Woburn Lower School

109493 Unique Reference Number Bedfordshire Local Authority 310005 Inspection number 21 May 2008 Inspection date Ian Jones 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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First Type of school Community School category 4 °9 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 29 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Shanie Jamieson Chair Mrs Jean Wayment Headteacher 19 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Bedford Street School address Woburn Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire MK17 9QL 01525 290207 Telephone number 01525 290207 Fax number

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4-9 Age group 21 May 2008 Inspection date 310005 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 an Additional Inspector, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ standards in mathematics throughout the school and the progress of different groups of learners ■ the impact of the school's use of performance information on pupils' learning and achievement

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Introduction

■ the quality of the monitoring and improvement planning carried out by the school's leaders.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from the observations of lessons, discussions with staff, pupils and governors; parents' questionnaires, examining pupils' work, school assessment data and documentation including the school's self-evaluation. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a very small lower school of 29 pupils situated in the village of Woburn. The school draws a number of pupils from the surrounding area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low. The proportion of pupils who need additional support with their learning is in line with the national average. The school has gained the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark, the Activemark for sport and the Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008

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Grade: 2

Woburn Lower is a good school, which provides good value for money. Pupils of all abilities, from the most needy to the gifted and talented, flourish in an extremely caring environment, and as a result, achieve well academically and exceptionally well in their personal development. At the heart of the school's success is its outstanding ethos. Pastoral support is excellent and the school has the feel of a large family, in which highly effective care and personal guidance build pupils' self-esteem and confidence to a considerable level. This feature of the school is highly valued by parents, one of whom wrote, 'I am amazed by my child's academic and emotional progress...the school recognises children as individuals and helps them grow in their talents and abilities'. The school has the strong support and approval of the large majority of parents, although a few are concerned about recent changes of staff.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The new headteacher has high aspirations for the school and for the pupils. She has quickly gained the trust and confidence of governors, staff, pupils and parents. Improvements in the marking of pupils' work, to better inform them of their progress and to show them how to improve their work further, are already working well. The school has a good knowledge of its strengths and weakness informed by strong self-evaluation processes. The headteacher also has good plans to make these even more systematic and more sharply focused in the way they lead to planning for improvement. Plans are also in place to develop the already good methods for tracking pupils' progress so this can be better analysed using computer software and more regularly updated. A strength of the school is that everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is because staff and governors share the headteacher's vision, who leads by example. She has gained the

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Grade: 2

commitment of all to further improving the school from its position of strength thus giving the school a good capacity to improve further. Almost all pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and writing. In recent years, many pupils have attained well above average standards in the national assessments for seven-year-olds. Pupils who need additional support or those who find learning more difficult make good progress in relation to the difficulties that they face. The work of pupils currently in Year 4 indicates that they are making good progress and some are already working at levels normally expected of older pupils. However, although good overall, pupils' progress in mathematics in recent years has been somewhat less than that in English and science. Staff have identified this trend and already introduced measures to address this relative weakness in pupils' achievement. At the heart of the pupils' good progress is the way that teachers adapt their teaching to the

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Grade: 2

personal learning needs of all pupils. They use information well from assessing pupils' work and progress to identify those needing additional help or challenge who are then given additional appropriate support. Teachers match pupils' on-going work very closely to their prior attainments, so that pupils of all abilities can achieve well. Teachers track pupils' progress carefully and use their marking and other evaluations to provide helpful guidance and, for older pupils, personal targets to help them to progress to the next level. Pupils know their targets and how to achieve them and they are highly motivated to succeed. They thoroughly enjoy school because much of the teaching is lively and engaging and a rich curriculum promotes enjoyment in an atmosphere of high expectations. The school has addressed weaknesses in provision for information and communication technology and the installation of interactive

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Grade: 2

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008 whiteboards, computers and laptops throughout school has improved teaching and learning considerably. Pupils' extremely positive attitudes and exemplary behaviour are also key factors in the above average standards that they achieve. Relationships between pupils and all staff are excellent and provide high quality pastoral care. Consequently, pupils say they are looked after well by all the staff. Pupils readily rise to the challenge to do their best. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstandingly good. Procedures for safeguarding pupils fully meet current requirements and pupils receive, and display an excellent grounding in how to be safe. Pupils have a strong voice and make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community. By supporting a local children's hospice and involvement in a range of projects,

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Grade: 2

such as recycling, they are gaining valuable insights into citizenship. The school has plans to expand provision for physical education and thus promote further healthy lifestyles. The school's Active Mark and Healthy Schools awards are evidence of the pupils' excellent response thus far. Positive attitudes and values, along with good levels of basic skills in literacy and numeracy, prepare pupils well for their on going education and for their lives as young adults.

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Grade: 2

Standards and quality in the Foundation Stage are good. Attainment on entry varies from year to year because of the very small number of children who join the school. This year, attainment is broadly above national expectations but in past years has been more typical of the skills, knowledge and understanding expected of four year olds. Children in Reception make good progress from their various starting points and at transfer to Year 1, attain standards that are above nationally expected levels for five year olds. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. The school makes good provision for all areas of learning. Induction arrangements are effective and children are happy, relate well to each other and adults, and actively participate in a range of interesting learning activities. A strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development lays firm foundations for the exceptionally positive attitudes and behaviour that they develop as they progress through school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Instigate the plans for making more sophisticated use of the data on pupils' progress and to update the information on this more regularly. ■ Extend self-evaluation procedures so that they are even more systematic and sharply focused on planning for school improvement. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Woburn Lower School, Woburn, Buckinghamshire MK17 9QL Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. Thank you also for taking time to talk to me and to answer my questions. Here is what I found out about your school. There are many good things happening in your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Almost all of you make good progress, particularly in reading and writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers make sure that the work they give you is just right.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children who find learning difficult get all the help that they need and they too make good progress. ■ You enjoy school because teachers make learning interesting and enjoyable.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You get on exceptionally well with one another and your behaviour is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers and other adults help you when you have problems, make sure that you are safe and give you good advice about your work. I have asked your headteacher and governors to get even better at seeing how well the school is doing. I have also asked them to check your progress carefully to help you in your work, to make sure that you always do your very best. I hope that you will all continue to work hard and do well. Yours sincerely Ian Jones Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Woburn Lower School, 21 May 2008

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