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West Kidlington
Primary School
Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxon, OX5 1EA
Email: office.2110@west-kidlington.oxon.sch.uk
Tel: 01865 373369
Fax: 01865 377080
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Ofsted
Inspection Report 2007
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West
Kidlington Primary School
Inspection report
Unique Reference Number 123004
LEA Oxfordshire
Inspection number 292555
Inspection dates 21 - 22 March 2007
Reporting inspector Mr Mike Thompson
This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the
Education Act 2005.
Type of School Primary School
address Oxford Road
School category Community Kidlington OX5 1EA
Age range of pupils 5-11
Gender of pupils Mixed Telephone number 01865 373369
Number on roll 351 Fax number 01865 377080
Appropriate authority The governing body Chair of Governors Mr D
Rochford
Headteacher Mr E Symonds
Date of previous school inspection 10 June 2002
Age group Inspection Date(s)
Inspection No.
5-11 21 - 22 March 2007 292555
Inspection Report: West
Kidlington Primary School, 21 and 22 March 2007
(c) Crown copyright 2007
Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk
This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non commercial
educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is
reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication
are stated.
Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the
Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report
free of charge or in prescribed cases on payment of such fee as they
think
fit ( not exceeding the cost of supply ), to any person who asks for
one.
Inspection Report: West Kidlington Primary School, 21 and 22 March 2007
1
Introduction
The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.
Description of the school
West Kidlington Primary is located
to the north of Oxford. It is larger than most primary schools, but the
number on roll is steadily declining and is about 25 % less than it was
at the time of the last inspection. The demographic profile of the area
is changing. At present the home circumstances of pupils are broadly
average, as is the proportion with learning difficulties and
disabilities. The large majority is of White British heritage. Thirteen
different nationalities are represented in the school, but the
proportion of pupils with English as a second language is below
average. Due to circumstances beyond the school's control there have
been some significant changes in staffing within the past few years.
Key for inspection grades
Grade 1 Outstanding
Grade 2 Good
Grade 3 Satisfactory
Grade 4 Inadequate
Overall effectiveness of the
school
Grade: 2
West Kidlington Primary provides a
good education for its pupils. Parents agree. Inspection questionnaires
relating to about a third of the pupils were returned, and almost all
of these were overwhelmingly positive. One sums up the views expressed
in many others when noting, 'The school provides a lovely, calm and
encouraging environment for my children to take their first steps on
the ladder of education!'
An outstanding feature of the
school, and one that contributes strongly to the very good climate for
learning evident in all classes,
is the personal development of the pupils. For a number of years the
school has deservedly enjoyed a national reputation for its work in
developing 'values education'. Evidence of the success of this
initiative is seen
in the demeanour of its pupils, for whom qualities of respect, honesty
and consideration for others are an everyday feature of school life.
Children are given a good start to
their education in the Reception class. The good improvements made
since the last inspection are evident in the excellent area for outdoor
learning and the good range of the curriculum provided.
The school's academic performance in
previous years has been
variable, but most pupils are now achieving well. By the time that
pupils
leave at the end of Year 6, their attainment overall is broadly in line
with the national average. The school has always been successful in
ensuring that most pupils attain the nationally expected standard when
they are assessed
in Years 2 and 6. However, it has not always fully developed the
potential
of its more able pupils. This situation is now being addressed, and the
most recent data relating to these pupils show that they are generally
working
at above average levels. Nonetheless, they should do even better as
there
is still too much variation in the quality of the challenges presented
to
them.
The pupils make good progress
because they are generally well taught and because the curriculum
provided for them is good. The school provides outstanding pastoral
care for its pupils. The quality of academic guidance is good, and as a
result pupils clearly know what they need to do to improve.
A key factor in the school's
recently improved performance has been its success in developing a good
new system for tracking the progress made by pupils. This has resulted
in a much sharper focus on pupils' achievement than has been the case
in previous years. The school acknowledges that much still needs to be
done to extend this system further and to develop greater consistency
in teachers' assessments of their pupils. The leadership and management
of the school are good. The management structure has recently been
broadened, and some of the tasks previously undertaken by senior staff
are now devolved to middle managers. However, these teachers do not
monitor the effectiveness of their areas of responsibility with enough
rigour. As a result of the clear direction of the headteacher and the
good support of
the governing body, the school has made good progress since its last
inspection. It has a good capacity for further improvement.
What the school should do to
improve further
Improve assessment procedures
and develop the use of the new system for tracking pupils' progress to
ensure a sharper focus on
achievement and consistency of challenge for the more able.
Develop the skills of subject
managers in monitoring their areas of responsibility.
Achievement and standards
Grade: 2
Throughout the school, there are
significant variations in the attainment of pupils from year to year.
For example, the attainment of
children transferring from Reception to Year 1 in 2006 was very high,
while
the attainment of the current group of Reception children is broadly
average.
In some years in the recent past pupils have achieved satisfactorily
rather than well. The reason for this was partly the disruption to
pupils' learning caused by staff changes. In addition, the school's
monitoring systems provided a limited overview of pupils' progress, and
this inhibited the effectiveness of managers in targeting help where it
was most needed. These issues have now been resolved. The school has
enjoyed a period of relatively stable staffing and the new system for
tracking pupils' progress enables managers to more effectively target
those needing additional help. Most pupils are now achieving well. The
attainment of the current group of
pupils in Year 6 was below average when they were in Year 2. The
school's predictions of slightly above average standards by the end of
the year, verified
by the inspection, represent good progress. Pupils with learning
difficulties
and disabilities make good progress because they have clear targets to
achieve
and are given good quality help in reaching them. Overall, pupils
progress
at the same rate, regardless of gender or ethnicity.
Personal development and
well-being
Grade: 1
The teaching of core values that
guide all aspects of pupils' behaviour underpins all aspects of school
life and prepares them very well
for life in the wider community. 'Values make our school special and
help
us live our lives better,' said one pupil. Behaviour both in and around
the school is excellent. Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is
reflected
in their good attendance.
Pupils respond very well to the outstanding provision for spiritual,
moral, social and cultural development and all adults act as very good
role models. 'Your teacher is like your best friend,' said a member of
the
school council. Pupils contribute exceptionally well to both their
local
and wider community and are given many opportunities to take on
responsibility both through the school council and in monitoring the
safety and security of pupils at lunchtimes. They are very aware of
what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and recent changes to meals
provided reflect the need to eat healthily.
Quality of provision
Teaching and learning
Grade: 2
Teaching varies in quality from
satisfactory to outstanding and is good overall. There is an excellent
climate for learning in all classes. This stems from teachers' very
high expectations of pupils' behaviour together with pupils' enjoyment
of and commitment to their studies. Teachers make clear to pupils what
they are expected to learn. They often use questioning and discussion
to ensure that pupils have thoroughly understood what they have to do.
Lessons often have good pace, and teachers increasingly use information
and communication technology, such as the interactive whiteboards, to
make lessons more interesting. Teachers also work closely with teaching
assistants to make sure that extra help is given to those pupils who
need it most. However, teaching does not consistently challenge all
pupils, particularly the more able. This is because some teachers are
not secure enough in their assessments of pupils' work and consequently
tasks are not always pitched at the right level.
Curriculum and other
activities
Grade: 2
The curriculum has some outstanding
features such as the ways in which pupils' personal, social and health
education are promoted. There are high quality sporting activities and
a strong emphasis on the promotion of pupils' health and well-being. A
further strength is the attention given to the environmental education
of the pupils. This helps them gain a good understanding of how
recycling and energy saving can contribute to improving their own and
worldwide living conditions. For example, the school councillors are
proud of their composting bins and are looking at the feasibility
of using solar panels and a wind turbine. A wide variety of visits and
visitors to the school and the very good range of out of class
activities
enrich and enhance the curriculum. The needs of pupils with learning
difficulties and disabilities are carefully addressed through their
clear individual education plans. The few negative views expressed by
parents were
mostly directed at the adverse effect that the intense focus on
numeracy and literacy was having on their children. Inspectors agree
that there are not yet enough links made between subjects. This means
that on some occasions
opportunities are missed to give additional cohesion and relevance to
learning by enabling pupils to use work in other subjects to extend
their basic skills.
Care, guidance and support
Grade: 2
The highly caring ethos of the
school is fostered by all the
adults. Pupils are strongly encouraged to make their own contribution
to this harmonious and inclusive community. The school has excellent
partnerships with parents, outside agencies and local schools. Robust
health and safety procedures and arrangements for child protection are
in place, and pupils are taught how to take care of themselves and to
make healthy and safe choices.
Clear targets are provided for the pupils to work towards, and these
are
regularly reviewed and adjusted. However, until recently, data
collected
from periodic assessments was not used effectively enough to track the
progress of individuals. This adversely affected the achievement of
some
pupils, particularly the more able. Assessment information is now being
used with increasing effectiveness to provide challenging targets for
all
pupils, but there are still improvements to be made.
Leadership and management
Grade: 2
The impact of leadership and
management is seen in the good progress now made by the pupils. The
headteacher works well in partnership with his senior staff, and is
successfully managing the challenges presented by the decline in
the number on roll. He has an accurate understanding of the strengths
to be built on and the weaknesses that need to be addressed. The
leadership recognises that its most important recent initiative, the
development of a computerised system for checking on pupils' progress,
needs further refinement.
The school is aware of areas for improvement and is taking steps to
tackle them. For example, it is developing further the role of middle
managers to enable them to monitor the impact of provision on
achievement
more accurately and it is reviewing a number of school policies to
ensure
consistency. Governance is good. Governors know the school well. They
carefully monitor the work of the school and are good at holding it to
account.
The successes of leadership include the way in which it has developed
excellent partnerships with outside organisations which help promote
pupils' well-being.
Any complaints about the
inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set
out in the guidance 'Complaining
about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website:
www.ofsted.gov.uk.
Inspection Report: West
Kidlington Primary School, 21 and 22 March 2007
Annex A to the inspection report
Inspection Judgements
Key to judgements: grade 1 is
outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3
satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate
School Overall
Overall effectiveness
How effective, efficient and
inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any
extended services in meeting the needs of learners?
2
How well does the school work in
partnership with others to promote
learners' well-being?
1
The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage:
2
The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation:
2
The capacity to make any necessary improvements:
2
Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last
inspection:
Yes
Achievement and standards
How well do learners achieve?
2
The standards1 reached by learners:
3
How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant
variations between groups of learners:
2
How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make
progress: 2
Grade 1 - Exceptionally and
consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none
significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly
average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.
Inspection Report: West Kidlington
Primary School, 21 and 22 March 2007
Annex A to the inspection report
Personal development and
well-being
How good is the overall personal
development and well-being of the learners?
1
The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development: 1
The behaviour of learners:
1
The attendance of learners:
2
How well learners enjoy their education:
1
The extent to which learners adopt safe practices:
1
The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles:
1
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the
community:
1
How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will
contribute to their future economic well-being:
2
The quality of provision
How effective are teaching and
learning in meeting the full
range of learners' needs?
2
How well do the curriculum and other
activities meet the
range of needs and interest of learners?
2
How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?
2
Leadership and management
How effective are leadership and
management in raising achievement and supporting all learners?
2
How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction
leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and
education:
2
How effectively performance is
monitored, evaluated and improved to
meet challenging targets:
3
How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination
tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can:
2
How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed
to achieve value for money:
2
The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards
discharge their responsibilities:
2
Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government
requirements?
Yes
Does this school require special measures?
No
Does this school require a notice to improve?
No
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