Kingsclere Church of England Primary School

Kingsclere Church of England Primary School Ash Grove, Newbury, RG20 5RE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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 do not make good enough progress at Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Some pupils are not progressing as well as their peers in English and mathematics throughout the school. These pupils include mainly boys, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Teaching for the younger children, but particularly pupils at Key Stage 1, is not consistently good.  There is not always enough support at Key Stage 1 for pupils who are less able, or challenge for the more able pupils.  Initiatives introduced by the school to help raise standards have yet to be firmly embedded. These include how teachers check on pupils’ learning and the teaching of letters and sounds (phonics).  The role of some leaders and managers is underdeveloped and this limits their involvement in helping the school to raise standards. They do not all contribute as well as

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

they could to identifying what the school does well, and to prioritising what needs to improve (school self-evaluation). This also applies to a few governors.

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The school has the following strengths

 Kingsclere Church of England Primary is on an upward trajectory and standards are rising.  Teaching at Key Stage 2 is mostly good.  In 2012, a high proportion of pupils reached and exceeded the levels expected for their age, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Increasing numbers of children achieve a good level of development for their age by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The behaviour of pupils is good and pupils say they feel safe in school.  The interim headteacher, deputy headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body provide good leadership. They are well supported by the school’s administrative team.  Staff are strongly committed to the school and work very hard. Pupils and most parents are proud of their school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 parts of lessons taught by eight teachers. Five of these observations were done alongside either the interim headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading. Two groups of pupils in Key Stage 1 were observed being taught phonics.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, teachers and senior and middle leaders.  The lead inspector met with the Chair of the Governing Body and two parent governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 50 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), as well as letters and emails received from parents, and spoke informally with some parents at the start of the school day. Responses from 19 staff questionnaires were reviewed.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including minutes of meetings held by the governing body, the school’s own data on pupils’ achievement, a sample

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Information about this inspection

of pupils’ workbooks, teachers’ planning, and the school’s self-evaluation, as well as planning and monitoring documents, performance management procedures and outcomes, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Gehane Gordelier, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Liz Townend Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 Kingsclere Church of England Primary is broadly average in size.  The vast majority of pupils have a White British background.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is a little above the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  Fewer pupils than in most schools are known to be eligible for free school meals and there are few for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium.  The school meets the current government floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school does not provide alternative provision.  The former substantive headteacher left the school at the end of July 2012. The interim headteacher started working at the school in September 2012 and is due to return to her school at the end of this term. The deputy headteacher will take on the role of interim headteacher as

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Information about this school

of the summer term and until a new headteacher is appointed.  The school was given a notice to improve at its previous inspection. It received a monitoring inspection in October 2012, and was judged to have made good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the quality of teaching, particularly at Key Stage 1 and in the Early Years Foundation Stage, is consistently good or better by: – providing pupils who are less able with enough guidance, strategies and resources to ensure they progress well in lessons – ensuring that all pupils who are more able are provided with greater levels of challenge – encouraging pupils to transfer their reading, writing and mathematical skills to their work in other subjects – ensuring that activities provided for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly those activities children choose for themselves, are purposeful and focused.  Raise the achievement of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly at Key Stage 1, by: – making sure that all staff make effective use of information about pupils (data) to set challenging targets, and that in lessons, staff check pupils’ understanding and progress

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– ensuring that the learning and progress of pupils in Year 1 build more effectively on children’s outcomes at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage – embedding the use of phonics to help pupils with their writing as well as their reading – ensuring boys and those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals achieve as well as their peers.  Develop leadership and management at all levels by: – ensuring that high expectations are always communicated clearly and consistently – ensuring that leaders and managers at all levels, including governors, contribute equally as well to whole-school self-evaluation and to helping the school to improve.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most children enter Reception at least in line with age-related expectations. In 2012, more children than in most schools reached or exceeded the Early Learning Goals. Focused teaching groups in the Early Years Foundation Stage lead to children making good progress with their reading and writing. When the achievement of children slows, it is because activities are not sufficiently focused or challenging.  Published data for 2012 show that standards are rising in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils at the end of Year 2 achieved significantly better in reading than most pupils nationally.  The outcome of the phonic screening check in 2012 for pupils in Year 1 was lower than the national average. The new programme introduced to improve pupils’ phonic skills is not well embedded. Pupils of lower ability in Year 1 still find it more difficult than they should to read and write unfamiliar words that contain more than three letters.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils at Key Stage 1 seen during the inspection highlights that the learning and progress of pupils in this part of the school require improvement. Pupils’ learning in Year 1 does not always build well enough on what pupils achieved at the end of Reception. As a result, some pupils at Key Stage 1, particularly those of lower ability, struggle to write a simple sentence or to understand the meaning conveyed in very simple texts. Although some pupils can add and take away two-digit numbers, others struggle with basic calculation. Those pupils who are more able are not always provided with sufficient challenge with their reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2012, standards at the end of Year 6 were significantly above average in English and mathematics and the greatest value added to pupils’ learning from Key Stage 1 was in mathematics. Most pupils are currently making good progress at Key Stage 2, particularly in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Years 5 and 6. Pupils are confident about calculating area and working out perimeters, but less capable at working out fractions and using skills such as inverse operation to check the accuracy of their answers. Although most pupils read well, older pupils of lower ability struggle to extract meaning from non-fiction texts.  The school makes use of the pupil premium to support pupils with their reading, writing and mathematics. The greatest impact can be seen in Years 5 and 6, where pupils are making good progress.  The learning and progress of many boys as well as some disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for free school meals are not as good as their peers. Gaps in pupils’ learning in reading, writing and mathematics, lower down the school, slow pupils’ progress as they move up the school. The current gap in average point scores between pupils in Year 6 who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are not,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

although reducing this year, still remains wider than when pupils were in Year 3.  Staff are learning to make use of data to set challenging targets. However, this has yet to be done consistently well for all classes.  Although most parents who responded to the online questionnaire agree that their children make good progress, a few do not. The inspection found that while older pupils generally make good progress, this is not consistently the case for all pupils throughout the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching throughout the school encourages pupils to work together and share ideas. This contributes well to pupils’ good personal, social and emotional development. Links with a school in Uganda contribute to pupils’ cultural awareness.  All teachers typically plan lessons that are put into a meaningful context; many make effective use of questions to help pupils to think. Where teaching is good, pupils’ work is also well marked including comments to help pupils to know how to improve.  Children work and play happily together in the Early Years Foundation Stage and parents appreciate the way staff help their children to settle quickly when they start school. One parent stated how pleased she is with the progress her child is making in learning to read. Although some teaching in this part of the school is good, this is not consistently the case. This is because staff do not always make best use of available resources, for both the inside and outside

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

learning environments. In their interactions with children, particularly when children have chosen activities for themselves, adults do not always help them to build on what they already know.  Teachers in Key Stage 1 plan exciting activities. One parent wrote about her child’s excitement about seeing the images of planets projected in the school hall. However, in mathematics, reading and writing lessons, pupils are not always provided with enough helpful and practical resources such as words written on flashcards, the computer and cubes for counting, to enable them to make good progress. This is particularly the case for pupils of lower ability.  Teachers in Key Stage 1 are not all sufficiently familiar with the programme for children's learning and development in Reception. As a result, they do not plan lessons that promote good levels of progress for all pupils. Expectations of those pupils who are more able are not always

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

high enough.  Lessons generally include a range of activities to cater for pupils of different ability but not all the activities are well suited to pupils’ needs. In lessons where teachers work with the more able pupils, providing them with good levels of challenge, teaching assistants are not always used to best effect to support the rest of the class.  Not all teachers encourage pupils to articulate their understanding of what is expected of them or the progress they are making. This leads to some teachers across the school not identifying quickly enough those pupils who require additional support or challenge.  Specialist teaching in reading, writing and mathematics, for those pupils for whom the school receives additional funding, is helping to accelerate pupils’ progress and is enabling older pupils, in particular, to make up for gaps in their learning. However, the teaching of phonics is not yet

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

sufficiently systematic and rigorous.  The quality of teaching for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs varies and is dependent on the knowledge and expertise of class teachers. Some teachers ensure that the individual needs of pupils are always well planned for and taken into account. However, this is not the case for all classes.  Most parents agree that their children are well taught. However, a few do not and express dissatisfaction about the extent to which their children receive homework appropriate for their age. Inspectors found that the quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not consistently good. School leaders and governors are aware of parental concerns regarding homework and this is currently under review.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils in most lessons and around the school is good. Pupils are polite and considerate to adults as well as to their peers. Where behaviour is less than good, it is generally because teaching is not well matched to pupils’ needs. However, the vast majority of pupils persevere in lessons even when they are not sure of what to do.  Those pupils who sometimes find it difficult to behave are generally managed effectively by staff. Senior leaders are currently checking that this is being done consistently well across the school.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and are confident that staff will help them if needed.  Lunchtimes provide a good opportunity for pupils to socialise over healthy and tasty meals, particularly the hot meals freshly cooked on-site.  Pupils say there is no bullying at the school. Their understanding of the different forms that bullying can take is limited. Nevertheless, pupils know to respect and value those who are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

different to themselves.  Governors have had a positive impact on helping to improve the behaviour of pupils at playtime.  Concerns raised by a couple of parents about how behaviour and bullying are dealt with by the school were investigated during the inspection. Inspectors found that behaviour in the school is being managed more effectively since September 2012, and that incidences are now rare. Senior leaders recognise the need to make sure that parents are always informed about how incidences involving their children have been resolved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents appreciate the improvements made to the way the school communicates with them. One parent wrote: ‘The changes in communication to parents are working very well…’  Staff are very supportive of the new leadership and management at the school. One member of staff wrote: ‘I now feel I have a clear direction of where the school is heading.’  The rigorous tracking system introduced by the interim headteacher to check on the progress made by all pupils is helping the school to promote equality of opportunity more effectively. This is because there is now a greater focus on reducing the gaps in attainment between different groups of pupils.  Together, the interim headteacher and the deputy headteacher have introduced more regular monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning. However, there has not been sufficient formal monitoring of the quality of support provided to pupils by teaching assistants.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The greater rigour in managing the performance of teachers, leaders and managers has led to the identification of those who are not yet contributing as well as they could to helping the school to improve.  There is clear guidance for staff about what constitutes good teaching, and all teachers have received feedback on how to improve their practice, but this has not yet led to teaching being securely good.  Leaders and managers have revised the content of what is taught in different subjects to make lessons more interesting, particularly for boys. However, not all managers are leading in their areas of responsibility.  Leaders and managers contribute to the strong social, moral and spiritual development of pupils and to improvements made to pupils’ growing appreciation of different cultures and faiths. Good links with the local parish enhance pupils’ spiritual development.  Not all leaders, managers and governors contribute equally well to school self-evaluation.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Consequently, although this document identifies positive aspects of the school’s work, priority areas in need of improvement are not sufficiently explicit. This, as well as other key leadership and management documents, does not always communicate high expectations clearly and consistently.  There have been no racial incidences reported by the school; senior leaders have effective systems in place to tackle issues should they arise.  The school meets all safeguarding requirements for ensuring the suitability of adults to work with children.  The local authority provides a high level of support for the school, although this has reduced as the school has improved.  The governance of the school:  Governors, particularly the Chair of the Governing Body, provided the school with good support and guidance during a difficult time of change. Some governors have a good understanding of standards across the school; they know where teaching is strong and where

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The leadership and management requires improvement

it requires improvement. They are developing their understanding of published data about the school’s performance. Key governors have become more challenging about how well the school’s pay structure is aligned with staff performance. Governors hold the school to account about how additional funding through the pupil premium is being used and the difference this is making to the learning and progress of pupils. Not all governors contribute equally well to helping the school to improve. Governors benefit from training provided by the local authority, for example about recruiting a new headteacher.

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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 116295 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 399688

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tracey Stratton Headteacher Lucy Chambers (Interim Headteacher) Date of previous school inspection 1 February 2012 Telephone number 01635 298583 Fax number 01635 298983 Email address Lucy.chambers@kingsclere.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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