Kings Copse Primary School

Kings Copse Primary School Kings Copse Road, Hedge End, Southampton, SO30 0PQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 There have been significant disruptions to the staff team, including at leadership level, over the past few years. This has led to inconsistencies in teaching and to standards that vary from year to year.  Pupils only make satisfactory progress and reach levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics that are broadly average.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are only making similar adequate progress to their classmates.  The quality of teaching varies across the school. There is not a high enough proportion of good or better teaching to secure good achievement.  Many leaders are new to their roles and have not yet developed skills in robustly checking the work of other teachers.  The curriculum meets the needs of most pupils but occasionally teachers do not plan learning activities that build on previous learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders are ambitious and have created a purposeful climate for learning. Members of the governing body are now more effective in monitoring and challenging the performance of the school.  There are new systems in place to record and track pupils’ progress so that staff can better identify those pupils at risk of underachieving.  Pupils enjoy school. They behave well and feel safe. They are friendly and polite, and show respect towards each other and to adults.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because staff carefully assess their needs and plan activities that develop their learning.  The new leadership team has already begun to address weaknesses and has established strong teamwork and high morale amongst staff. All issues from the previous inspection have been addressed, demonstrating that the school has the capacity to improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons or parts of lessons, including several that were jointly observed with the headteacher. They looked at pupils’ books and listened to them read.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, members of the governing body and pupils. A telephone discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including strategic plans, the governing body minutes, pupils’ assessment, and tracking information and arrangements for safeguarding pupils.  The views of parents and carers were taken into account through informal discussions with them at the start of the school day, scrutiny of the 21 responses to the online Parent View survey and the outcomes of the school’s own recent parental questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, Lead inspector Additional inspector Alan Jones Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage with few who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium initiative, which is extra funding provided to support those eligible for free school meals, children in local authority care and children from service families, is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average. The school has provision for up to 10 pupils who have a visual impairment and provides specialist support for these pupils.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There have been significant changes to the staff team since the previous inspection, including

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Information about this school

the headteacher, who joined the school in September 2012.  Staff and pupils moved into new purpose-built accommodation in 2008. The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club which is managed by the governing body and was included in this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better and enables all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, to make good progress by: – improving the quality of teachers’ marking so that pupils are clear about how they can improve their work and by providing them with opportunities to correct their work – ensuring that teachers make use of assessment information, particularly in mathematics, to plan lessons that meet the learning needs of all pupils and that builds on previous work – providing regular opportunities for pupils to put their reading skills to good use across different subjects – making better use of high-quality books and visual resources to support pupils’ learning and understanding.  Improve leadership and management by:  developing the skills of those leaders who are new to their roles so that they can monitor the work of teachers more effectively and have a significant impact on rapidly improving pupils’

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make as much progress in reading, writing and mathematics as they should because the quality of teaching is inconsistent. The school’s assessment information shows that pupils’ progress is uneven as they move through the school, although it accelerates in the upper part of Key Stage 2.  There are few gaps in achievement between different groups of pupils, including the small number who speak English as an additional language. Pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding have made better progress over time in English than they did in mathematics. However, this has been addressed through new mathematics programmes to help those pupils to catch up and make similar progress in mathematics to other pupils. Their average points score (APS) is becoming increasingly closer to that of other pupils in school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress similar to their

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

classmates. New systems to record and track pupils’ progress enable staff to identify their specific learning needs and to put into place additional support. This is sometimes through using a specific programme to help them to catch up or by providing them with one-to-one support. Pupils who have visual impairments make satisfactory progress, in line with other pupils in the school. They are taught in mainstream classes but are withdrawn for specialist help, such as Braille lessons to help them to access learning.  Children start school with skills that are below those expected for their age, particularly in communication and language. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because staff plan activities that meet their developmental needs so that by the time they enter Year 1, their skills are broadly as expected for their age.  Pupils make satisfactory progress in reading. There is a structured programme to teach letters

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

and sounds and so, by the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in reading is average. By the end of Year 6, pupils read fluently for pleasure and to find information. However, there are too few occasions when they practise their reading skills in lessons across the school. Conversely, pupils are often provided with opportunities to practise their writing skills when learning other subjects. Their handwriting is legible and they have secured a sound grasp of spelling, punctuation and grammar to write at length, engaging the interest of the reader.  Although teachers provide opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge of mathematics to solving problems, the level of challenge is occasionally too easy and pupils practise skills that they have already mastered.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement. There is not enough consistently good and outstanding teaching, including for the visually impaired pupils and, consequently, there are variations in pupils’ progress as they move through the school, and achievement over time requires improvement rather than being good.  An increasing proportion of teaching is good and this accelerates pupils’ progress. Where teachers’ expectations are high, work is demanding and the pace of lessons is brisk and purposeful. Teachers use their questioning skills well to probe pupils’ understanding. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, the teacher helped pupils to work out a strategy to solve patterns in multiplication problems.  New systems to record and track pupils’ progress have been introduced but not all teachers use assessment information effectively, particularly in mathematics, to plan lessons that build on previous work. Occasionally, pupils of all abilities had similar work to do and this slowed their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

progress. Work in some pupils’ books shows that learning activities are not always matched well enough to their needs.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, often with detailed comments to tell pupils how well they have done. They are generous with their praise but they do not always inform pupils about what they need to do to improve their work or give them opportunities to correct their work.  Most teachers confidently use information and communication technology to introduce their lessons, but they do not always provide pupils with enough visual images or books and materials to illustrate what they want pupils to learn. This means that some pupils, particularly those who are disabled or have special educational needs, struggle to understand what they are expected to do.  There are good relationships between teachers and pupils, and this inspires pupils to work hard and to behave well. Pupils are responsive to teachers’ questions and they are keen to take part

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

in lessons. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they want to do well.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Activities that meet the needs and interests of children are good because staff observe children’s achievements carefully and plan accordingly. There is a good balance of activities that children select for themselves and those that staff direct. Children choose to work and play inside or outdoors and make appropriate choices.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and they behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils say that behaviour is usually good and that very few lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour. They get on well together and they show respect to each other and to adults. They have a strong sense of right and wrong reflecting the school’s provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils work and play well together regardless of background. During the inspection, groups of pupils made snowmen together while another group demonstrated excellent skills of cooperation and resilience to build an impressive igloo in the school courtyard. The snow inspired a genuine sense of awe and wonder among all groups of pupils.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and that there is very little bullying. They say adults are on hand to sort out the few minor incidents that occasionally arise. They have a good awareness of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

different forms of bullying, including name-calling and cyber-bullying. They have a good understanding of how they can stay safe outside school and understand the risks posed by tobacco and substance abuse.  Records kept by the school show few reported incidents of bullying or racist behaviour. Exclusions have reduced considerably in recent years reflecting the school’s actions to improve behaviour. Most pupils attend regularly and on time. The breakfast club provides a calm and nutritious start to the school day for those pupils who attend.  Parents and carers agree that their children are safe at school and that they behave well.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Actions put into place have not yet had time to demonstrate a strong enough impact on pupils’ achievement. However, the new headteacher has quickly assessed the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and has worked with staff and governors to produce a good-quality and accurate improvement plan to address the most important areas for development. School leaders are ambitious and have quickly established a sense of purpose and direction so that all staff are aware of expectations in relation to improving pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher provides strong leadership in his determination to improve the quality of teaching and learning. He regularly observes teaching and provides clear actions for improvement. He has addressed weaker teaching through performance management and is working closely with new leaders to ensure they have the support to develop their skills. All staff have performance targets linked to school development priorities and this reinforces their

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The leadership and management require improvement

accountability for school improvement and pupils’ progress. There is a planned programme of professional development to develop skills of staff at all levels.  The school has been very responsive to the good level of support provided by the local authority. It has used advisers for English and mathematics to help it to improve provision for these subjects and to raise pupils’ achievement.  School leaders regularly check the work of other staff through observing lessons and looking at pupils’ books. However, they do not always pick up all issues and so some weaknesses, for example in teachers’ marking, go unchecked.  The curriculum is supported by a wide range of visits to local places of interest, and this contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school ethos is inclusive and all pupils are warmly welcomed. The school is increasingly striving to ensure that there is an equality of opportunity for all pupils. Staff provide good role

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The leadership and management require improvement

models for pupils who clearly understand that discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. It works closely with the headteacher who provides it with high-quality information with which it monitors and challenges the performance of the school and how it compares to other schools nationally. Consequently, it asks more searching questions of senior leaders. It understands the quality of teaching and it knows that it is not yet consistently good. Governors are appropriately informed about the use of performance management to reward effective practice and to increase teachers’ accountability. Governors are fully aware of the impact of their funding decisions, such as the use of the pupil premium. They check that this money is spent on the pupils eligible for it and they know the difference this makes.

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The leadership and management require improvement

Governors have undertaken recent relevant training, for example to recruit a new headteacher. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet all statutory requirements and are effective in keeping pupils safe.

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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 116060 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 403287

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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 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Angela Dorrington Headteacher Gavin Hayman Date of previous school inspection 16 May 2008 Telephone number 01489 785040 Fax number 01489785040 Email address office@kingscopse.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

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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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