Wonersh and Shamley Green CofE Aided Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Make sure that teaching routinely provides the stretch and challenge needed for pupils, and the most able in particular, to make outstanding progress in every subject.
• Ensure that staff in the early years make routinely effective use of questioning to further children’s understanding and development.
• Make sure that leaders and governors have a consistently incisive understanding of the impact of all aspects of the curriculum and use of additional funding on pupils’ achievement and wider development. Use this understanding to ensure that areas for attention are identified and tackled effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has successfully navigated the school through a period of considerable change. Together with her leadership team and staff she has established an effective primary school where pupils flourish in a highly nurturing and caring community.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced in its design. It provides many opportunities for pupils to engage in rich and stimulating learning. Leaders seek out interesting resources and opportunities which bring learning to life. For example, they make use of artefacts from museums and the local archaeology society and utilise the adjacent forest to provide pupils with a range of stimulating learning activities.
• The curriculum is enhanced by many visits to places of interest and from adults who visit the school to share their experiences and expertise. An engineer talking to pupils about his work designing buildings and stadiums and supporting pupils developing their design for a national competition is one of many examples. An expert on ancient Greece contributing to pupils’ learning about the subject is another. Pupils spoke with interest of their visit to Ironbridge and their eagerly awaited residential visit to Rockley Sands.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is catered for well. The school promotes effectively the importance of mutual respect and equality. Pupils benefit from a wealth of opportunities to engage in debate and reflection and learn about world events, different cultures and aspects of society. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders have made very effective use of sports funding and links with other schools to develop a strong sports offer. Training for staff and purchasing of new equipment has resulted in pupils being able to access an increasingly wide range of sports. The proportion of pupils taking part in sports clubs and representing the school in competitive sport is high and has increased notably in the last two years.
• Leaders have made sure that teaching is effective. Leaders’ regular checks on teaching quality help them identify areas for attention and provide useful training and support which leads to improvement. For example, opportunities for teachers to learn about effective practice in developing problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics has helped them gain confidence and skill in teaching these aspects of the subject.
• Leaders keep a close eye on each pupil’s progress in English and mathematics. Leaders spot and take action when further teaching or extra support is needed for a pupil to make good progress. This helps ensure that pupils do not get left behind.
• A few aspects of the curriculum are not covered as well as they need to be. Pupils in key stage 2 reported that they have had very few recent opportunities to study a modern foreign language. Leaders have also identified the teaching of computing as an area for improvement.
• Leaders are adjusting well to a significant rise in the proportion of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and in particular those with social, emotional and mental health needs. Additional funding has been used wisely to increase the level of support on offer and ensure that the emotional needs of these pupils are met increasingly well. The leader responsible (the SENCo), keeps a close eye on the impact of this support, ensuring that staff are suitably equipped with the strategies and skills needed to support these pupils effectively.
• Pupils with SEN and/or disabilities also receive support which is helping them catch up in reading and spelling. The SENCo is sensibly planning to develop further support programmes to enable these pupils to make stronger progress in mathematics.
• Leaders use additional funding to help ensure that disadvantaged pupils are socially included in the life of the school, helping these pupils to take part in clubs, educational visits and residential trips. Funding is also spent on staffing to support disadvantaged pupils’ academic progress. However, leaders have not maintained a clear enough understanding of the impact this approach is having on disadvantaged pupils’ achievement.
• Leaders know the curriculum is stimulating and engaging. However their understanding of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement is not routinely sharp. Leaders are not pulling together the information they have about individual pupils’ progress in English and mathematics to gain an incisive overview of achievement in these subjects. Additionally, leaders are yet to establish a way of assessing and evaluating pupils’ progress in most other subjects. Consequently, leaders’ understanding of the achievement of pupils and groups of pupils in each year is limited.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. They undertake regular visits to find out at first-hand about the work of the school and what leaders are doing to ensure a good standard of education. However, governors’ understanding of the impact of leaders’ work is not consistently well developed. In particular, governors have a limited understanding of pupils’ achievement. Governors are also not clear about the extent to which additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils, and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, is used effectively. Consequently, governors are not well placed to hold leaders tightly to account.
• Governors make sure that staff recruitment checks are rigorous and that they and staff are suitably trained and aware of their duties. Governors’ understanding of the extent to which all aspects of safeguarding are highly effective is not as well developed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Checks on the suitability of staff are comprehensive. Leaders keep a close eye on all pupils and make sure they are safe.
• Training and induction for staff is appropriate and timely. Permanent and temporary staff are well briefed and alert to any sign that a pupil may be at risk. They know how to record and pass on any concerns they might have to one of the leaders responsible for safeguarding. On receipt of a referral, leaders make sound decisions about the best way forward, ensuring that social services or other agencies are involved when needed. Leaders know their pupils extremely well. They make sure that pupils and families in need receive a suitably high level of support.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is effective. Pupils engage in activities that capture their interest. Teachers and support staff foster positive relationships with their pupils, creating a constructive learning environment. Lessons are well organised and purposeful. Pupils work hard and learn well.
• Teachers make sure that learning links to and builds on pupils’ existing knowledge and understanding. For example, when learning about remembrance, pupils’ exploration of the experiences of their own families and the local community helps them relate to and gain deeper insight into the impact of war.
• Teachers often make effective use of questioning to heighten pupils’ interest. A recent focus in the school on encouraging pupils to develop their own questioning skills is helping them explore concepts in greater depth.
• Teachers and support staff are typically quick to ensure that pupils understand the task at hand. Staff mostly provide useful advice and guidance which helps pupils overcome misconceptions and strengthens their understanding. On occasion, some support staff are not supporting teaching effectively enough. These staff are not consistently spotting pupils’ errors or helping the pupils overcome them.
• Opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills are becoming a routine part of mathematics lessons. This is helping pupils acquire a stronger grasp of mathematical concepts. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils explored the different ways they could represent a calculation. This helped them revisit and strengthen their existing knowledge and learn more about using brackets.
• Pupils benefit from plentiful opportunities to develop understanding and skill in different forms of writing and to write for different purposes and audiences in English and other subjects.
• Teachers typically have a clear understanding of pupils’ starting points in English and mathematics. Teachers’ effective use of assessment helps them plan activities that support good and, in some cases, outstanding progress. However, teaching in these subjects is not routinely stretching pupils, and the most able pupils in particular, to acquire the deep learning.
• Teachers’ use of assessment in most other subjects is not so well developed. Leaders have not ensured that teachers are consistently clear about the depth of achievement that might be expected for pupils of differing abilities in these subjects. Consequently, teachers are not routinely well placed to assess the extent of pupils’ achievement in these subjects and ensure that pupils are routinely stretched enough to make outstanding progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They are clear it is a fun and interesting place to be. Pupils develop a love of learning and exhibit excellent learning habits.
• Pupils feel extremely safe and well cared for. They learn to take responsibility for themselves and one another. Pupils in Year 6 buddy with pupils in Year 3 to help them acclimatise to key stage 2. Pupils trained as sports leaders run well-attended lunchtime clubs. Others become library monitors or represent their class on the school council or at local and regional events. Pupils have full confidence that, when needed, they can turn to a member of staff to help resolve any issue of concern.
• Pupils develop a clear understanding of how to stay safe in the world. For example, Year 1 pupils said they had learned the importance of staying together, to not get lost, during their visit to a local museum. Pupils also understand the risks of the internet and learn how to keep safe when using it.
• Pupils benefit from a rich range of sports activities which help them learn to keep fit and healthy. The introduction of the ‘run the world’ activity each morning has led to notable improvements in pupils’ fitness.
• The importance of treating all equally and with respect is threaded through school life. Pupils are clear that all should be accepted regardless of any difference. They know that discriminatory language is not acceptable. Incidents of pupils using such language are very rare and when they do occur pupils learn why it is wrong.
• Pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs are very well supported and equipped with strategies that help them cope in school. Staff know the needs of these pupils really well and make sure there is someone at hand to support them and ensure they are safe when challenging situations arise.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They conduct themselves in a polite, orderly and considered manner throughout the school day. Routines are well understood and followed. There is a highly civilised atmosphere in the dining hall and around the school buildings. In the playground, pupils play and socialise happily together.
• Pupils are quick to follow instructions in lessons and work hard. Pupils are clear that they can get on with learning without disruption. Parents agree.
• Incidents of meanness and bullying are extremely rare. Pupils are very confident that when such incidents occur they are dealt with swiftly and effectively.
• Pupils’ attendance is high. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved notably. Very few pupils have poor attendance.
• A very small number of pupils have received a fixed-term exclusion in the last three years. As a result of effective support, incidents of repeated exclusion are very low. No pupils have been permanently excluded.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils typically make good progress across most of the subjects they study. Effective teaching, coupled with a high focus on pupils’ wider development, helps ensure that pupils become thoughtful young citizens, academically and socially prepared for secondary school and wider life.
• Pupils typically achieve well in English and mathematics. Provisional information indicates that in 2017 at the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress was in line with that seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. In both 2016 and 2017, pupils’ achievement at the end of key stage 1 was broadly in line with the national average. Achievement in English was higher than in mathematics. Pupils currently in the school, including disadvantaged pupils, typically make the same good progress as previous cohorts.
• Typically, pupils develop into fluent readers. Effective teaching of phonics helps pupils get off to a good start. Many opportunities for pupils to read and explore texts in lessons and read outside class help them acquire a joy of reading. A reading support programme is proving effective for pupils who find reading hard. Pupils read to others with a sense of audience and occasion, making effective use of intonation.
• Pupils write with confidence in a range of genres, managing equally well in fiction and non-fiction writing across the curriculum.
• Improvements in teaching mathematics are helping pupils deepen their mathematical fluency through reasoning and problem-solving.
• Pupils with SEN and/or disabilities typically make strong progress in English and secure progress in mathematics. However, school information indicates that these pupils are not making the rapid progress in mathematics they would need to catch up with their peers.
• A notable proportion of pupils have high starting points. Typically, these most able pupils make good progress. However, teaching is not consistently enabling these pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding to a high degree across the subjects they study, including English and mathematics.
• Opportunities for pupils to study French, the main modern foreign language on the school’s curriculum, have recently been too limited for pupils to make good progress. Leaders have identified computing as another area where teaching is not effective enough to enable pupils to achieve consistently well.

Early years provision Good

• Children make a settled and happy start in early years. Children benefit from warm relationships and a positive learning environment; they make good progress and leave Reception well prepared for Year 1.
• Staff make sure that activities engage children’s interest and help build confidence. Adults use praise and encouragement effectively to help children sustain their concentration and enjoy learning.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their early mathematical skills, learning to count and increasing their understanding of numbers.
• Effective teaching of phonics ensures that children make good progress in learning sounds. Children learn to apply their phonics skills well in their reading and writing.
• Formal learning activities are built on well during independent activities. For example, during the inspection, children heard the story of ‘The gruffalo’ and then engaged in a range of activities, playing out the story. This helped capture their interest and extend their learning.
• During child-initiated activities, staff are at hand and support children well. However, staff use of questioning does not consistently stretch children’s thinking.
• Behaviour is exemplary. Children are polite and caring to one another. They take turns readily and share equipment. Children cooperate extremely well and develop a high level of independence. Adults make sure children are well-cared-for and any welfare need suitably attended to.
• Children typically join Reception with above-average starting points. They make good progress across all areas of development. However, progress in writing is not quite as strong as in other aspects of the curriculum.
• Disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported well. Leaders make sure there is effective support in place for these children, including speech and language therapy for those who need it.
• The early years leader keeps an eye on children’s achievement and makes sure teaching is suitably focused on helping children make their next steps. She has a well-developed understanding of the children’s needs and where they may benefit from extra support. For example, children who might not have a chance to read to an adult at home are provided with extra opportunities to do so at school.
• Leaders maintain effective communication with parents. Meetings with the child and family prior to them joining the school help ensure a settled start. Regular opportunities for parents to talk to staff, and use of a ‘home–school link book’, keep parents informed of their children’s progress. The recent introduction of an online system means parents can now log on and find out about their children’s progress and contribute their own evidence.
• Effective relationships with, and visits to, pre-school settings help ensure that the leader gets to know each child before they join and that their needs are catered for. Strong links with the rest of the primary school enable children to make a confident start in Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125202 Surrey 10036952 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Reverend Debbie Sellin Tess Trewinnard 01483 892345 www.wsg.surrey.sch.uk head@wsgprimary.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 November 2014

Information about this school

• This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.
• At the time of the last inspection the school had developed from an infant school into a primary school, having pupils in Years 3 and 4. The school is now a fully fledged primary school with one class of pupils in each group from Reception to Year 6.
• A high proportion of pupils are White British.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils has increased notably in the last two years. The proportion of these pupils in the school is still lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is much higher than the national average. This is a significant change since the last inspection. The majority of these pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs.
• The proportion of pupils identified by the school as having SEN without a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school completed its first end-of-key-stage 2 assessments in 2017. As a result, no comparison can be made with the 2016 floor standards.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 15 lessons and in registration time. The majority of observations took place jointly with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work from a range of subjects, including English and mathematics, and listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors held discussions with senior and subject leaders. Discussions were also held with the chair and three other members of the governing body. Inspectors spoke with teachers, support staff, pupils and parents. The lead inspector also met with an educational consultant who had previously provided support to the school, and the team inspector attended part of the school’s Remembrance service at the local church.
• Inspectors reviewed documents including safeguarding policies, behaviour and attendance records, self-evaluation and planning documents, and the school’s records on teaching and learning.
• Account was taken of 85 responses by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Diana Choulerton, lead inspector Sue Cox

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector