Rownhams St John's Church of England Primary School

Rownhams St John's Church of England Primary School Bakers Drove, Rownhams, Southampton, SO16 8AD

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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’ achieve well. Good teaching over time has enabled pupils to make good progress regardless of their starting points.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils feel safe in school and are well looked after by the adults who work with them.  Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils read with increasing confidence and fluency as they move through the school. Progress in reading is good.  Since the last inspection, the leadership team has worked successfully to improve the quality of teaching and the outcomes for the pupils. The headteacher has identified areas of the school that can still be developed and is supported by all staff in the drive to make further improvements.  The governing body monitors the work of the leadership team closely and provides the challenge to ensure pupil outcomes improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In Reception classes children are not given enough opportunities to learn by choosing and investigating activities for themselves.  The proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough. Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of working together in challenging group activities.  The targets set for pupils are too general and do not link closely enough to the specific activities that they are doing. Teachers do not give pupils enough guidance on how to extend and improve their work further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons, one of which was jointly observed with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed an upper school assembly.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and scrutinised samples of pupils’ work books.  Inspectors examined a wide range of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ recent progress, planning and monitoring documentation, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors also took account of 32 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and one letter from a parent. In addition, inspectors spoke to parents and carers when they dropped their children off at school on the first morning of the inspection. They also took account of the views of staff through the 32 staff questionnaires completed.

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Inspection team

David Hogg, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jeanne Simpson Additional Inspector Penny Orme Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Rownhams is slightly larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed services)) is lower than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much lower than average, as is the number of pupils whose first language is not English.  The school meets the current floor standards, which are the minimum standards for attainment and progress expected by the government.  The headteacher is a recent appointment, having taken up post in January 2013.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make alternative provision for any of its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage by increasing the opportunities children have to follow their own interests, allowing for greater child-led learning without support from adults  Improve the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  creating more opportunities for high quality collaborative working, so providing greater challenge in lessons, especially for higher ability pupils  making sure that teachers are providing pupils with targets that are more closely linked to the activities they are currently working on, so pupils are able to identify more clearly what they must do to improve their work

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over time, pupils achieve well. They make good progress and their attainment in English by the end of Year 6 is above average. Attainment in mathematics has risen since the last inspection and is now slightly above national averages.  Children enter the school broadly in line with national expectations and make good progress overall in the Reception class, reaching standards above national averages by the time they leave. However, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are prevented from making even more rapid progress as they are not given enough opportunities to follow their own interests and explore learning without direct support from adults.  Pupils’ progress in reading is particularly strong. Pupils enjoy reading and younger pupils can demonstrate a good understanding of letters and sounds (phonics) when reading unfamiliar words. Older children read with good levels of fluency and confidence.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Different groups of pupils, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, make similar good progress and all achieve well.  Tracking of pupil progress is robust and helps staff to identify those pupils who are not doing as well as their peers. Senior leaders and class teachers discuss what support is needed to make sure that any pupils at risk of falling behind catch up with their peers. If additional help is identified as being necessary then the impact of this is tracked carefully to make sure that the support is effective.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to their peers. This is due to well-targeted support from learning support assistants working in class or in booster sessions running in parallel with the classroom activities.  Pupils in receipt of additional support through the pupil premium grant make good progress. Their average point scores in the 2012 national tests were higher than for this group nationally

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The achievement of pupils is good

and similar to those of pupils who were not eligible for the funding. The funding is being used mainly to provide additional adult support and this is having a positive impact. The school is working to improve further the effectiveness of support they receive in order to close the gaps in attainment between these groups and ensure there is equality of opportunity for all learners.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements in the quality of teaching over time have raised pupil achievement. Teachers plan activities that pupils find interesting and meaningful, and this helps them to make good progress. For example, mathematics in the Years 3/4 classes was based on a ‘Space’ theme, where pupils solved problems linked to that topic. Activities are usually well matched to the abilities of the pupils, with teachers using pupil progress information increasingly more effectively.  The relationships between pupils and teachers are good and pupils are interested in the activities set for them. Teachers try to provide specific guidance on what pupils are learning in lessons. Work is modelled well by teachers and illustrates to pupils what they are expected to achieve.  Teachers’ use of questioning is good, with pupils being encouraged to think carefully about their answers.  Pupils are not always given enough opportunities to work in groups and tend to work on tasks

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The quality of teaching is good

by themselves. As a result pupils, especially the more able, do not develop the independent learning skills to allow them to take a more active role in their own learning.  In the Reception classes children are not always able to make choices about the activities they would like to take part in. This is because adults provide too much structure and support in activities, so that children’s chances to initiate their learning are much reduced.  Pupils are set targets to help them improve their work and make rapid progress. These, however, are not always linked to the specific activities the pupils are working on, and teachers do not provide them with clear enough guidance on how to improve their learning.  The pupils’ work is generally well marked, with good guidance for learners on the next steps they need to take to improve their work. Pupils are usually given the opportunity to address the issues raised in the feedback, but this is a little variable between subjects and class groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning support assistants work effectively with pupils of different abilities and ensure they are able to make at least expected progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe at school and say they are well looked after by the adults around them. They, themselves, say behaviour is good, a view echoed by staff, parent and carers, but point out that pupils do ‘fall out’. Bullying or incidents of unkindness are rare, but the pupils say that they have adults to turn to if necessary who deal with situations effectively.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are generally good, especially when the teaching is most effective. In some lessons pupils are not given enough opportunities to work collaboratively on tasks.  Pupils have a good understanding of careful use of the internet. Visitors, such as a police officer, and the firemen who brought their engine for children in the Reception classes to explore during the inspection, raise pupils’ awareness of personal safety and those members of the community who help them stay safe.  Attendance is above average and the school works hard to maintain good attendance by working

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The leadership and management are good

 The improvements in the school that have taken place since the last inspection have been secure by several senior leaders who have ensured that pupils’ attainment over time has risen. The current leaders have a clear programme to continue these developments and demonstrate the capacity of the school to improve further.  The school has a new and developing team of staff in charge of subjects who monitors the progress of pupils carefully. Teachers are now better equipped to use information on pupils’ progress to plan suitable activities for their pupils. The progress of all pupils is promoted well and this equality of opportunity ensures all groups of pupils achieve well.  Senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching through lesson observations and pupil progress reviews. Leaders in charge of subjects are involved in delivering staff training linked to the school’s priorities for improvement. Leaders make sure that decisions about teachers’ salary

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The leadership and management are good

progression are closely linked to the quality of teaching and pupil outcomes.  The school has worked closely with the local authority in the past and continues to do so as the leadership teams develop greater experience in their roles  Classroom activities include exciting experiences to ‘hook in’ and engage the pupils. Links between subjects are strong; for example, the Second World War project in history was linked to the book Carrie’s War, which pupils were reading as part of their work in English. There are good opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development with visits to places of significance and through lessons in life skills. The pupils take an active role in school, for example as peer mentors and delivering class assemblies including one on Valentine’s Day traditions from around the world. The school runs a number of clubs and activities for pupils to take part in. Some, including the photography club, have sprung from the interests of the pupils

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The leadership and management are good

themselves.  Safeguarding procedures and systems are in place and are robust. Parents feel their children are safe at school and speak highly of the recent improvements in the school.  The governance of the school:  Governance is strong. Governors use their wide range of skills to provide high levels of challenge to school leaders, balanced with strong support. They have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development within the school based on their understanding of the information they gather, including that on pupils’ progress. They visit the school regularly, meeting with leaders to gather information about the quality of teaching and learning. The governing body reviews the school’s financial position carefully and makes sure that teachers’ performance is matched to financial reward. Governors are currently reviewing the way they can check on how the pupil premium grant is allocated and how effectively it is being used to

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The leadership and management are good

raise the achievement of this group of 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 116311 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 401588

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 282 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Andrew Brown Headteacher Mr Rob Sanders Date of previous school inspection 7–8 December 2009 Telephone number 023 80736417 Fax number 023 80731732 Email address adminoffice@rownhams.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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