Crawley Ridge Junior School

Crawley Ridge Junior School Inspection report

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125076 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 328280 Inspection number 17–18 November 2008 Inspection dates Keith Sadler 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 260 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Appleyard Chair Mrs Maria Martin Headteacher 12 September 2005 Date of previous school inspection Graitney School address Crawley Ridge Camberley GU15 2AJ 01276 61144 Telephone number 01276 675700 Fax number

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7–11 Age group 17–18 November 2008 Inspection dates 328280 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 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Crawley Ridge Junior is bigger than most primary schools and is oversubscribed. Almost all the pupils are of White British heritage and none are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. Most of these pupils have specific learning difficulties. The school has gained the Healthy Schools Award and Sports Activemark.

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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: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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Grade: 2

Crawley Ridge Junior is a good school. It has some significant strengths. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive and many commented on how pleased they were to have chosen the school. Parents' views are summed up by the comment, 'The school provides a happy, safe and stimulating environment for our children's education. We have seen our children's confidence grow due to the nurturing environment.' Achievement is good. Pupils enter the school with standards that are above average and they make good progress overall, though it is not as rapid in Years 3 and 4 as it is in Years 5 and 6. In Years 5 and 6 where progress is accelerated considerably. This is because the quality of teaching in these year groups is outstanding. As a result, in national tests, standards are significantly above average in English and mathematics and, on occasion, such as in mathematics in 2006, exceptionally high. In science, pupils' progress, in the past, has been satisfactory and

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Grade: 2

has resulted in standards that are above average. Because there has been a strong emphasis on boosting progress in science, there are signs that achievement is improving, though senior staff are keenly aware that standards still lag behind those in English and mathematics. The pupils' outstanding personal development is an important contributory factor in the school's effectiveness. This stems from the caring attitude of all adults. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They are articulate, thoughtful, thoroughly enjoy school and are proud of it. Pupils have a keen awareness of how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning because the curriculum is exciting and meaningful links are made between different subjects. The work is made interesting and enriched by many 'hands on' opportunities such in making high quality bags in design and technology. There are very many enrichment activities and there is outstanding provision in the arts. This secures high

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Grade: 2

standards in art and the school provides a rich learning environment with many high quality displays of pupils' art work. In addition, music plays an important part in the life of the school and its provision, both in lessons and through the wide range of extra orchestral instrument and singing opportunities, enables pupils to develop a love of music. The quality of teaching is good although not consistently so. Teaching and learning are generally outstanding in Years 5 and 6. In Years 3 and 4 teaching is often good but the quality of lessons is sometimes satisfactory. Throughout the school teachers manage pupils exceptionally well, provide interesting tasks that are often matched well to the pupils' learning needs particularly in the upper school, and teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are also generally good. In the best lessons teachers not only identify learning objectives, but also are clear about

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Grade: 2

success criteria and this enables pupils to know what they have to do to meet the objectives. However, this is not always the case and, as a result, particularly in Years 3 and 4, pupils are not always clear about how to meet their targets and this slows their progress. The new headteacher has made an outstanding start. She is very clear and determined and has already made a positive impact on the school. She has introduced a good range of improvement projects. These include new procedures for teachers to assess and record pupils' achievements; providing much greater responsibility for teachers to lead and manage; and, to ensure that teachers are held to account for their pupils' progress. This has resulted in strong teamwork and high staff morale. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good in Years 3 and 4 by ensuring that pupils know what their targets are and what they have to do to meet them.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress, though it is quicker in Years 5 and 6 than in Years 3 and 4 because of the stronger teaching. Throughout the school, pupils who find learning hard are supported well and their progress is also good. Results in national tests show standards that are consistently significantly above average to 2007. Provisional results in 2008 show a slight dip, though the proportion gaining the higher level remains above national levels. Current Year 6 pupils are on course to attain standards that are higher than the provisional 2008 results because more pupils are on track to attain the higher level in English and in mathematics. There was a weakness in boys' writing. However, because there has been a successful emphasis on quickening their progress, standards have improved and now all groups of pupils now make good progress in writing. However, in science, standards are not as high. This is because, in the

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Grade: 2

past, there has been insufficient emphasis placed on investigative science. This weakness is being addressed and there are indications that standards in science for current Year 6 pupils are improving. The school's strong provision for information and communication technology (ICT) ensures that standards are well above average.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding and results in pupils becoming mature, reflective young people. When asked what they like about Crawley Ridge, they said 'Everything'. Pupils assume responsibility confidently and make an excellent contribution to the school community, for example, as members of the school council. By acting on behalf of their peers, these children have made a number of positive changes to school life, such as helping to develop the school grounds. Pupils are very tolerant and respect others, including those from different backgrounds. This is particularly evident in lessons, where their sensible conduct helps them to learn effectively. Older pupils are particularly good at evaluating how well they perform as learners. For example, in an outstanding Year 6 lesson, pupils assessed the quality of their teamwork when making

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Grade: 1

Victorian toy theatres. Good basic skills, linked to their strong personal development ensures that pupils are prepared well for their move to secondary school.

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Grade: 2

Strong relationships between the pupils and their teachers set a very positive atmosphere for learning. This is enhanced by the very good support that teaching assistants provide particularly for pupils with learning difficulties. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently outstanding in Years 5 and 6. This is because in these classes, teachers ensure that the work set matches pupils' needs well, is challenging, and also that pupils know what they need to do 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008 to succeed. However, in Years 3 and 4 pupils do not always have such a clear understanding of how they can improve their work and as a result progress is not so rapid. Teachers use resources well, including the interactive white boards, to introduce tasks and to engage pupils' interest. Pupils benefit from high quality specialist teaching in modern foreign languages, music and

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Grade: 2

A stimulating range of learning experiences contributes greatly to pupils' enjoyment of school. The curriculum has a strongly developed arts component of which music is a particular feature. Very effective arrangements for personal, social, health and citizenship education significantly enhance pupils' overall development and levels of maturity. Additional activities are excellent. There is a very good range of extra-curricular clubs which pupils thoroughly enjoy. The school make very good use of the locality and the wider area to promote pupils' learning. Local history projects in nearby Tilford and numerous visits to museums are only a part of this provision. In addition residential opportunities enhance pupils' experiences. The good support given to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities helps them to achieve well. Work to improve pupils' skills of investigation in science has been undertaken, but the changes need to be

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Grade: 2

The school looks after its pupils well. In particular, pastoral support is very strong. Pupils say that they feel safe and that they know where to turn if they need help. Parents feel that their children are looked after well. One said, 'Crawley Ridge is a lovely school. Teachers work hard to help children to learn through having fun.' Clear behaviour procedures give pupils security and create a good working atmosphere in which they can learn confidently. All health and safety requirements are met. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are securely in place and meet requirements. Any pupils at risk are quickly identified and supported effectively. The school has good links with agencies to support pupils with behavioural difficulties and with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It provides effective personal guidance, through the outstanding work of the teaching assistant team including that of the welfare assistant. Effective tracking systems are in place to monitor pupils' progress.

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Grade: 2

Most pupils know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve particularly in Years 5 and 6.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The new headteacher, although only in post for two terms, has made a very positive impact and she is already much admired by parents, staff, governors and pupils. She has a clear focus on lifting standards and is determined to ensure all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve their best. She has successfully built on the many strengths identified in the previous inspection and has added rigour and accountability to the school's good evaluation procedures. She is supported well by the recently re-structured senior leadership team. In addition, staff are much more involved in checking progress and provision. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008 The school development plan is of good quality, although at present, there are too many priorities to tackle. The school has close links with the partner infant school and also secondary schools. In addition,

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Grade: 2

there are good links with the local community and there are high levels of participation in musical events. Senior staff and governors are aware that these strengths in securing community cohesion need to be built upon in order that pupils can benefit and become more aware of the wider community. The governors bring useful expertise, support the school well, and are effective in ensuring that the school continues to develop its effectiveness. The good improvements made demonstrate that the school has a good capacity for further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 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: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 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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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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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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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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 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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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 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 December 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Crawley Ridge Junior School,Camberley,GU15 2AJ Thank you very much for helping us during the inspection. We enjoyed talking with you and seeing what you can do. We particularly enjoyed your assembly and we think that you are very lucky to have such wonderful opportunities to learn so many musical instruments. You go to a good school. These are the things that we liked the most.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You thoroughly enjoy school, behave exceptionally well and you want to do your best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The staff take good care of you. They support you well and those of you that don't find learning easy are given good support. ■ The school makes sure that you are safe and very well looked after.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers do a good job. Teaching is good and your lessons are made interesting for you. ■ Your new headteacher is excellent. She has made some really good and positive changes to the school. She is supported well by all the other adults in the school. All schools want to get better. To achieve this in your school, we have asked your teachers and governors to continue to focus on two things:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that you learn as well in Years 3 and 4 as you do in Years 5 and 6 by ensuring that lessons are consistently good and that you know your targets well and what you have to do to meet them. You can help by making sure you work as hard as possible, especially with your science, whilst continuing to enjoy school. Yours sincerely Keith Sadler Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Crawley Ridge Junior School, 17–18 November 2008

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