Children enter the school with standards which overall are in line with national expectations, but the range of attainment covers a broad spectrum. Parents are pleased with the arrangements for introducing the children to school life. The children make good progress in their learning in the Foundation Stage and reach standards that overall are slightly above national expectations for their age. The school’s careful attention to transition into Key Stage 1 and good teaching throughout the school ensure that the children build on this good start to their education. By the end of Year 2, standards are above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics and the pupils make good progress in their learning. The pupils continue to make good progress at Key Stage 2. Standards remain above average in science and mathematics and are well above average in English. However, there are some pupils who do not make such good progress in

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

mathematics as they do in other subjects. Across the school, all groups of children make good progress in their learning, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

The school maintains high standards and good achievement by ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning is good. Lessons typically have clear learning objectives and are delivered at a brisk and challenging pace. Questioning techniques probe the children’s understanding well and help them to explore different ways of reaching solutions and conclusions. There are examples of good marking, but this is inconsistent. In particular, teachers’ comments do not always help the pupils to see what they need to do to improve their work in the future. Robust monitoring arrangements are effective in promoting good practice and identifying areas for development. These reveal that the teaching of basic skills in mathematics could be improved. The effective steps being taken to remedy this is evidence of good leadership and management across the school.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good, showing improvement since the last inspection. It covers statutory requirements well and the broad range of subjects includes the study of modern foreign languages. Opportunities to develop skills in literacy are clear across the curriculum and in the themed days which the children respond to enthusiastically. The school has rightly identified the need to provide further opportunities across the curriculum to develop skills in numeracy. Improvements in provision for global citizenship, enhanced by links with a school in Uganda, are beginning to enrich the curriculum provision well. This makes an important contribution to the outstanding quality of cultural education in the school. The curriculum also benefits from the developing provision for able, gifted and talented pupils and for information and communication technology. The school has fruitful links with other schools and organisations in the local area and provides the pupils

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

with a good range of visits and residential trips. Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 April 2007 The quality of personal development and well-being is good. Attendance is well above average. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their education and behave very well in lessons and around the school. They have a clear sense of right and wrong and get on well with one another and with the adults in the school. Social, moral and spiritual development is outstanding. The pupils contribute well to their local community through charitable activities and are developing a sound understanding of global issues. This links effectively with the good development of skills for their future economic well-being. The pupils enthusiastically participate in a wide range of clubs and activities. Members of the School Council are proud of their achievements, such as purchasing benches for the school. However, they also feel frustrated that their

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

meetings have been infrequent and opportunities to develop their role in the school have not always been followed through effectively. Pupils feel safe and are confident that they can share their problems and concerns with adults in the school. This is because the quality of care, guidance and support is good. The school knows its pupils well and provision for their particular needs is good. Pupils generally meet the challenging targets set for them by the school and their achievement is good.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

The key to the school’s success is the good quality of leadership and management throughout the school. The headteacher provides very good leadership and has the confidence of the staff, pupils and parents. He has established a style of leadership and management that involves many staff taking responsibility for initiatives and developments. This creates a sense of common purpose, genuine collaboration and a determination to move forward. The school’s priorities are identified after careful consultation with staff and governors. The good governing body provides effective challenge and support. Good leadership in the Foundation Stage ensures that children make a flying start in their education. The school has progressed well since the last inspection, particularly in terms of developing the curriculum, sustaining the quality of teaching and learning and increasing the number of staff involved in the

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

leadership and management of all aspects of the school’s work. The school knows itself well and plans strategically to create a firm base for sustained improvement, the capacity for which is good.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

The inspection evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement and standards; teaching and learning; personal development and well-being; leadership and management. The inspection gathered evidence from discussions with teachers, governors and pupils, questionnaires from parents, lesson observations and the scrutiny of appropriate documentation. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self- evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report. Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 April 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

 Improve the pupils’ achievement in mathematics

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What the school should do to improve further

 Ensure that assessment information engages the pupils in their work and helps them to understand the next steps to take in their learning

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What the school should do to improve further

 Provide the pupils with more opportunities to contribute to the running of the school.

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procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available

from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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2

The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements 2

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2

The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community 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?

How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 2

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2

Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements?

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Yes

Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? No

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Yes

1 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.

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Yes

All white boxes must be completed. The grey boxes are used wherever the inspection team has sufficient evidence to come to a secure judgement.

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Inspection of Falkland Primary School, Newbury, RG14 6NU

Thank you for the warm welcome that you gave me when I visited you recently. It was a real pleasure to meet you and discuss your thoughts and feelings about the school.

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Inspection of Falkland Primary School, Newbury, RG14 6NU

Falkland is a good school with many strengths. I agree with you that you are well looked after by the staff in the school, who make sure that you are happy and feel safe. Lots of teachers have responsibility in the school for being in charge of things. They all work together very well to make sure that you get a good education. Teaching in the school is good and you reach high standards in national curriculum tests, making good progress in your learning. The school makes sure that they give you interesting and relevant work to do and you enjoy the themed work, for example on the Egyptians and the Victorians, and the trips and residential visits that you make.

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Inspection of Falkland Primary School, Newbury, RG14 6NU

I have asked the school to improve a few things. Although you do well in mathematics, some of you do not get such good results in this as in other subjects. The school is working hard to improve this. I have also asked the school to make sure that marking always shows you what you need to do to improve your work. The last thing that I would like the school to do involves you. I think that the School Council should meet more regularly and have a bigger role in the running of the school. You can help the school to do this by joining in discussions about how it should develop.

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