Powell Corderoy Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching by ensuring that:
  • the most able pupils are provided with sufficient challenge
  • teaching assistants provide effective support and guidance to teachers and pupils.
• Simplify management systems to avoid repetition so that leaders build more efficiently on current strengths and priorities for improvement.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Parents rightly acknowledge the strengths in leadership and the improvements leaders have made since the previous inspection. This is reflected in the comment made by one parent who wrote, ‘The headteacher and staff have worked hard to tackle past failings and the school is now a wonderful environment for children to learn.’
• The headteacher and governors are ambitious and have high expectations for themselves, the staff and pupils. They have created a culture in which all staff feel valued and pupils feel welcomed. The school is a harmonious learning community.
• Leaders and governors know the school well. They are reflective and continually seek ways to improve on what they already do well. They share their priorities with staff, parents and governors. Consequently, teamwork is strong and staff morale is high.
• Staff welcome the support and training that leaders provide to help them to become better teachers. Leaders visit classrooms formally as well as informally and they provide clear guidance to teachers so that they know how to improve their work. The management of teachers’ performance supports this drive for improvement.
• School leaders actively promote equal opportunities for all pupils. They carefully record and track pupils’ progress so that they can intervene quickly should any pupils be at risk of falling behind. This has helped all pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, to progress well.
• The pupil premium funding has been thoughtfully used to support disadvantaged pupils. It provides extra assistance in classrooms as well as supporting costs of additional activities, including school trips. This helps those pupils to develop confidence in the classroom and enables them to have equal access to everything the school has to offer.
• The curriculum is very well planned to include enriching experiences that deepen pupils’ understanding. This is exemplified by pupils who were inspired by a visit to a local mosque where they learned about the faiths and beliefs of those from the Islamic faith. A recent celebration of the school’s 200th birthday provided opportunities for pupils to explore the history of the school over that period. It also fostered a strong sense of community as generations of local people came together to celebrate. These experiences promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively.
• The school’s own values reflect those of modern Britain. Through assemblies and other activities, pupils develop their understanding of British values and what it means to live in modern Britain. The school is very outward-looking and encourages pupils to be tolerant and respectful of others. Pupils are involved in making decisions and they understand what it means to abide by these decisions.
• Pupils enjoy taking part in the wide range of sporting activities available to them. The primary school sports funding provides for specialist coaching, teaching and equipment that are enjoyed by all pupils. Teachers work alongside the sports coach and this increases their expertise and confidence.
• The school has responded well to the support provided by the local authority. Advisers have helped teachers to improve the way in which phonics is taught and this has already led to improvements in pupils’ progress in reading.
• Leaders write plans that inform staff, parents and governors appropriately about how the school will become even better. Some plans and reports duplicate what is already in place. Writing and reviewing these extra documents impedes leaders’ work to further improve the school, by reducing the efficiency of their actions.

Governance of the school

• School governors share leaders’ ambition and high expectations. They are very well organised and have a strategic view of how they want the school to develop in the longer term. They have ensured that disruption to the school while the headteacher is on maternity leave has been minimal. Governors know that the improvements made by her are being sustained and built on by the interim headteacher.
• Governors provide a good balance of support and challenge to leaders. Although they receive good-quality information from leaders, they visit the school regularly to check for themselves how well the school runs on a day-to-day basis. They have a clear view of the strengths of the school and the priorities for further improvement.
• Governors know how the performance of staff is managed to improve teaching. They support leaders’ actions to tackle weaker performance and they ensure that good teaching is rewarded.
• Governors manage their statutory responsibilities effectively. They have a monitoring schedule in place so they make sure that all policies are evaluated and reviewed in a timely way. They check carefully the school’s finances, including the use of the pupil premium funding, to ensure that the school provides good value for money.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have established a culture of safety so that all pupils feel safe. There is a robust approach to safeguarding that ensures that pupils are kept safe and secure. All staff are well trained so they know what to do should they have a concern that a pupil is not safe. Leaders check the impact of this training through questionnaires to ensure that it has high priority among all staff. Safeguarding features as a regular item on the agenda in both staff meetings and governors meetings and it is kept at the forefront of the school’s priorities.
• Arrangements for checking the suitability of staff on appointment are thorough and all visitors to school are carefully checked. The school works closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable receive the support they need at the right time.
• The school site is safe, clean and very well maintained.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is good across the school. Current leaders have provided training and support for teachers to help them to develop their skills and this has led to improved progress for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and they use this well to question pupils and so deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, in a Year 3 English lesson, the teacher asked pupils to analyse the particular rhyming patterns of limericks in preparation for their own writing. This helped pupils to successfully create their own limericks.
• There are high expectations for all pupils. Teachers provide work for pupils that makes them work hard and think deeply. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 have been learning about Judaism; those in Years 3 and 4 have been studying Islam. Their writing shows that they reflect on the different ways in which people pray and the different symbols and beliefs that are representative of that religion.
• Teachers know their pupils well and they plan work that builds on previous learning. This ensures that time for learning is used well and pupils increase their knowledge and understanding step by step. Teachers check on pupils while they are working to address any misconceptions quickly and this enables pupils to progress well.
• Feedback provided to pupils is helpful. Teachers address pupils’ misconceptions in class and they check work in pupils’ books carefully. As a result, pupils know when they have been successful and what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils value this feedback because they understand that it helps them to make good progress.
• The teaching of phonics has been reorganised in response to actions taken by school leaders. Teachers use electronic programs to show pupils the different sounds that letters make and how words are built by blending sounds together. These programs are imaginative and engaging and help pupils to build their reading skills quickly.
• There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to share their ideas and talk about their work in class. Apart from helping pupils to learn from each other, pupils also develop their speaking and listening skills and learn to take turns when speaking.
• Teachers have embraced the higher expectations of the new curriculum and provide challenging activities for pupils. For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 1 compare coins of differing values to make totals and so they work out the different ways sums of money can be made.
• There are good working relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils are motivated and enjoy responding to teachers’ questions. Pupils trust staff and confidently ask questions themselves. They are not afraid to seek help if they have a problem with their work. As a result, little learning time is lost.
• Most teaching assistants provide good support to pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make sure that activities are broken down into smaller steps so that these pupils make progress from their starting points. This ensures that these pupils quickly grasp new learning. However, there are some teaching assistants who do not provide enough support and guidance to pupils. They act in a supervisory role and spend too much time managing pupils’ behaviour.
• Although teachers usually present a good level of challenge for pupils, there are times when the most able pupils do not make fast enough progress. This is because they do not have work that is hard enough to allow them to work at greater depth than other pupils. This means that they do not reach the highest standards of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils, parents and the wider school community refer to the school’s motto, ‘Proud to be Powell’, and this is shown in their attitudes and behaviour. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school.
• Pupils feel safe in school. They trust adults to help on the odd occasion when a problem arises. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong, contributing to a climate of safety.
• Parents are very positive about the way in which the school promotes pupils’ personal development. They speak about children feeling that they are part of a family and community, and this is reflected in the comment made by one parent who wrote, ‘We feel that the ethos of the school is very positive with a genuine focus on values to help the children to develop into caring individuals.’
• Pupils know that bullying and derogatory language is not tolerated. They learn about different forms of bullying, including those related to race, gender and religion. They are taught to tackle stereotypes and to see the value in all people regardless of background. They know that it is important to treat everyone fairly and equally.
• Throughout the curriculum, pupils are taught to keep themselves safe when using modern technology. They know that it is unwise to provide personal information when using computers and mobile devices. They also know about cyber bullying and what to do should an incident occur.
• The school has a number of pupils who find difficulty in managing some aspects of school life. However, due to the quality of support and guidance they receive from staff, they are able to overcome their problems and enjoy what the school has to offer.
• The breakfast club and the after school club provide pupils with a nutritious start and end to the school day. Staff provide good-quality care in a safe environment for pupils.
• A very small number of pupils do not always make the right choices when using online technology away from school. School leaders have dealt correctly with a few recent incidents of pupils using technology inappropriately.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. They have positive attitudes towards learning and they appreciate the help that teachers give them. Pupils understand the importance of learning and they want to do well.
• Pupils get on well together in class and in the playground. They are supportive of each other and help each other with their work. Usually they settle quickly to work with little fuss. However, there are times when they are distracted and chat among themselves, and this slows their learning.
• Teachers apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently and so pupils understand and respond to their expectations. Pupils are all very aware of and understand the school’s values and most of them act upon these.
• Pupils are courteous, polite and friendly. They move around the school calmly and safely, needing few reminders from adults. They play well together at breaktimes, and ‘playground buddies’ ensure that all pupils have someone to talk to. Lunchtimes are calm and orderly with pupils chatting quietly over their meals.
• There are few reported incidents relating to poor behaviour, and the level of fixed-term exclusions is low. Pupils want to come to school and their attendance is broadly average. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced over recent years. Staff, governors and parents who spoke to inspectors or responded to the online survey agree that pupils behave well and that they feel safe in school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently in the school make good progress from their various starting points. Pupils’ progress has increased in all subjects since the previous inspection. This is partly because teaching has improved and partly because the school now has clear systems in place that enable leaders to track the progress that pupils make. Pupils make good progress in reading and in mathematics.
• Most pupils reach the expected standards at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 and some exceed this, especially in reading where their attainment was significantly above average at the end of Year 6 in 2016. The school’s own assessment information, together with work seen in pupils’ books, shows that most pupils are working at least at the expected standard.
• School leaders carefully track the progress of disadvantaged pupils to ensure that they do as well as other pupils. In 2016, the number of disadvantaged pupils taking the statutory assessment was too small to be reported on so national comparisons cannot be made. However, disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are doing at least as well as other pupils.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. They learn well because their needs are identified at an early stage and they are provided with extra help in class. Sometimes these pupils are provided with additional programmes of work that are aimed to help them to overcome their difficulties.
• Pupils enjoy reading and talking about the books they have read. Pupils in Year 2 have books that are well matched to their level of reading and this helps them to progress well. However, the least able pupils still lack confidence using their phonics to sound out words and this slows their fluency when reading aloud.
• By Year 6, pupils read fluently and confidently and with obvious enjoyment. They use punctuation well to read with good expression and understanding. The most able pupils respond to questions about their reading by referring to the text to support their answers. They happily discuss the books and authors they enjoy. One pupil said, ‘I love reading because it takes you into a world of your own.’
• Pupils’ writing is not as strong as their reading. This is mainly because of past weaknesses that have resulted in gaps in their skills. However, leaders have taken action to address this. They have improved pupils’ phonic skills so that they learn to spell accurately at key stage 1 and they have introduced a new handwriting scheme to improve pupils’ letter formation.
• To encourage both reading and writing, pupils produce a termly newspaper, ‘POW’, which is created by children for children. Although there is an editorial team, pupils from across the school are invited to contribute stories, photos, reports, articles and letters. It is a high-quality magazine with plenty of fascinating articles to stimulate the interest of pupils across the school in both reading and writing.
• Pupils’ achievement in mathematics has improved. Many lessons start with a brisk arithmetic activity that enables pupils to practise quick recall of number facts and this has increased the accuracy and speed of their calculations. Work in pupils’ books shows that they have a secure understanding of basic calculation strategies.
• Pupils do equally well in other subjects, including art, physical education and religious education. At the time of the inspection, Year 6 pupils were thoroughly enjoying a gymnastics lesson taught by the specialist coach, while Year 3 pupils were learning how to create a game using laptop computers.
• Displays of pupils’ work around the school show that they have learned about different faiths including Christianity, Judaism and Islam in depth. This gives them a good insight into the faiths and beliefs of others as well as promoting their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.

Early years provision Good

• The Reception class provides a firm foundation for children in the early years and so they progress well across all areas of development. They are welcomed warmly into a bright and stimulating environment where they feel safe and secure. Parents particularly value the transition arrangements that give children a good start.
• The majority of children start school with skills that are typical for their age. They make good progress so that by the end of the Reception Year, children, including those who are disadvantaged, are ready for the more challenging demands of Year 1.
• Staff know children well and they provide activities that build on and extend what children can already do. Children develop good phonic skills and this helps them to develop early reading and writing skills.
• Children behave well and they get on very well together. They are confident and listen to each other, share and take turns. During the inspection, they performed their nativity to parents. They spoke confidently, sang well and delighted their proud parents. This promoted their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively.
• Staff use assessment information accurately to plan next steps in children’s learning. An electronic record enables their achievement to be shared with their parents. Parents and children especially value the opportunity to share memorable moments from home and school. It also reinforces the contribution that parents make to their children’s learning journey.
• Teaching is good. There is a careful balance of activities that are led by adults and those selected by children. Adults support children to learn by asking questions that help to develop their language and social skills.
• Staff undertake regular training, including for safeguarding, so that their skills are constantly improving. Parents praise the quality of education provided in the early years. One parent wrote, ‘Powell Corderoy is a hidden gem that, as a family, we feel very fortunate to be part of. The school has exceeded our expectations and our daughter has settled in extremely well. Proud to be Powell!’

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125151 Surrey 10019895 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 4–11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 194 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher (interim) Telephone number Website Email address Alex Cliff Emma Smart 01306 883373 www.powellcorderoy.co.uk/ info@pcps.uk Date of previous inspection 27 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The headteacher joined the school in April 2015 and is currently on maternity leave. The school is being led by an interim headteacher who is to join the school permanently as a job-share arrangement. She will lead the school jointly with the headteacher when she returns to the school in the new year.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school and pupils are taught in single-age classes. There is provision for children in the early years in the Reception class. These children attend full time.
• Most pupils are of White British background and very few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• There is a breakfast club and an after-school club for pupils. These were both included in this inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils working in 16 lessons or parts of lesson, most of which were observed jointly with school leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils reading in Year 2 and Year 6. They observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around the school.
• Meetings were held with six governors, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also met with school leaders, groups of pupils and staff, and they held a telephone meeting with a representative from the local authority.
• Among the documents scrutinised were school improvement plans, subject leader action plans and the school’s own analysis of its performance. Inspectors also looked at information regarding pupils’ progress as well as documentation showing how the school keeps pupils safe.
• The views of parents were taken into account by analysing the 122 responses to the online survey, Parent View. Inspectors also met informally with parents during the inspection. The views of staff were taken into account by considering 23 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Joy Considine, lead inspector Amanda Gard

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector