Long Furlong Primary School

Long Furlong Primary School Inspection report

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123085 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 314489 Inspection number 5 July 2007 Inspection date Mike Thompson 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 258 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Neil Price Chair Miss Natasha Austin Headteacher 31 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Boulter Drive School address Abingdon OX14 1XP

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01235 532358 Telephone number 01235 539692 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 5 July 2007 Inspection date 314489 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.

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Description of the school

Long Furlong is an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage, and are generally from advantaged home circumstances. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well below the national average.

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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: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Long Furlong is a good school with some outstanding features. It is effective because it has good leadership and management, good teaching, a well-planned curriculum, and provides excellent quality of care for its pupils. Particularly noteworthy is the school's outstanding provision for promoting the personal development of its pupils. Children are given a good start in the Foundation Stage classes. They are provided with a rich diet of interesting and challenging activities, and their development in learning is closely monitored. Achievement is good overall. From average starting points in the Nursery, children make good progress to reach standards that are just above average by the time they move to Year 1. This good progress continues in Key Stage 1, and standards are securely above average by the end of Year 2. However, higher attaining pupils in Key Stage 1 do not do as well as they should in writing. This has been highlighted by the school as a key area for improvement, and a range

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Grade: 2

of measures is in place to help ensure that they do better in the future. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2, and standards are well above the national average by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. The school's high expectations for all of its pupils in all areas of learning are evident, for example, in pupils' good levels of competence in using information and communication technology (ICT) and the good standard of singing. Pupils' attitudes towards their school are, in most cases, outstanding. One Year 6 pupil commented, 'I really love it here and don't want to leave!' Pupils work hard, and mature into confident, polite and caring individuals. They relate well to one another and willingly contribute to the life of their school community and beyond. The outcomes in terms of pupils' excellent personal development and good academic progress reflect the outstanding care, guidance and support pupils receive as well as the good teaching

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Grade: 2

and learning that occur in lessons. Consequently, pupils are extremely well prepared for their next stages in education. Most parents are very pleased with what the school provides. Many added positive comments to their inspection questionnaires. Typical of these is: 'My child has become a well-rounded young person, and Long Furlong has helped in this process.' Others commented positively on the school's promotion of a 'values-based' approach to education and welcomed their part in determining the values promoted: 'Values - a brilliant idea!' However, some parents expressed concerns. Despite the wide range of avenues of communication open to parents, about one in six who took part in the inspection survey felt that parents' views are not always considered. Inspection evidence does not support these comments. The headteacher has successfully built upon the strengths of the school and maintained the impetus for improvement during her first year in post. She has an accurate understanding of

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Grade: 2

the school's strengths and areas for improvement. One of her initiatives has been to refine the system for monitoring pupils' progress. However, teachers with subject responsibilities do not yet have enough expertise in using data about pupils' performance to inform their monitoring. The governing body is very well led by an effective chair of governors, and works closely with the headteacher to provide clear direction for the school. The way in which the school has maintained high standards is a clear indication of its good capacity for continued improvement in the future. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the standards in writing of higher-attaining pupils in Key Stage 1. • Ensure that teachers become more skilled in using information about the performance of their pupils when monitoring their areas of responsibility.

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Grade: 2

Most children start in the Nursery with skills that are in line with those typically expected at this age. Attainment on entry has declined over the past few years. This is because children now start school earlier than they used to, and an increasing number have underdeveloped skills in spoken English. By the end of the Foundation Stage, standards of children's personal, social and emotional development are well above average. In many other aspects of their learning, standards are above average, but their skills in writing are below average. Teachers in Key Stage 1 build successfully on the good platform provided in the Foundation Stage. By the end of Year 2, standards are above average overall in reading, writing and mathematics. In writing, the school successfully ensures that most pupils attain the nationally expected level, but too few pupils exceed this level. This is because pupils' skills in structuring

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Grade: 2

sentences and using punctuation are not good enough. The school's initiatives designed to address this issue are beginning to have an impact, but there is room for further improvement. At the end of Key Stage 2, standards are well above average in English, including writing, mathematics and science. Some of the ICT work completed by pupils is of a very high standard. The school successfully meets the challenging targets set for its performance. For example, in the most recent national tests, all of the pupils in the current Year 6 attained the nationally expected level in English and three-quarters exceeded this level. This represents good progress, given their starting points. Throughout the school, the small number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because their specific needs are generally identified clearly, and good quality help is provided for them.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and reflects the many opportunities the school provides in lessons and in other activities to nurture it. For example, themes for assemblies promote the values agreed by the school community. Pupils are eager to play a full part in school life and support each other. School council members, for instance, play an important part in the day-to-day life of the school and are proud of the improvements that they have instigated. During a council meeting, the Year 6 pupils provided a good steer to discussions and ensured that pupils from other age groups all took part. Currently, the council is looking at ways to conserve energy and its discussions with the site supervisor resulted in pupils undertaking to monitor the school's consumption of electricity. A small number of parents expressed concern about pupils' behaviour. These concerns were

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Grade: 1

thoroughly investigated. None of the many pupils interviewed felt that behaviour is an issue. All of them said that bullying rarely occurs and felt confident that if it did, it would be dealt with effectively. During the inspection there was no evidence of inappropriate behaviour. Attendance is above average, and reflects pupils' enjoyment of their education. In this school, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007 every child matters, and pupils grow extremely well in their understanding of how to stay safe and healthy.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Some teaching is outstanding. Throughout the school relationships between pupils and their teachers are excellent. Pupils invariably work hard and concentrate well in lessons. Teachers plan lessons very well and generally teach them with clearly and with good pace. However, teachers sometimes spend too long on their introductions, and pupils then lose interest. On most occasions, pupils are given tasks that are pitched at the right level, so that the challenges set are achievable with effort. Teachers keep careful records of pupils' attainment and use the collected data well to help them plan lessons. Specific targets are set for pupils to achieve in English and mathematics, and these are displayed in their books. Skilled teaching assistants provide good quality help for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Foundation Stage enjoy a wide range of well-planned activities. Provision for outdoor learning is good in the Nursery, and satisfactory in the Reception class. Children in the Nursery make good use of a spacious outdoor area and purpose-built facilities that enable an easy transition between indoor and outdoor learning. This is not the case for children in the Reception class, but the school makes best use of the more limited facilities available. For older pupils, the curriculum is enriched through links with schools in France and Spain. Educational visits and activities are thoroughly planned to develop skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT through other subjects such as science, geography and history. In addition, the school makes good use of the expertise of visitors, and themed days to help make learning more interesting. For example, as part of the school's support for a charity which helps schools and children in

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Grade: 2

Zambia, the school organised a 'Zambia Day'. Pupils in Year 6 spoke enthusiastically about the outdoor activities that they experienced during a residential trip. However, they also commented that there are not enough opportunities for pupils, particularly boys, to take part in competitive sports. Parents agree, and inspection evidence supports their views. The school has already implemented a plan of action to help improve the writing skills of its higher-attaining pupils in Key Stage 1. The impact of actions taken so far has yet to be seen in terms of higher attainment.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support offered to pupils are outstanding. Pastoral support is very good and pupils report that they feel safe and secure. All current requirements for ensuring the pupils' health, safety and protection are in place. A particularly noteworthy feature of the school's provision is its excellent promotion of a range of values, discussed and agreed by all members of the school community. For example, assembly themes focus strongly on promoting qualities such as honesty, responsibility and respect. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007 The quality of academic guidance given to pupils is excellent. This is based on good systems for assessing each pupil's academic performance. Pupils have targets to reach, and their progress in meeting them is regularly reviewed.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, and its impact is seen in the good progress made by pupils. During her first year in post, the headteacher has built upon existing strengths and ensured that high standards have been maintained. The chair of governors brings a wealth of relevant expertise and skill to bear in his role. The governing body works very well and thoroughly in support of the school, acting as critical friends. The school is rightly seeking to develop its management structure, and new appointments have now been made to complete the leadership team. At present, most of the monitoring is carried out by the headteacher. The school recognises that staff with leadership responsibilities for subjects, for example, have yet to acquire the range of skills needed to help them monitor the effectiveness of their areas of responsibility. For instance, they lack expertise in analysing performance data to help inform their plans for

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Grade: 2

further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 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: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 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 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 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: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Long Furlong Primary School,Abingdon,OX14 1XP Thank you for helping me so much when I came to inspect your school to find out how well you are getting on. I particularly enjoyed looking at your work and talking to some of you. I agree with your parents that you go to a good school. There is so much I like about your school that I can't mention everything, so here is a list of what I think are the most important things. • You do well in your work, and when you leave school at the end of Year 6 your results are better than those of many other schools. You should be very proud of this. I thought that the Year 6 prize-winning entries for the British Computer society competition were particularly good. • Everyone in your school is friendly and welcoming. Your behaviour is good and you get on well with each other. • You learn a lot in lessons because the teaching you are given is good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your teachers are good at planning lots of interesting things for you to do. • All of the adults in your school make sure that you are really well looked after. • All the people who help run your school do a good job in making sure that you get a good education. I would also like to let you know that I really enjoyed hearing Years 3 and 4 sing during the rehearsal for 'Alice'. I'm sure that the performance went well. Even in a good school like yours there is always something that could be even better. The school has produced a plan to improve your writing in Years 1 and 2. It particularly wants those of you who are already good at writing to learn even more skills. This will involve hard work, but I'm sure that you are ready for the challenge! I would also like your teachers to learn more about how to be in charge of different subjects. One of the most important things they will need to do is to find out about how to make best use of the information that the school already has

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

about how well you are getting on. I am sure that you will continue to have great success in the future. Yours sincerely, Mr Mike ThompsonLead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Long Furlong Primary School, 5 July 2007

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