Summerfields Primary School

Inspection Report Summerfields Primary School

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118178 Unique Reference Number Isle of Wight Local Authority 291042 Inspection number 5 °6 March 2007 Inspection dates Michael Pye 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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Atkinson Drive School address Primary Type of school Newport Community School category PO30 2LJ 4 °9 Age range of pupils 01983 525085 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01983 532476 Fax number 112 Number on roll (school) Mr John Littleton Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Kay Wood Headteacher 26 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291042 5 °6 March 2007 4°9 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 a smaller than average school which is situated on the outskirts of the county town. Pupils come from a mix of social and economic backgrounds and the number of pupils entitled to free school meals is well below average. Pupils are of White British heritage and there are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below average, and one pupil has a statement of special educational need. In recent times the school underwent a period of staffing disruption from which it has now recovered. The school is recognised as an Investors in People organisation and has the Healthy School Award and Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This school provides a good education for its pupils. Despite the demanding circumstances of recent times the very able leadership of the current headteacher has enabled the school to maintain above average standards. This has been done whilst delivering high quality personal development and well-being, and care, support and guidance. There is a good capacity to improve the school further. Pupils enter the good Reception area with skills and knowledge that are expected of their age. Good transition arrangements help to ensure that most children enter Year 1 confidently and settle to their work quickly. Pupils behave very well and adopt positive attitudes which contribute to the good standards and achievement at the end of Year 2. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 progress well and many are working at levels above those expected for their age. Pupils also progress well because they receive consistently good teaching. Rigorous

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Grade: 2

monitoring of lessons by senior leaders has improved the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers plan well, and lessons help meet the different learning needs of pupils. There are inconsistencies in the degree to which pupils are given opportunities to become more independent through developing their critical thinking skills, for example, by raising their own questions about the work they are doing. At the heart of the outstanding personal development and well-being of pupils are the high quality relationships that are developed. This is reflected in the way the pupils care for each other, for example, older pupils take responsibility for looking after younger children. Pupils demonstrate their enjoyment of school, applauding the achievements of others, whilst rising to the daily challenges in lessons. As one pupil said, 'I like it when you do hard sums'. The pupils' knowledge of how to stay healthy

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Grade: 2

and safe is outstanding, and reflects the way that such messages are interwoven effectively throughout the good curriculum. Senior leadership within the school carry out some excellent monitoring and self-evaluation. Consequently very clear targets for improvement are identified, and challenging attainment targets are set. Good management has also established a very open, outward-looking school. Staff are increasingly being involved in management tasks, but there is a need to develop their monitoring roles further, for example in checking on the quality of teaching and learning. The school knows the needs of all pupils very well and, therefore, provides excellent care and support, ensuring that pupils thrive within a safe and secure environment. There are outstanding links with a wide range of external agencies and partners that benefit pupils' learning and care. The academic guidance of pupils has been very

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Grade: 2

effectively developed, with pupils aware of their targets, and using them well to improve their work.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the role of middle managers. 2 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007 • Provide more consistent opportunities for pupils to become more independent learners through developing their critical thinking skills.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average and pupils achieve well. Children enter Reception with skills and understanding which are broadly as expected for their age. They get a good start to their education in this Foundation Stage year. By the time they move to Year 1 most have achieved the learning goals expected, and many have exceeded them. Very good tracking of pupils' progress contributes to their good achievement. Standards in the 2006 assessments at the end of Year 2 are well above average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. Work seen in the current Year 2 during the inspection confirms these above average standards. Pupils' positive attitudes also contribute to their good progress. The school has identified that some boys' writing is not progressing as well as it might. Actions taken are already having an impact. Boys are being motivated by such strategies as use of a wider selection of books that appeal

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Grade: 2

to them, as well as an approach which gives them opportunities to write about a variety of topics. Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress towards their personal targets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. From the Reception class onwards the pupils make choices and talk readily and excitedly about their views and their contributions to life both inside and outside school. Overwhelmingly, parents confirm that their children enjoy school. Pupils are very active during breaks and have regular swimming lessons. Crucially, in 'theme weeks' as well as in all subjects, there are effective reinforcements of messages about healthy lifestyles and how to stay safe. Pupils' knowledge is, consequently, outstanding. They talk in detail about healthy Indian food, for example, as well as keeping safe in science, physical education and other lessons. Pupils feel valued, and the school council takes part in some effective decision making. Their contributions to the community are outstanding. Pupils raise money for many charities, but also have close links with many other schools, including

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Grade: 1

a special school and the local hospice. Their good basic skills, including the improvements to skills in information and communication technology since the last inspection, help prepare pupils well for their future. A mini-enterprise scheme contributes significantly to their growing economic awareness. Pupils' social and moral development is outstanding. Their spiritual and cultural education is good. There are inconsistent opportunities for pupils to reflect in class. 3 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers benefit from some excellent monitoring and feedback that enables them to improve their practice. At the heart of most lessons is the very good quality of relationships between adults and pupils. As one parent wrote, 'It is a friendly and welcoming school, it manages behaviour effectively and in a manner that is understanding.' This reflects the secure pupil management skills of teachers. It also enables them to use a range of teaching methods, including games and interactive white boards, to help motivate pupils and meet the different learning styles of pupils. More group work is used since the last inspection and teachers are making good use of on-going assessment to plan the next step in pupils' learning. Whilst targets have been successfully promoted in lessons, and pupils know them well, there are some missed opportunities to refer to them in teachers' marking.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, with some very strong features. Recent changes to the topics have increased the enjoyment and motivation of pupils. This has had a good impact on meeting the needs of all pupils, particularly boys, when writing. Pupils who learn best through practical experiences benefit well during the good theme days and weeks, on topics such as staying safe and keeping healthy. Pupils who enjoy a problem-solving approach enjoy these challenges in subjects such as maths and science. However in curriculum plans there are missed opportunities to develop the deeper critical thinking skills of pupils. Very good breadth to the curriculum comes from the weekly activity afternoon. This allows pupils to mix with other age groups and access new skills in areas such as gardening, sports, drama, art and sewing. The curriculum meets the needs of the local community well; in particular when the public were invited to visit the World War 2

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Grade: 2

museum day run by Year 4 pupils. Through the personal, health and social education programme pupils benefit well from visitors like the police and ethnic minority representatives. Pupils' knowledge of the wider community is well developed from some very active links with Africa.

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Grade: 1

The school maximises the advantages of its small size. The pupils and their families are very well known and this allows the quick identification of any need for additional support. The transition arrangements both into and out of the school are particularly strong. Consequently Reception children settle quickly, and achieve well, not only personally and socially, but also academically. Very close links with the middle school contribute effectively to pupils' smooth transition to the next phase of their education. 4 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007 The excellent personal development of pupils also helps them prepare well for when they leave the school. The Inclusion Manager tracks the progress of pupils with special educational needs well and this enables support to be quickly provided. The school works closely with an excellent range of external agencies for the benefit of the pupils. For example,

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Grade: 1

Family Learning and Family Support services are on site, reflecting the outward-looking approach of the school. Additionally, the academic guidance provided for pupils is of a high quality. In this very caring environment pupils thrive both academically and pastorally. Health and safety concerns are very well addressed, and child protection procedures are secure and comprehensive.

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Grade: 2

The current headteacher's very good leadership skills have guided the school's development extremely well since the period of significant disruption. Outstanding monitoring and self-evaluation takes place and very relevant developmental priorities are set. The quality of teaching has been improved, and new tracking systems enable the school to monitor pupils' progress effectively and set them challenging targets. Consequently pupils are challenged appropriately, achieve well, and attain high standards. Whilst some moves have been made to distribute more responsibility to middle managers, such as the inclusion manager, the school has realised the need to develop their managerial roles further. In particular this would allow more formal monitoring such as lesson observations. There is no evidence to support the views of the very few parents who felt that the school did not listen to their views. A wide range of views are sought prior to

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Grade: 2

establishing the school development plan, including parent and pupil questionnaires. One consequence is that the school is developing an induction booklet for new parents. Governors are well involved in development planning. There are a number of recently appointed governors, and a more formal cycle of school visits is helping to add to their knowledge of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 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: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 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?

1 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 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: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 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: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You will remember my recent visit to your school. You were very prepared to tell me about your opinions about the school and how you enjoy it so much. Thank you. I agree with you that your school provides you with a good standard of education. There are some things that it does which are very good indeed. You are asked to work hard, and you do. Keep it up! You told me that lessons are 'fun', and I agree with you that teaching is good. As a result you learn quickly, and the standard of your work is better than many other children of your age. I have asked the school to give you even more chance to become 'critical thinkers' and be more independent. This means, for example, that you are able to ask questions about your own work. I particularly liked the way you are able to explain in detail about keeping healthy and staying safe. Also, the way you are so keen to take on responsibility and get involved in the local

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

community is very good. Well done to Year 4 - your Second World War museum was a great success! You told me that you feel safe in school, and I agree that the adults care for you extremely well. The school works hard to find a very wide range of people outside the school to help you. The links with the middle school are very good. I also feel that your work with the hospice and local special school is valuable because it helps you understand about other people outside the school. I like the way you behave so well, and that you care for each other. The school is very good at helping you to develop as a person, and in encouraging you to get along with others. The school is well led. I have asked that some adults who are in charge of your learning get more experience so they can do the job even better. I wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely, Michael Pye Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Summerfields Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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