West Green Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the impact of leadership and management by:
  • refining monitoring systems to provide more accurate information about progress over time and the impact of interventions, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, those new to the school and those who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • further improving the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.
• Improve outcomes by:
  • focusing on reading across the school, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
  • ensuring that learning activities meet the needs of all groups of pupils, particularly the most able, so that they make rapid progress from their starting points.
• Raise standards across the wider curriculum, in line with the best examples in school, by ensuring that teachers’ planning sequences the development of key subject-specific knowledge and skills.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has led significant improvements across the school. His determination to improve the quality of education has been embraced by staff. Improvements to teaching and the school environment are particularly valued by parents and pupils. As one parent reported, ‘My children have attended the school from the start of the headmaster’s tenure. I have been very pleased at the change and progress achieved over this period.’ Another added, ‘I have every confidence in this school and its leadership team and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to other parents.’
• Leaders have improved standards across the school since the previous inspection. Pupils have made rapid improvements in what they know, understand and can do in mathematics. Consequently, outcomes in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 1 are strong and reading has improved. Provisional outcomes in the 2018 key stage 2 national tests indicate that pupils’ attainment in mathematics was above the national average. However, by the end of key stage 2 fewer pupils achieve the higher standard in reading or writing.
• Senior leaders understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. They apply their expertise and knowledge of the school to create appropriate priorities within improvement plans. Suitable training is arranged for staff and external checks and support are sourced when necessary.
• The local authority has been very effective in supporting school improvement over the past three years. Advisors and consultants have worked with the headteacher to address areas of underperformance and raise standards. This has included recruiting new staff, significantly improving teaching in mathematics and enriching provision in Reception class.
• Staff are united in their support of the headteacher. All staff who responded to the Ofsted survey think the school is well led and managed. They believe that leaders and governors take their well-being into account and feel well supported by the school.
• Leaders ensure that a wide range of subjects are taught throughout the school and that the curriculum enthuses pupils. A recent review of provision has supported better coverage of the wider curriculum. However, this planning is not sufficiently detailed to sequence the key subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills over time in science and the wider curriculum.
• Leaders have recently improved the way that they monitor pupils’ progress. They use regular assessment information to target appropriate extra support and resources to the right places. Leaders are aware that further refinements are needed to their monitoring systems to track better the progression of specific groups of pupils.
• Leaders ensure that teaching assistants are well trained and suitably deployed to provide appropriate support to pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. A range of interventions have enabled these pupils to make gains in their reading and mathematics skills. However, better monitoring systems are needed to accelerate the progress made by these pupils so that they can catch up with their peers.
• Good use is made of the additional funding that the school receives to support disadvantaged pupils. Leaders review this funding regularly to ensure that it helps pupils to achieve their full potential. The resources and systems in school to support this group are more refined than leaders’ planning documents suggest.
• The headteacher and senior leaders are very aware of the diverse community the school serves and have significantly improved communication with parents since the time of the previous inspection. Consequently, parents now feel actively involved in the life of the school and confident that any concerns are swiftly resolved. As one parent summed up, ‘This is a great, happy school with a lovely community feel.’

Governance of the school

• The governors are very knowledgeable about the school. Together governors possess a wealth of relevant skills honed from their educational, financial and pastoral experiences which enable them to offer useful support and challenge to leaders. They have a clear understanding about the school’s strengths and areas to develop. Governors share the headteacher’s ambitious aims for West Green Primary School and they manage the performance of the headteacher well.
• The governing body is very supportive. It is rightly proud of the school’s inclusive nature and the improvements made to learning environments. Many members of the local governing body visit the school regularly. They ask challenging questions, understand the school’s priorities and check these against the improvement plan.
• Governors are aware that they need to offer greater challenge to leaders about the progress made by different groups of pupils, including the most able. Plans are in place to provide governors with training to boost their understanding of assessment and pupils’ progress information.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All parents and staff who responded to the online survey and those who spoke with inspectors stated clearly that the school is safe. Pupils feel confident that staff can resolve any concerns that they may have.
• During the inspection, a range of teaching and support staff confirmed that they receive regular and thorough safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about the school’s procedures for raising any welfare or child protection concerns.
• Clear and comprehensive record-keeping supports work with external agencies where appropriate. Well-managed systems and an effective team approach involving teachers, leaders and office staff ensure that all pupils are kept safe.
• All the school’s employment checks are in place, in line with statutory requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have effectively addressed the weaknesses in teaching identified at the last inspection. Across the school, most teaching motivates and engages pupils. Bespoke training has supported improvements in teachers’ subject knowledge and use of assessment in writing and mathematics.
• Improved teaching in English and mathematics enables most pupils to make strong progress in these subjects, particularly in key stage 1. However, assessment is not always used effectively enough to refine teaching so that the most able pupils are stretched sufficiently to achieve at the higher standard by the end of key stage 2.
• Typically, teachers are skilled at using questioning to promote deeper thinking and engage pupils. Staff regularly work together, and with colleagues from a local network of other schools, to check work in pupils’ books to ensure that assessments are valid and reliable.
• Following a recent monitoring visit, leaders and teachers worked swiftly to refine monitoring systems to improve their understanding of pupils’ progress over time. Further work is required to ensure a more accurate analysis of the impact of interventions to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to achieve these improvements.
• Teaching assistants are deployed wisely to help disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities to play an active role in lessons. However, in key stage 2 teachers need to be more consistent in making effective use of assessment information, and the progress that these pupils have made in reading, to set higher expectations.
• Teachers have refined their outline curriculum planning for science, the arts and humanities. However, these plans do not sequence the knowledge and skills that pupils need to understand in these subjects sufficiently well. As a result, pupils’ achievement in science and the wider curriculum is inconsistent across the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is very good. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure at West Green, and they are. They can confidently recall how to keep themselves safe, including when accessing the internet.
• Pupils show respect for one another and for adults in the school. They are aware of the need for rules and consequences. The curriculum ensures that pupils have regular opportunities to learn about different faiths and cultures, reflect on British values and celebrate diversity.
• The sport premium funding is used effectively so that pupils have increased access to a range of sporting activities and clubs, such as multi-sports and football. The new ‘trim-trail’ and climbing wall in the playground are particularly valued by pupils. Together, these provide regular opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep themselves fit and healthy.
• Pupils say that there is very little bullying of any kind, and they are confident that adults will always listen and intervene to put a stop to any unkind behaviour.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils at West Green is good.
• The school is harmonious and happy. Pupils behave well in lessons, they listen attentively to the teacher and enjoy completing tasks. Most books are well presented.
• There is a strong sense of community and pupils socialise well together. Pupils are proud to participate in the school council or to act as play leaders. Older pupils enthusiastically support younger ones to play with the sports equipment during break and lunchtimes.
• Pupils understand what is expected of them and the associated rewards for achievement and the sanctions for any inappropriate behaviour. Disruptions to lessons are rare and when they do occur staff are quick to resolve any issues.
• Overall attendance is in line with national figures. Recently, leaders have taken decisive action to tackle the persistent absence of a small cohort of pupils and promote the value of good attendance. By working closely with parents and external agencies, the school has secured some recent improvements. Leaders are aware that the attendance of disadvantaged pupils needs to continue to improve to match that of their peers.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Across the school, the rate of pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics has improved over the last three years and is now good.
• Reading outcomes at key stages 1 and 2 improved last year but were still slightly below national comparisons. Strong teaching of phonics is underpinning much better progression in reading for current cohorts of pupils in key stage 1. Leaders have drawn up plans to improve the progress that pupils make in their reading skills in key stage 2.
• The proportion of pupils who achieved age-related expectations in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 1 last year was in line with national averages. By the end of key stage 2, pupils attain broadly in line with the national average in reading and writing. Last year, key stage 2 outcomes in mathematics were particularly strong. However, fewer pupils achieved the higher standard in reading and writing.
• Pupils’ books demonstrate that they are confident writers who can use creative vocabulary well and write appropriately for an audience. Inspectors saw examples of some exceptionally strong writing in key stage 1 pupils’ books, where pupils were writing confidently and at length. Across the school, pupils are supported to develop grammatical skills and use them appropriately for the genre that they are adopting. Spelling is usually accurate and, where it is not, pupils apply their phonics skills.
• Improved leadership and better teaching has ensured that pupils make very strong progress in mathematics across the school. Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to develop problem-solving and verbal reasoning skills, sometimes effectively in subjects other than mathematics.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years and Year 1 has improved and is good. After a dip in standards in 2017, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 was in line with the national average last year.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership in early years is strong. Leaders have high aspirations and are determined that all children should make good or better progress. Since the previous inspection, staff have worked very hard to improve the learning environment and create a richer range of learning experiences for the children.
• Children make good progress from their starting points when they enter Reception class and are well prepared for key stage 1. The proportion reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception Year has improved to be broadly in line with the national average.
• Some parents expressed disappointment that the school closed its Nursery provision in July 2018. However, transition arrangements for children starting school in Reception are very effective. Well-planned support enables staff, parents and children to build trusting relationships before they arrive. Strong links with external support services and other pre-school providers have enabled staff to understand children’s needs early on. Consequently, children have settled in quickly and made a flying start in Reception class this year.
• Strong relationships and effective monitoring of children’s progress supports staff to plan suitable next steps. They ensure that a range of easily accessible, suitably engaging activities are readily available. Children confidently move between the indoor and outdoor areas to engage in a variety of well-planned activities supporting all areas of their learning.
• Nearly all children make a good start in learning to read because the teaching of phonics in Reception is very effective. Similarly, through careful planning and resourcing, staff ensure that children’s number skills are developed well.
• The needs of disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disability are carefully considered and catered for. Staff know individual children very well and regularly liaise with parents to meet the children’s needs better. West Green’s very individualised focus supports children to make strong progress from their starting points.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125826 West Sussex 10053196 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 208 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Jill Wilson Andrew Hodgson 01293 526679 www.westgreen.w-sussex.sch.uk admin@westgreen.w-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 June 2016

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school and has provision for children in the early years in one Reception class. The on-site Nursery previously managed by the governing body closed in July 2018.
• There are high levels of mobility in some year groups, with a significant number of pupils who have joined the school part way through a key stage or academic year.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly average.
• Just over half of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The school has received support from the local authority to support teaching, learning and assessment, early years and leadership and management.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classrooms and an assembly to gather evidence to contribute to the evaluation of the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment. Many of these observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and looked at their work across a range of subjects. They spoke to pupils on the playground, during lessons and met with a group of pupils to gather their views.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about reading and heard some of them read.
• Conversations were held with some parents at the beginning or end of the day. Evidence was also considered from the views expressed in 17 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also analysed 16 responses to the staff questionnaire and 14 responses to a pupil survey provided by Ofsted.
• A wide range of school documentation was scrutinised, including that relating to: policies, self-evaluation, improvement planning, safeguarding, pupils’ achievement, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors reviewed the record of leaders’ vetting and checks on the suitability of adults to work with pupils.

Inspection team

Matthew Newberry, lead inspector Linda Appleby

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector