Waterfield Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 8 Nov 2006

Inspection Report Waterfield Primary School

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125953 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 293411 Inspection number 7 °8 November 2006 Inspection dates Eileen Chadwick 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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Waterfield Gardens School address Primary Type of school Bewbush Community School category Crawley RH11 8RA 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01293 548014 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01293 538348 Fax number 322 Number on roll (school) Sandra Manning Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Lindsey Diamond Headteacher 20 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 293411 7 °8 November 2006 3°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

The school is larger than most primary schools and serves an area where there are significant areas of deprivation. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Most pupils are White British although a quarter come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than in most schools. Since the previous inspection the school has changed from a first to a primary school and grown year on year. There is a Year 6 class for the first time this year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Waterfield Primary School is a good and improving school. Very high quality leadership by senior leaders has secured the school's successful change to primary status and promoted pupils' good achievement. As pupils said, 'The school has just got bigger and better!'. Very high standards of care and nurturing enable pupils to feel happy and safe. The school is particularly effective in developing all pupils' confidence and will to succeed. By Year 6, standards are average in English and mathematics. Pupils' progress is good because when they join the school their standards are well below those expected: children's language and communication skills, as well as personal skills, are often underdeveloped and English is not the first language for a significant number. Senior managers make sure the quality of teaching is good and work constantly to make it even better. Children are given a flying start in Nursery and Reception where

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Grade: 2

they make excellent progress, particularly in speaking, listening, reading and numeracy. In Years 1 and 2, progress is good and continues to be excellent in reading. By Year 2, standards are above average in reading and average in mathematics but below average in writing. In Year 2, spelling is often a weaker aspect. Not enough time is spent on direct teaching of this or extended writing. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 make good progress in relation to their starting points. However, in Year 3, lower attaining pupils' progress sometimes slows when writing tasks are too hard or too easy. In Years 3 to 6, pupils' work is not always tidy because not all teachers insist on neat presentation. Pupils with learning disabilities and difficulties make good progress. The good and practical curriculum encourages all pupils to enjoy learning. They have a very good understanding of healthy lifestyles because of a strong emphasis on sport

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Grade: 2

and healthy eating. Interesting clubs and outside visits enhance pupils' enjoyment of school. The school provides outstanding care, support and guidance. This, together with excellent teamwork with outside specialists, and systems for involving parents in the education of their children, promotes all pupils' well-being and excellent personal development regardless of their starting points. Pupils behave extremely well and this contributes to the calm atmosphere. Senior managers have introduced very effective assessment systems for pupils' personal development and academic achievement. These enable all staff to know how well their teaching is helping pupils to progress. Leadership and management are good. Senior leaders have high expectations and have managed a difficult period of change very well. They have established a stable staff team and ensured that other staff are being empowered to lead their areas of

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Grade: 2

responsibility well. Governors are satisfactory in their roles. They are supportive but do not challenge the school as effectively as they should. The good rate of improvement in pupils' achievement since the last inspection shows the school has a good capacity to continue to improve in the future. 2 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing by increasing direct teaching of spelling and the time spent on extended writing. • Ensure teachers always match writing tasks to the needs of lower attaining pupils • Ensure that pupils present their work to a consistently high standard.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Children's attainment on entry to the Nursery is well below average and, by Year 6, pupils reach average standards in English and mathematics. This represents good progress. By the end of Reception, standards are closer to those expected apart from writing which is below average. Children make excellent progress in Nursery and Reception because the quality of teaching is outstanding. Learning through talking and high quality practical activity underpin all activities. In 2006, there was a marked improvement in Year 2 standards in reading and mathematics. Standards in Year 2 are above average in reading, average in mathematics but below average in writing. Pupils' progress is excellent in reading, good in mathematics and satisfactory in writing. Standards of handwriting are good by Year 2 but spelling is a weakness and extended writing skills are not well developed. Pupils'

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Grade: 2

progress in Years 3 to 6 is good. However, in Year 3 lower attaining pupils' progress occasionally slows when writing tasks are too hard or too easy. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those with English as an additional language achieve well. They make excellent progress in speaking, listening and reading from Nursery to Year 2. Targets are challenging and pupils are likely to reach these.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. They demonstrate a good understanding of right and wrong and through consistent encouragement carefully consider the impact of their actions on others. The school is a harmonious community because of this and pupils from a wide range of backgrounds successfully play and work well together. This contributes to pupils very successfully developing a will to succeed, often from a low starting point. Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils contribute very well to the local community, for example through their 'Eco-teamwork' when they promote recycling and reduction of waste. Their good progress in developing basic skills, enterprise awareness and understanding of the world of work lays good foundations for their life ahead. Pupils really enjoy school and one of the main reasons is because staff make lessons interesting and care for them so very well. The effective action to improve attendance

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Grade: 1

has led to broadly average attendance. The school is working with parents to further 3 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006 reduce absence for family holidays. Pupils' behaviour is very good. They reflect carefully on the need to make 'sensible choices', which helps them to choose a healthy lifestyle and adopt safe practices.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers manage their classes well and use a good range of different methods. These include enabling pupils to learn through discussion in small groups, taking part in practical investigations as well as through listening and watching. Teachers use questioning well to extend pupils' thinking. Planning is thorough but, occasionally, this is not translated into learning activities that are suitable for the learning needs of lower attaining pupils in Year 3. However, teachers have thorough records of their pupils' attainment and carefully monitor pupils' progress. Catch up programmes in English and mathematics are very effective in helping pupils to make up lost ground. Relationships between adults and pupils are very good and this encourages pupils to want to learn. Teachers, though, do not always teach pupils the importance of being neat and this has an impact on the quality of their completed work. Teaching assistants

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Grade: 2

provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties: for example by helping them to learn smaller steps in literacy and numeracy.

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Grade: 2

A good curriculum meets the needs of all pupils and helps to raise standards. Good links between subjects make learning relevant. For example, work in history on the Victorians includes a good emphasis on art and writing. There is a good range of writing in different subjects but writing activities are not frequent enough in Year 2. Information and communication technology (ICT) provision is much improved since the previous inspection although both numeracy and ICT are not always used effectively in the teaching of other subjects. Lessons successfully promote personal development and healthly lifestyles and enable pupils to express their feelings. The curriculum for children in Reception and Nursery is excellent and enables them to make the outstanding progress they do. All pupils enjoy a good range of clubs outside the daily timetable. These clubs include cookery, computers and gardening and all make a valuable contribution to pupils' enjoyment of being in school.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support of pupils is outstanding. The school does a first class job in nurturing its pupils and promoting their good personal development 4 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006 and will to succeed, regardless of their background. Health and safety procedures are very well established. Procedures to eliminate antisocial behaviour are very effective. Teachers and assistants have been trained to give consistent messages, particularly regarding behaviour. As a result, the school is a calm place where all pupils can successfully learn. Pupils' well-being is very well supported by visiting specialists, for example for those with emotional and behavioural difficulties or speech and language problems. The strong personal and academic guidance results in most pupils reaching at least the expected standards in English and mathematics, despite many beginning

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Grade: 1

school at an educational disadvantage. Pupils' progress is very closely monitored so they can receive further support where needed.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The leadership of the senior leaders is exemplary because of their determination to improve provision and the standards pupils reach. They have successfully managed the progression from first to primary school. Clear lines of responsibility and shared decision-making amongst staff have contributed to good improvements in the past year. Good teamwork contributes to pupils being extremely well cared for in a supportive, friendly environment. Equality of opportunity is promoted effectively with close attention now given to the needs of able children. The school works hard to involve parents. It is effective in this and parents are appreciative of what the school is achieving. Thorough self-evaluation ensures the headteacher and staff have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for further development. The school has rigorous procedures for improving teaching and providing catch up programmes. These strategies

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Grade: 2

are redressing some earlier underachievement when there were some staffing difficulties and are now leading to higher standards. Governors carry out their role satisfactorily. They are supportive, but do not challenge the school or monitor achievement as effectively as they could. Financial resources have been managed effectively to ensure the smooth development to a primary school. The school is very well supported by outside organisations whose links with the school help pupils be active members of the local community. 5 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 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: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 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? 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 1 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: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 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: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you know, we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed seeing you at work and play and talking with some of you. The school gives you a good education and, as you said, 'It has got bigger and better'. These are some of the good things about your school: • You are making good progress in English and mathematics throughout the school. • You behave very well, are kind to others and try hard with your work. • Good teaching makes sure you enjoy lessons and make good progress. • You have really good opportunities to learn through visits, visitors and clubs and through your usual lessons. • Teachers make sure you are cared for very well and kept safe and check your progress carefully. • The headteacher and other school leaders give you every chance to succeed and are always working to make the school better. A few things could be better and here are the ways we are asking the school to improve: • Improve your spelling and writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• For a few of those of you who find writing difficult, make sure your work is never too hard or too easy. • Make sure you always make your work neat. You can help your teachers by making sure you improve your spelling and writing and always making your work neat. Thank you again for your help and for being so polite and friendly. 9 Inspection Report: Waterfield Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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