Newlands Primary School

Newlands Primary School Ullswater Road, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 9EA

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This inspection: Requires improvement 3

Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ basic skills in spelling, grammar and punctuation are not good enough when they leave the school. This is because they are not taught consistently well enough, especially in Years 3, 4 and 5.  Pupils with special educational needs do not make consistently good progress, especially in Key Stage 2.  The governing body does not have a clear picture of the progress and achievement of all groups of pupils or the impact teaching has on this.  Senior leaders do not check the progress of different groups of pupils often enough to ensure they don’t fall behind during each term.  Currently, children in Reception do not have access to a well-equipped outdoor learning area and this restricts progress in their physical development.

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The school has the following strengths

 The specialist teaching of music and physical education is outstanding and pupils make excellent progress in these subjects.  Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy receiving ‘merit awards’ for hard work and good behaviour.  As a result of better teaching, there has been a significant improvement in pupils’ reading skills over the last year.  At the end of Year 6, standards in mathematics have improved from below average to average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons taught by 15 teachers. In addition, they carried out a number of short ‘drop-in’ observations. During the afternoon of the first day of the inspection, all teachers met parents and carers during the school’s ‘Parents Afternoon’ so it was not possible to observe lessons at this time.  The inspection team held meetings with the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority, the school council and a group of pupils from Year 6.  Inspectors took account of the eight responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). The school and/or governing body have not carried out a recent survey of parents’ and carers’ views of the school. Inspectors looked at the 24 questionnaires returned by staff.  The team looked at documentation, including policies and procedures for safeguarding pupils, the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings held by the governing body, the school’s data

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Information about this inspection

for the previous school year and notes of visits made by local authority staff.

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Inspection team

David Curtis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mina Drever Additional Inspector Anthony Green Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the two Reception classes have moved into the new school building, with the rest of the school due to follow by October 2012.  There are two classes in each of Years 1 to 5, and one class in Year 6.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above the national average. This is additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils on the register of special educational needs who are supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the current government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher were appointed from 1 January 2012 and will return to their previous roles in the school on 1 January 2013 when a new headteacher takes up post.  The Chair of the Governing Body was appointed with effect from 1 September 2012. Currently, the governing body has vacancies for parent governors.  There is privately managed pre-school provision on the school site that was not part of this inspection.

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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 it is consistently good by:  explaining clearly to pupils what they are expected to achieve by the end of each lesson  ensuring consistent approaches to teaching spelling, grammar and punctuation in order to improve pupils’ writing  making sure that teachers’ marking relates closely to the individual writing targets they set for each pupil.  Increase the effectiveness of the school’s leadership, management and governance by:  assessing the progress of pupils at school action and school action plus each half-term rather than each term as is presently the case  using these more frequent progress checks to modify the tasks that are planned for these pupils so that they achieve consistently well in every class  providing training for the governing body so that members fully understand data about pupils’ progress and ask searching questions about the achievement of all groups of pupils and the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Equip the outdoor area in the Early Years Foundation Stage to give children the full range of activities they need to promote good physical development.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress in communication and literacy, and in their personal, social and emotional development. Progress in physical development is restricted because the outdoor learning area is not currently equipped to give children the full range of activities they need.  Pupils continue to achieve well in Years 1 and 2 but progress is uneven from Year 3 to Year 5 so that some pupils have to make up lost ground in Year 6.  By the end of Year 6, standards in writing are below average. This is mainly because of weaknesses in spelling, grammar and punctuation.  Standards in reading are currently higher than those in writing and much better than in previous years. Younger pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) to read new and unfamiliar words confidently and accurately. Older pupils read more widely, especially in their work in history and geography.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, standards at the end of Year 6 are average and this shows a significant improvement over previous years. Pupils show much greater confidence in the use of mental arithmetic skills and in applying these to problem solving. Better skills in reading help them to understand word problems more easily.  Pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium make good progress and, as a result, the gap in their achievement compared with other pupils is closing year on year.  The progress of pupils with special educational needs, which was previously inadequate, has improved but is still not consistently good, particularly as they move from Year 3 to Year 6. This is because tasks are not always planned precisely enough to ensure they build on previous learning.  Achievement in physical education and music in Years 1 to 6 is outstanding and a significant strength. In particular, pupils’ singing is of a very high quality.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is not consistenly good, consistently good teaching is only present in Year 6. No inadequate teaching was seen during the inspection.  In Years 3 to 5, teachers do not always make it clear to pupils what they will be learning or how much work they should do by the end of a lesson. While marking is regular and uses the school’s policy of ‘two stars and a wish’, it does not always link closely enough to pupils’ individual learning targets.  The teaching of pupils with special educational needs requires improvement because teachers do not check frequently enough on the progress of groups supported through both school action and school action plus in order to plan tasks that closely match their particular needs.  Effective teaching of reading has resulted in a rapid rise in standards. Consistently good teaching of phonics provides a solid foundation for developing fluency and accuracy in reading and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understanding of a wide range of texts.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Staff have created an exciting and stimulating learning environment in the indoor areas within the new building. The teaching of phonics and early number skills is effective. The outdoor learning area is not equipped well enough to give children the full range of activities to ensure good physical development.  The teaching of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is good. They benefit from the deployment of extra teachers in Year 2 and Year 6 so that groups can be taught in smaller ability groups.  In most lessons, teaching assistants provide good support for individuals, pairs and small groups so that, within individual lessons, these pupils often make good progress.  Teaching supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, especially through promoting good relationships between pupils, and a good understanding of the school’s

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

‘code of conduct’.  Pupils benefit from outstanding teaching in music and physical education because teachers have excellent subject knowledge and the ability to motivate and enthuse them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are happy, secure and confident. They show great curiosity and readily engage visitors in conversation. One child confidently spoke to an inspector as she explained, ‘My mummy has a baby in her tummy and it won’t come out!’  Behaviour over time has improved significantly and this was confirmed by staff through many positive written comments on their questionnaires. Pupils agree that behaviour is usually good.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. They are confident that bullying in the school is rare and that, if it occurred, staff would deal with it immediately.  Prefects take their roles seriously and perform their duties conscientiously, especially in resolving minor playground disputes. They enjoy looking after younger children at lunchtime.  Pupils have a good understanding of the school’s system for rewards and consequences. Most

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

work hard to try and gain a ‘merit award’ for good work and behaviour.  In a few lessons, pupils cannot always get themselves ready to start work quickly enough and, when they are not sure of what they are expected to do, their concentration strays.  The school does all it can to promote good attendance and punctuality. Attendance has improved. Classes take great pride and delight if they receive the cup for the best attendance presented in the Friday ‘Merit Assembly’.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders do not check often enough on the progress of pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs. As a result, they do not take action quickly enough to provide additional support for pupils who may be falling behind.  Over the last year, senior leaders have brought about improvements in pupils’ behaviour, and have successfully raised standards in reading across the school and standards in mathematics at the end of Year 6. These improvements have resulted from effective training and support for all teachers.  In addition, school leaders have set challenging performance targets for teachers in order to hold them to account for the progress of pupils in their class.  The leadership team has made effective use of its allocation of £123,600 to support pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium. As a result of creating additional teaching groups in Year 2 and Year 6, and careful checks on their progress, these pupils are doing well and are

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The leadership and management requires improvement

quickly catching up with other pupils.  Although the school is taking steps to ensure all pupils receive an equally good standard of education, inconsistencies remain so that some groups of pupils still achieve better than others.  The effective use of resources in employing specialist teachers for music and physical education promotes high-quality learning in these subjects.  The local authority has provided effective support for the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher, and for the governing body in the process for appointing a new headteacher.  The governance of the school: - Governance requires improvement because the governing body does not challenge school leaders enough over pupils’ achievement ,the quality of teaching and performance management. This is because governors, especially those new to the role, do not fully understand the data they are given about the progress made by different groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

- The governing body ensures that all statutory policies and procedures are in place for safeguarding and child protection - Members of the governing body show a strong commitment to raising the profile of the school within its community and to encouraging parents and carers to become more involved in the school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 133704 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 402581

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 342 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Clarke Headteacher Lucy Jones Date of previous school inspection 22–23 June 2010 Telephone number 02380 773363 Fax number 02380 775063 Email address info@newlandsprimary.co.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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. 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

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, 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 information 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’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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