Wisborough Green Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ achievement by:
  • ensuring that pupils, including the most-able learners, are challenged more, so that they make better progress
  • developing the role of middle leaders so that they monitor teaching more effectively, and use this information to lead further improvement throughout the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher provides inspirational leadership, which has galvanised staff into a cohesive and effective team. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher. Leaders have been relentless in tackling previous underachievement. They monitor the school’s effectiveness rigorously, and have implemented successful initiatives in mathematics and English. This has led to a rapidly improving school.
• New teachers are well supported by experienced staff to develop key teaching skills. All staff share a very clear vision for improvement. They are highly motivated to maintain and build on the strong progress pupils are now making. They are outward-looking, benefiting from close links with other schools in the locality, and pursuing professional development opportunities to improve their practice.
• There are very small numbers of disadvantaged pupils in each year group. Individuals are carefully monitored and tailored programmes of support, academically and socially, put in place. Disadvantaged pupils make strong progress in a range of subjects because of the specifically tailored support they receive.
• Leadership for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is very effective. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that these pupils receive the right support so that they can make good progress from their starting points.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils particularly enjoy Forest School, where they learned, for example, to make dens and purify water. ‘Challenge Days’ give pupils the opportunity to work across year groups, for example to make an iconic representation of a country in different media. Leaders enrich learning by providing a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and educational visits.
• Additional sports funding is used particularly well by leaders to give every pupil the opportunity to participate in physical activities. The full trophy cabinet in school demonstrates the range of sports that the school takes part in and the awards it has received. Pupils have very positive attitudes to physical activity and are proud of their sporting achievements.
• Leaders have ensured that the school is welcoming and inclusive. Pupils are well supported to develop emotional maturity and resilience and are accepting of one another’s differences. They can talk confidently about the school’s seven ‘Behaviour for Learning Words’, which help pupils become effective learners.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is strong. They have a positive attitude to learning and a clear sense of right and wrong. Leaders work hard to provide the right support for the very small minority of pupils who have challenging behaviours, so that they are well managed and supported. There are rich opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions so that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The vast majority of parents and carers are very supportive of Wisborough Green. Parents appreciate the approachability of staff, and the work of the family link worker is valued. One comment, typical of many, was: ‘This is a warm and welcoming school. My children are nurtured and taught well in equal measures.’
• Middle leaders are new in post. They are at an early stage of development in monitoring the effectiveness of initiatives to raise standards, so the full impact of their work is not yet apparent.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. They visit regularly to monitor the school’s effectiveness. Examining a wide range of evidence from a variety of sources, including pupils’ progress information, they know what is working well and challenge leaders’ work effectively.
• Governors oversee how the additional money the school receives for sports and the pupil premium is spent. They check it has a positive impact on improving outcomes for pupils. They bring a wide range of skills to their role and are passionate in their support for the school. As a result, they ably support leaders to drive improvement, and appropriately fulfil their financial obligations.
• Governors know the challenges the school faces, as the number of pupils who join and leave the school other than at expected times is higher than that found nationally. They have high aspirations that all pupils, regardless of their ability or vulnerability on entry, will thrive. They have sharpened their analysis of data to understand better the progress made by all groups of pupils throughout the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders place a high priority on keeping pupils safe. When appointing new staff, all appropriate background checks are made. Record-keeping is exemplary and the school’s safeguarding practices meet statutory government guidelines.
• Leaders ensure that training in safeguarding is timely and regularly updated. As a result, staff are suitably alert and knowledgeable in recognising signs of risk or harm. There are well-established systems in place to raise concerns, and compelling evidence of the school working effectively with other professionals from the local authority to keep children safe.
• The curriculum contributes well to pupils’ understanding of how to manage their own safety, for example when using the internet. Parents of families experiencing difficulties much appreciate the support they receive from school, which helps to keep vulnerable children safe and in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good throughout the school. Current pupils learn well across a range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. As a result of new approaches to the teaching of writing and mathematics, pupils are making more rapid progress from their starting points.
• Where the pace of improvement has been slower, leaders have lost no time in providing additional support for learning, to good effect. Teaching is adapted well for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Individual and group support appropriate to their needs is provided across the curriculum.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this well to structure learning so that it is engaging, interesting and fun. For instance, pupils in Year 2 learned from one another by watching video clips of sharing their writing and then worked together to improve it. Year 6 pupils developed their technology, writing and communication skills by devising and presenting a weather report on a country they had been studying.
• Pupils have good opportunities to practise their writing and grammar skills by studying quality writing from engaging and challenging texts. They write at length in a range of genres. Although standards in writing are improving rapidly, leaders are aware that not all pupils, including the most able, achieve as well as they should in writing. Expectations are not always high enough when pupils write independently and, as a result, opportunities to excel are missed, particularly for most-able pupils.
• The teaching of mathematics is sharply focused on pupils reaching a greater depth of understanding. Where teaching is at its strongest, there is effective challenge and pupils grapple with increasingly complex calculations, making good progress. Pupils can choose a ‘challenge’ level of work and most either choose appropriately or are guided to work which matches their ability. Occasionally, however, work is not well matched to pupils’ abilities, particularly middle-ability and most-able pupils, and they are insufficiently challenged. When this is the case, pupils’ progress slows.
• Teaching assistants provide high-quality, effective support. They build trust and rapport with pupils quickly. They are trained well in the emotional support of vulnerable children and have strong subject knowledge. They encourage pupils to work independently as much as they can and expectations for outcomes and behaviour are high. Consequently, pupils respond well to support and achieve well.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including most-able disadvantaged, benefit from specific programmes of support in reading, writing and mathematics. They make good and, in reading in particular, outstanding progress from their starting points. Vulnerable pupils and their families are supported through a raft of measures, including nurture groups and close liaison with the special educational needs coordinator or family link worker. As a result, barriers to learning are removed and progress improves rapidly.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school is an inclusive, calm environment and pupils take on responsibilities throughout the school, such as ‘buddies’ or ‘eco-warriors’. The vast majority are polite, respectful and kind to one another. They take pride in their school, are inquisitive learners and are able to talk reflectively about the values of the school.
• The support given to vulnerable pupils is a strength of the school. Additional high-quality care supports their emotional well-being and confidence. The inclusion leader and family link worker know these pupils and their families well and plan specific, coordinated support, both in school and for extra-curricular activities. This ensures that this group of pupils are well placed to learn effectively.
• Pupils speak positively about feeling safe at school. They understand the value of physical activity and know how to keep themselves safe on the internet. Visits to the school by police and the fire service help pupils to update their knowledge of personal safety and what to do in an emergency.
• Pupils are tolerant of peers with learning or emotional difficulties. They respect one another regardless of ability and work and play together cooperatively. They understand what bullying is and are confident that they will be helped, and listened to, if it happens. The school relentlessly follows up any incidents of poor behaviour and commits to working with pupils and families to resolve concerns.
• Adults in the before-school club provide a caring environment where pupils can relax, play games and enjoy a healthy breakfast. A lunchtime club away from the main playground helps pupils who need to learn how to interact happily with others.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.

• Behaviour in lessons and at play is good because pupils know what is expected of them and staff consistently apply a behaviour management system that everyone understands.
• Pupils are welcoming and polite to visitors. They work hard in lessons and proudly show their books to visitors. They enjoy their learning and enjoy working in pairs or groups, respectfully sharing ideas. Consequently, lessons are calm and purposeful and pupils participate enthusiastically.
• A very small minority of parents reported a concern, through Ofsted’s online Parent View, that staff do not manage pupils’ behaviour well. This concern was not borne out by the inspection.
• Pupils attend well. The school goes the extra mile to work with families and encourage the very few pupils who are persistently absent to attend well. As a result, rates of attendance for these pupils have improved dramatically.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Historically, pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have not been strong. However, leaders’ successful actions have led to a significant rise in pupils’ outcomes. Current pupils are making much stronger progress in these subjects. Leaders are aware, however, that some pupils could do even better if sufficiently challenged.
• From starting points that are typical for their age, children make rapid progress in the early years. The majority of children, including those who are disadvantaged, reach a good level of development and outcomes are above national comparators.
• Pupils achieve well in phonics. The proportions who meet the standard expected for their age in the Year 1 phonics screening check has exceeded national expectations for the last three years.
• Across the school, current pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Work in books demonstrates that pupils work hard and reflect on how to improve their work. They take pride in how they present their mathematics and writing, and do not give up when tackling complex tasks in mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from individualised support across a range of subjects. They make good progress and the majority currently in school are achieving as well as their non-disadvantaged peers.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported very effectively. As a result, they learn well and make strong progress in a range of subjects, particularly in reading, from their starting points.
• Pupils achieve well across the wider curriculum. Their achievements in sport are particularly impressive, as is the confidence with which they incorporate technology into their learning. Artistic learning is of a high standard, for example clay pots made as part of a study of Saxons.
• There is a little variation in how well pupils make progress in writing and mathematics across the school. In a few lessons, pupils choose tasks which are not matched to their ability and teachers’ expectations of what they can and should achieve are too low.
• The newly appointed early years teacher brings enthusiasm and passion to her role. She is carefully mentored and supported by the Year 2 teacher. She has good knowledge of the early years curriculum and knows the children well. As a result, activities inside and outside the classroom provide a good range of opportunities for pupils to learn. 
• The learning environment is well organised, stimulating and provides exciting opportunities for exploration and learning. For example, children incorporated mathematical language, writing and measuring when labelling parts of a penguin. Outside, they played imaginatively as explorers on board a ship, travelling to the north pole. This was highly effective in developing speech and language, imagination and collaborative play.
• Staff make careful assessments of children’s abilities. This information is used by staff to develop learning activities that excite children and develop their emerging skills well. An example of this is the ‘workbelts’ children wear, with the tools needed for writing as they play imaginatively, take notes and draw pictures in their ‘polar base camp’. As a result, children from all starting points make strong progress.
• Systems and routines are well established, and transition from whole-class teacher-led activities to independent activities is smooth. Children work sensibly together, for example building an igloo. They can sustain effort and concentration well without adult supervision. 
• Teaching assistants provide good support and lead children’s learning well. They allow children to learn independently but use skilful questioning at appropriate moments to deepen children’s knowledge and understanding well.
• The teaching of phonics is good. As a result, children develop their writing skills. They are confident to write and use ambitious vocabulary, for example: ‘The ice is different colours,’ using their knowledge of phonics to attempt tricky words well. 
• Parents have opportunities to contribute to their children’s learning through home/school learning books and online. They appreciate how the school’s values are woven through the curriculum and understood by even the youngest children. For example, one parent reported how amazed she was when her five-year-old told her she must ‘persevere’ – one of the school’s values. 
• Staff carry out risk assessments carefully and accurately to ensure that the setting is a safe place to learn. The outdoor space and the classroom are clutter-free and well organised, and children learn to take responsibility for looking after and putting away equipment carefully. All statutory welfare requirements are in place.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125860 West Sussex 10037820 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 196 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Neil Strowger Mrs Amanda Harrison Telephone number 01403 700280 Website Email address

www.wisboroughgreenschool.org.uk office@wisboroughgreenschool.org.uk

Date of previous inspection March 2013

Information about this school

• Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium is lower than that found in most primary schools.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, including those who have an education, health and care plan, is above the national average.
• The school meets the current government floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning throughout the school. All observations were conducted jointly with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, pupils and three governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke to the school’s improvement partner appointed by the local authority.
• An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the day and took into account 74 responses, including written comments, to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• A range of documents were reviewed, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation document, information about pupils’ achievement, attendance, behaviour and safety, governing body reports and reports from the school’s improvement partner.

Inspection team

Lynda Welham, lead inspector Stephanie Scutter

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector