The Dawnay School

The Dawnay School

Dates of inspection: 3 rd April, 2000 – 5 th April, 2000

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The Dawnay School

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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The Dawnay School

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. The Dawnay School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Griffin Way Great Bookham Leatherhead Surrey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Simon Harrison

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1996 The Dawnay School ii

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Team members

Ian Knight Registered inspector Barry Wood Lay inspector Patricia Lowe Team inspector Sandra Baxter Team inspector

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Team members

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE The Dawnay School iii

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved? How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Dawnay School is a large primary school with 316 pupils on roll. It serves the village of Great Bookham and the surrounding area near Leatherhead in Surrey. Almost all of the pupils are white, with a small number who speak English as an additional language. The school caters for about 22 travellers’ children. The school has two intakes: one form entry into reception, with a further thirty or so pupils entering the junior department in Year 3. The number of pupils with identified special educational needs is well above the national average; the number with a statement of special need is above average. Although there is a range of attainment on entry, overall it is about average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The Dawnay School is a very effective school. Standards are above average in most areas and pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. The overall quality of the teaching is good. The school is well led and has made substantial improvements since the last inspection. However, all this is achieved at a cost per pupil which is above average. As such, the school provides sound value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics, music, history and physical education. • Pupils have very good attitudes to their work and are able to work independently very well. • The teaching is good because teachers have high expectations; listen to and use pupils’ responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross- curricular links. • The school achieves its aim of developing pupils’ respect for themselves and others. • The school cares for its pupils well.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• Attendance in Key Stage 1 and punctuality throughout the school are not high enough. • Marking and target setting are not linked rigorously enough and, as a result, pupils do not always know how to improve their work. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. The Dawnay School 2

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in April 1996. It has improved considerably since then. Standards have risen in mathematics and science, with a particular strength in investigative mathematics. The reported high standards in art and music have been maintained, and the school now also achieves high standards in history and physical education. Science, too, has improved significantly. Teaching is much improved. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed. At the last inspection, most of the unsatisfactory teaching was in mathematics, where teaching is now good. The key issues have been effectively dealt with: long-term planning now ensures progression in learning, and assessment procedures are in place. The role of the co-ordinators has been improved and strengthened. In addition, parents’ perceptions of the school have improved.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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1997 1998 1999 1999

English E C C D Mathematics D A B B Science B A A A

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

Results at Key Stage 1 were broadly average in 1999 except in reading, which was below average. Test results since 1997 show a broadly improving trend in both key stages, with dramatic improvement in science and mathematics at Key Stage 2. The most recent results at Key Stage 1 and in English at Key Stage 2 indicate a year of consolidation in these areas. The school has set appropriate targets for its own performance at the end of Key Stage 2 and is on line to at least achieve them. Inspection evidence confirms the above standards with some improvements noted in English. In particular, extended writing is well promoted through cross-curricular work and is strong. Particularly good English work was seen in Year 5. Investigative mathematics is strong in Year 6. Particular strengths in other subjects include art, music, history and physical education. The Dawnay School 3

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and try hard in lessons. They are eager to do well. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils work together well in pairs or groups, listen to others’ contributions and are sensitive to others’ points of view. Attendance Unsatisfactory. Too many pupils arrive late. Attendance overall is about average, but is too low in Key Stage 1.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Good Good Very Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

No unsatisfactory teaching was observed. Teaching was at least good in 96 per cent of lessons and very good or excellent in 46 per cent. The proportion of very good and excellent teaching is significantly higher than that usually seen. The teaching of English and mathematics was good overall, leading to good learning in literacy and numeracy. A strength in teaching is the effective use of cross-curricular links. For example, pupils used a journalistic style studied in literacy to write the events of Holy Week in religious education. This allowed pupils to learn elements of both subjects effectively and held their interest. Teachers question effectively, and use pupils’ responses well. Relationships are good and praise is used well to raise self-esteem. In the best lessons, teachers have in-depth knowledge of the subject at hand. However, some science lessons were too long and their pace was steady rather than brisk. In the majority of lessons, pupils of all abilities were

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

challenged effectively. In some subjects a closer match of the task to pupils’ needs is successfully obtained by teaching them in classes formed using their prior attainment. Pupils with a special educational need are supported well. Information technology is used effectively in lessons. A consequence of the quality of teaching is that pupils are engaged in the task at hand, make progress and learn well. The Dawnay School 4

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall. Particularly strong in Key Stage 2, mainly because of the imaginative use of cross-curricular links. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities, mainly for older pupils. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are well supported and consequently make good progress. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall, with particular strengths in the provision for moral and social development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. As a result, pupils are very happy in school. However, formal marking does not always include targets for future performance.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. All staff are committed to raising standards and the school demonstrates the capacity to succeed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governing body has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is closely involved with its working. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The monitoring of teaching and of pupils’ work is well established and has led to focused work to improve, for example, standards in English. The strategic use of resources Good.

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Aspect Comment

The principles of best value are applied effectively in the school. The Dawnay School 5

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children are keen to come to school. • Their children make good progress. • They believe the teaching is good. • They find the school approachable. • They are impressed with the leadership of the school and its management. • They feel the school’s ethos enables their children to become mature and responsible. • Some parents feel they don’t have enough information on their children’s progress. • Some were concerned that the Year 2 class was too big. • A few thought that the level of homework was not appropriate. These split evenly into those who thought there was too much and those who thought there was not enough.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The team agreed with parents’ positive views. They felt that annual reports to parents, whilst satisfactory, could be improved. The Year 2 class is large, which can make whole-class teaching problematic. However, the team found that the school’s policy of using other adults in this and other classes was effective, so that learning does not suffer as a consequence. The team found the school’s use of homework to be satisfactory. The Dawnay School 6

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

1. The school’s results in the 1999 National Curriculum tests for 11 year olds showed that attainment was above the national average in mathematics and well above average in science. The same is true if the school is compared only with schools which have a similar intake. Inspection evidence, which is broader in nature, including an analysis of completed work and observations and discussions in classrooms, confirms these standards. Although the results of the tests for English were only about average, and below the average for schools with a similar intake, a finding of this inspection is that standards are now higher, particularly in extended writing. Following the recent results in tests, the school chose to focus on improving standards in writing. Through this, and the ingenious use of cross-curricular links, high standards of writing can now be seen, for example, in project books. In Year 6, an emphasis on investigational mathematics in one lesson per week is

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

bearing fruit, with high standards of understanding seen in pupils’ completed work.

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

2. In the lessons observed, pupils invariably worked at the expected level or above. In over two-thirds of lessons their attainment was higher than might be expected for their age, and in one lesson in seven it was well above what might be expected. This clearly shows that high attainment is not restricted only to those subjects which are tested. For example, in a Year 2 religious education lesson, the teacher created a purposeful atmosphere in which the pupils could demonstrate understanding above that which would normally be expected. All of the class were able to show an awareness of the importance of Jesus and his teaching. The highest attainers were able to compare elements of their own experience with those of others. Even the lower attaining pupils could identify elements of a parable in their own experience. Pupils’ high achievement in lessons follows from the high expectations of their teachers. These were seen in many lessons with

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

further evidence of, for example, challenging work that really extended the high fliers. This was also particularly noticeable in the analysis of completed work in mathematics.

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

3. Examination of completed work and displays around the school shows that the artwork produced is of a high quality. In history lessons observed, pupils showed a mature and detailed knowledge of the area studied. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils had filled their project books with a wealth of information about the Second World War from their own research. In these books, the artwork accompanying the text was better than might be expected and included some good perspective drawing. Overall, the pupils’ high level of interest in the topic led to their high levels of understanding of it. A Year 4 lesson about the ancient Greeks was also characterised by pupils’ very good knowledge of life at that time, as well as good independent research skills. Although only one lesson devoted to games could be observed, the standards in that, coupled with the high take-up of extra-curricular sport and the evident success that the school enjoys in

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Standards are high overall, with particular strengths in art, investigational mathematics,

competitive sport, confirm the high standards The Dawnay School 7 here. Standards in music are high. Singing in assemblies is sweet and tuneful. In addition, pupils in Year 5 were observed working on their own compositions linked to their current topic. They thought carefully about how to reproduce particular moods and were able to produce a simple graphic score to show the sequence of events in their musical compositions.

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Pupils have very good attitudes to their work and are able to work independently very

4. Pupils were judged to have very good or excellent attitudes and behaviour in over two-thirds of the lessons observed.

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Pupils have very good attitudes to their work and are able to work independently very

5. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson about probability, pupils’ mature attitude to the dice experiment and their excitement about testing out their predictions meant that they were able to work purposefully and without direct supervision throughout the lesson. Consequently they made considerable gains in their knowledge and understanding of probability by the end of the lesson. A feature of this lesson, and of others observed, was the quality of the collaborative work. Pupils worked very effectively in pairs to get the job done. This level of collaboration was also seen in a Year 3 science lesson in which the pupils buzzed productively as they made their predictions about the experiment’s outcome. Despite some noise from the adjoining classroom, these pupils continued to work with intense concentration. In the Year 4 history lesson cited above, pupils worked together in mixed groups very effectively. They made good use of the reference books

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Pupils have very good attitudes to their work and are able to work independently very

provided to research within their groups, contributed ideas and respected the ideas of others.

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

6. In many lessons, teachers displayed high expectations of what pupils would achieve and of their behaviour. These were entirely accurate and justified, with the effect that pupils often learned more in a lesson than might normally be expected for their age. For example, in a Year 2 religious education lesson, the teacher’s high expectations of behaviour led to a purposeful lesson. In discussing the story of the ‘Good Samaritan’, pupils’ interest was aroused by the teacher’s drawing on their previous knowledge and by the later challenge to think of times they had helped people. Each pupil was expected to work at his or her capacity. For example, whilst lower attaining pupils were supported by adults to reflect on the story’s moral, their higher attaining classmates were able to make the deduction that the priest had let God down as well as himself. In this lesson, the teacher accepted and used pupils’ answers effectively to help them increase their understanding.

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

This came about as the result of good questioning at each pupil’s own level. In a Year 5 science lesson about how animals are adapted to their environment, the teacher’s in-depth knowledge and passion for the subject shone like a beacon and captivated the pupils as they considered a variety of animals’ adaptations. Questions were skilfully used to direct pupils’ attention to each particular adaptation, and the depth of knowledge was such that all questions from pupils could be answered authoritatively. The net effect here was that pupils’ speaking and listening skills were also developed well. The follow up work for this lesson also promoted literacy skills as pupils were The Dawnay School 8 expected to expand given bullet points into full sentences. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, the teaching of probability was enhanced by the teacher’s understanding of this difficult area. The teacher’s high expectations of pupils’ involvement in the lesson bore fruit in the form of a brisk pace

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

and significant new learning which carried them from a relatively low starting point to well beyond what might be expected of 11 year olds.

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

7. Many subjects are effectively combined with literacy teaching to create opportunities for writing in a variety of styles. Examples of this were seen clearly in the analysis of work in history, for example, and the literacy hour for Year 6 was skilfully combined with religious education. These pupils first analysed writing in a newspaper to discover the features of journalistic writing, and subsequently used those features as they reported the events of Holy Week. Even a games lesson was linked to history through the discussion of how the ancient Greeks cheated in the standing long jump.

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

The school achieves its aim of developing pupils’ respect for themselves and others.

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

8. One of the school’s aims is that pupils should develop respect for themselves and others. In many lessons, pupils clearly demonstrated this. For example, in a circle time in Key Stage 1, pupils were very tolerant of each other and listened carefully to all contributions. In almost every lesson observed, relationships between pupils and between pupils and their teacher were of a high order. In addition, teachers are skilled in the use of praise to raise pupils’ self esteem. As a result, pupils support each other well in their learning and all are included in lessons. Pupils’ personal development is well promoted. For example, pupils are allowed to enter the school from 8.30am before school begins and then sensibly choose from a range of activities. Behaviour in the school is very good. This follows from the codes of conduct which are negotiated annually with pupils. In addition, there is an exemplary ‘no blame’ bullying policy which is valued by pupils and effective in

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responses; have good subject knowledge, and make good use of opportunities for cross-

9. The staff of the school care about the welfare of the pupils and know them well. They provide good role models. In a number of lessons, for example, games and science, staff were careful to remind pupils about possible dangers, showing that the pupils’ health and safety have an appropriately high profile in the school. Similarly, the sound written procedures for child protection are implemented well and staff are vigilant. The good behaviour policy is effectively implemented, and the monitoring of behaviour in school is very good. This has a positive effect on learning because teachers’ discipline becomes invisible and they can concentrate on the job in hand, which is to maximise pupils’ learning. The outcome of these procedures and the school’s caring nature is that pupils are clearly happy in school. Indeed, 96 per cent of parents agreed that their children like school, and a similar proportion agreed that the school is helping their children to become mature

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Attendance in Key Stage 1 and punctuality throughout the school are not high enough.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

10. During the inspection, the team analysed the attendance registers kept since September and observed a number of registration periods. The overall attendance level calculated was 93.9 per cent, which is a little below average. However, this masks a figure of only 92.4 per cent in Key Stage 1, which is significantly below the national average for primary schools of 94.3 per cent, and places this part of the school in the bottom quarter of schools nationally. The school, in partnership with the local authority, has identified a number of pupils who have long term or regular authorised absence from school. Nearly half of these are the children of travellers whose absence is a consequence of their cultural background . In addition, the incidence of recorded late arrivals, at nearly 1 per cent, is higher than usual. Both of these concerns were reflected in lesson observations, more pupils than usual being absent from lessons, or arriving late and consequently

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

disrupting their own and others’ learning.

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Marking and target setting are not linked rigorously enough so that pupils do not always

11. All pupils have individual targets for their work and are aware of them. These are reviewed with pupils regularly. The marking seen in the analysis of completed work was thorough and, largely, celebratory. It is entirely appropriate that the process of reviewing work with younger pupils should take place through immediate discussion. However, the written record of the marking in Key Stage 2 does not always include a target for future work, guidance on how to avoid the same mistake again, or advice on how to improve work even further. Consequently, although pupils have long-term targets, they do not always know what to do to improve in the short-term in relation to the work they have already completed, or how to judge whether they have improved.

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Marking and target setting are not linked rigorously enough so that pupils do not always

12. This is a very effective school with no areas of significant weakness. Nevertheless, the governors, headteacher and staff should consider the following minor points in their future planning. They should:

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Marking and target setting are not linked rigorously enough so that pupils do not always

* take further steps to improve attendance in Key Stage 1 and to encourage punctuality in general;

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Marking and target setting are not linked rigorously enough so that pupils do not always

* ensure that written comments in pupils’ books give clear indications of how work can be improved, together with short term targets for that improvement, so that pupils are fully aware of what they need to do to improve further. The Dawnay School 10

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 26 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 5

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

4 42 50 4 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y6

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 316 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 37 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Special educational needs YR – Y6

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 11 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 54

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 40 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 30

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% %

School data 93.9 School data 0.2 National comparative data 94.1 National comparative data 0.5 The Dawnay School 11 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 14 14 28

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 12 13 12 Girls 11 12 11 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Total 23 25 23 Percentage of pupils School 82 89 82 at NC Level 2 or above National 82 83 87

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 12 12 13 Girls 11 11 11 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Total 23 23 24 Percentage of pupils School 82 82 86 at NC Level 2 or above National 82 86 87 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 30 30 60

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 18 23 27 Girls 21 23 27 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 39 46 54 Percentage of pupils School 65 77 90 at NC Level 4 or above National 70 69 78

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 17 22 21 Girls 22 23 26 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 39 45 47 Percentage of pupils School 65 75 80 at NC Level 4 or above National 68 69 75 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. The Dawnay School 12

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Permanent

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 1 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 1 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 272 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 22 Other minority ethnic groups 1 0

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Permanent

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15 Financial year 1999/2000

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YR – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 28.7

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YR – Y6

Average class size 28.7 £ Total income 633809.00

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YR – Y6

Total number of education support staff 14 Expenditure per pupil 2166.00

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YR – Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 192 Balance brought forward from previous year 30000.00

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YR – Y6

Balance carried forward to next year -14060.00 The Dawnay School 13

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Questionnaire return rate

316 Number of questionnaires sent out Number of questionnaires returned 125

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 53 43 2 1 1

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know

Behaviour in the school is good. 41 53 5 2 0

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 34 53 7 4 2

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 40 15 0 1

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 26 2 0 0

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 38 2 2 1

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know

The school works closely with parents. 46 46 5 2 1

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know

The school is well led and managed. 70 30 1 0 0 The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 44 2 0 2

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 61 34 2 0 3

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Other issues raised by parents

In the meeting some parents expressed concern over the large class size in Year 2. Some thought the level of homework was inappropriate, split evenly between those who thought there was too much and those who thought there was too little.

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