Rudgwick Primary School

Rudgwick Primary School Inspection report

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125849 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 315326 Inspection number 28 June 2007 Inspection date Derek Watts 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 177 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Simon Harrison Chair Lawrence Caughlin Headteacher 6 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Tates Way School address Rudgwick Horsham RH12 3HW

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01403 822151 Telephone number 01403 823093 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 28 June 2007 Inspection date 315326 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Rudgwick is a smaller than average primary school. Most pupils come from a White British background. The remainder come from a range of other ethnic backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language and none of these is at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is just above average. The proportion eligible for free school meals is well below average. The current headteacher became the substantive post holder in April 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007

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Grade: 3

The overall effectiveness of Rudgwick Primary School is satisfactory. Pupils' personal development is outstanding and a real strength of the school. Their achievement is satisfactory. Parents hold positive views about the school and give it strong support. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new headteacher is enthusiastic and has quickly gained the confidence and respect of pupils, parents and staff. He and the recently formed leadership team are well focused on improving teaching, learning and the curriculum in order to raise achievement further. Assessment and tracking systems have been improved and so the school has a clear picture of how well each individual is doing. Good care, guidance and support contribute to pupils' personal development. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and this is reflected in their well above average attendance and their keen participation in activities. They are friendly, polite and relate exceptionally well to others.

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Grade: 3

Behaviour is outstanding in lessons and around the school. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and safe practices. They show an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy diets, personal safety and regular exercise. Pupils readily take on additional responsibilities to help others in the school. At Rudgwick, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Children in Reception get off to a sound start because of satisfactory provison. They make good gains in personal, social and emotional development but do not have sufficient opportunities to work creatively and independently. Satisfactory teaching and learning across the school enable pupils to make satisfactory progress. Teachers have extremely good relationships with their pupils. Pupils make good progress when they are challenged and tasks are well matched to their abilities. However, the level of challenge is not high enough in all

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Grade: 3

lessons and then the rate of learning slows. In Years 1 and 2, pupils do not always make sufficient progress, particularly in writing. The school is introducing a varied range of opportunities to acquire and develop writing skills. Pupils make better progress in Years 3 to 6 because of stronger teaching and, by Year 6, standards are above average. Pupils enjoy the very good range of additional activities which enrich a satisfactory curriculum. As parents rightly commented, 'The extra-curricular activities are superb.'

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend the range of learning opportunities for children in Reception by increasing creative and independent work. • Raise achievement in Years 1 and 2, particularly in writing, by providing a wider range of opportunities to write in different styles and in different subjects. • Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that tasks are always challenging and well matched to pupils' needs.

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Grade: 3

Pupils achieve satisfactorily overall. Most year groups enter the school with levels of knowledge and skills above those expected for their age. Children in Reception make satisfactory gains in most areas of learning and reach standards above those expected for their age. The results of the Year 2 2006 tests were above average in mathematics and average in reading and writing. Given pupils' favourable attainment on entry, pupils did not make enough progress in reading 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007 and writing. Most pupils make good progress in Years 3 to 6 and standards are consistently above average by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils are enthusiastic learners and this is reflected in their outstanding attendance. They show high levels of enjoyment in lessons and when participating in additional activities. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, with particularly strong moral and social development. The high expectations of staff and a well known code of conduct contribute to pupils' exemplary behaviour. Pupils have extremely positive relationships with staff and amongst themselves. As a pupil correctly remarked, 'I think this is a kind and caring school with lots of cheerful people'. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, over 30 pupils took part in a gymnastics club before the start of the school day, developing their skills with energy and in safety. Pupils thrive on the additional responsibilities, such as being school council members, house captains or playground friends. The school council has made considerable contributions

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Grade: 1

to improvements in accommodation and has worked with the Parent Teacher Association in providing a healthy tuck shop. Pupils make a positive contribution the wider community by raising funds for charities. At Rudgwick, pupils are well prepared for their future years because by the time they leave they possess good skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT). In addition to this, their personal and social skills are extremely well developed.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with examples of good practice. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils and have created a positive climate for learning. Teachers' instructions and explanations are clear and informative. Interactive whiteboards are used well to illustrate key learning points in a visual way. Pupils have good opportunities to discuss their work and to express their ideas, and this contributes well to their speaking and listening skills. Pupils' collaborative skills for group work are also well developed. When teachers use assessment information well, tasks are effectively matched to pupils' needs. As a result, pupils are suitably challenged and make good gains in their learning. In a few lessons, the level of challenge is not appropriate and the rate of learning slows. For example, worksheets are not always challenging enough and their prescriptive nature can hinder pupils' ability to plan and organsie

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Grade: 3

their own work. Teaching assistants are well directed and make a good contribution to pupils' learning, particularly those with learning difficulties. In Reception, children do not always have sufficient opportunities to explore and to work independently.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum promotes pupils' personal development extremely well and enables them to make satisfactory progress. The new headteacher and staff are currently revising and improving the curriculum to increase creativity and the links between subjects in order to add meaning, relevance and enjoyment to pupils' learning. The school is also increasing opportunities for 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007 pupils to write in a range of styles and to write in different subjects in Years 1 and 2. Provison for ICT has improved and is used well to support teaching and learning. A very good range of clubs contributes to pupils' interest, enjoyment and healthy lifestyle including athletics, basketball, cricket, cycling, golf, netball and judo. Parents, staff and outside providers all make a valuable contribution to these. A popular residential trip to the Isle of Wight for Year 6

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Grade: 3

provides a variety of outdoor activities and successfully builds on pupils' social skills. Health and personal safety education receive good attention. The Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory and work has begun to improve this. Children do not always have sufficient opportunities to work creatively. There are clear plans to improve facilities in the outdoor learning area.

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Grade: 2

Good pastoral care and support contribute well to pupils' personal development. Procedures to ensure pupils' protection and safety are effective so pupils are safe and secure at school. Staff know the pupils well and have established very good relationships with them and their parents. Parents say, 'The headteacher and staff are very approachable.' Systems for assessing and tracking pupils' attainment and progress have been improved. However, assessment is not used consistently well to set individual learning targets in English and mathematics. As a result, not all pupils are clear about what they are working towards in order to improve.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are at a developmental stage with the appointment of a new headteacher and the formation of a new leadership team. The headteacher with his staff has created a positive school climate where all pupils are valued and included. The partnership with parents is very good and parents contribute to a range of activities, especially clubs. The headteacher provides good educational direction. Work is underway to improve the curriculum. The school's self-evaluation is accurate. The school has a clear overview of its strengths and development needs. Planning and action for improvement are in the early stages under the new leadership. Staff are enthusiastic and positive about the changes being made to the curriculum. They are also aware that there is more do to improve the provison in the Foundation Stage and to raise achievement in Years 1 and 2. At this stage of the school's development,

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Grade: 3

the capacity to improve is satisfactory. Governors are committed, supportive and involved in the life of the school. A number of governors are new to their post but are gaining a clear understanding of the school's performance and priorities for improvement. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 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 3 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 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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?

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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

29 June 2007 Dear Pupils, Rudgwick Primary School, Tates Way, Rudgwick, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 3HW. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your school and showing me your work. I enjoyed my visit and would like to tell you what I found out. Rudgwick is a satisfactory school with clear strengths in pupils' personal development. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. These things are strengths of the school: • You clearly enjoy school and your attendance is outstanding. • You are friendly and polite. • Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are making good progress. • Standards are above average by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. • You get on extremely well with other pupils and adults. • You show an excellent understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. • A very good range of additional activities and clubs is provided. • Your behaviour is exceptionally good in and around the school. • Staff know you very well. They take good care of you and give you good support.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your new headteacher has settled in well. • Your parents are very pleased with the care and education provided. These are the things the school has been asked to improve: • Children in Reception should be given more opportunities to work creatively and independently. • Some of you could make more progress in Years 1 and 2, particularly in writing. • Sometimes your teachers could challenge you more and this would help you to make more progress. Finally, thank you once again for all your help. I wish you all the best for the future. With kind regards, Derek Watts Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Rudgwick Primary School, 28 June 2007

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