Weyford Nursery and Primary School

116018 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290395 Inspection number 25 °26 April 2007 Inspection dates John Earish 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 265 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Beasley Chair Mrs R Langham Headteacher 10 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection Washford Lane School address Bordon GU35 0ET

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01420 473142 Telephone number 01420 478915 Fax number

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7 °11 Age group 25 °26 April 2007 Inspection dates 290395 Inspection number .

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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

This average sized school is situated in Bordon, where social circumstances are less favourable than other areas of East Hampshire. The school admits pupils from a wide variety of social backgrounds. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups fluctuates from year by year but is well below average. There are 12 pupils who are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Just under a third of the pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities which is above average, and one has a statement of special educational need. The numbers joining and leaving the school at times other than the norm is much higher than average. The acting headteacher has been appointed to lead the school from the beginning of next term.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school where pupils make good progress. It is successful because it is well led and managed and teaching and learning are good. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive. One parent commented, 'My son, who has specific learning needs used to really hate school but since he has moved here he looks forward to coming to school and is making good progress.' Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress given their below average starting points because they are well taught and enjoy the challenging activities planned for them. Standards are broadly average by the end of Year 6. The school has successfully addressed the recent underachievement of some of the higher attaining pupils in English and is increasing the percentage achieving the higher level 5. Teaching is good, especially in the way teachers plan to meet the needs of all groups of pupils. However, in some lessons the teaching provides insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn

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Grade: 2

independently which results in a slower pace of learning. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils are proud of their school and make a good contribution to its smooth running by taking on wide-ranging extra responsibilities. They are enthusiastic about learning because teachers are good at increasing their confidence and self esteem. Most pupils now attend regularly because there are effective systems in place to ensure regular attendance. Care, guidance and support are good and the pastoral aspects are outstanding. The school keeps a close check on pupils' all-round development and they receive good support whatever their ability. Procedures to secure the health, safety and welfare of pupils are good. As a result, pupils report that they feel safe and find the staff approachable. There are excellent partnerships with the community including the local infant school and with outside agencies to promote

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Grade: 2

learners' well-being. In addition, the school is good at absorbing high numbers of new pupils, quickly identifies their learning needs and supports them effectively. The curriculum is of good quality and contributes to pupils' good levels of enjoyment. A good range of lunchtime and after school clubs, including sports and music, adds to the richness of experiences. The development of pupils' personal skills is a high priority and a well planned personal, social and health education curriculum is strong and promotes these skills effectively. Leadership and management are good. The acting headteacher has been very effective at holding the reins during the absence of the headteacher. She has maintained a strong sense of community and team work and is well supported by staff and governors. The school leaders are good at analysing assessment information and other test data, the results of which they use well to highlight potential areas of underachievement and ensure that work is well matched

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Grade: 2

to individual needs. The school has rightly recognised the need to increase the opportunities for subject leaders to check on the ways pupils are learning to ensure that work is sufficiently challenging. The school leaders' track record of identifying and tackling weaknesses and their very clear view of what needs to be done means that they have good capacity for future improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve some aspects of learning by ensuring that teachers give pupils more opportunities to work independently. • Provide more opportunities for subject leaders to check on the ways pupils are learning within their areas of responsibility. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards are broadly average. Pupils start school with skills and abilities that are below average, with particular weaknesses in writing, speaking and listening. They make good progress in all areas of the curriculum and attain broadly average standards by the end of Year 6. The school has successfully addressed a dip in the percentage attaining the higher level 5 in English last year and is on track to achieve its challenging targets this year. The school's monitoring data shows that all groups of pupils are now making good progress across all classes. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those whose first language is not English also make good progress and achieve well. This occurs because they are given very good quality help and support both in and out of the classroom.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good because the school has developed a strong community spirit where pupils show positive and friendly relationships towards each other. They enjoy coming to school and their attitudes to learning are excellent. Pupils always listen carefully to their teachers, are very keen to make thoughtful contributions and want to do well. They behave well and are confident that incidents of poor behaviour or bullying are dealt with well. The importance of making healthy eating choices and taking regular exercise are well understood. Members of the school council take their responsibilities seriously and older pupils are very proud of their work as prefects, team leaders and peer mediators. Attendance is just below the national average and improving. The school has effective systems in place to raise parents' awareness of the importance of regular attendance. While basic skills

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Grade: 2

are average, pupils work together cooperatively and leave the school as confident well-rounded individuals, well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good because teachers know pupils well, have high expectations of them and plan work that matches their individual needs and capabilities. They use questioning skills well to discover the full extent of pupils' understanding. They use pupils' responses successfully to consolidate previous learning, clarify new ideas and to move pupils on to more challenging work. For example, during a Year 5 mathematics lesson pupils were encouraged to explain their methods of calculation to their friends who then went on to explore different ways of getting the same result. As a result, pupils enjoy learning and achieve well because the work is challenging. Although pupils enjoy working independently, teachers do not always give them sufficient opportunities to work in this way and be responsible for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. The school provides an interesting and well planned range of activities that contribute very effectively to pupils' learning and enjoyment of school. Provision for information and communication technology is a real strength. Pupils have many opportunities 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007 to apply and practise their skills and make use off these to support work in other subjects. A good range of support programmes boosts the progress of pupils with learning difficulties and pupils who speak English as an additional language. More able pupils are also well catered for. The school has started revising the curriculum to promote greater creativity by making links between subjects, for example through 'focus weeks'. However, this is not yet complete. Pupils' personal development is promoted very well through an effective programme of activities to develop pupils understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. In addition, there are a wide

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Grade: 2

range of visits to places of interest, visitors to school and after school clubs. These greatly enrich pupils' experiences and enhance their learning, broaden their horizons and also contribute very effectively to their personal development.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good and pastoral aspects are outstanding. The monitoring of pupils' personal development through class profiles is excellent as provides adults with comprehensive picture of progress in all areas of development. The support for pupils with learning difficulties as well as for pupils new to English is extensive, well planned and effective in meeting their individual needs. The procedures for safeguarding children are robust and comprehensive and the school has very good procedures to ensure pupils' medical and personal needs are met. As a result, pupils feel safe and secure and parents are confident that their children will be well cared for. Academic guidance for pupils is good. The effective systems for tracking pupils' progress mean that the school is quickly able to identify those who are at risk of underachieving and to then provide the necessary support. The recently introduced system for target setting and marking

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Grade: 2

is helping pupils to know well what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The acting headteacher provides very good leadership and has maintained the strong team work which underpins much of the school's success. She has ensured that the gains from initiatives started by the headteacher to improve pupils' achievement have been sustained and enhanced. She is ably supported in this by the senior management team. They have a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and have taken effective action to bring about improvement. For example, by introducing new self assessment procedures so that pupils have a clearer understanding of what they must do to improve their work. The school development plan clearly sets out the correct priorities for improvement and provides a useful framework for action and review. Teaching and learning are monitored regularly. However, subject leaders do not have sufficient opportunities for checking that pupils are working independently and taking responsibility for

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Grade: 2

their own learning. Governors are keen for the school to do well and continually hold the school to account for its work. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 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 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? 3 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 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 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 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?

2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 May 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Weyford Junior School, Washford Lane, Bordon, GU35 0ET Following our visit to your school we would like to tell you what we think about how well you are getting on and how well your school is helping you to learn. There are lots of things that we like about your school. Some of them are: • you make good progress and are enthusiastic about your lessons and other school activities • your school is friendly and welcoming and you behave really well and are friendly towards each other • you told us that you really like your teachers and that they make learning fun and some of you talked about how they help you when you don't understand things • the school council represents your views well and you all help the school to run smoothly • we were particularly impressed with the way you worked as prefects and mentors. We think that you are given a good education which prepares you well for the next stage of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your learning. To make it even better, however, we have asked your teachers to give you more opportunities to work independently and take responsibility for your learning. Your headteacher also wants the teachers to keep an even closer check on how well you are learning in their subjects so that the school can become outstanding in all respects. John Earish Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Weyford Junior School, 25 °26 April 2007

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