The Royal First School

The Royal First School Inspection report

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110014 Unique Reference Number Windsor and Maidenhead Local Authority 310175 Inspection number 7 December 2007 Inspection date Sean O'Toole 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °9 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 79 School The governing body Appropriate authority Dr Alastair Niven Chair Mrs Alison Lewis Headteacher 28 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection The Great Park School address Windsor SL4 2HP 01784 434274 Telephone number 01784 438965 Fax number

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4-9 Age group 7 December 2007 Inspection date 310175 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated how well boys and girls of different abilities make progress and whether standards are high enough. The consistency of teaching was evaluated and the inspector focused on how well pupils develop well-rounded personal and social skills. Evidence was gathered from the analysis of pupils' test results, scrutiny of samples of their work, observation of lessons, parents' questionnaires, and discussions with the headteacher, senior management team, governors, parents and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail.

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Description of the school

This is the only Crown aided school in the country and is located in Windsor Great Park. The large majority of pupils have White British heritage. Those with other backgrounds speak English fluently. About a quarter of pupils have learning difficulties.

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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: The Royal First School, 7 December 2007

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Grade: 3

Most parents praise the school for its work in helping their children to enjoy their early experiences of school. They value 'the extraordinary setting and sense of a caring family that the staff provide.' The school's friendly and positive ethos contributes much to helping the pupils to behave well, take responsibility and become aware of the world around them and their role in it. Parents provide substantial social and financial support. In recent years, the school's work has been disrupted by several staff changes. Children make a steady start to learning in the Foundation Stage and their progress accelerates in Years 1 and 2 because of good teaching so that standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. The quality of teaching elsewhere is satisfactory. Throughout the school, teachers relate well to the pupils and planning has improved under the guidance of the headteacher and brought improvements to the curriculum. In some classes, the teaching

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Grade: 3

assistants provide good support and work well with individuals or small groups to enhance learning. However, teachers in some classes do not make consistent use of assessment and marking to pinpoint the next steps in pupils' learning and to set sufficiently challenging work. By the end of Year 4, most pupils are working at levels that are appropriate for their age although girls tend to be more successful than boys. Some of the work set for these pupils lacks challenge. Those pupils with learning difficulties achieve well because they have individual targets that are matched to their needs. The headteacher has ensured that there are good policies and procedures to ensure pupils' safety and well-being. Discussions with the pupils show that most enjoy lessons, although some older pupils said that the work was sometimes too easy. The pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They listen carefully, enjoy answering questions and like to use computers. Pupils

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Grade: 3

relish the opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities including sport and music. They are proud of their achievements in helping to gain the Healthy Schools award and in participating in prestigious events. They say they feel very safe at school and that any incidents of poor behaviour, although very rare, are dealt with speedily. Members of the school council take their responsibilities seriously and all pupils know how they may contribute to making the school a safe and happy place. The school has strong and productive relationships with parents who are confident that staff care a great deal for their children. As one wrote, 'The children are happy and I certainly trust the staff implicitly with their welfare.' Several parents raised concerns about the lack of homework. Older pupils confirmed that this was the case. This results in lost opportunities to encourage pupils to take charge of their own learning and to improve their skills in working

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Grade: 3

independently. There have been several improvements since the previous inspection. Pupils say how much they enjoy using the new library. Parents report, and inspection evidence confirms, that the initiatives in reading and writing in Years 1 and 2 are working well. Inspection evidence also shows that there is a need to push on with these initiatives throughout the school in order to build on pupils' success. The school has a well-considered development plan that identifies key areas for improvement and the headteacher is clear about what to do next. More remains to be done by leaders and governors to keep improvements moving forward at a good pace by setting challenging targets. Currently systems to keep a check on the school's work are not robust enough and this had led to slippage in the performance of some of the older pupils. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: The Royal First School, 7 December 2007 Whilst all concerned with the school are keen for success there has been insufficient emphasis

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Grade: 3

on monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and assessment and this has led to the inconsistent practice. In summary, the school does well in supporting pupils' personal, social and emotional development although more remains to be done to secure consistent progress in academic skills.

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Grade: 3

The Reception children learn alongside Year 1. The children are at ease in the school and work happily together. Almost all start school with skills, knowledge and understanding that are similar to those expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress. The children respect and like the adults working with them and are keen to please. Friendly relationships contribute much to the good progress children make in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff achieve an appropriate balance of activities in this mixed age class although opportunities for outdoor learning need further development. Although sessions include a variety of activities, many of which are supported by adults, children do not always have sufficient opportunities to make their own choices. Staff keep suitable records of the children's progress but do not make sufficient use of this information to pinpoint what the children need to do next. Everyone

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Grade: 3

is careful to ensure the safety and well-being of the children, and parents comment very favourably about the positive start their children make. By the end of the Foundation Stage, the children are working at levels that are appropriate for their age.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards at the end of Year 4 and accelerate pupils' progress by setting more challenging work that stretches pupils of differing abilities. ■ Improve aspects of teaching by making more consistent use of assessment to pinpoint pupils' next steps in learning, and by providing better guidance for them on what they need to do to achieve well. ■ Sharpen up some aspects of leadership and governance so that all are involved in checking on the work of the school and setting challenging targets. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: The Royal First School, 7 December 2007 .

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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: The Royal First School, 7 December 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? 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: The Royal First School, 7 December 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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: The Royal First School, 7 December 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 December 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of The Royal First School,Windsor,SL4 2HP Thank you helping me when I visited your school and for making my visit enjoyable. I enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work and was pleased to listen to your comments about how everyone in the school is so friendly. It was good to see how well you get on with each other and to know that you feel safe and are not worried about rough play or bullying. At the moment, your school gives you a satisfactory education and some aspects of its work are good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your behaviour is good and you are kind to each other.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You listen well when your teachers are talking.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know lots about how to keep yourselves safe and healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents really like to get involved in helping the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Years 1 and 2 are making good progress in reading and writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I know that you and your parents are pleased that you are going to have some new buildings. I also found some other ways that would help to improve your school. I have asked the teachers and governors to improve how well they keep a check on the school's work and set targets. I also think that those of you in Year 4 could be set even harder work. I have asked the teachers to keep a better check on your work and provide you with clearer guidance on how you might improve. I wish you every success in the future and hope that you continue to enjoy your time at school. Sean O'Toole Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: The Royal First School, 7 December 2007

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