OFSTED Inspection Report - Oct 2008
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OFSTED-Report-2008
OFSTED Inspection Report - May 2004
This is a summary of the last OFSTED inspection report to take place at the school:
Inspection Report Chalfont St. Giles Infant School And Nursery
- LEA area: Buckinghamshire
- Unique reference number: 110214
- Headteacher: Mrs Karol Whittington
- Lead inspector: Mrs June Punnett
- Dates of inspection: 17th -19th May 2004
- Inspection number: 259904
Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996.
Information About The School
- Type of school: Infant
- School category: Community
- Age range of pupils: 3 – 7 years
- Gender of pupils: Mixed
- Number on roll: 229
- School address: School Lane
- Chalfont St. Giles
- Buckinghamshire
- Postcode: HP8 4JJ
- Telephone number: 01494 872160
- Fax number: 01494 870560
- Appropriate authority: The governing body
- Name of chair of governors: Mr Peter Coe
- Date of previous inspection: October 1998
Characteristics Of The School
This is an average sized infant and Nursery school with 229 pupils, including 61 children, who are part-time in the Nursery, and 51 children in the Reception classes. There are similar numbers of boys and girls. The school has changed in character since its last inspection when it was designated as a First school. Numbers have increased since then. No pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well below that found nationally.
There are very few pupils from minority ethnic groups, and none has English as an additional language. Around five per cent of pupils have
special educational needs, this is a much lower percentage than is normally found. Five children have a statement of special educational needs, and this percentage is above that normally found. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is average overall. The school has achieved School Achievement and Investors in People awards.
Information About The Inspection Team
Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities
- 17826 June Punnett Lead inspector Science, Foundation Stage, art and design, music
- 9053 Vivienne Phillips Lay inspector
- 32327 Susan Alton Team inspector English, design and technology, physical education, religious education.
- 31222 Susan Croft Team inspector Mathematics, information and communication technology,history, geography, special educational needs
- The inspection contractor was: e-Qualitas Limited
Summary Of The Report
Overall Evaluation
Chalfont St. Giles Infant School and Nursery provides a good standard of education.
Good teaching and learning combined with effective leadership and management enables pupils to achieve well. The school has many strengths and provides good value for money.
The school's main strengths and weaknesses are:
- By the end of Year 2, standards are above average overall.
- The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good.
- Teaching is good in all parts of the school, and very good in the Nursery.
- Provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is very good and they achieve very well, but not enough attention is paid to the needs of the gifted and talented pupils in the foundation subjects.
- The leadership of governors, headteacher and senior staff is good.
- Curriculum co-ordinators do not yet regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning, although the school has already identified this in its improvement plan.
The school has made good improvement since the last inspection in 1998. It has made good progress in rectifying the main weaknesses identified in that report, and made significant improvements in the teaching, assessment, curriculum planning and the provision for higher attaining pupils. Standards have improved in speaking and listening, and ICT. They have been maintained at high levels in reading, writing, and mathematics. In science, standards are not as high as they were in 1998.
Standards Achieved
Achievement is good overall. Children enter the Nursery with average skills, and achieve very well. By the time children leave the Reception classes a good proportion attain above average standards in almost all areas of learning. By the end of Year 2 pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, but boys did better than girls in writing in the 2003 national tests. Literacy and numeracy skills are well used across the curriculum. Standards in science, ICT, art and design, physical education and religious education are above average. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, especially in reading. Gifted and talented pupils' achievements are satisfactory. These pupils are not identified early enough and the school does not yet provide for them in the foundation subjects. Higher attaining pupils are given very demanding work to make the best of their skills. These are reflected in the proportion of pupils gaining Level 3 in the national tests.
Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2, compared with:
| All Schools | Similar Schools | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2003 | |
| Reading | A | A | A | B |
| Writing | A | A | B | C |
| Mathematics | A* | A | A | B |
Key: A*- very high; A-well above average; B- above average; C- average; D- below average; E- well below average
Similar schools are those with similar percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals.
Pupils' personal qualities and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness are very good. This is why they behave very well, respect other people's views and have very good attitudes to learning. Attendance is good.
Quality Of Education
The quality of education provided by the school is good. The good teaching means that pupils learn quickly and make good progress. The curriculum is good and meets all statutory requirements. The good accommodation and range of resources enhance learning. Teachers are well prepared, and are skilled at making lessons interesting so that pupils enjoy learning. They give pupils the confidence to attempt difficult work and take risks with their answers to questions. In the Nursery the teaching of children is very good, and good overall in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes); this prepares them well for Year 1. The knowledgeable Foundation Stage staff work very well as a team and provide work that is challenging and fun. The school has good assessment systems to evaluate and track pupils' progress. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and ensures that all pupils have equal opportunities to learn. The curriculum is planned well to provide teachers with a good basis for their lessons. Good provision for personal, social and health education teaches pupils how to live healthily. The very good partnership with parents makes an effective link between home and school. Links with the community are good. Pupils are well cared for and feel confident to ask for help when necessary.
Leadership And Management
The leadership and management of the school are good. The leadership by the headteacher is good, and her sharp awareness of how to make improvements in the curricular planning has done much to raise standards over the last three years. She is supported very well by the deputy headteacher who plays a key role in school improvement. Good management and financial systems ensure that the school runs smoothly and makes good use of its funds. All staff are clear about their role in the school’s improvement and curriculum coordinators are developing well in their roles. There is good governance and support from the knowledgeable governing body.
Parents' And Pupils' Views Of The School
Parents' views are very positive. They are very pleased with the standards their children achieve, the good quality of teaching and the leadership of the school. Pupils are very proud of their school, and enjoy their work.
Improvements Needed
The most important things the school should do to build on the current good practices are to:
- Identify more clearly the gifted and talented pupils in the foundation subjects, and ensure they are consistently challenged by the work they are given.
- Plan for curriculum co-ordinators to monitor teaching and learning more regularly, so that pupils' achievement is enhanced. *
(* This has already been identified in the school's improvement plan.)