Charlwood Village Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the development of the key stage 2 curriculum enables pupils to maintain their previously high achievement from Reception Year and key stage 1.
• Strengthen the quality of teaching and learning throughout key stages 1 and 2 by ensuring that teaching deepens pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills effectively in all subjects in addition to English and mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher, leaders and governors have a compelling vision for an inclusive, nurturing, community school with high standards. Staff share this vision and, as a result, a culture of support, challenge and care for individual pupils permeates the school.
• The forward-thinking headteacher and governors have shown ambitious determination to change their infant school to a primary school of similar size in order to better suit the needs of the local community. This has necessitated a reduction in the size of Reception and Year 1 and 2 classes from 30 to 15, an expansion of the premises and recruitment of new staff, while simultaneously and successfully maintaining a high quality of education.
• Self-evaluation is rigorous. The headteacher scrutinises the school’s performance from every possible viewpoint. Leaders are quick to initiate support where needed and swiftly address aspects of the school’s performance that may occasionally dip. Leaders’ sharp analysis identifies precise areas for improvement. Plans show concerted action to address weaknesses and actions taken are checked for positive impact. This reflective culture indicates strong capacity for further improvement.
• Leaders show a detailed knowledge of the various needs of pupils in different classes, and of what could be done to further support or challenge the pupils. Throughout the school, staff are hardworking and committed to ensuring that pupils thrive, feel safe and achieve well. Pupils and staff are proud to belong to the school.
• Leaders keep a close check on the progress of each pupil in the school. The pupil premium funding is spent well. Disadvantaged pupils benefit from well-targeted support that enables them to catch up from lower starting points. Most disadvantaged pupils make good progress.
• The headteacher is also the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Her leadership provides appropriate, compassionate and effective support for a diverse range of pupils. Funding to support pupils with SEND is used well. The SENCo identifies and implements suitable provision so that these pupils make good progress. The SENCo rigorously checks the impact of strategies used and, where necessary, changes the response until the pupil makes the desired progress. This demonstrates strong leadership.
• Staff feel well supported and appreciate the range of training and professional development opportunities available. Newly qualified teachers and those new to the school are particularly well supported.
• Leaders ensure that pupils experience a rich and stimulating curriculum. Topics are skilfully planned to capture pupils’ imagination and develop their knowledge and understanding through a range of subjects. A strong feature of the school is the high level of activity throughout all aspects of school life. These include a daily run, well-structured activities at breaktime and a phenomenal range of extra-curricular activities, considering the size of the school. A high proportion of pupils represent the school in sports competitions and participate in dance and drama performances. These activities combine to make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal and academic achievement. However, in some subjects, particularly science, pupils are not learning deeply and widely enough.
• The curriculum also provides opportunities for pupils to deepen their appreciation of British values. Leaders carefully thread these values, together with spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, successfully throughout the curriculum.
• Leaders use the primary school sports funding imaginatively by employing sports coaches to provide training for staff and curriculum enhancement during the school day. Some of the coaches also provide clubs after school. Coupled with improved staff training in physical education, the sports funding has had a positive impact on pupils’ participation, enjoyment and well-being.
• Parents are highly supportive of the school. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. Parents are particularly complimentary about the school’s commitment to their children’s well-being, their high levels of participation in extra-curricular activities and the progress they make. One parent spoke for many when she said: ‘This is a fantastic school and all my children are thriving. I feel fully supported as a parent and also know my children are in safe hands.’ Another said: ‘My children are very happy at this school and make excellent progress. The school is supportive, proactive and approachable. We couldn’t wish for a better school for our children.’

Governance of the school

• Governors are dedicated and highly effective. Governors share the headteacher’s vision and ethos with equal passion. They work alongside leaders to ensure that pupils in the school receive a high-quality education.
• Governors draw on their expertise and experience to enhance the school’s effectiveness very well. They are highly proactive in seeking further training.
• Governors visit the school regularly, are well informed and have an accurate understanding of its strengths and those areas that need to be further developed as the school grows.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• In this school community, every pupil is valued and cared for. Staff have very positive relationships with pupils and know them well. This means that staff are alert to any changes in pupils that may indicate a concern. Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident in knowing that there is always a trusted adult who they can speak to in school if they are worried about something.
• Record-keeping is highly organised and up to date. Referrals are followed up tenaciously and are extensively documented. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.
• Staff have received appropriate training for their roles and responsibilities and know what to do if they have a concern.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers create a positive climate for learning. In class, pupils respond well to teachers’ clear and high expectations. Learning routines are clearly established. Pupils expect to work hard, and they tackle tasks in class with a sense of purpose. Learning time is rarely wasted. Pupils work well together, supporting each other successfully with their learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have strong subject knowledge. Additional adults are well deployed in lessons to provide precise support and challenge for individuals and small groups of pupils. Teaching assistants offer skilful questioning to help pupils who require additional support to work things out for themselves. This is promoting better progress for pupils who need to catch up or those with SEND.
• Teaching successfully develops pupils’ love of reading. The expert teaching of phonics contributes well to younger pupils’ strong progress in reading. Teachers make sure that pupils’ reading books closely match their reading ability. Reading and the use of high- quality texts provide the foundation for the teaching of English. Teachers develop pupils’ vocabulary skilfully through their careful planning and probing questioning.
• Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to write in a wide range of meaningful contexts and for different purposes. Teaching consistently helps pupils to use a range of sentences and language features to create lively character descriptions. This promotes excellent progress. Sometimes, teaching provides purposeful opportunities for pupils to draw on other subjects as they practise their writing skills. For example, pupils in the Year 3/4 class were writing a biography of the fossil hunter Mary Anning, while also considering the views about female scientists which prevailed at the time.
• Teaching in mathematics is strong and improving. Leaders are clear about what needs to be done to raise pupils’ achievement further, for example by promoting more problem-solving and expecting pupils to explain their thinking. These developments are at a relatively early stage and pupils’ reasoning skills are not yet embedded, particularly in key stage 2.
• Pupils enjoy the stimulating enrichment opportunities they experience across the wider curriculum, including, for example, their ‘enhancement’ days in art. The teaching of physical education is very well developed. The teaching of religious education encourages pupils to reflect carefully. However, leaders recognise that in some areas of the curriculum, including science and humanities, their planning for pupils’ progression of knowledge, skills and understanding is not as clearly established as it is in English and mathematics.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders have created a happy and secure environment and pupils love coming to school. Many parents commented on how happy their children are at school.
• Staff have established strong relationships with pupils and families. This helps pupils to feel safe and trust staff. Pupils are confident that any adult at the school will listen to them and help them if they are ever worried about anything. They say that instances of bullying are rare, and staff act swiftly to resolve any issues.
• Discriminatory behaviour is extremely rare. Pupils are very accepting and understanding of each other’s differences.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and can explain this clearly. This is because e-safety is an integral part of the school’s curriculum. Leaders’ work with parents to help their children stay safe online further enhances the work done in school.
• Pupil described movingly how the school’s values: confident, valued, prepared and successful, have made a positive difference to their well-being. Pupils from the school council, sports crew and eco-warrior groups explained how their leadership responsibilities had helped them gain confidence.
• Pupils felt valued when they were selected to represent their school in sports competitions and other festivals, or when their work was published. Some pupils explained how attending early morning support or after school book club has helped them succeed. Pupils are also being well prepared for their next steps, as one pupil explained: ‘Being a small school gives us more chances to get involved.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are highly motivated and keen to learn. They display exemplary behaviour in lessons and around the school. In lessons, they move from one activity to the next swiftly and settle to learn eagerly.
• Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Leaders ensure that there are plenty of activities and high levels of supervision at playtimes. Pupil sports leaders organise games and activities which help to improve pupils’ confidence and build relationships well.
• Attendance is above national levels and improving.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve highly and make substantial progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. This is due to the high expectations established by the headteacher, exceptional support for pupils’ well-being and learning needs and strong teaching.
• Published information shows that the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development in the early years has been above the national average for the last three years. Provisional 2018 information indicates that last year almost all children will have achieved a good level of development. In addition, the proportion of children exceeding the early learning goals in reading, writing and mathematics has increased.
• Phonics is very well taught. In 2017, almost all pupils achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. This year the proportion has dropped due to the additional learning needs of the cohort and is likely to be in line with national levels.
• In key stage 1, pupils achieve well. In 2017, the proportion of pupils who attained both the expected standard and greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 was above that seen nationally. Provisional results for 2018 show that this very high level of attainment has been maintained and is likely to be well above that seen nationally.
• There are no published outcomes for the end of key stage 2. The school’s tracking information and work in pupils’ books indicate that pupils in Years 3 to 5 are achieving well in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress socially, emotionally and academically from their varied starting points. Additional, effective support enables these pupils to make rapid gains because it caters precisely for their individual needs. The impact of the effective support provided by teaching assistants under the skilful leadership of the SENCo improves pupils’ self-belief and the progress they make.
• Pupils’ work across the curriculum varies. Rich art displays enhance the hall, and the sounds of instruments being played and tuneful singing waft along school corridors. Pupils clearly enjoy a wide range of experiences, including participation in dance festivals, sports competitions and drama workshops. There are plenty of visits and inspiring visitors to help them learn about a range of topics.
• The school’s curriculum has been mapped carefully to provide coverage of the national curriculum. However, in some subjects, pupils’ work does not always show the same commitment and standards as in English and mathematics. Pupils do not routinely use subject-specific vocabulary to describe what they know or explain their thinking. Achievement in science is the weakest.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children in the early years get an excellent start to their schooling. The Reception class teacher, who is also the leader of the early years foundation stage, brings strong expertise and a clear vision for a rich environment, which promotes effective learning. There is a strong emphasis on providing care and nurture as well as challenge and ambition. The teacher and teaching assistant have established consistent routines which enhance all aspects of the children’s experiences at school.
• Children join Reception with a wide range of skills and abilities. Overall, their starting points are similar to those typical for their age, with a few children a little below. Last year, nearly all pupils achieved a good level of development by the end of the year. This represents considerable progress.
• High expectations and precise attention to the developmental stage of every child mean that staff know how to support each child’s learning so that they all do well. Work in books shows children’s achievement accelerating through the year so that they are well prepared for transition to Year 1.
• The teacher has high expectations of children and ensures that they make appropriate learning choices. The teacher and teaching assistant also strongly promote children’s emotional well-being and help them build effective relationships. Adults use dialogue and questioning to draw out what children know and to deepen their understanding. As a result, children are articulate and talk confidently about what they are doing.
• The teaching of reading is highly effective. The teacher delivers daily structured and well-modelled phonics lessons. Children are given many opportunities to write and happily have a go at writing words and sentences in their writing books. This builds children’s confidence and enables them to think of themselves as writers.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the early years provision and the progress their children are making. They feel that transition into Reception Year was very well organised, and they appreciate the home visits as well as the teacher’s visits to nurseries. Parents commend the excellent communication, and feel that they are kept very well informed about how their children are doing.
• Safeguarding is promoted as effectively in the early years foundation stage as it is in the rest of the school. Leaders ensure that staff are suitably trained to recognise potential risks to pupils’ welfare, acting on their concerns in an appropriate and proportionate way.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124946 Surrey 10054287 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 88 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Virginia Green Victoria Lanham 01293 862 302 www.charlwood.surrey.sch.uk office@charlwood.surrey.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 20 21 March 2014

Information about this school

• The school is currently smaller than the average-sized primary school but is growing in numbers. When full, it will still be smaller than the average-sized primary school, with 15 pupils in each year group.
• It has provision for early years children in a Reception class of 15 children. There is a Year 1 and 2 class for up to 30 pupils, a Year 3 and 4 class of up to 30 pupils and 15 pupils in Year 5.
• Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than national levels.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in eight lessons across all year groups. Most lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher.
• The inspector listened to pupils read, met with groups of pupils from Years 3 to 5 and considered nine responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.
• The inspector looked at a range of pupils’ work in lessons, and a further selection of pupils’ books was scrutinised. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons, around the school and during breaktimes.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and school leaders. The inspector also met with six members of the governing body, including the chair and the vice-chair. The inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority on the telephone.
• The inspector met parents at the beginning and end of the days of the inspection and considered the 34 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and one email.
• The inspector also took account of the views of the nine staff who completed Ofsted’s online staff survey.
• The inspector evaluated a wide range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, attendance information, safeguarding records, information on pupils’ progress, and minutes of governors’ meetings.

Inspection team

Theresa Phillips, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector