Manby Lodge Infant School

Manby Lodge Infant School Inspection report

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125075 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 328279 Inspection number 27 January 2009 Inspection date Michael Pye 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 5–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 165 School (total) 0 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 Mrs Marion Pidgeon Chair Miss Claire Witham Headteacher 11 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Princes Road School address Weybridge KT13 9DA 01932 851 848 Telephone number 01932 855 035 Fax number

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5–7 Age group 27 January 2009 Inspection date 328279 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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: whether the entry levels of children into the Early Years Foundation Stage had changed since the last inspection; the extent to which those children make progress; and how effective the actions of leadership at all levels in the school are in improving the quality of teaching, and the progress of all groups of pupils. Evidence was gathered from: a range of documents, school records, pupil progress data discussions with the headteacher, senior leaders, Chair of Governors, staff, parents and pupils; observations around the school; and replies to the parents' questionnaire. Some aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these

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Introduction

have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Pupils in this smaller than average infant school come from predominantly White British and Other White backgrounds. Early Years Foundation Stage provision is made through the school's two Reception classes. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average and there are increasing numbers of pupils for whom English is an additional language. Three pupils are currently at an early stage of speaking English. There are fewer than expected numbers of pupils with learning difficulties; the largest group of these pupils are on the autistic spectrum. The school has been nationally recognised through the Healthy School and Eco School Awards.

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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: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good education. The pupils' personal development is outstanding and they benefit from an excellent curriculum. Parents acknowledge the caring but challenging ethos in the school. One wrote, 'It is a caring and nurturing environment. Parents are valued, involved and concerns are dealt with immediately and effectively'. Another wrote, 'He is very happy and has learnt so much in the short time he has been attending'. Whilst the entry levels of pupils vary year on year they are generally above expectations. In recent years pupils have attained standards that are well above average by the end of Year 2. The dip to above-average standards in 2008 has been analysed and reflects the impact of some late arrivals, and a higher proportion of pupils with learning difficulties than in previous years. All groups of pupils, including those with English as a second language, achieve well, some very

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Grade: 2

well. The standards of current Year 2 pupils are above average and they are on track to meet challenging targets. The high standards of basic skills, together with the benefits pupils obtain from teamworking opportunities, help ensure that they are very well prepared for the future. Pupils achieve well because of their outstanding personal development and consistently good quality teaching. Teachers benefit from good guidance being given to them as a result of thorough monitoring of lessons by senior staff. Teachers plan lessons that increasingly encourage pupils to become independent learners. In various topics, aspects of health and safety are reinforced well. Through healthy lunches, and participation in a wide range of sporting activities both in and out of lessons, pupils develop an excellent understanding of how to remain healthy and keep safe. Teachers demonstrate good pupil management skills and pupils behave well,

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Grade: 2

are polite and show respect for others. They thoroughly enjoy school. One pupil said after the Chinese Day, 'I had a really fun day today and I didn't want it to end'. This also shows in their excellent attendance level; another challenging school target met. The pupils also make an excellent contribution to their community, for example, in their involvement in eco work around the school. They are handed, and accept willingly, very good opportunities to take responsibility. The current school councillors, serving for half a term, are justly proud of their success in obtaining a grant for musical instruments. Senior leaders have overseen a review of the curriculum which now gives some very good opportunities for pupils to develop as independent learners. The pupils are motivated by, and react very positively to the excellent curriculum. In particular, the school's work on developing an enquiry-based, values curriculum is contributing very well to the pupils' excellent spiritual,

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Grade: 2

moral, social and cultural education. They reflect upon and talk freely about values such as honesty and the need to respect themselves and others. Enquiry skills are well developed as teachers start topics from what the pupils already know and build in opportunities for them to research. Established cross-subject links are making learning more relevant, for example pupils' computer skills are developed in other subjects. The curriculum meets very well the basic skill needs of pupils, and carefully differentiated planning helps ensure that pupils are well challenged in lessons. Pupils further benefit from some excellent enhancement opportunities such as music (African drums), visiting artists and authors, very good extra-curricular clubs and a personal, health, social and citizenship education programme which caters well for their emotional needs. Relationships are very positive and pupils want to get involved and give their views.

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Grade: 2

Well-targeted questioning helps further challenge pupils. Lessons are well organised as a result of detailed planning. On occasions the contribution of teaching assistants to pupil progress 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009 could be further developed through more focused guidance in the planning. Good use is made of pupil self-evaluation. As pupils make their way to individual or small group work, opportunities are occasionally missed to remind them to do their best. The school gives a very high priority to pupils' pastoral care. The school has made very good improvement since the last inspection in developing links with parents through workshops, such as 'Mirror, Mirror'. These initiatives are particularly effective in helping parents from minority ethnic groups to feel welcome and settled and learn about how they can help their children at home. Risk assessments and other safeguarding measures are securely in place. The

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Grade: 2

academic guidance and support for pupils is good, with marking, and the 'wish' approach clearly showing how pupils can improve their work. Most, but not all pupils know their targets. One pupil said, 'I know my target because when I reached my target, I had improved it!' Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress. However, the school recognises that there are some inconsistencies in the quality of the analysis of their achievement and those of pupils who have English as an additional language, by some middle management. This is being addressed by school leaders. Leadership and management are good. Clear direction is set by senior leaders, and staff know well the school's development objectives. Monitoring and self-evaluation are embedded and help ensure that subject action planning is based on an accurate analysis of need. On occasion action plans do not identify clear starting points against which the impact of new initiatives

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Grade: 2

can be judged. Good links are made between the needs of the school, performance management targets and the professional development of staff. Subject coordinators oversee their areas of responsibility, through lesson observation, work scrutiny, and by talking to pupils. Community cohesion is good. Pupils benefit from very strong partnerships with local schools, bringing benefits such as sports links and curriculum developments such as the values approach. Year 2 pupils are also writing letters to an international school in Dubai. Governors visit regularly, and give good support. A number of new governors are benefiting from the guidance offered by the experienced Chair of Governors who knows the school extremely well. The capacity to sustain improvement is good.

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Grade: 3

Children make satisfactory progress and leave the Early Years Foundation Stage similarly with above expected levels of skills and knowledge. There are now increasing numbers of children who have English as a second language. Consequently, there is a good emphasis in lessons on children learning how to link sounds and letters, and evaluating for themselves how well they have understood the lesson. During the inspection some good teaching was observed, and in these lessons progress was good. The welfare of the children is given a suitably high priority; they settle quickly, feel safe and make some significant gains in their personal development. In the absence of a permanent Early Years Foundation Stage manager, the headteacher oversees the area. However, this lack of a dedicated leader is resulting in some inconsistencies in practice. This is evident, for example, in the absence of formal action planning, and in the differences

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Grade: 3

seen between classes in the rigour of assessment. This is particularly noticeable in the tracking of children's personal development where there are differences between classes in the quality of evidence collected. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure the appointment of an Early Years Foundation Stage leader and manager in order to accelerate the rate of development and progress of children. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009 .

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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: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 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? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/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: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 2 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Manby Lodge Infant School,Weybridge,KT13 9DA Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school. We spoke to many of you and listened carefully to what you had to say. Thanks especially to the school council and congratulations on getting the money for musical instruments. Well done! You are rightly proud of the school, because we judged it to be good. Your school does many things very well. The way you are encouraged to develop as young people is excellent. You are polite and we liked the way you are confident to talk to the adults. You make good progress with your work because you are taught well and have very positive attitudes to learning. We liked the way you are given the chance to make decisions about how much you have understood about a lesson. You told us how you enjoy school and we feel that you have an excellent range of things to do, in and out of lessons. Your attendance is extremely good - keep this up because then you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learn and progress well. You told us how you like sport, and you have an excellent understanding of how to stay healthy and safe. The adults care for you well. The school runs smoothly because it is led well. Even good schools can get better and we have asked the school to look at one main thing. In the Early Years there is a need for one adult to manage the area so that the children there can make even better progress. Thank you again for your welcome. We wish you well for the future. Yours faithfully Michael Pye Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Manby Lodge Infant School, 27 January 2009

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