Stedham Primary School

Stedham Primary School Inspection report

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125854 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 315330 Inspection number 7 May 2008 Inspection date Janet Simms 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 °10 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 61 School The governing body Appropriate authority Eddie Lintott Chair Hazel Morley Headteacher 1 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection School Lane School address Stedham Midhurst GU29 0NY 01730 813522 Telephone number 01730 817241 Fax number

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4-10 Age group 7 May 2008 Inspection date 315330 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, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following: • the process of setting targets for pupils; whether guidance helps them understand their progress towards targets and how far they are involved in self assessment • how far the provision of information and communication technology (ICT) has developed, and how effectively this is used in pupils’ learning • how effective the ‘pupil voice’ is in school and how this contributes to pupils’ personal development. The inspector gathered evidence on the day from discussions with staff, pupils and governors. A range of school documentation and national published assessment data was examined, and first-hand evidence was gathered from observing pupils in lessons and at play. Parents’ views were gathered from questionnaires completed prior to the inspection, and through talking to

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Introduction

some parents at the start of the day. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its selfevaluation, are not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a very small primary school in a village located in a socio-economically advantaged area. Pupils currently leave at the end of Year 5 to go to intermediate schools, but the locality is well advanced in an educational re-organisation programme which will affect the school. The percentage of boys on roll is much higher than usual. Very few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds or have mother tongues other than English. A greater proportion of pupils than usual have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school holds the Basic Skills Award.

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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: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features, including an extensive curriculum, the richness of which contributes very significantly to pupils' excellent personal development. The school's care and support for individual pupils are key strengths, creating an environment where 'every child really does matter', as several parents commented in discussion. Pupils are very happy here and many parents choose the school because they value the atmosphere which, as one put it, 'makes every child feel important'. Pupils achieve well across all subjects. Intake numbers vary and entrants' range of competence is similar to that found nationally. The Year 2 results in the 2007 tests were above average, with particularly high standards amongst boys. Pupils with learning difficulties did well and continue to do so. This is because needs are identified swiftly and well-taught intervention programmes improve things quickly. Pupils

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Grade: 2

progress well to Year 2 and continue to achieve well to Year 5, where standards are above expectations in English and mathematics. Standards are also high across the school in areas such as art and music. These contribute significantly to pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding. Pupils talk with pride and pleasure about their contributions to the school's drama and musical productions, and they sang extremely well in a lesson seen during the inspection. Excellent observational drawings are just a small part of attractive displays of pupils' work throughout the school. Parents recognise and value these and other successes, which they rightly regard as fundamental to their children's developing confidence and self-esteem. Older pupils were keen to discuss their recent, exciting residential visit, which has clearly been highly influential in developing social and interpersonal skills as well as providing good, active

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Grade: 2

learning in different contexts. Pupils are fit and healthy, participating with enthusiasm in extra-curricular sporting and other activities. Teaching and learning are good with some outstanding features. Secure monitoring and evaluation by the headteacher accurately identify strengths and improvements needed, and staff work together effectively as a team to ensure that these occur. Parents comment particularly appreciatively about how they find all staff 'enthusiastic and motivated' in striving successfully to make pupils' learning in school and elsewhere productive and enjoyable. Work is carefully tailored to pupils' needs, with sensitive support provided where necessary. In lessons, the more able pupils are encouraged to work independently, promoting good progress in working things out for themselves. Marking of work sometimes gives guidance for improvement, but this could be developed more systematically so that these pupils in particular can understand what to do next and help

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Grade: 2

themselves to progress more effectively. Staff enjoy very positive relationships with pupils and with parents, who value the stream of communication provided. Pupils wanted to make clear to the inspector that the main thing about the school is that their learning here is fun. They say that teachers explain in 'lots of different ways to make understanding things easier'. They have a strong voice in what happens and cite many examples of where they have changed things because the school 'really listens' to them. Many pupils play a role in the School Council, which is one of many opportunities they have to take responsibility for contributing to the school and wider community. Pupils develop high levels of confidence and independence, but also work cooperatively together in lessons and play harmoniously. These attributes, together with good basic skills, provide secure foundations for their future education and work. ICT

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Grade: 2

facilities have improved well since the last inspection and pupils now use computers properly in their learning, for instance, in a Year 4/5 local geography project using maps. Staff integrate subjects well, so pupils understand seamlessly the links between them. The library has been extended and re-stocked, and now provides a valued resource which pupils use regularly. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 2008 Assessment is accurate, providing records which track pupils' progress; this is most effective in English. In the absence of statutory targets, the school sets its own, for Years 2 and 5 in particular. These are challenging for middle- and lower-attaining pupils, but are not always ambitious enough for the most able. Pupils know their individual targets, but only for English, because the process of involving them in target setting has only recently begun. The school has identified accurately that this is an area for development, as is pupils' own self-assessment.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' very good attitudes towards learning, good attendance and their excellent behaviour give them the potential to become very effective partners in achieving these objectives, particularly those who are older or more able. Leadership and management are good. Parents value enormously the 'boundless energy and commitment of the headteacher', as one commented, justifiably recognising this as one of the outstanding strengths of the school. She has managed significant community concerns about imminent re-organisation highly effectively, minimizing any adverse impact on relationships or on pupils' learning. Partnerships have remained positive and the school seeks actively to collaborate wherever possible to improve pupils' experience. Self-evaluation is good and all staff contribute actively to this. A high proportion of the governing body and of new teachers are recently appointed, but all are settling well into

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Grade: 2

these new roles. Governors support the school with good levels of commitment and provide increasingly well-focused challenge for staff. The maintenance of high standards and overall improvement since the previous inspection show that the school possesses good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage provides a good start to children's education in the school. There are only five Reception children at present, whose range of competences on entry matched those typically found nationally. They are making good progress and benefit greatly from integration into a class with Year 1 pupils. Staff manage this mixed-age group well and transition into Key Stage 1 is seamless. Facilities are good and improvements to the outside space now provide a rich and well-used resource for learning. The curriculum is good and children learn happily across a suitable range of individually chosen and staff-led activities. Assessment is rigorous and recorded well to show children's progress. Some parents are concerned about the much larger numbers due to enter in September 2008, but management of the Foundation Stage is good and experienced staff are planning for this change well.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve target setting for individual pupils, involving them in the process and providing detailed guidance about how they can meet these targets. ■ Set higher targets for more-able pupils as part of this process. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ 21 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Stedham Primary School, Stedham, Midhurst GU29 0NY Thank you so much for welcoming me into your school for the inspection. I really enjoyed being there, looking at your lessons and talking to some of you and your parents. As I said in your assembly at the end of the day, I am writing to tell you what I found out about your school. ■ Yours is a good school and there are excellent things about it. You have an especially exciting range of things to do. The pupils I spoke to as a group made sure I understood that most of you find learning FUN. I can see that from your excellent behaviour in class and in all the activities you do. You enjoy your learning so much because all the staff work hard to make this fun happen. ■ Your learning in lessons is so good because the teaching is good. Staff make sure all of you have work which suits you and they explain things carefully until you understand.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents feel that all the extra things you do ° musical productions, extracurricular sports, residentials, and so on ° are very good experience for you, and I agree with them. ■ Your behaviour is excellent. You develop into considerate, helpful young people who work together well, but who can be independent and still work hard. ■ I enjoyed hearing about the work of the School Council and am glad that your views are so well considered in school decisions. ■ All the staff work well together to organise the school to keep you active, fit, healthy and safe. There are some things which could make this good school even better. ■ I have asked the staff to make targets clearer to you in more subjects and to show exactly what you need to do next to improve your work to meet these targets. ■ Some older pupils are starting to do self-assessment to show how well they understand things; I have asked the school to develop this more.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ There are some pupils who could have higher targets to make sure they reach the highest standards they can. Thank you again for your warm welcome. Yours sincerely Janet Simms Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Stedham Primary School, 7 May 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Stedham Primary School, Stedham, Midhurst GU29 0NY

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Annex B

Thank you so much for welcoming me into your school for the inspection. I really enjoyed being there, looking at your lessons and talking to some of you and your parents. As I said in your assembly at the end of the day, I am writing to tell you what I found out about your school.

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Annex B

• Yours is a good school and there are excellent things about it. You have an especially exciting range of things to do. The pupils I spoke to as a group made sure I understood that most of you find learning FUN. I can see that from your excellent behaviour in class and in all the activities you do. You enjoy your learning so much because all the staff work hard to make this fun happen. • Your learning in lessons is so good because the teaching is good. Staff make sure all of you have work which suits you and they explain things carefully until you understand. • Your parents feel that all the extra things you do – musical productions, extra- curricular sports, residentials, and so on – are very good experience for you, and I agree with them. • Your behaviour is excellent. You develop into considerate, helpful young people who work together well, but who can be independent and still work hard. • I enjoyed hearing about the work of the School Council and am glad that your

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Annex B

views are so well considered in school decisions. • All the staff work well together to organise the school to keep you active, fit, healthy and safe.

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Annex B

There are some things which could make this good school even better.

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Annex B

• I have asked the staff to make targets clearer to you in more subjects and to show exactly what you need to do next to improve your work to meet these targets. • Some older pupils are starting to do self-assessment to show how well they understand things; I have asked the school to develop this more. • There are some pupils who could have higher targets to make sure they reach the highest standards they can.

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