Lancastrian Infant School

Lancastrian Infants' School Inspection report

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125822 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 293368 Inspection number 12 June 2007 Inspection date Janet Sinclair 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 131 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Val Hughes Chair Nicky Northen Headteacher 13 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection Orchard Gardens School address Chichester PO19 1DG

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01243 782818 Telephone number 01243 530645 Fax number

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4 °7 Age group 12 June 2007 Inspection date 293368 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Pupils join this average-sized infants' school with attainment that is slightly above the expected level for their age. The school provides breakfast and after-school clubs for its own pupils and those from the adjacent Central CE Junior School. There is an average number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Lancastrian is a good school with some outstanding features. The headteacher and staff have succeeded in creating a good learning environment where pupils feel happy and want to do well. They have ensured that pupils' personal development is outstanding through a very strong focus on their needs. Parents are mainly very supportive of the school and its work and appreciate the way their children's ideas are valued and the good progress that they make. As one parent said, 'All children are valued and respected and are thriving academically'. Provision is good in the Reception year, with very good attention to children's personal development and a relevant curriculum, ensuring they become confident, motivated learners who make good progress and reach above the expected levels by the start of Year 1. As one very satisfied parent noted, 'My daughter is very well cared for and has lots of opportunities to learn through play'. Pupils reach well above average standards in reading, writing and

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Grade: 2

mathematics by the end of Year 2 and their achievement is good. This is because of good teaching, much of which is done in small groups, ensuring good attention to pupils' specific needs. Lessons are well planned and organised and relationships are good across the school. However, marking is not yet used well enough to involve pupils in their learning by telling them what they need to do to improve. Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils really enjoy their education and find learning exciting and fun. They are very well behaved, keen and motivated to learn. Older pupils make very good use of the excellent opportunities to exercise their responsibility through, for example, organising events such as the Christmas Fair and the playground buddy 'bus stop'. Care, guidance and support are good overall. The school works very hard to ensure pupils are safe, confident and responsible by giving them a clear voice in what happens in school, such

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Grade: 2

as their involvement in risk assessments for school trips. There are good procedures to ensure their health, safety and well-being. Academic guidance is only satisfactory because, although the school ensures pupils make good progress overall, pupils do not have individual targets to help them improve their work. Additionally, although pupil progress is tracked, it does not show in an easily accessible form how well pupils progress year on year. The curriculum is good and makes good use of a wide range of resources to make it relevant and interesting. There is outstanding curricular enrichment through the range of visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities. Leadership and management are good overall. Leaders have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and take action promptly to address any issues through the school improvement plan. The school has worked hard to maintain standards since the last

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Grade: 2

inspection and has extended the opportunities for pupils' personal development. The school has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve marking so that pupils know what they need to do to improve and ensure improvement takes place as a result. • Improve tracking and target setting so the pupils have greater involvement in their learning and the school has a clearer picture of how well pupils make progress year on year. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Standards are well above average and pupils achieve well. Children start school with wide-ranging abilities which are slightly above the expected levels. They make good progress in Reception and by the end of the year many reach the early learning goals for their age, with some exceeding them. Children benefit from a good start to their school life, with very good attention to their personal social and emotional development and a relevant curriculum. Scores in the Year 2 national assessments have been well above average in most years since the last inspection. There was a dip last year relating mainly to weaknesses in boys' achievement. However, as a result of the school's actions to address this, including more small-group work and a more boy-friendly curriculum, there is a much improved picture. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress towards the targets set in their

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Grade: 1

This is outstanding. Pupils, including children in the Reception classes, thoroughly enjoy school and take great delight in learning. 'We do exciting stuff and I love school,' said a girl from Year 2. Pupils behave well both in class and in the playground. They consider their school to be a good one where they feel safe and free from problems such as bullying. Attendance is good, reflecting their enjoyment of school. Pupils clearly understand about healthy lifestyles and happily participate in 'no crisps' and 'no chocolate' days. At break times pupils are seen taking full advantage of the space and play equipment they have in order to take exercise. They also fully enjoy physical education lessons, after-school clubs involving sport, and events such as the 'Get Active' week. Pupils are very clear about how to stay safe and this is reinforced through their involvement in reviewing health and safety issues and risk assessments for school trips.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' contribution to school life is outstanding. They often show initiative, develop financial awareness and enjoy taking responsibility, as in the Christmas Fair they help organise, the use of their class budget and their contribution to organising parents' evenings. The older pupils act as 'buddies' at the playground 'bus stop', explaining that 'Everybody needs a friend to play with'. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and enables pupils to develop a sensitive approach to life and everyday issues. They are very caring and helpful, respect others and willingly take on responsibility. Pupils develop very good skills that contribute well towards ensuring their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is effective because teachers plan, organise and manage lessons well. They are very well supported by a good complement of teaching assistants and other support staff who provide a good level of small-group work. This is well matched to pupils' needs, ensuring they make good progress in lessons. Coupled with good relationships, this ensures pupils are motivated and keen to learn. Pupils like their teachers and are keen to please. They work hard in lessons and respond well to effective questioning. For example, in a mathematics lesson 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007 seen, they were keen to solve problems and explain their thinking. However, occasionally, children are not challenged enough and this limits the progress they make. Although teachers mark pupils work well, praising them and telling them how well they have done, they do not always make it clear to pupils what they need to do to improve or ensure that their work

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy a good, broad and interesting topic-based curriculum. They say, 'lessons are fun!' Pupils who have learning difficulties are given effective class support from well-trained adults. Specialist teaching in music enhances learning. There is good provision for the development of pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. As a result, a good proportion of pupils in Year 2 reach standards higher than expected nationally. The school's programme of personal, social and health education helps pupils to make healthy choices and develop life skills which make a good contribution to their personal development. In spite of restrictions caused by the accommodation, the school is always seeking to provide pupils with a wide range of creative opportunities. The 'School Prom' and the whole school production 'Cosmic Soup' at the local university last year was an excellent example of such work. The school rightly identifies the need to improve links between different subjects to

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Grade: 2

maximise the possibility of extending pupils' skills. Pupils' learning is exceptionally well enhanced and enriched by visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities. For example, there are visits to an aquarium, an Easter Egg hunt at Goodwood, football, rounders and gardening clubs and dance festivals. These activities also provide very good support for pupils' personal development.

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Grade: 2

Pastoral care, guidance and support is very good and is indicative of the inclusive nature of the school. It greatly helps pupils gain a sense of self-worth and respect for others. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are vulnerable are very well supported, with good use made of external agencies, and this supports their good progress and behaviour well. The school carries out all the necessary steps to safeguard the pupils in its care. Pupils, themselves, develop their understanding of the need for safe practices through their involvement in assessing the risks involved in school trips. The transition arrangements with the junior school are extremely good, enabling children to move smoothly from one stage to another. Although assessments and tracking systems are fully in place, pupils' academic guidance is not yet sufficiently focused on involving pupils in formulating individual targets for their learning.

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Grade: 2

The school's assessment and tracking system does not yet show fully, in a 'user-friendly' format, how pupils progress from entry to leaving, which limits its usefulness. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has been very successful in creating a good learning environment where pupils' views are fully valued and their needs considered paramount. This ensures outstanding personal development and good achievement across their learning. The leadership team, supported by subject leaders, set clear direction for the school's work with a detailed school improvement plan which is followed through with regular monitoring. However, they are aware of the need to ensure that some success criteria are more specific and measurable in order to sharpen the impact of outcomes. Self-evaluation is built in to all aspects of the school's work and ensures a very clear grasp of the school's strengths and weaknesses. This has resulted in actions to improve boys' achievement and provide more uniformity in the quality of teaching. Teaching is monitored regularly using a clear set of criteria, with targets set for improvement. However,

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Grade: 2

it also involves a range of strategies, including peer observations and pairing staff, to maximise strengths and mitigate weaknesses. The school provides good value for money. Governors, led by an effective chair, make a good contribution to the work of the school. They keep themselves well informed through regular visits, committee meetings and discussions with staff. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 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?

1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Lancastrian Infants' School, Orchard Close, Chichester, West Sussex PO14 1DG I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school. Thank you for being so welcoming and helping us with the inspection. We could see how much you enjoy school, particularly the opportunities you get to take on responsibilities such as helping at parents' evenings. We think that Lancastrian Infants' School is a good school with some outstanding features. Here are the things we like about your school: • Your headteacher is taking very good care of you and is ensuring you have a good education. • You behave well and are kind and caring towards each other. • You make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. • You thoroughly enjoy school and are keen to take on responsibilities and improve the school for everyone. • You enjoy the excellent range of clubs and other activities the school offers.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your teachers make learning fun. These are the things we think you could do better: • You need to have individual targets for your learning so that you can be more involved in improving your work. • The school needs to track how well you are doing more carefully so it is clear how well you progress each year. You can help by continuing to work hard and do your best. Thank you once again for your friendliness and help when we visited your school. Yours sincerely Janet Sinclair Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Lancastrian Infants' School, 12 June 2007

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