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Oatlands School |
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| Inspection report |
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Inspection dates 2–3 March 2010
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Unique
Reference Number 124994
Local Authority
Surrey
Inspection
number 340694
Reporting inspector
David Scott |
This
inspection of the school
was
carried out under section 5
of the Education Act 2005. |
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Type of
school Infant
School category
Community
Age range
of pupils 4–11
Gender of pupils
Mixed
Number of
pupils on the school roll
210
Appropriate authority
The governing body
Chair Roy Taylor
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Headteacher
Patricia Beechey
Date of previous
school inspection 26
Sept 2006
School
address
St Mary's
Road, Oatlands Park
Weybridge KT13 9PZ
Telephone number 01932
843 990
Fax number
01932 830015
Email address
head@oatlands.surrey.sch.uk
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The Office for Standards in
Education, Children's Services
and Skills (Ofsted) regulates
and inspects to achieve
excellence in the care of
children and young people, and
in education and skills for
learners of all ages. It
regulates and inspects childcare
and children's social care, and
inspects the Children and Family
Court Advisory Support Service
(Cafcass), schools, colleges,
initial teacher training,
work-based learning and skills
training, adult and community
learning, and education and
training in prisons and other
secure establishments. It rates
council children's services, and
inspects services for looked
after children, safeguarding and
child protection.
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 to
certain categories of people. A
charge not exceeding the full
cost of reproduction may be made
for any other copies supplied.
If you would like a copy of
this document in a different
format, such as large print or
Braille, please telephone 08456
404045, or email
enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
You may copy all or parts of
this document for non-commercial
educational purposes, as long as
you give details of the source
and date of publication and do
not alter the documentation in
any way.
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08456 404045
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www.ofsted.gov.uk |
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Introduction |
This inspection was carried out
by three additional inspectors.
The inspectors spent over a
third of their time looking at
learning; visited 16
part-lessons; observed all ten
class teachers; and had
meetings with the chair of
governors, staff and a group of
pupils. They observed the
school's work, and looked at the
school's self-evaluation
documentation, monitoring and
assessment information, lesson
plans, school policies and
analysed 79 parental and 17
staff questionnaires. The
school's safeguarding procedures
were also evaluated.
The
inspection team reviewed many
aspects of the school's work. It
looked in detail at the
following:
● the
impact of the quality of
learning in lessons on pupils'
attainment
●
how well the school is using
assessment data to secure
improvement for all groups of
pupils
● the provision for
more-able pupils and those with
special educational needs and/or
disabilities
●
the impact of leaders and
managers, at all levels, on
driving improvements across both
key stages. |
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Information about the
school |
Oatlands is an average-sized
school which is oversubscribed
and expanding. Just over three
quarters of pupils are of White
British heritage, the remainder
being from a wide range of
minority ethnic backgrounds. The
number of pupils who are
eligible for free school meals
is well below the national
average. One in ten pupils are
at the early stages of learning
English as an additional
language. The proportion of
pupils who have special
educational needs and/or
disabilities is well below
average. Since the last
inspection the school has gained
the Values Based Education
Quality Mark and the Silver ECO
Award.
The Early Years
Foundation Stage provision has
two Reception classes. Children
join Reception from over 20
pre-school settings. |
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Inspection Grades: 1 is
outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is
satisfactory, and 4 is
inadequate
Please turn to
the glossary for a description
of the grades and inspection
terms |
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Inspection judgements |
Overall effectiveness:
how
good is the school?
Grade 1
The school's capacity for
sustained improvement
Grade 1
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Main findings |
Oatlands is an outstanding
school. It has improved under
the very positive leadership of
the headteacher. She is
enthusiastically supported by
her staff and an effective
governing body. The school has
excellent links with the local
community, particularly with a
special school, its partner
secondary schools and
teacher-training universities.
The school instils in its pupils
a clear sense of values,
self-belief and above all, a joy
of learning; as two pupils said,
'Being in our class is very
special because we can learn and
make friends with each other.'
The school's motto 'Laying
foundations for future success'
is seen in all of its work and
helps pupils to gain excellent
levels of spiritual, moral,
social and cultural awareness.
By the end of Year 2, pupils
achieve extremely well in their
learning because the school has
very high expectations of them.
Staff work hard to eradicate any
differences in the achievement
of groups of pupils. Information
on pupils' progress is
accurately captured and tracked.
More robust analysis by all
staff would ensure that all
pupils would make accelerated
progress.
Oatlands has
been successful in driving up
pupils' academic performance and
sustaining outstanding practice
in supporting their personal
development. Pupils feel
extremely safe and secure and
have a mature and very
well-developed understanding of
what constitutes a healthy
lifestyle. The partnership with
parents and other agencies is
extremely strong and underpins
the school's exceptionally good
levels of care, guidance and
support. As one parent
commented, echoing the views of
many, 'This is a fantastic
school with a real sense of
'family' where each child is
encouraged to push themselves to
make the most of their
abilities.'
Through the
honest and accurate school
self-evaluation, leaders have
brought about many improvements.
Concerted action, by all staff,
has raised pupils' attainment
and developed teachers' skills.
As a result, teaching and
learning are good, and in some
instances they are outstanding.
This has led to a rising trend
in attainment over the last
three years. Leaders also know
that there are examples of good
assessment practice,
particularly of reading,
although the quality across the
school is variable. There is a
need to develop further
teachers' skills in asking
probing questions, and to
provide specific targets that
enable all pupils to make
consistently good or better
progress. Behaviour throughout
the school is exemplary, with
pupils responding positively to
the high expectations set. Since
the last inspection the school
has improved its
self-evaluation, accelerated the
progress of more able pupils and
embedded a vision based on
values. The school has excellent
capacity to improve and fulfil
its ambitious vision for the
future. |
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What does the school need to do
to improve further? |
Maintain high quality provision
and outcomes, and increase the
proportion of outstanding
teaching, by:
●
ensuring teachers use day-to-day
assessments and review targets
more systematically and
effectively with pupils so they
clearly understand how to
improve, particularly for
younger children
●
further developing the use of
probing questions in lessons
which give pupils opportunities
to extend and explain their
ideas fully
●
ensuring that tracking and
monitoring information is
analysed robustly by setting
quantifiable measures against
which to evaluate success. |
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Outcomes for individuals and
groups of pupils
Grade 1 |
The quality of pupils' learning
and progress in lessons is good.
They behave extremely well, and
mature into polite, thoughtful
and considerate young people.
The overwhelming majority of
pupils are enthusiastic about
their tasks and respond
appropriately to teachers'
requests. In Year 1, for
example, a group of pupils
thoroughly enjoyed their 'Silver
independence time' where they
made good progress by labelling
a picture using exciting and new
vocabulary which extended their
literacy skills. In an
outstanding numeracy lesson in
Year 2, pupils responded well
where they first visualised
doubling and halving numbers
using a number line and then
worked with their 'talking
buddies' on wipe-boards to
further develop their
problem-solving skills.
Attainment is high by the end of
Year 2. In their 2009
assessments, more-able pupils
performed well in all areas and
summer-born pupils did better
than spring-born pupils
nationally. Despite this
success, leaders are anything
but complacent, being ever
vigilant to continue to help
boys to improve their writing
skills and for girls to improve
their numeracy skills. Pupils
make good progress in their
learning and their achievement
overall is outstanding. Pupils
who have special educational
needs and/or disabilities do as
well as their peers because of
the exceptional levels of care
and support they receive, as do
those who join the school with
little or no English.
Pupils get on extremely well
together and willingly take on
responsibilities around the
school. For example, they are
proud to be school council
members and every pupil in Year
2 acts as a caring buddy for
younger children. Pupils are
aware of the world of work and
are very well prepared for their
futures. The school has worked
hard with both pupils and
parents to emphasise the
importance of good attendance.
As a result, pupils' attendance
is consistently high. Through
the work associated with the
national awards, pupils have a
mature understanding of current
conservation issues, by
first-hand experience of growing
flowers and vegetables as well
as of recycling. |
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How effective is the provision? |
Classrooms are delightful, both
indoors and out, with
imaginative activities and
vibrant displays to capture and
respond to pupils' interests and
enthusiasms. The environmental
garden with its 'habitat hotel',
'hedgehog house' and pond
provides a 'breathing place' for
pupils' quiet reflection and the
study of various ecosystems. As
a result of these approaches and
rigorous monitoring, teaching is
good overall, with some lessons
being outstanding. Relationships
between staff and pupils are
excellent and subject knowledge
is strong so explanations are
well structured and confident.
New technology is used well to
make lessons interesting. Within
this positive picture,
occasionally teachers'
explanations are too long, which
reduces the opportunity for
pupils to explain their ideas,
and target setting does always
signpost clearly how pupils can
improve their work.
The
well-orchestrated curriculum
meets the needs and interests of
all learners exceptionally well.
It is further enriched by
visiting theatre productions,
guest speakers, international
dance and music extravaganzas
and clubs ranging from country
dancing to tri-golf. The
Saturday morning football club,
coached by parents and carers,
is attended by almost half the
school. A wide range of trips
and visits provide excellent
opportunities for pupils to
broaden their personal and
academic skills.
The
school is rightly proud of its
outstanding care, guidance and
support. The most vulnerable
pupils benefit greatly from
excellent work the school
carries out with external
agencies. Staff can point to
real successes in helping pupils
overcome difficult histories and
challenging episodes in their
lives to again enjoy learning
and make good progress. 'The
school has helped me to work by
myself and made me more
confident,' commented one pupil.
The inclusion team provides a
wide range of support to enable
vulnerable pupils to play a full
part in school life and is very
successful at engaging
hard-to-reach families. |
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How effective are leadership and
management? |
The determination, vision and
clarity of purpose of the
headteacher have created a
welcoming and harmonious ethos
which permeates throughout the
school. As a result of a high
degree of support and trust,
staff are very well motivated
and team work is of an
exceptionally high standard.
Leadership and management have
many outstanding features: for
example, in provision for staff
development; in the rigour of
performance management systems;
in the smooth day-to-day running
of the organisation and in
maintaining the fabric of the
building to a very high
standard.
The
headteacher and her middle
leaders know the strengths of
the school well. Their vision to
improve achievement for all
pupils through a values-led
education has created confidence
and a real sense of purpose
throughout the school and among
parents and carers. Its purpose
is to equip each child with both
the knowledge and vocabulary to
understand and express their
emotions with clarity. This has
been recognised by the school
gaining a national award for its
work in this area. As a result,
staff morale and commitment to
the school are of a high order.
As one parent commented, 'The
headteacher is 100 % devoted to
the school and this positive
attitude filters down to her
staff and children.'
The
school ensures that every pupil
has an equal chance to learn.
Any discrimination is tackled
rigorously. Senior and middle
leaders guide staff so that
equality of opportunity and
inclusion are excellent.
Governors are knowledgeable,
supportive of the school and
fulfil all their statutory
duties. They visit the school
and have an accurate
understanding of its strengths
and areas for improvement. They
have good understanding of the
needs of the community the
school serves. Nevertheless,
because of the high turnover
rate of governors, their
involvement in evaluating the
school's performance and driving
its improvements has been
restricted. The school has
exemplary procedures for
safeguarding, risk assessment
and staff vetting procedures.
Community cohesion is good
because leaders have an
effective understanding of their
own community and the different
faiths, ethnicities and cultures
that exist within it. The
school's international links
promote good awareness of global
issues, for example, through a
variety of fund-raising projects
in Africa which include
supporting four children in a
children's home in Kenya. |
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Early Years Foundation Stage |
Children get off to a good start
in the Reception classes. They
settle in quickly and are keen
to learn. Children play together
and are well behaved. They enjoy
learning in this busy
environment. The school's data
show that children enter the
Early Years Foundation Stage
with a range of skills that are
broadly expected for their age.
By the end of Reception, they
attain levels that are generally
above those expected for their
age and make good progress. They
make most gains in their
personal, social development and
reading because of the greater
focus on linking letters and
sounds and the use of role play.
This was demonstrated in an
excellent numeracy lesson when
children took the opportunity to
first use their improved
language skills in a warm-up
game exploring symmetry. They
then chose symmetrical objects
from the 'feely bag' and placed
them on an outline butterfly
shape, laid on the floor and
made from hoops and wooden
blocks.
Children enjoy a
range of stimulating activities,
indoors and out, carefully
chosen to meet their needs and
enthusiasms. They are given the
opportunity to select their own
learning activities and respond
well to encouragement and praise
to explore and widen their
choices. Teaching is good
overall, with motivating lessons
moving at a good pace in a
friendly and safe atmosphere.
Leadership of the Early Years
Foundation Stage is good. High
levels of care and welfare are
provided for the children to
ensure their well-being. Support
for vulnerable children is of a
high standard. Partnerships with
parents and external agencies
are strong so that specialist
help is sought and provided when
needed. Teachers and helpers are
perceptive and note down
significant moments of each
child's progress, but the leader
acknowledges that a higher
degree of rigour is needed to
ensure consistency of
observations. These records are
used well to ensure that each
child's learning is moved
forward. |
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Views of parents and carers |
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The school enjoys the support of
the overwhelming majority of
parents and carers who returned
questionnaires. Almost all
respondents were very positive
about the school and feel that
it keeps pupils safe and helps
them maintain a healthy
lifestyle. A small number of
parents expressed that they
would appreciate more
opportunities to communicate
with the school about their
child's progress. Inspectors
discussed these issues with
senior staff and found there to
be effective procedures in place
to deal with this area of
concern. Inspectors were also
shown evidence of the school's
own recent surveys of parents'
views, and these too were wholly
positive. |
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Responses from parents
and carers to Ofsted's
questionnaire |
Ofsted invited all the
registered parents and carers of
pupils registered at Oatlands
School to complete a
questionnaire about their views
of the school.
In the
questionnaire, parents and
carers were asked to record how
strongly they agreed with 13
statements about the school.
The inspection team received
79 completed questionnaires by
the end of the on-site
inspection. In total, there are
210 pupils registered at the
school. |
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The table above summarises the
responses that parents and
carers made to each statement.
The percentages indicate the
proportion of parents and carers
giving that response out of the
total number of completed
questionnaires. Where one or
more parents and carers chose
not to answer a particular
question, the percentages will
not add up to 100%. |
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Glossary |
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What inspection judgements mean |
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New school inspection
arrangements were introduced on
1 September 2009. This means
that inspectors now make some
additional judgements that were
not made previously.
The
data in the table above were
reported in the Annual Report of
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of
Education, Children's Services
and Skills 2007/08.
Percentages are rounded and do
not always add exactly to 100.
Secondary school figures include
those that have sixth forms, and
sixth form figures include only
the data specifically for sixth
form inspection judgements. |
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Common
terminology used by
inspectors |
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Achievement:
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the progress and success
of a pupil in their
learning, development or
training. |
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Attainment:
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the standard of the
pupils' work shown by
test and examination
results and in lessons. |
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Capacity to
improve:
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the proven ability of
the school to continue
improving. Inspectors
base this judgement on
what the school has
accomplished so far and
on the quality of its
systems to maintain
improvement. |
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Leadership and
management:
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the contribution of all
the staff with
responsibilities, not
just the headteacher, to
identifying priorities,
directing and motivating
staff and running the
school. |
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Learning: |
how well pupils acquire
knowledge, develop their
understanding, learn and
practise skills and are
developing their
competence as learners. |
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Overall
effectiveness: |
inspectors
form a judgement on a
school's overall
effectiveness based on
the findings from their
inspection of the
school. The following
judgements, in
particular, influence
what the overall
effectiveness judgement
will be. |
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● |
The school's capacity
for sustained
improvement. |
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Outcomes for individuals
and groups of pupils. |
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The quality of teaching. |
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The extent to which the
curriculum meets pupils'
needs, including, where
relevant, through
partnerships. |
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The effectiveness of
care, guidance and
support |
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Progress: |
the rate at which pupils
are learning in lessons
and over longer periods
of time. It is often
measured by comparing
the pupils' attainment
at the end of a key
stage with their
attainment when they
started. |
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| This
letter is
provided for the school, parents
and carers to share with their
children. It describes Ofsted's
main findings from the
inspection of their school. |
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4 March 2010
Dear Pupils
Inspection of Oatlands
School, Weybridge KT13 9PZ
This letter is to thank you
for welcoming us so warmly to
your school and for taking the
time from your breaks to talk to
the inspectors. We really
enjoyed meeting you and seeing
you at work and play. Many of
your parents wrote to say how
pleased they were with the
school; as one parent said, 'I
wish this school went on to Year
6!' and another commented,
'Oatlands is a happy, well-run
school, which has great
communication and honest
feedback at parents' evenings.'
Inspectors agree with these
views.
We came to find
out as much as we could about
your school and now we would
like to tell you what we said in
the report we have written. You
go to an outstanding school.
Your headteacher and teachers
make your school a very special
and welcoming place. You and
your parents told us that you
like school and that it is a
very caring and happy place
where you feel really safe. You
are respectful, polite and
considerate towards each other.
We especially enjoyed your
enthusiastic and tuneful singing
in assembly.
Your
headteacher and teachers are
determined to help you succeed,
as are your parents and carers.
We recognise that the school
will have to work hard to keep
up such high standards. Staff
and governors know what they
want to improve. So we have
suggested to them that they:
●
make your lessons even
more interesting by planning
work that will challenge and
engage you, showing you ways to
learn by yourselves
● give you
clearer advice on how to improve
your work so that you can
achieve your very best.
Once again, it was very good to
meet you all. We would like to
wish you every success for the
future.
Yours sincerely
David Scott
Lead
inspector |
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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 . If
you would like Ofsted to send
you a copy of the guidance,
please telephone 08456 404045,
or email
enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. |
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under license - source ofsted
website |
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