Kingslea Primary School

Kingslea Primary School Inspection report

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134776 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 316279 Inspection number 29 °30 January 2008 Inspection dates Kevin Hodge 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 383 School The governing body Appropriate authority Pat Rutherford Chair Nigel Goodall Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Kings Road School address Horsham RH13 5PS 01403 254282 Telephone number 01403 254282 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 29 °30 January 2008 Inspection dates 316279 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large school was established in September 2006 because of an amalgamation of the existing infant and junior schools. Pupils enter the school with skills and experiences that are typical for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or learning disabilities is above average and there is a very small proportion of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language.

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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: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Grade: 2

Kingslea is a good school. In just over 15 months, the senior leaders have successfully brought together the many different backgrounds and expertise of both staff and pupils. The vast majority of parents have been taken along with the changes and are enthusiastic about their new school. The enhanced surroundings, combined with the very positive lead from staff, means children feel secure, work hard and enjoy attending school. What are the key features that contribute to this early success? Firstly, children have a secure start when they enter the Reception classes. Good links with local playgroups and 'taster visits' help them make a smooth beginning to their school life and subsequently they make satisfactory progress through the Foundation Stage. In Years 1 to 6, the progress of pupils accelerates and this ensures that pupils of all abilities, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Grade: 2

(LDD), make good progress and achieve well. This means that by the end of Year 6, standards are above average. Standards in English, although above average, are not always consistently so through the school. This is because pupils' spelling and punctuation are not always accurate and this restricts the quality of their work in their extended writing activities. Pupils achieve well in their science and information and communication technology work. Those at the early stages of learning English achieve in line with classmates. Next, very good welfare arrangements and concentration on making the school safe and welcoming help make care, guidance and support good. Pupils have good academic guidance through clear marking of their work, but pupils' understanding of their personal targets to help guide improvement is limited and varies between classes. As a result, they are not always clear what they need to do to improve. Pupils develop good levels of maturity, behave well and take

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Grade: 2

on a good range of responsibilities. This prepares them well for their next schools and later life. A good 'menu' of activities motivates pupils to learn, particularly when subjects are combined to help improve several skills at once. Class work is enriched by a good range of extra-curricular activities, particularly in Years 3 to 6. Lastly, good leadership and management have fostered rapid improvement, while building on the strengths already evident in the previous schools. From the good self-evaluation, the senior leaders and other members of staff are able to accurately identify areas to improve quickly, such as accelerating pupils' weaker past progress in Years 1 and 2. Governors give satisfactory support and have provided stability during the schools' opening phases. One parent spoke for very many by saying enthusiastically, 'Kingslea has an excellent balance between developing children's emotional and educational needs.'

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Grade: 3

Provision, including the leadership and management, are satisfactory. There are a number of good features such as the way the staff promote good relationships with parents. This helps ensure that all children experience a warm welcome and enjoyable start to their education. The indoor areas are well resourced and provide children with a variety of well planned experiences in all six areas of learning. The outside play provision is satisfactory rather than good, as parts of it still remain inaccessible following the building works. Children also enjoy visits to the surrounding area, which stimulate their interest and promote learning. Day-to-day checks on their progress and achievements do not ensure that staff spot those children who need extra 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 help or challenge so they can make quicker progress. When they enter Year 1, they broadly

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Grade: 3

reach the levels expected. This represents satisfactory progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Help pupils in Years 1 to 6 to have more confidence in spelling unfamiliar words and in using punctuation to help improve their quality of writing. ■ Improve checks on children's achievements in the Reception classes to help spot quickly those that need more help or challenge in their work. ■ Involve pupils more in setting their own targets in Years 1 to 6, so they have a clearer understanding of how they can help to improve their learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well overall in relation to their starting points. In Years 1 to 6, their progress accelerates due to good teaching and a more motivating curriculum. By the time they leave, pupils reach above average standards in their English, mathematics and science national tests. This good progress for pupils, including those with LDD, is aided by pupils' good personal development. Those pupils who are at the early stages of learning English also achieve well. Pupils' current attainment in information and communication technology (ICT) and work in other subjects, indicates they reach above the expected levels. Pupils write with enthusiasm through the school, but inconsistent spelling and punctuation hamper the quality of their extended written work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' enjoy school. They feel safe and have very good relationships with each other and adults, because their moral, social and cultural development is particularly good. Although they are thoughtful when talking to others and adults, their spiritual awareness is a relatively weaker aspect of their development. Children play together and older children make good use of the equipment in the playground to keep active. Older pupils care for classmates and act as lunchtime monitors so all can enjoy school. One group of pupils spoke highly of classmates who help them. As a result, their behaviour is good and helps maintain their good attendance. They also enjoy their class council work, influencing the development of the school grounds, and holding events for the community such as a tea party. Pupils understand the benefits of leading healthy lifestyles and many, but not all, try to adopt healthy eating. Pupils take part enthusiastically

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Grade: 2

in after-school clubs that help raise their exercise levels further.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are interesting and activities are well planned. Teaching is typically good, and is most consistently effective in Years 1 to 6 where more creative approaches to teaching topic work are used. A pupils' view that their study of the 1960's for their history topic was 'cool', strongly reflected their enthusiasm for their studies. A focus on inspiring pupils to write more creatively is working well, although ensuring they use accurate grammar and spelling is a weaker aspect to the teaching. In some other activities, teachers do not give pupils enough time to learn from 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 each other through partner discussions, particularly during introductions to activities. Effective teaching assistants and helpers provide good additional teaching, often in small groups. Teachers in Years 1 to 6 assess the progress pupils make regularly. Their marking of work is good and

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Grade: 2

gives clear guidance about how pupils can improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and a variety of enrichment activities and outside visits increase pupils' enjoyment and improve their learning. A clear focus upon developing pupils' basic skills, including for those at the early stages of learning English, makes learning enjoyable. The introduction in some year groups of projects that combine several subjects is proving a real hit with pupils saying they like learning several skills at once. One imaginative approach to stimulating pupils' creative juices in their written work resulted in them becoming expert 'Dragonologists'! Sports clubs, book club and a first aid club are among many that extend pupils' enjoyment beyond the class, although the majority are only for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Many visitors attend the school and they cover many topics, including how pupils can stay safe, how to use the local library and how to conserve water. This enriches class activities effectively. Pupils with LDD

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Grade: 2

make good progress, due to small group activities matched closely to their needs.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is effective because they receive good levels of care, support and guidance. This contributes to what parents describe as a 'friendly and caring place, particularly in times of real need'. A great emphasis on recognising any pupils going through difficult times helps them feel safe and supported. Adult counsellors are frequently available for any pupils who may need extra support. Arrangements to ensure pupils' health and safety are good, as are safety checks on staff. Those pupils with LDD receive high levels of support, not only from teaching assistants, but also by drawing upon expertise from outside agencies. Good links are made with secondary schools to ease transfer from Year 6. Checks on pupils' progress in Years 1 to 6 help teachers spot those who need help or extra challenge. The school has set pupils individual targets to help improve their work, but this is only partly successful, because pupils

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Grade: 2

are not consistently aware of what they are or how they will help them improve. This hampers some pupils' progress, particularly in their writing.

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Grade: 2

The senior leaders have guided the first year of the new school successfully and improved some aspects rapidly. The process of self-evaluation is rigorous and involves the views of many different staff. Parents' views are considered carefully. For instance, the school made changes to the collection of children after school as a result of consultation. The vast majority of parents are appreciative of the way the school is heading. Senior leaders strike a very good balance between fostering pupils' academic skills while developing their wider talents in sporting or creative activities. Effective monitoring of teaching has resulted in some early changes to make best use of teachers' skills, leading to quick improvements to pupils' progress in Years 1 and 2. The governors give satisfactory support. They have a working knowledge of what is going on, but their routines to gain more insight into the school's effectiveness are at an early stage.

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Grade: 2

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 However, based on the school's early track record of success, the school has good capacity to improve still further. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 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: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 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? NA 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 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: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 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: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

18 January 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS I am writing to let you know about the findings from the inspection that our team carried out recently. We really enjoyed looking around. We think that yours is a good school. Nearly all of your parents and carers agree with us that your school looks after you well. Many liked the new buildings and we did too. Here are some of the things I found out.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress in your work and you reach above average levels by the end of Year 6. ■ The children in the Reception classes have a satisfactory start to school and feel happy about being with everybody else. ■ All of you work hard, behave well and get on with each other, particularly in the playground.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You said the staff make sure that you feel very safe and really look after you; we agree.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school helps new pupils who arrive at short notice to settle in well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Outside helpers such as health visitors and counsellors give the school good support.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The teachers make most lessons interesting and fun; the work some of you did in trying to track down that dragon was really good; keep looking! ■ The headteacher, staff and governors are working together well to make your new school a good place to be and for it to get even better. I have asked the school to look at three things to improve.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To help you improve spelling and punctuation in your written work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ For teachers to keep a closer eye on the way that the children in the Reception classes make progress so they spot quickly any who need extra help or harder work. ■ To involve you more in setting your own targets so you all have a good idea of how to use them to help you improve your work. You can help the school by continuing to work hard and by helping the staff spot where even more improvements can be made. Kevin Hodge Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingslea Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

I am writing to let you know about the findings from the inspection that our team carried out recently. We really enjoyed looking around. We think that yours is a good school. Nearly all of your parents and carers agree with us that your school looks after you well. Many liked the new buildings and we did too.

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

Here are some of the things I found out.

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

• You make good progress in your work and you reach above average levels by the end of Year 6. • The children in the Reception classes have a satisfactory start to school and feel happy about being with everybody else. • All of you work hard, behave well and get on with each other, particularly in the playground. • You said the staff make sure that you feel very safe and really look after you; we agree. • The school helps new pupils who arrive at short notice to settle in well. • Outside helpers such as health visitors and counsellors give the school good support. • The teachers make most lessons interesting and fun; the work some of you did in trying to track down that dragon was really good; keep looking! • The headteacher, staff and governors are working together well to make your new school a good place to be and for it to get even better.

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

I have asked the school to look at three things to improve.

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

• To help you improve spelling and punctuation in your written work. • For teachers to keep a closer eye on the way that the children in the Reception classes make progress so they spot quickly any who need extra help or harder work. • To involve you more in setting your own targets so you all have a good idea of how to use them to help you improve your work.

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Inspection of Kingslea Primary School, Horsham RH13 5PS

You can help the school by continuing to work hard and by helping the staff spot where even more improvements can be made.

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