Redlands Primary School

Redlands Primary School Redlands Lane, Fareham, PO16 0UD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Most pupils make good progress during their time at the school. Some pupils make outstanding progress, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Pupils’ attainment in mathematics in the national tests at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 has been consistently well above average and their attainment in English has improved to above average.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.  Children enter the Reception classes with typical skills for their age, although some children are less secure in communication. They achieve very well in the Reception classes.  The school is a welcoming, happy place where pupils, staff and parents cooperate well to create a positive, learning community.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, and this makes a strong contribution to their good learning.  The governing body is active. It supports the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school extremely well and asks searching questions to ensure that teaching and pupils’ achievement are good.  Parents and staff are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and appreciate greatly the headteacher’s commitment to the school community.  Senior and middle leaders work well together to identify and make sure any gaps in attainment are closing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to raise achievement further. Pupils’ work is not always demanding because it is not always set at the right level and targets are not always sufficiently challenging.  Teachers do not always give pupils time to correct and improve the work in their books.  Senior leaders do not always focus closely enough on pupils’ starting points and progress over time.  Whole-school planning is not always closely aligned to the school’s evaluation of its performance and challenging targets are not always measured against improvements in pupils’ progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 17 lessons over the two-day inspection in all of the school’s classes. Some of these observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with pupils, senior and middle leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held informal discussions with parents and carers. They also took account of 43 responses to the Parent View online survey, and 23 questionnaire responses from staff.  They looked at pupils’ work in lessons, and separately with senior leaders. Inspectors heard pupils reading, and observed them in class and around the school.  A wide range of school documentation was also considered. This included information relating to the attainment and progress of pupils, the performance management of staff, records of lesson observations, the school’s website, the school’s development plans, its self-evaluation, minutes

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Information about this inspection

from governing body meetings, behaviour records, and safeguarding information.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Trevor Neat Additional Inspector Sophie Matthews Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Redlands is larger than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils has increased since its last inspection in 2007 and pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through funding for the pupil premium (those eligible for free school meals, in the care of the local authority or with a parent in the armed services) is much lower than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, supported through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also lower than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use alternative places for pupils to learn away from the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that:  the best practice in mathematics is shared so that achievement is raised, particularly in English  teachers always set targets that are challenging and tasks that are always at the right level  teachers give pupils time to respond to comments in marked work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise leadership and management to outstanding by:  refining the monitoring of pupils’ progress so that it focuses more precisely on pupils’ starting points and their progress in each year group  ensuring that the school development plan has challenging targets which can be measured against improvements in pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge that are typical for children of their age. Many children enter with weaker skills in communication and personal and social development. They settle quickly into the nurturing environment of the Reception classes, making good and sometimes outstanding progress in these areas and in mathematics. They enter Year 1 with skills that are at least in line and often better than those expected nationally.  Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 in English and mathematics, before entering Key Stage 2 where progress in mathematics and often reading continues to be good but where progress in writing slows. They leave at the end of Year 6 with attainment which is above the national average in English, and well above average in mathematics. Reading skills by the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 are better than those expected nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the last inspection, attainment in English and mathematics at Key Stage 1 has improved and it has remained consistently strong for the past three years; pupils’ performance in national tests for writing at the end of this key stage has also improved. This was particularly evident in a class of Years 1 and 2 pupils where they enthusiastically created a list of imaginative adjectives for a ‘dragon stew’, which then led to imaginative descriptions such as ‘slimy slippery octopi tentacles’ and ‘poisonous lizard’s blood’.  Pupils’ attainment in mathematics in Key Stage 2 is also strong with pupils demonstrating skills and knowledge which are much better than in other schools nationally. Pupils’ attainment in English rose in 2012 and is now above average. Attainment in reading in Key Stage 2 is stronger than attainment in writing.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs generally make similar progress to

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The achievement of pupils is good

their peers, as a result of focused support from teaching assistants and effective leadership from the special educational needs coordinator. Their gains in attainment are generally in line with those found nationally and sometimes are much better, such as those seen in 2012.  Pupils supported through pupil premium funding generally make similar progress to their peers. Improvements in the way in which the school supports these pupils, such as through one-to-one counselling and booster classes, are helping them to close any learning gaps between these pupils and all pupils nationally.  More-able pupils at the school generally make at least the progress expected of them. Last year, the number of pupils in Year 6 who gained the higher levels in the end of Key Stage 2 tests, in mathematics and reading, was above the national average. However, there are a few occasions when more-able pupils have to sit through lengthy explanations which they do not need or

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The achievement of pupils is good

undertake work which does not challenge them sufficiently.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The good teaching seen in the last inspection has been sustained. Teachers have positive working relationships with pupils and as a result pupils behave well in lessons. Learning proceeds without interruption and pupils achieve well.  Teachers make learning goals clear for pupils and give them clear directions about the tasks they will carry out. The best teaching enthused pupils and ensured that all of their learning was at the right level. It challenged pupils to think deeply about a subject and gave them opportunities to make discoveries in their learning, both independently and in pairs. The best teaching gave pupils relevant ways in which they could measure how successful they had been. For example, in a well-planned lesson in the Reception class, children were challenged to write sentences and sound out words. They were also provided with effective ways in which they could evaluate how successful they had been. Good use was made of both the indoor and

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The quality of teaching is good

outdoor environment to promote pupils’ knowledge of the world and their mathematical and creative development.  In a lesson in Years 1 and 2, the teacher was highly effective in enthusing pupils about their writing. She gave them an imaginative task about dragons, which was set at the right level for all pupils. Pupils were encouraged to explore and develop their ideas either independently or in pairs and more-able pupils were challenged to spot as many adjectives as possible as she read a rhyming tale.  There are a few occasions when progress for more-able pupils slows because they have to listen to lengthy explanations they already understand before starting work.  Where learning is not planned at the right level, pupils’ progress is not as rapid as it could be.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, often providing pupils with praise and a comment that points them towards the next steps in learning. They do not always give pupils time to respond

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The quality of teaching is good

to comments so that their progress is not yet outstanding.  The best teaching is skilful in stimulating pupils’ interests and imagination. This was seen in another Years 1 and 2 lesson where children were extremely enthusiastic and eager to learn following an active session of ‘Wriggle-burst’, followed by pupils planning a story about a Viking adventure. The teacher had very high expectations and used resources really imaginatively including an audio file of sounds to stimulate pupils’ interests. In another lesson, pupils were amazed to discover that not all metals were magnetic.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons. They focus effectively and their disciplined behaviour makes a strong contribution to their good progress and achievement, but they are not yet at the stage where they are taking full responsibility for their learning, and their behaviour is not yet impeccable. School records of behaviour and comments by pupils and parents indicate that the good behaviour seen during the inspection is usual for pupils at the school.  Behaviour around the school is a strength. Pupils socialise well together at breaks and lunchtimes. They are friendly, polite and respectful to adults, sharing positive working relationships.  Pupils report that they feel safe at school and that they know how to keep themselves safe. They understand about different forms of bullying such as cyber bullying, physical and verbal bullying. They also say that they enjoy attending school and this is reflected in the school’s

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

above average rate of attendance.  Overwhelmingly, parents agree that the school keeps their children safe and that behaviour is good in the school. They report that the rare instances of bullying are quickly and effectively dealt with.  All of those parents who responded to the on-line Parent View survey believe that their children are well looked after. Several spoke positively about the strong sense of community at the school. One wrote extensively about the gains his child had made in learning and confidence.  The governing body ensures that child protection policies and safeguarding meet requirements and that staff and pupils work in a safe environment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is a well-respected member of the community. Parents are very appreciative of his work and recognise his commitment to the school. Together with his highly skilled deputy headteacher and governing body, he has gained the full support of school staff to improve teaching and learning. As a result, pupils’ attainment in writing in Key Stage 1 has improved over the past three years, and their good achievement has been sustained across the school.  The Chair of the Governing Body has been a constant and effective support to the school. His expert knowledge, which has been used by other schools, has ensured that the progress of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding has improved and pupils’ progress in mathematics has been consistently outstanding.  Leaders and managers have worked well, with the help of the local authority’s light touch support, to improve teachers’ professional development. This has been particularly successful in

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The leadership and management are good

improving the attainment of pupils in reading and mathematics.  The school’s recent and strong focus on the progress of vulnerable pupils demonstrates its commitment to equality. Discrimination is not tolerated and information is shared appropriately. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social skills very effectively through an imaginative curriculum, regular music and art activities, assemblies and its ‘philosophy for children’ lessons. Several lessons showed pupils experiencing true awe and wonder at their learning discoveries. Pupils are given more opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral and social skills than their cultural development.  Senior leaders and subject leaders make regular checks on the quality of teaching and the planning of learning. They provide useful feedback to staff, setting them appropriate targets related to whole-school and individual goals. They hold formal meetings with teachers every

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The leadership and management are good

term to review pupils’ progress. However, while they analyse information on progress for vulnerable groups, their analysis of information relating to most pupils focuses more on attainment levels at the end of each key stage rather than on the progress made by individual pupils in each class.  The school’s self-evaluation is accurate but this is not as closely aligned to whole-school development planning as it could be. As a result, the targets which the school sets are not always as challenging as they could be. Also, the criteria used to measure the success of the school in working towards targets set to improve teaching are not closely linked to improvements in pupils’ progress.  The range of subjects taught is balanced and topic coverage is very well organised. Pupils have interesting and effective opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills across different subjects. They also have good opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities, some of

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The leadership and management are good

which are run by pupils, and memorable residential visits.  The school has improved the way it monitors the progress of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding and now uses this funding to good effect. For example, specialist staff provide classes and one-to-one support to these pupils to boost their learning, and additional funding is provided for pupils to gain access to breakfast and residential activities. This has helped these pupils to now make progress in line with their peers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is ambitious for the school. It is expertly led and both supports and holds the school to account for its performance. The Chair of the Governing Body is an active member who attends educational shows to help the school in its improvement and to garner information from other governing bodies. Members of the governing body know a great deal about the school’s work, and increasingly about the quality of teaching in the school. They discuss pupils’ attainment and how well they are making progress. The governing body considers how well the school is doing in comparison to others in the country. It sets challenging targets for the school’s future performance. The governing body has a clear oversight of how well teachers are doing, ensuring that pay and promotion for staff are closely linked to the good achievement of their pupils. It oversees the school’s finances rigorously,

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The leadership and management are good

ensuring that, for example, pupil premium funding is spent appropriately to make a positive difference to these 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 115892 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 403276

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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 311 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Wilfred Phillips Headteacher Kevin Harcombe Date of previous school inspection 11–12 September 2007 Telephone number 01329 234012 Fax number 01329 829050 Email address admin@redlands.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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