Ewhurst CofE Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School

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125181 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 293217 Inspection number 21 °22 November 2006 Inspection dates George Rayner 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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The Street School address Infant Type of school Ewhurst Voluntary aided School category Cranleigh GU6 7PX 4 °7 Age range of pupils 01483 277291 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01483 548338 Fax number 70 Number on roll (school) Mr Bob Arnold Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jane Dyer Headteacher 22 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 293217 21 °22 November 2006 4°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 village school is much smaller than most. There is some variation in pupils' socio-economic circumstances, but most are from advantaged backgrounds. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage, with none at an early stage of speaking English. Most pupils enter the Foundation Stage with standards at the expected level. A below average proportion have learning difficulties or disabilities. The school has Investors in People and Healthy Schools status. It is also recognised within the local authority by a Working Partnership with Parents Award. Although managed separately, an after school club uses the school's accommodation to provide registered day care for pupils and former pupils.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with outstanding features. Parents agree and say that the school provides a very good start to their children's education. It turns its small size into an asset, so that all pupils are very well known and highly valued. All of their personal and learning needs are very well provided for and they receive extremely good guidance and support. As a result, pupils feel very secure, grow rapidly in confidence and succeed well. They enjoy school very much and get on very well with each other. They learn well how to be safe and healthy and eagerly join in with school life and activities in the wider community. One parent summed it up by commenting, 'My daughter loves going to school and is very confident'. The weakest area of pupils' personal development is their understanding of other cultures, which is satisfactory. Provision and quality are outstanding in the Foundation Stage, where encouragement

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Grade: 2

for children to become independent begins very early. Extremely stimulating activities and energetic, imaginative teaching captivate children and encourage them to become fast learners. As a result, children make excellent progress in their learning and social development, which stands them in very good stead as they enter Year 1. Pupils achieve well in Years 1 and 2 to reach above average standards. They make very good progress in writing and mathematics. This is because teachers are very clear about how pupils need to build upon their knowledge and skills. Teachers also use assessment very well to make sure that all pupils receive the help that they need. Although most pupils achieve well in reading, their progress is slower than in writing, so that standards are slightly above average. In reading, teachers have not helped pupils to build upon their skills and understanding as well as in writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher, well supported by her staff, has a very clear understanding of what is needed to improve and is very ambitious to secure this. The school's track record, which shows good overall improvement in standards since the last inspection shows that its capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in reading to match those in writing and mathematics. • Help pupils to improve their understanding of other cultures.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well to reach above average standards by Year 2. In the Foundation Stage children respond very well to challenging tasks, to make rapid strides in their mathematical and linguistic development. In Years 1 and 2 pupils show well above average writing standards in their very good use of vocabulary and interesting and varied styles. Most pupils are very confident in mental mathematics and proficient at choosing effective ways to tackle problems. Pupils' understanding of what they read and their ability to talk about this are not as strong as their other learning. Recent 2 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006 improvements to the way reading is taught and workshops to help parents to guide their children at home, have not yet had sufficient time to have full impact. The school succeeds in ensuring that no group of pupils achieves less well than others. For example,

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Grade: 2

pupils with learning difficulties make good progress because teachers plan effectively for their needs and support assistants help to provide good additional help.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In the Foundation Stage children quickly learn how to be independent and develop very good learning habits. In all years pupils are willing to learn and they concentrate well on their work. Pupils say emphatically that they enjoy school. When asked what they like best, a group said, 'Everything!' When asked what they would like to improve, they wanted more of the activities that they already enjoy such as the 'Activ Kids' club and the Rector's assemblies. Pupils confidently explain why a healthy diet and exercise are important. They know the school rules and can explain why these are important to ensure that all are safe and learn well. Pupils say that a few can be silly at times, but that they improve their behaviour quickly when asked to. Pupils take their responsibilities as school councillors seriously. They are

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Grade: 2

pleased that they are asked for their suggestions for charities to support. The confidence and ability that pupils develop to work together and share their ideas, together with the good progress that they make in their learning, prepare them well for their futures. The close relationship with the local parish church helps pupils to develop a good understanding of their own culture, but they are much less knowledgeable about how life can differ in other cultures.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan well to provide a variety of interesting activities that encourage pupils' interest and concentration. Because teachers know their pupils well, and teamwork between themselves and support assistants is good, pupils who need extra help receive this quickly. Teachers mark work with encouraging comments to boost pupils' confidence and tips to help them to improve. In many lessons, teachers encourage pupils to assess for themselves how well they have succeeded. This helps pupils to see what they need to do to improve. Teachers make good use of group work to make sure that the challenge is well matched to pupils' abilities. Recent improvements to planning are beginning to improve pupils' reading standards. Occasionally, teachers do not ensure that all pupils are fully involved in discussions. The very best teaching is in the Foundation Stage, where it is excellent.

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Grade: 2

Here, highly imaginative and energetic teaching, with very effective use of resources such as toys and interactive whiteboards, often enthrals children and makes them very 3 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006 eager to learn. In Years 1 and 2, teaching and learning are often very good, but not so consistently so.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum. Pupils' transition from the Reception class to Year 1 is well planned. This helps them to adapt to new challenges by starting with familiar activities such as learning through play and gradually increasing more academic ones as they develop maturity and confidence. A new outdoor learning area for Year 1 is beginning to contribute well to their personal development, as staff gain expertise in using it, under the guidance of Foundation Stage staff. The school has considerably improved provision for information and communication technology since the last inspection. So far this has had the greatest impact in literacy and numeracy, but plans are well in hand to ensure that computers are used well in all subjects. The school's programme of personal and social development is well focused on helping pupils to develop emotional security and confidence. Although a small

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Grade: 2

school, it succeeds in providing a good range of well-attended clubs to enrich pupils' learning. Themed weeks often provide good opportunities for pupils to pull together what they learn in different subjects. A recent 'Around the World in Five Days' activity shows that there are good individual opportunities for pupils to develop awareness of other cultures, but too few of these are planned.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. The school is a close-knit family community in which all pupils are very well known and cared for. Pupils respond by being very secure, confident and caring of each other. Procedures for ensuring pupils' safety are diligently carried out and the systems for recording these are highly efficient. The school has greatly improved the use of assessment information to guide and support pupils, so that it is now a significant strength in all years. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is very good. All relevant information is circulated to key people and a wide range of services is used effectively to ensure that pupils have the high quality support that they need.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is very ambitious for the school and her very good leadership provides clear direction. There is a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff and the role of subject leaders has improved. Governors are well informed, supportive of the school's leadership and are willing to question and challenge when necessary. 4 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006 The school makes excellent use of its links with other organisations and local schools. Advice from diocesan and local authority consultants is highly valued. The links help the school in its self-evaluation, which is effective and accurate. The monitoring of teaching and learning is systematic and the views of parents and pupils are sought. This has already led to strong improvement in mathematics, which was the weakest subject, but is now the strongest. The school is working effectively to raise reading

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Grade: 2

standards by, for example, using the excellent practice in the Foundation Stage as a model for improvement in other years. 5 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006 .

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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: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006

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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? 1 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 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

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: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006

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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: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me to your school recently. I really enjoyed my visit. I was able to see that yours is a good school. Some things are very good indeed. Your school is much smaller than most others. The teachers and other grown ups who help them use this very well indeed to care for you. They know you all very well and work hard to make sure that you are safe and happy. You help them a lot in this, because you get on so well together and I could see that you care for each other. Some of you told me that you really enjoy everything about school. You help your teachers greatly by behaving well and being willing to join in and work hard. The Reception class is one of the best that I have seen. The work that I saw there was very exciting and I could see that the Reception children loved what you were doing. You quickly learn how to work together and think for yourselves. In Years 1 and 2 you make good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This is because the teachers are good at giving you interesting things to do and make sure you get all the help that you need. You do very well in writing and mathematics. You do almost as well in reading, but you can do even better. The teachers know they can help you to do this by giving you more chances to talk about what you read, to help you to understand it. The Headteacher leads the school very well and knows how to make it even better. All of the other adults help her well by working together as a good team. I have asked the school to improve one other thing. This is to give you more opportunities to learn about how people from other cultures live. Well done to you all and very best wishes. George Rayner Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School, 21 °22 November 2006

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