Godshill Primary School

Godshill Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 118159 Local Authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 363885 Inspection dates 23–24 June 2011 Reporting inspector Stephen Lake

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of school First School category Community Age range of pupils 4–10 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Child Headteacher Louise Glover Date of previous school inspection 13 November 2007 School address Godshill Ventnor PO38 3HJ Telephone number 01983 840246 Fax number 01983 840246 Email address godshillpri@lineone.net

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Age group 4–10 Inspection dates 23–24 June 2011 Inspection number 363885 Registered Childcare provision Godshill Griffins

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childcare provision

Age group 4–10 Inspection dates 23–24 June 2011 Inspection number 363885 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 assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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childcare provision

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 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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childcare provision

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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. They observed 11 lessons or parts of lessons seeing five teachers. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, representatives of the governing body and staff. A sample of parents and carers were spoken to at the start of the day. Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at the school's own evaluation of its work, reports from the School Improvement Partner and the school improvement plan. They also looked at records on pupils' attainment and progress and documents relating to potentially vulnerable pupils. The questionnaires completed by staff, pupils and 58 parents and carers were analysed. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  The impact of the changes to the school age range and the federation with two other schools.  The use of assessment at a strategic level to judge the overall performance of the

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Introduction

school.  The provision in the curriculum for informing pupils about life in other parts of the United Kingdom.  The effectiveness of assessment procedures and the impact upon children's learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about the school

Godshill is smaller than most primary schools. It serves mainly the immediate area but a minority of pupils come from further away. The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds with a smaller than average percentage from other ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average, but the percentage in Year 5 is well above average. Pupils' needs range from moderate learning difficulties to emotional and behavioural difficulties; several pupils have multiple and complex needs. At the start of this academic year the school moved into a hard federation with two other schools under a joint governing body. In line with other first schools in the local authority, the age range increased to four to 10 in September 2010 and the school will become a full primary school in September 2011. The headteacher currently works for three days a

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Information about the school

week and the deputy headteacher, who is also part-time, is acting headteacher for the remaining two days. A pre-school registered in 2006 is managed by the governing body. It is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:50. It is situated in the school premises and has a fully enclosed outdoor play area. Full day-care provision is provided; this includes a nursery with 14 children in receipt of funding for nursery education, a breakfast club and an after-school club. All are registered to care for a maximum of 25 children at any one time from the age of two years to under eight years. Five staff are employed, four of whom hold Early Years qualifications, several at a high level.

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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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Main findings

Godshill Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils. Children attending the pre-school are prepared well for starting their compulsory education. Through the school, pupils achieve satisfactorily overall but progress is uneven. Good progress is made in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2, but the progress made in Years 3 to 5 is satisfactory and this holds down progress overall to satisfactory. Pupils' personal development is good. They behave well and make a good contribution to the school and local community. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Safeguarding arrangements are good. The good quality care, guidance and support ensures pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and keep fit and healthy. Community cohesion is good and pupils make a good contribution to the school and local community. Good partnerships with external agencies provide

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Main findings

valuable additional support for pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. Links with parents are good. Improvements since the last inspection mean that pupils' attainment is well above average by the end of Year 2. By the time pupils leave the school, previously at the end of Year 4, but from this year at the end of Year 6, attainment is typically above average. Teaching overall is satisfactory because pupils in Years 3 to 5, especially those who are more able, are not always challenged enough by the lessons planned for them. The curriculum is being adapted to meet the needs of all the older pupils now in the school as a result of the change to a full primary school but this is not complete. This is particularly noticeable in reading where the school does not have enough reading material of a sufficiently high level available to support the learning of older pupils. The school is aware of this and

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Main findings

additional materials have been ordered. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new governing body that operates across the federation works closely with senior leaders. Through sound self-evaluation they have a clear view of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. Governors have rightly identified the need to improve ways of keeping parents better informed about the many changes taking place as a result of the federation and the move to become a four to 11 primary school. Work has started to develop a more effective system for analysing data to report on school performance. At present, this is not sophisticated enough to enable clear comparison of performance in Years 3 to 5 with other schools nationally. Strengths of the last inspection have been maintained and improvement is evident in attainment at Year 2. All areas for improvement noted in this report have already been identified and work started to address them. These factors indicate a

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Main findings

satisfactory capacity to improve further. Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Years 3 to 5 so that the large majority is good or better by July 2012 to enable pupils to make better progress by: ensuring that assessment information is used better to plan lessons that challenge all pupils, especially the more able, to attain their best improving the consistency of marking to include more comments that show pupils how they can move on to the next stage in their learning further improving resources to provide access to a wider range of reading material more closely matched to the ages and needs of the pupils.  Complete the introduction of a new system for recording and analysing data by September 2011 so that data are analysed in a more sophisticated manner which allows easy comparison of school performance with other schools nationally.  Review the ways in which the governing body keep parents informed about the major changes taking place in the school.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils say they enjoy school and they are keen to learn. Children start school with overall levels of skills similar to those found nationally, although there is some variation from year to year. They make good progress to begin Year 1 with above average attainment. Learning observed in Years 1 and 2 was consistently good. More-able pupils and those identified as gifted and talented are achieving well because the work challenges them effectively. For example, in an outstanding mathematics lesson in Year 2, more-able pupils extended their understanding of how to use data in developing a Carroll diagram that organises information based on groups. This is work more usually completed by pupils several years older. Such challenge is less consistent in Years 3 to 5 although good lessons were also observed here. In a good Year 5 lesson on script writing, pupils were very motivated by a challenge to write a scene for Dr Who. They confidently discussed how to

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

include dialogue and stage directions into their script. In contrast in a satisfactory mathematics lesson in Years 3 and 4, progress was held down to satisfactory because worksheets were not challenging enough and questioning did not extend pupils' understanding sufficiently. The current Year 5 has a well above average percentage of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Skilled teaching assistants are used effectively across the school to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included in lessons and make similar progress to other pupils. Pupils said they felt safe in school and although, very occasionally, a little bullying might occur, they trust all adults to deal with this. Pupils undertake a wide range of responsibilities, such as being school council members, which contribute well to school life. They make a strong contribution to the wider local community through activities such as

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

their very high quality carnival team, involving pupils, staff, parents and governors, which takes part in the Island Games held every two years. Pupils show curiosity in the world about them and clearly know right from wrong. They have a good understanding of cultures in other parts of the world. However, their understanding of life in different parts of the United Kingdom is relatively more limited. Pupils' secure understanding of how to stay healthy and keep fit is recognised by the Healthy School award. It is also evident in

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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 grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

the enthusiastic way pupils take advantage of the good range of lunchtime and after- school sports clubs. Pupils' good basic skills, including their information and communication technology (ICT) skills, prepare them well for the next stage in their education.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers make good use of ICT to stimulate and motivate learning. Many are skilled at asking the right questions that not only assess what pupils understand but also move them on in their learning. Improved systems for assessing how well pupils are learning are used effectively in Years 1 and 2 to plan challenging lessons that focus on the next steps in learning. Nevertheless, this is not consistent in Years 3 to 5. In a small but significant proportion of lessons, teachers' expectations of the quality and quantity of work that pupils, especially the more able, can produce are too low and pupils are not challenged enough. Although books are marked regularly, marking does not always give pupils enough guidance on how to improve their work. Most teachers manage behaviour well but, in just a few cases, expectations of how pupils should behave are not always high enough. These factors, together with slightly limited reading resources for more able and

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How effective is the provision?

older pupils, limit further improvements in learning. The curriculum makes good use of the local places of interest to support learning and provide stimulation and motivation. The excursions enrich pupils' experiences and link key

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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 grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

skills across the curriculum. For example, in a topic on the Second World War, local people and places were used to re-enact children being evacuated to places of safety. This work not only deepened pupils' understanding of the history covered but also made a huge contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. The school has identified the need to develop pupils' understanding of life in other parts of the United Kingdom and is developing a link with an inner-city school to support this. Those pupils identified as gifted and talented are supported satisfactorily through links with other local schools. The many after-school sports clubs and the developing school garden, including a good partnership link to look after another local garden, make a good contribution to pupils' understanding of how to stay fit and healthy. Pastoral care is strong. Child protection procedures are detailed, well known to all staff

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

and made readily available for temporary staff and visitors through the staff handbook. Suitable tracking to check pupils' progress is in place and information gained is used to identify those pupils requiring extra support. The additional needs of potentially vulnerable pupils are met well. Good support is provided for parents and carers in many ways, including opportunities to work in school with their children and supporting them, for example, in helping children in Year 2 learn to read.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The substantive headteacher and the acting headteacher work together effectively to ensure all staff have an ambition to improve the school and raise standards. This vision is shared by the new governing body which has a very clear strategic view of how the federation will develop and build upon already strong partnerships to raise standards of achievement. The school takes suitable steps to prevent discrimination, and detailed records on the progress of individual pupils are used effectively to monitor the sound provision for equality of opportunity. Nevertheless, the school has identified that the information gained from data is not sophisticated enough to provide subject leaders and governors with clear information to use when prioritising the areas for improvement. Regular training for staff and governors and close monitoring by the governing body ensure safeguarding requirements are met well. Parents and carers are closely involved in

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How effective are leadership and management?

supporting learning. The supportive governing body is developing better procedures and strategies for obtaining the views of parents and carers. There is a good understanding of the background of pupils, and the school's actions to develop pupils' understanding of community cohesion have a strong impact particularly at a local and international level.

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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 grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The impact of actions is evaluated and strengths are built upon to promote further improvement such as developing more links with schools on the mainland.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The pre-school provision managed by governors has improved since the last inspection and is now good. All recommendations of the previous report have been addressed due to the good quality leadership and management. The setting meets all the requirements of registration. Children are very well cared for with all adults placing extremely high importance on keeping children safe and healthy. Children enjoy their time in the setting and their early learning skills are developed well through well-planned activities to engage all children, although middle ability children are sometimes not quite as well provided for. The excellent links with the Reception class in the school enable this information to be passed on quickly so that when these children start in the Reception class provision for their needs is already in place. Close and positive relationships with the on-site nursery and other local pre-school groups

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Early Years Foundation Stage

as well as with parents and carers ensure that children settle quickly and happily into the warm and very stimulating environment of the Reception class. High quality care helps children to feel secure and confident, and their welfare needs are met very well. The excellent partnership between children and adults, and a focus on praise, ensure exemplary behaviour. Assessments procedures throughout the pre-school and Reception class are good. Good quality systems for checking on children's progress are used effectively to plan work that challenges them to achieve well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified at an early stage, enabling very effective support to be provided.

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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 grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Children display very positive attitudes and learn to relate well to others. Adults ensure a good balance of teacher-directed and self-chosen activities, which helps children to develop as confident learners. The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well. The stimulating outdoor area is shared by the pre-school but is difficult to access. This limits opportunities for free-flow between indoor and outdoor activities both in pre-school and the Reception class. Leaders in both aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage are aware of the difficulties imposed by the site and are seeking ways to improve this.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Around 58% of parents and carers returned the inspection questionnaire. In most areas the vast majority are pleased with the school. Many added comments to that effect. Typical of these was, 'The staff are always friendly and helpful and have the best interests of the children at heart'. Another wrote, 'This is a very welcoming small village school with a warm atmosphere. We love it.' A minority expressed concerns about leadership and management, especially governance, and about the management of behaviour. Inspection evidence endorses the positive comments of parents. Leadership and management are satisfactory and members of the governing body are aware of parents' concerns about the changes taking place. Inspection evidence shows that behaviour is good and the vast majority of adults manage it well.

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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 Godshill Primary 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.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 58 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 102 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 33 57 20 34 4 7 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 41 71 15 26 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 24 41 31 53 3 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 25 43 26 45 4 7 3 5

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 31 53 24 41 3 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 26 45 25 43 6 10 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 34 59 23 40 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 22 38 24 41 5 9 3 5

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 20 34 28 48 5 9 2 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 12 21 29 50 7 12 6 10

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 26 45 27 47 4 7 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 29 50 18 31 9 16 2 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 28 48 25 43 2 3 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

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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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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 are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: 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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: 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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Godshill Primary School, Ventnor PO38 3HJ

Thank you for making us welcome when we came to visit you. We enjoyed talking with you about your school. You behave and look after each other well. Yours is a satisfactory school because, although you make good progress in the Reception and Years 1 and 2, you only make satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 5. Nevertheless, you gain above average attainment by the time you leave. Here are some other things that we liked about your school.  Those of you who attend pre-school are prepared well for starting school.  You make a good contribution to your school and the local community. I was very impressed by the carnival team.  The school looks after you well. It makes sure that you are safe and have a good understanding of how to keep yourselves safe and how to stay fit and healthy.  There are good links with your parents and carers and with other schools and organisations that all help your learning.

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Inspection of Godshill Primary School, Ventnor PO38 3HJ

To help your school continue improving, we have asked the headteacher and the governing body to:  improve the amount of good teaching in Years 3 to 5 so that you all learn better, with teachers using the information that they have on you to plan work that challenges all of you, especially those of you who find learning easy  make sure that you have access to more books that are matched to your age  improve the way they organise and analyse the information on your progress so that the teachers and the governing body know how well the whole school is doing  review the way the governing body keeps your parents and carers informed about all the changes taking place in your school. All of you can help by telling your teachers how hard or easy you find the work set for you.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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