Powell Corderoy Primary School

Powell Corderoy Primary School Inspection report

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125151 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 315168 Inspection number 7 °8 February 2008 Inspection dates Jane Chesterfield 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 Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 203 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr A Riches Chair Mrs J Lightfoot Headteacher 14 July 2003 Date of previous school inspection Longfield Road School address Dorking RH4 3DF 01306 883373 Telephone number 01306 875059 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 7 °8 February 2008 Inspection dates 315168 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is smaller than average and serves a mixed residential community of owner-occupied, privately rented and social housing. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is slightly below the national average. About a quarter of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, which is above average. The majority of these pupils have either language or behavioural difficulties. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who are learning English as an additional language is below average. Up to seven pupils join the school annually in Year 4 from first schools in nearby villages. The deputy headteacher was running the school at the time of the inspection during the short-term absence of the headteacher for hospital treatment.

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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: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Powell Corderoy Primary is a good school where pupils achieve well, and reach above average standards by the time they leave. Parents are full of praise for the school and the all round education it offers their children. 'If I were a child, I would want to attend this school', commented one. Many emphasised the sense of community they and their children feel, which was evident in a whole school assembly about the Fire of London enjoyed by pupils, parents and staff during the inspection. Pupils are now making good progress because the school monitors this carefully and finds the best way to provide extra support when pupils need it. In Year 6, for example, booster classes for English and mathematics have led to a significant improvement in pupils' end of key stage test results, particularly those in literacy, which were very high last year. The school's targets for next year are even more challenging, but pupils are on track to meet them. Staff have

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Grade: 2

identified that there is more work to be done in raising standards in mathematics, which are lower than those in English and science. The school is also working to spread its success in improving writing to pupils lower down the school, particularly in the infant classes. Good teaching means that pupils learn well. 'It's always fun in lessons', said one pupil. Relationships are good in class and teachers manage behaviour well. Work is usually well matched to wide-ranging needs of the different pupils in the class and lessons are full of pace and challenge. Pupils enjoy a good curriculum which is enriched with special events and activities. The school is at the early stages of developing creative links between subjects, though some good examples were seen during the inspection. In an information and communication technology lesson, pupils used software to compose digital music. 'Oh wow, that's so cool'

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Grade: 2

exclaimed one boy when he realised what could be achieved. Parents are very happy with the way their children are cared for at school. Several said that their children have 'blossomed' or 'thrived' because of the individual attention they receive. Behaviour is good throughout the school and pupils are very supportive of one another. They have a good understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle and feel that the school's sports clubs are very popular and enjoyable. Pupils are generally well guided on how to improve their work, and the school is developing some good systems for involving pupils in their own assessment and target setting. Although the headteacher was unable to be present during the inspection, the high quality of her leadership was evident from the smooth way the school ran in her absence and the competent way in which the deputy and other senior staff managed the situation. Parents spoke warmly

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Grade: 2

of the support the headteacher, deputy and other staff give to their families. The school has well established and systematic processes for monitoring the quality of its work and the performance of its pupils. This means that it knows both its strengths and the areas it need to improve. As a result, it has a good capacity for future improvement.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is good. Children join Reception with a wide range of skills and most are at the expected stage of development for their age. Good induction procedures and routines ensure children get off to a good start in caring and supportive surroundings. Parents are very happy with the way their children are looked after. Assessment arrangements are good and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008 ensure that adults know the children well and are able to meet their individual needs. As a result the children make good progress. Personal, social and emotional development is supported well. Children play and work well together and show a good ability to take turns, reach agreement and share. There is a good balance between tasks directed by adults and those chosen by children. However, some independent activities are not always effective in developing children's

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in mathematics, ensuring all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. ■ Improve pupils' achievement in writing so that it is consistently good at all stages of the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enter Year 1 reaching levels which are broadly average for their age, though usually lower in their early writing skills. They make satisfactory progress, reaching standards which are broadly average by the time they leave Year 2, although this varies from year to year depending on the range of needs within the small cohorts. Standards in writing are generally lower than in reading and mathematics, because of weaknesses in pupils' language skills and vocabulary. Progress in Years 3 to 6 has accelerated thanks to the hard work of the school in identifying the areas in need of improvement and acting on them. In the end of key stage tests last summer, pupils reached standards which were very high in English, above average in science and average in mathematics. An increased emphasis on developing language, vocabulary and experiences for writing through role play has had a striking impact on writing at the top end of the school.

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Grade: 2

This is beginning to take effect lower down the school. In mathematics, staff have identified that pupils' difficulties with language often hamper them in using their mathematical knowledge. To overcome this, they are rightly focusing on building up pupils' vocabulary and problem solving skills. Pupils with language difficulties make good progress because of the focus on developing literacy and vocabulary. Those with behavioural difficulties are well supported in lessons so they can make progress similar to their classmates. The pupils who join the school in Year 4 enter with a wide range of abilities, but soon settle and make good progress thanks to the school's thorough induction procedures.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school, as their consistently above average attendance reflects. One parent commented, 'the children in my daughter's class run in happily every morning'. Pupils' relationships with one another and with adults are good. They show good attitudes towards their learning and behave well, and this contributes to their good academic progress. Occasionally, when lessons lack pace, pupils lose concentration and apply themselves less wholeheartedly to their learning. Pupils know how to keep safe and are confident that adults will take appropriate action should problems arise. Through opportunities to contribute to the smooth running of the school, pupils' self-esteem and confidence grows. For example, older pupils are eager to train as 'Fuss 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008 Busters', helping to ensure that everyone is included and happy at breaktimes. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

developing a good understanding of how to keep healthy, and their enthusiasm for sport shows they are keen to keep fit. Pupils make good progress in literacy, numeracy and computing, and in their social skills and teamwork, and so are well prepared for the future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall, and the school has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses to be found in lessons. Typically, pupils enjoy interesting, well planned tasks. These actively involve them in their learning and give them good opportunities to develop their social skills through working with others. Staff make good use of resources, especially the interactive whiteboards, to illustrate and develop their lessons. Teaching assistants are well deployed to support pupils with particular needs, and they do this sensitively and patiently, helping them to make good progress. Sometimes when teaching is satisfactory, lessons lack pace and pupils start to lose interest. There are some very good examples of teachers marking pupils' work well and giving them good advice on the next steps needed to improve their work. However, this good practice is not yet consistent throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is good. It achieves a realistic balance between literacy and numeracy and other subjects, and careful planning ensures that all areas are fully covered. The school's commitment to developing pupils as well rounded individuals is evident in its thoughtfully planned programme of personal, social and health education. Pupils have good opportunities to discover and develop their skills and talents outside lessons, through a range of sporting, musical and other clubs, including gardening and photography. Special events, such as Black history week or the 'Take one picture' art week, make learning exciting and memorable for pupils. However, the school has identified that creative links across the curriculum are not yet systematically planned and has made this work a focus for development.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The strong pastoral care is greatly appreciated by parents. One commented, 'There is an obvious emphasis on caring for one another shown by the attitudes of pupils throughout the school.' Procedures for safeguarding pupils are robust. Academic guidance is good. Teachers use their assessment information systematically to check up on how well pupils are doing and to plan work to meet their needs. Pupils are involved in reviewing how well they are making progress, and have individual targets. However, these are not always used to ensure pupils are consistently aware of the next steps in their learning. The school works successfully in partnership with parents, involving them in their children's learning and showing them how they can help at home. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Structures for managing and running the school are well organised and enable the school to function effectively, even in the absence of the headteacher. The deputy has proved herself very capable of leading the school, and there is a strong sense of teamwork and unity amongst all staff. School development planning sets a clear direction for moving the school forward and staff work with a common purpose. Subject leaders for literacy and numeracy in particular, and also those for ICT and science, play a full role in monitoring and evaluating the work in their areas and in supporting and developing good practice. This has included interviewing pupils as part of the monitoring process. Leaders for other subjects have a role that centres on supporting and managing their areas. Extending this to have a greater impact on teaching and learning is one of the school's priorities. Governors

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Grade: 2

fulfil their duties well. They have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement, and have the systems to provide it with the right amount of support and challenge in its work. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008 .

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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: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 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?

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?

2 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: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 February 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Powell Corderoy Primary School,Dorking,RH4 3DF Thank you for being so helpful and friendly when we visited your school. We really enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. We think that Powell Corderoy is a good school, and we could tell that you like going there. You are doing well in your lessons, because your teachers know you well and know how to make your work interesting so that you learn new things. We were impressed with your good behaviour in the school and the playground, and we thought that you all get on very well together. The staff take good care of you, and those of you who need extra help are well supported. Your headteacher and her staff run the school well and know how to make it even better in future. We have agreed that they are going to do more to make sure that all of you achieve as well as you can in your mathematics and your writing. You can help by making sure that you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

ask if you do not understand anything in your lessons. Well done to you all and best wishes for the future. Jane Chesterfield Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Powell Corderoy Primary School, 7 °8 February 2008

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