Wickham Church of England Primary School

Wickham Church of England Primary School Buddens Road, Wickham, Fareham, PO17 5HU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress across the whole school and are now reaching standards in line with national averages.  Teaching is consistently good. In lessons, pupils are interested and actively involved in purposeful activities within a calm and respectful environment.  Teachers take into account pupils’ prior learning and make the learning sufficiently challenging. Marking is thorough and helps pupils to understand how well they are doing and how to improve.  Pupils are well behaved and know how to keep safe. They are polite and courteous to each other and to adults.  There has been a rigorous approach to dealing with underperformance and the school now has a clear focus on raising achievement.  There are effective systems in place to ensure that the quality of teaching remains high and that teachers are held to account for the progress their pupils make.  Leaders and governors have worked effectively

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to improve the quality of teaching and to ensure that pupils make good progress. In doing so, they have effectively addressed the issues from the previous inspection.  Governors provide strong support for the school and play a key part in its improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The standards pupils reach are not always high enough and the progress they are making is not yet outstanding. This is partly because the expectations teachers have of pupils and the activities provided have not always sufficiently challenged them to do their best.  For a minority of pupils their key skills in English and mathematics require further development.  Pupils are not sufficiently involved in monitoring their own learning and taking responsibility for it.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 12 lessons as well as carrying out shorter visits to classes and hearing children read. Many of these lessons were visited with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher and, in these cases, the feedback to teachers was also observed.  The inspectors held meetings with pupils, members of the governing body, several members of staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in their books.  In addition, inspectors looked at a range of evidence including the school’s self-evaluation and development plan, the school’s data for tracking pupils’ progress, records of leaders’ work to improve the quality of teaching and documentation relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors met informally with parents and carers over the two days of the inspection and also looked at the results of the school’s own parental surveys. In addition, the 23 responses to the

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Information about this inspection

online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Martyn Kitson, Lead inspector Additional inspector Di Wilkinson Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is in line with the national average.  The proportions of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs supported at school action and school action plus who need extra help are below average.  The majority of pupils are White British. Only very small proportions are from other ethnic groups or speak English as an additional language.  In 2012, the school exceeded the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has experienced some turbulence in staffing. All the teachers have joined the school since the appointment of the present headteacher three years ago. Since September 2012, the

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Information about this school

headteacher has been supported by a permanent deputy headteacher.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are run by a private provider and were not inspected.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the achievement of all pupils by:  developing their skill in writing effective sentences  extending the phonics programme to include all pupils who are struggling with early reading  promoting more sophisticated literacy skills and vocabulary so that pupils are able to produce more interesting and engaging pieces of writing  giving pupils more opportunity to use their mathematical skills in other subjects  helping pupils to explain, both verbally and in writing, the methods they use to solve mathematical problems and why they have used them.  Increase the percentage of good and outstanding teaching so that all pupils consistently make good progress during lessons by:  ensuring that teachers always have high expectations of the pupils and give them tasks and activities that challenge them  encouraging teachers to question pupils in a way that ensures they give more detailed answers which show how they are thinking and why

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 raising teachers’ expectations of the way pupils present their work  looking for ways to involve the pupils directly in their own learning so that they begin to take more responsibility for it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment on entry to Reception is generally below that seen nationally, especially in literacy and numeracy. As a result of good teaching, reception children make good progress but their attainment is still slightly below average when they enter Year 1. Most make good progress in building words from sounds but many have difficulty in forming their letters correctly.  Recent results in the phonics screening test for Year 1 were above average. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in reading is average.  There is a similar picture in other year groups. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average. The proportion of pupils making at least the expected progress between Years 2 and 6 is above average.  Different groups of pupils, including those eligible for pupil premium funding, do equally well.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the

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The achievement of pupils is good

effective support they receive and many reach average attainment levels by the time they leave.  By the end of Year 6, most pupils read confidently and write effectively in a range of formats using ‘wow’ words to enliven their work, although few use sophisticated language forms such as similes and metaphors. Apart from that produced in Years 5 and 6, pupils’ written work is often spoilt by poor presentation.  Pupils develop good calculation skills which help them work accurately with measures and data, although they are not easily able to explain how they arrived at an answer and why they chose to use a specific method. Their skills in solving mathematical problems are underdeveloped because they have too few opportunities to do so.  In Year 2, less-able pupils can write in complete sentences while more-able pupils have a good knowledge of fractions. Writing in Year 6 focuses on engaging the reader while giving pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

opportunities to write in a range of subjects. For example, as part of a history lesson on the Second World War, one pupil wrote the diary of an anti-aircraft gunner. This focus on writing in other subjects occurs throughout the school and is one reason why pupils are making good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is generally good and consequently pupils typically make good progress.  Since the last inspection, weaker aspects of teaching have been addressed well. Teaching is now much more focused on accelerating pupils’ progress. The marking of pupils’ books is good so pupils know how well they have done and how they can do even better.  Based on the good assessment of previous learning, the vast majority of lessons are well planned and organised, engaging pupils fully in their activities so that they make good progress. Relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are good.  Teachers mostly set work at the appropriate levels for different pupils but occasionally tasks are too easy for some, especially the higher attainers.  Learning support assistants provide strong, focused support in every class and this has a significant impact on pupils’ learning, including that of disabled pupils and those who have

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The quality of teaching is good

special educational needs.  Most teachers regularly check on how well pupils are doing during the lesson through careful questioning and then adapt the lesson to their needs. However, occasionally, pupils are not clear as to what they are expected to achieve by the end of the lesson or are not actively involved enough in their learning so their progress slows.  The school has established a detailed system for checking on the progress pupils make termly in English and mathematics. As a result, teachers identify pupils having difficulties and quickly provide support.  Reception children benefit from a stimulating environment which promotes learning well in all areas. Staff motivate children and assess their achievements especially well. The well-resourced accommodation is used to good effect, especially for role play. A good example was role play inspired by the story, Kipper’s Birthday Party.  Teachers and learning support assistants lead effective activities for pupils who need additional

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and willingly engage in lessons. A very occasional lack of challenge means that pupils are not as focused on their learning as they could be. Parents and carers, staff and pupils all say that pupils are happy in school because of the calm, orderly environment that the school provides. No lessons were seen that were disrupted by inappropriate behaviour.  Pupils behave well both in school and on the playground, relate well to each other and to adults and move around the school in a safe and courteous manner. They are polite and considerate towards others. Playground champions allow older pupils to take responsibility for managing the behaviour of others and pupils appreciate the importance of this role. A range of activities is available for pupils at lunchtime and this helps to ensure that the playground is usually a harmonious place.  Serious poor behaviour is rare but, when it does occur, detailed records are kept and incidents

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

diligently followed up. Events such as Anti-Bullying Week have helped to ensure that pupils are aware of bullying, including cyber bullying. There were very few fixed-term exclusions last year.  Pupils know how to keep safe and are confident to approach an adult if they have concerns.  Effective strategies to promote attendance ensure that it is above average. Pupils are punctual in arriving at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The improvements made in recent years have been helped by good self-evaluation and effective development planning. This is largely due to the strong and purposeful leadership of the headteacher. She has effectively eradicated weaknesses in teaching and leadership and has firmly focused the work of the whole school on improving pupils’ performance. The recent appointment of a new deputy headteacher has strengthened the school’s senior leadership.  A rigorous programme for monitoring and supporting teaching and learning ensures leaders swiftly identify weaknesses and put in place effective strategies to address them, including using external support, in part from the local authority.  Performance management, strongly integrated with the Teachers’ Standards, has a positive impact on teaching, effectively holding staff to account for the progress pupils make.  The good curriculum ensures planning is adapted well to meet pupils’ needs and promote their

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The leadership and management are good

good progress. There is a good range of visits and visitors to make subjects more interesting. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well including through visits to the local cathedral and in circle time activities. There are fewer opportunities for pupils to learn about cultural diversity.  Parents and carers are very positive about the school and are involved in supporting their children’s learning. Parent and carer groups have been established and the school has developed links with local businesses. The school has good capacity for improvement.The local authority has provided good support and has contributed to the improvements that have taken place over the past few years.  Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements. All required training, including that related to child protection, is up to date and staff take this matter very seriously.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 Members of the governing body play a key part in school improvement because they are aware of the school’s weaker aspects and hold school leaders to account well. They have played an effective part in strengthening leadership not least by holding senior staff to account through performance management in terms of pupils’ progress and the impact of the quality of teaching. They are less confident in overseeing the salary progression and promotion of main-scale teachers and this is an area that requires improvement. Financial resources are managed well to ensure funds are used appropriately. Pupil premium funding is allocated effectively, being used to provide interventions which are raising the attainment of eligible pupils.

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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 116325 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 401589

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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 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lindsay Grimwood Headteacher Maria Ackland Date of previous school inspection 17–18 March 2010 Telephone number 01329 833065 Fax number 01329 834969 Email address adminoffice@wickham-primary.hants.sch.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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