Meadowcroft Community Primary School

Meadowcroft Community Infant School Inspection report

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125065 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 315137 Inspection number 11 November 2008 Inspection date Selwyn Ward Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Infant Type of school Community School category 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 60 School (total) 21 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Gibbs Chair Mrs Geraldine Dowle Headteacher 17 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Little Green Lane School address Chertsey KT16 9PT 01932 561419 Telephone number

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4–7 Age group 11 November 2008 Inspection date 315137 Inspection number 01932 562334 Fax number

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4–7 Age group 11 November 2008 Inspection date 315137 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. 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and particularly investigated the provision for and progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the extent to which pupils know how to improve their work, the achievement of more able pupils and the impact of changes made by school leaders. The inspectors met with pupils, some staff and governors. Parts of lessons were observed, parents' questionnaires and a sample of pupils' work were examined and school information, including its self-evaluation, was scrutinised. The inspectors 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 the report.

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Description of the school

This is a small school. There is EYFS provision in the Reception class. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The large majority of pupils are of White British background, with very small numbers coming from various minority ethnic backgrounds. Meadowcroft is part of a loose confederation with other local schools. The Squirrels Pre-school shares the Meadowcroft building. Its independently managed provision for children in the EYFS is the subject of a separate inspection report.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008

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Grade: 3

Meadowcroft provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. Several aspects of the school are good. The headteacher, staff and governors have had particular success in building a very strong partnership with parents, who in turn are very supportive of the school and of their children's education. The small class sizes are especially popular with parents. Parents also praise the school's 'family environment where each child is nurtured and cared for very well'. School leaders have certainly succeeded in meeting their aim 'to provide a caring, secure, purposeful and stimulating learning environment where children are valued as individuals'. The pupils greatly enjoy school because, as they put it, 'the teachers make learning fun'. Pupils respond well to the school's systems of rewards and quickly settle into orderly classroom routines. That means that they settle to individual work without fuss. Pupils' personal

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Grade: 3

development is good because pupils get on well with each other and, as parents explain, 'Even shy children blossom into happy, confident young people.' Behaviour is good. Pupils develop a good understanding of the need for a healthy lifestyle, which reflects Meadowcroft's Healthy Schools award. They like the opportunities they have to take responsibility within the school, for example as monitors and as 'buddies', where Year 2 pupils help and look out for children in the Reception Year. Pupils also enjoy learning about their own and other cultures. Although pupils have individual targets, not all know what these are. The targets that are pasted in pupils' books are not always written in language that the pupils can understand. Teachers' marking gives pupils good encouragement, but it does not routinely set out for pupils the next steps they need to take to move their learning on. Children get off to a good start in EYFS, but they are not pushed enough to capitalise on this

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Grade: 3

as they move through Years 1 and 2. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Although teachers know the pupils well and motivate them to work with concentration and effort, their questioning does not always challenge the more able pupils to extend their thinking so that they achieve as well as they can. This is especially the case in mathematics, where teachers have not all been as confident as they are in teaching reading and writing. As a result, overall standards in the assessments taken at the end of Year 2 have been broadly average in each of the last three years. This represents satisfactory achievement, with pupils satisfactorily prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, however, make good progress because they benefit from well-targeted support. Among other subjects, pupils' work in art stands out as being of a particularly high standard. Within a good and broad

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Grade: 3

curriculum, pupils are spurred to produce high quality drawings and paintings because they respond to the stimulus of exciting artwork and the chance to look at the work of several key Western artists. Some of the children's artwork has helped to brighten up the outpatients' department of the local hospital. School leaders monitor lessons regularly, focusing carefully on the progress pupils are making in their learning. This gives them an accurate picture of the effectiveness of the teaching. What is not always as sharp is the guidance to staff on what precisely they need to do to accelerate the pace of learning. School self-evaluation correctly identifies the school's many strengths and those areas where improvements are needed, but it paints an overly positive picture overall because it does not give sufficient weighting to pupils' academic achievement. Although academic standards are not as high as they were reported in the last inspection, improvement

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Grade: 3

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008 in other areas, including the use of information and communication technology, show the school's satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Parents reserve particular praise for the start their children get in EYFS. They rightly consider it to be well run, and many comment on how well staff help their children to settle in to school. As one grateful mother commented, 'My child has really come out of his shell thanks to the teaching staff.' Another explained that her son had settled in so well, 'because he feels safe, secure and happy'. Children join EYFS with skills and capabilities that are broadly in line with those expected for their ages. As a result of good teaching, they progress well. Consequently, by the start of Year 1 almost all attain all the early learning goals expected for the end of the Reception Year and several exceed them. Children get on well with each other. They enjoy the mix of exciting adult-led activities and work and play that they choose for themselves, although opportunities are sometimes missed for them to freely choose outdoor activities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate the learning of more able pupils through questioning that challenges them to think for themselves. ■ Give pupils clear guidance, through marking and targets, that shows them what they need to do to improve their work. ■ Make fuller use of school leaders' monitoring of teaching and learning by setting out for staff what specifically they need to do to raise the pace of learning in their lessons. 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. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Meadowcroft Community Infant School,Chertsey,KT16 9PT Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit your school. Meadowcroft is giving you a satisfactory education, and there are also lots of really good things about your school. We were especially impressed with your super paintings. We were pleased to see what a happy, friendly place your school is. You behave well and all get on well together. Your teachers are helping you to make reasonable progress in lessons, but we think you could be doing better, particularly after the good start you get in the Reception Year. Some of you told us that work is sometimes too easy for you, so we have asked the teachers to make sure that they pose more questions for you to help you think for yourselves so that more of you do better in the Year 2 tests, particularly in mathematics. Not all of you know your targets, and we think those that are in your books could be easier for you to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

understand, so we have asked the school to look at this and teachers' marking so that you all know exactly what you need to do to improve your work. You can help, too, by making sure you know your targets and are doing your very best to achieve them. Your headteacher and staff have had great success in creating such an exciting place where you can learn and in giving you lots of interesting things to do. We have asked, though, that when they visit each other's lessons, they particularly look out for ways of helping you to learn even more. Thank you again for being so friendly and helpful to us on our visit. Yours sincerely Selwyn Ward Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Meadowcroft Community Infant School, 11 November 2008

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