Claygate Primary School

Inspection Report Claygate Primary School

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125108 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 293197 Inspection number 6 °7 February 2007 Inspection dates Brian Evans 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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Foley Road School address Primary Type of school Claygate Community School category Esher KT10 0NB 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01372 465348 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01372 462823 Fax number 374 Number on roll (school) Mr Andrew Paterson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Darryl Taylor Headteacher 4 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 293197 6 °7 February 2007 4°11 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Claygate Primary is a popular, oversubscribed school of above average size. The number of pupils on roll is increasing as the school moves from one and a half to two forms of entry. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Small numbers of pupils are from British Asian and Black African heritages. There are few pupils with English as an additional language. Pupils come from above average social circumstances and the proportion eligible for free school meals is below average. Attainment on entry to the school is above average and the school has a similar number of pupils with learning difficulties as in most other schools. The school is accredited with the 'Healthy Schools', 'Investors in People', and the 'Activemark Gold' Awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Claygate accurately perceives itself as an effective school. Standards are high and pupils achieve well. Attitudes of pupils to learning are an important factor in their success; they want to do well and use the resources in the school very effectively. Pupils' personal development and well-being are excellent. Attendance is above average. Care, support and guidance are good. The drive to help children to be independent promotes good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A very high proportion of pupils participate enthusiastically in the very wide range of clubs, music and drama activities provided by the school. Active, healthy lifestyles are a characteristic feature of both adults and pupils. They contribute to the very good relationships and strong personal and social skills in the school community. Behaviour is excellent and exclusions are very rare. Another factor contributing to pupils'

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Grade: 2

achievement is the support they receive from parents and carers. A few are concerned about meeting the needs of all groups of pupils, particularly in the mixed age classes, and others about the quality of communication between school and home. However, the overwhelming parental view is that of contentment with the school. One child's parents stated 'We feel Claygate should be highly commended for their inclusion of all children regardless of their learning difficulty or disability'. All children are given a good start to their education in the Foundation stage. They settle in quickly because teaching and learning are good and learning activities are planned within a good curriculum to meet the needs of individual children. Teachers have benefited from close working partnerships with two federations of primary schools in the local area. Teachers are also accredited to support university student trainees

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Grade: 2

in their classrooms and gain positively from this opportunity to reflect on their teaching, further benefiting pupils' learning. Good leadership from the headteacher and his deputy have led to significant improvements in English, mathematics and science resulting in standards rising sharply over the past three years. Writing standards have improved significantly because of careful assessment and tracking of pupils' writing throughout the school. Leadership and management are good. Self-evaluation by staff and governors is good and gives the school a clear view of its strengths and weaknesses. Senior managers recognise that in some curriculum areas there is inconsistency in the use of assessment to support learning and setting targets for individual pupils. A new management structure, established this academic year addresses this and other issues. It involves all staff taking responsibility for monitoring progress and evaluating a range of

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Grade: 2

cross-curricular innovations to support learning. The impact of the new arrangements has not yet been assessed partly because it is still fairly new but also because monitoring and evaluation procedures for judging its effectiveness are not yet robust enough. The school responded well to the issues raised in the last inspection. Information and communication technology (ICT) is now an integral part of a pupil's learning experience. Given its recent track record, the strong leadership team and the quality of work observed, the school's capacity to improve is good. 2 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend the good practice in assessing and monitoring progress in writing to other curriculum areas. • Ensure that there are robust monitoring procedures for measuring the impact of the new management structure on standards and achievement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and standards are high. Children in the Foundation Stage attain the expected goals by the end of the Reception year and the proportion is above that found nationally. In Years 1 and 2 pupils achieve well and standards are above average by the end of Year 2. Girls attain higher standards than boys, but the difference is less than that found nationally. Literacy, numeracy, and writing standards in particular, have improved because teachers implement strategies which successfully motivate all groups of pupils to improve their basic skills. Between Years 3 and 6, pupils continue to achieve well and the proportion of pupils achieving the higher level 5 in national tests at the end of Year 6 is high in English, mathematics and science. There is a clear rising trend in the school's performance in these subject areas because of effective measures taken by the headteacher. In science, standards in all years have risen as a

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Grade: 2

result of improvements in teachers' subject knowledge and more effective teaching. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve well, thanks to the effective arrangements to support them. The small number of pupils who do not speak English as a first language make good progress. The school meets its challenging targets and constantly strives to drive standards up.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being is outstanding. Positive attitudes and an enthusiasm for learning are present throughout the school. Pupils really enjoy all aspects of school life and this is confirmed by their good attendance. As one child said, 'The school is fun; teachers prepare us for later life. If we are not doing well they give us advice and help us to improve'. Pupils demonstrate the school's values by respecting others and developing personal responsibility. Bullying is rare but pupils state that when it does happen it is dealt with very effectively. Members of the school council take their responsibilities very seriously on behalf of others, 'We have to decide carefully, the school is not made of money'. Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and this is a characteristic that contributes to the excellent behaviour around the school. Pupils are extremely knowledgeable about healthy, active lifestyles and a high

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Grade: 1

proportion participate before, during and after school in an excellent range of club and sporting activities. A factor in their success is that staff, visiting specialists and parents give very generously of their time to these activities and provide excellent role models for the children. The school's strong focus on basic skills contributes well 3 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007 to pupils' economic well-being. Pupils raise considerable amounts of money for a wide range of charities.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are making good progress because they enjoy learning and teaching is effective. Typically in most classes there is a very busy working atmosphere with children clearly settled and engaged in a range of activities which lead to good achievement. Teachers sustain a disciplined working atmosphere whilst maintaining a friendly good-humoured approach which is appreciated by pupils. New resources such as interactive whiteboards help to enliven teaching. Teaching assistants work well in partnership with teachers, make an important contribution to learning, and effectively support all pupils including those with learning difficulties and disabilities and those at an early stage of learning English. However, there are some inconsistencies between teachers in the quality of marking and in their assessment of pupils' work which the school has recognised and is addressing through its school development plan.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, enhanced by specialist music and French teaching. It is planned effectively to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. A key strength of the provision the school makes is the wide and extensive range of extra curricular activities. These are very popular and enrich pupils' learning. Residential trips for Key Stage 2 pupils, including one to a farm in Devon, add considerably to their personal development and their learning of subjects such as geography. The school has responded well to weaknesses in provision for ICT found at the time of the last inspection. Significant improvements have been made and pupils now enjoy the greater access afforded by the new computer room and the new equipment in their classrooms. The school recognises in its development plan the need to increase further the flexibility and creativity of its timetabled curriculum. Teachers are working in small

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Grade: 2

teams so as to introduce a wider variety of approaches to teaching and learning.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The care that pupils receive is excellent. Secure risk assessment procedures ensure that pupils are taught in a safe and welcoming environment. A parent stated that 'the school places enormous emphasis on the development and happiness of the overall child. It deals effectively with any suspicion of bullying or discomfort'. There are many initiatives which help pupils to understand how to stay safe and healthy. Child protection procedures are rigorous and any concerns are quickly followed up. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good. Pupils' 4 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007 academic progress is regularly monitored although the use of assessment by teachers for setting appropriate learning targets for individual pupils are not consistently applied. A small minority of parents feel that the school's communication links with them on

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Grade: 2

their child's progress are not clear although a very high proportion are happy with the reporting arrangements.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The head teacher provides clear direction for moving the school forward in partnership with governors and staff. He communicates well his clear vision for raising standards to staff, resulting in good teamwork and a strong shared commitment to strive for excellence. Following wide consultation a new management structure has been introduced this academic year which enables all staff, working in curriculum development teams, to take responsibility for sustaining the rise in standards that the school has made over the past three years. Leaders have already begun to broaden teachers' thinking on curriculum design and on teaching and learning styles. A new scheme of work for physical education has been agreed and successfully implemented in a comparatively short time. However, it is not clear at this stage how the impact of the new structure on achievement is to be monitored

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Grade: 2

and evaluated. School self-evaluation processes are linked well to development planning and to a programme for professional development. Links with other educational institutions and university education departments are very good and provide an important input to discussion on learning and achievement. Governors fulfil their responsibilities well and contribute effectively to the needs of the school. Financial management and accounting are exemplary. 5 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 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: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 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 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? 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 1 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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 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: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us so warmly to your school and for being so eager to tell us about your work. We enjoyed our visit very much and think that Claygate Primary is a good school. There are many things about your school that we like very much. • We were very impressed by your enthusiasm and cheerfulness and how keen so many of you are to take part in music, drama and sports activities before, during and after school. • Teachers teach well. You like your teachers, listen carefully to them and try your best. As a result you make good progress, particularly in your literacy skills, by the time you leave the school. • You say to us that you feel really safe and happy at school. You are kind to one another. • There are good examples of your work in the classrooms and around the school. Photographs of your activities on display around the school are very good. For example, we liked those of the visit to the farm in Devon.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• The headteacher and his staff, with your support, are ensuring that the school is continuing to improve. To make the school even better we have asked: • teachers to look again at the targets that they set you in your work so that they are not too hard or too easy for you to achieve. You can help by always telling your teachers when you do not understand the work you are given or by saying when it is too easy • your headteacher to check regularly that changes made in the way that the school is organised are ones that give you the opportunity to make even better progress. Thank you again and best wishes for the future to all of you. Yours sincerely Brian Evans Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Claygate Primary School, 6 °7 February 2007

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