Arundel CofE Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Arundel CofE Primary School

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126019 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 293435 Inspection number 6 November 2006 Inspection date Sheila Browning 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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Jarvis Road School address Primary Type of school Arundel Voluntary aided School category BN18 9HT 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01903 883149 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01903 883075 Fax number 146 Number on roll (school) Sian Rule-Baird Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Linda Davies Headteacher 5 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293435 6 November 2006 4 °11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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

This is a small primary school. It takes pupils from a fairly wide area and from a mix of social and economic backgrounds. The majority of pupils are from White British families. The attainment of most children on entry to the school is broadly at the level expected for their age, although it fluctuates year on year. The school has grown in size recently. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at different times during their primary education is quite high.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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Grade: 3

The school's overall effectiveness is satisfactory and its standard of education is improving. Pupils enjoy school. This is shown in their good attendance, attitudes and behaviour. Pupils' good personal development and well-being are reflected in the care with which they look after each other and their understanding of how to lead safe and healthy lifestyles. They contribute well to the life of the school and the local community. Care, guidance and support are satisfactory, with strengths in pastoral care. For example, children in the Foundation Stage are helped to settle quickly in to school life and grow in confidence. Standards are broadly average. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory and improving, for example in mathematics and writing, and to the extent that pupils are already making good progress in Years 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 Children in the Foundation Stage make satisfactory progress and standards here are broadly as

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Grade: 3

expected. By Year 6, most pupils meet the expected levels in reading and mathematics, and exceed them in science. Standards in writing are not high enough in Years 3 to 6, and test results show that more able pupils in particular are not doing as well as they should in this subject. Teaching is starting to address this by developing more practical and interesting ways to teach basic grammar and sentence structure, but these new approaches are more firmly established in Years 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 than they are in Years 3 and 6. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and so is the school's curriculum. Improved lesson planning and more focused targeting and tracking of pupils' individual learning needs ensure that all are better supported and challenged than they were. Pupils have more opportunities to develop their information and communication technology (ICT) skills, although they do not always have the chance to extend these

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Grade: 3

skills further by using ICT in other subjects. Wideranging extra-curricular and enrichment activities are very popular. One pupil said, 'We are a small school but we get loads of opportunities'. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Given the period of uncertainty caused by the headteacher's absence, new initiatives have progressed well. The quality of teaching, strengths in the pastoral care of pupils and the school's general effectiveness have also been maintained. The school's evaluation of its work and performance is accurate. Governors provide satisfactory support and appreciate that they need to develop in their roles further so that they can hold the school to account more effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

• ensure initiatives to improve pupils' achievement in writing are used consistently throughout the school, particularly in Years 3 and 6 • extend the opportunities for pupils to use their ICT skills in other subjects • develop the expertise and understanding of governors so that they hold the school to account more effectively. 2 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are average by the end of Year 6. In the Foundation Stage, children join the school with skills broadly at the level expected for their age in most areas of learning. By the end of the Foundation Stage, most children are on course to reach the goals set for the start of Year 1. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress, to the extent that they now reach above average standards by the end of Year 2. New initiatives are having most impact in these year groups and this is why standards have improved. Standards are improving in Key Stage 2, but are not yet rising as quickly as they are lower down the school. One reason for this is that older pupils have been most affected by changes in management and staffing. At the same time, improvements have been slower to take hold in these year groups and too few pupils are reaching the higher levels in writing. Consequently, standards in English

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Grade: 3

are broadly average. Standardsare broadly average for the higher levels in mathematics, and aresecurely above average in science. Pupils do well in science because it is well planned, practical and enjoyable. More able pupils and those with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress because they are identified early on and receive a suitable range of challenging programmes of support.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being, including pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Improvements have been made in pupils' cultural knowledge and understanding. Pupils are more aware of other cultures, having visited places in and around London and listened to visitors from other ethnic groups talking about their traditions and beliefs. Pupils behave well. They say there are very few incidences of rough or bullying behaviour. Pupils have good opportunities to share work, consider the views of others and develop their confidence and self-esteem. This contributes effectively to their spiritual development. Children in the Foundation Stage develop increasing confidence and independence. Pupils throughout the school are very clear about what is right and wrong and about the consequences of breaking rules. Older pupils take on a number of responsibilities around the school and the

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Grade: 2

school council gives pupils a good 'voice' in the life of their community. For example, it was their decision to colour-code the playground games so that pupils know who should be using them. Pupils show a good awareness of healthy eating and how to adopt safe practices during physical education and other practical lessons and they also take part in cycling proficiency. Attendance is above the national average and is a reflection of how much pupils enjoy school. 3 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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Grade: 3

The use of imaginative activities often results in a good response from pupils. In one case, for example, pupils approached their written task with much greater understanding after the use of drama had helped them to empathise with characters in the story of 'Beowulf'. This was successful and behaviour was very good. Support for pupils with learning difficulties is good. Teaching assistants work well alongside all pupils, constantly checking that they understand the work. Pupils know what their targets are but are not always involved in assessing how well they are meeting them. Children in the Foundation Stage are challenged by their work, resulting from good planning, which caters for the full range of ability. Teaching is strongest in Years 1, 2 and 4 and 5 because activities are always challenging. The school has recently been giving more support to the teaching of writing. This is beginning to have a positive effect on

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Grade: 3

outcomes. The school has good systems in place for tracking pupils' progress. This information is now being used to modify activities so that they are more closely matched to pupils' abilities. As a result, pupils of all abilities are suitably challenged. These improvements are relatively recent and have yet to impact fully on raising standards. The marking of pupils' work is, in many cases, good and helps pupils to understand how they might make further progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is adapted well to ensure that pupils learn through practical experiences. The use of resources from, for example, the local museum and the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust make learning come alive. Pupils say, 'Visits are fun and learning is more interesting'. As a result, they learn at first hand and remember what they have learned. This is particularly true for science and is one of the reasons why pupils enjoy this subject so much. Writing skills are improving because written tasks are practical and purposeful. Access to, and the use of, ICT and increased staff expertise have improved pupils' achievement. Nevertheless, opportunities to build on their writing and ICT skills across the curriculum are not yet embedded. The outside area for Foundation Stage has been improved and the curriculum offers a suitable balance of learning activities, including learning outdoors. Pupils benefit from specialist

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Grade: 3

teaching in music and sports. A good range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities prepares them for their future lives and positively enhance their personal development. These include activities such as budgeting for and building a kit car and giving presentations to the local council about fund raising. 4 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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Grade: 3

Pupils feel valued and relationships among pupils are very good. One pupil said, 'This is a happy friendly place, we always welcome new children here'. Robust health and safety procedures ensure that the school is safe and secure. Strong links with outside agencies are used well to support pupils with learning difficulties. The learning and inclusion project is a powerful example of how links with the local community benefit pupils' personal development. Pupils' progress is monitored carefully and the school has improved its tracking and monitoring systems so that planning for the individual needs of pupils is better focused. This improvement has sharpened teachers' understanding of what pupils are capable of achieving and is beginning to make a positive impact on achievement.

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Grade: 3

Since the last inspection and during the school's uncertain period, good progress was made on a number of initiatives, for example improving standards in mathematics, refining assessment systems and strengthening the leadership group. The deputy headteacher managed the school very well during this time and has worked closely with the headteacher to bring about improvements. The leadership team has a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Areas for improvement are accurately identified, such as improving pupils' writing and ICT skills. Initiatives are carefully planned and good staff training helps teachers and subject leaders to take effective action. Nevertheless, the school is aware that more needs to be done and these factors demonstrate a satisfactory capacity to improve further. The school listens to, and takes account of, the views of many stakeholders. The school's partnership

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Grade: 3

with other agencies, including the local authority, is good. For example, they have worked together to raise standards and reorganise the library to make a dedicated working area for research. Key governors are well informed. Training is already planned for other governors so that they have a greater understanding of how to hold the school to account for its performance. 5 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 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 3 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 2 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?

3 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: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 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: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Thank you for helping us when we visited your school recently. We very much enjoyed talking and listening to you and seeing your work. The school is satisfactory and getting better. These are some important things we found out about your school: • you are working hard and you are doing really well in science. • you enjoy school and your attendance is good • you are well behaved, friendly and look after each other well • many of you take part in the wide-ranging activities you have at school • you like having different responsibilities and involve yourselves well in the local community • you know how to lead safe and healthy lifestyles. This is what we have asked the school to do to make it even better: • to help you to improve your writing skills in all lessons • to ensure that you have more opportunities to use your ICT skills in different subjects • to make sure governors check how well you are doing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 Inspection Report: Arundel CofE Primary School, 6 November 2006

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