Peel Common Primary School

Peel Common Junior School The Drive, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0QD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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

 As a result of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress over time in English and mathematics requires improvement as it is not yet good.  Teaching does not always ensure that work is set at the right level for pupils and teacher questioning does not always challenge or extend pupils’ ideas enough.  Pupils are not sufficiently involved in improving their work through responding fully to teachers’ marking.  Group reading within the class is not well enough planned to ensure effective development of key reading skills.  Leaders do not sufficiently set clear goals that can be carefully checked to ensure improvement takes place within a specific timescale, although they work hard and are determined to bring about improvement.  Middle leaders do not regularly check teaching and learning in lessons and this limits their ability to support their colleagues or improve achievement in their area of responsibility.

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

 Governors do not have a sufficiently good understanding of how well pupils are achieving in order to check how well the school is doing.

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The school has the following strengths

 Through effective checks, senior leaders have raised the quality of teaching since the previous inspection so that more of it is good. This is helping to accelerate pupils’ progress across the school.  There are pockets of good progress in each year group.  The introduction of phonics (letters and sounds) in Year 3 and extended mathematics across the school is helping to improve provision in these areas.  Improved checks on pupils’ progress are enabling the school to provide effective help for those at risk of falling behind in their work.  Good use of topics and a wide range of clubs, visits and visitors engage pupils’ interest and enjoyment.  Together, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have created a supportive, welcoming community where pupils behave well and feel safe.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons of which two were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, the inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, a local authority officer, the leadership team and other senior staff.  Inspectors took account of the 25 responses to the online Parent View survey.  They observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and checks on the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors listened to pupils read.

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Inspection team

Janet Sinclair, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Margaret Faull Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Peel Common is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs and receive support at school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. The number of pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils in local authority care, from armed forces families, or those known to be eligible for free school meals) is average.  Almost all pupils are of White British origin.  The school meets the government’s current floor target, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has a breakfast club managed by the governing body.  Until very recently, none of the school’s pupils were receiving alternative provision (taught

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement by securing consistently good or better teaching through:  setting work that provides clearly for pupils’ differing learning needs  using questioning that extends and challenges pupils’ knowledge and understanding  making sure pupils respond to teachers’ marking in order to improve their work  ensuring that reading sessions are carefully planned so that they fully support the development of key reading skills.  Improve the capacity of leaders and managers to sustain improvement by ensuring that:  the school development plan focuses on key areas for improvement, with specific and measurable success criteria and agreed timescales, enabling leaders to accurately check the difference their actions make, in both the short and longer term  governors are clear about how well pupils are doing and use this information to hold the school to account  staff who manage subjects or aspects of the school are more involved in checking the quality

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility, developing their management skills and accountability for supporting their colleagues.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because their progress over time has been inconsistent and pupils’ attainment has been below average for several years. The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is similar to the progress of other pupils within each year group.  Much has been put in place to accelerate pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics and is supported by increasingly effective teaching within many classes. However, it has not yet had time to secure consistently good progress.  Although there is provision for guided reading across the school, it is not always sufficiently well planned to ensure key skills are taught in a structured manner and this limits its effectiveness.  In mathematics, work is not always well enough matched to pupils’ needs and this hampers their progress. There has been a huge focus on improving resources, mathematical vocabulary, and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

problem solving and this is increasing pupils’ understanding and enjoyment.  Regular half-termly writing assessments with next steps set for pupils ensure staff are clear about what pupils need to do to improve and can measure their success. However, teachers do not consistently remind pupils of these targets or give them time to respond to comments about their work and this hinders the progress pupils make.  There are pockets of good progress across the school, particularly in Year 6. Consequently, attainment for pupils currently in Year 6 is average.  Increased support for pupils who are funded through the pupil premium through both in-class and small group support is improving their rates of progress so that their average points scores (APS) are more in line with national averages for their age group and with other pupils in the school.  Pupils attending off-site provision make appropriate progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The recent introduction of well-planned phonics in Year 3 and to a lesser extent in Years 4, 5 and 6 is helping pupils’ writing and reading skills. As a result, pupils who read to inspectors were able to use their phonic skills well to work out difficult words.  Pupils have increased opportunities to use their literacy skills across the curriculum; for example, when writing about the key features of a Roman town in Year 3 and the features of a river in Year 4, and this is helping them to develop their wider writing skills.  Improved tracking of pupils’ progress ensures that those who are falling behind are quickly identified to ensure they get the help they need. This is helping to close the gaps between different groups. This is promoting greater equality of opportunity and dealing with any discrimination.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time requires improvement as it has not enabled pupils to learn well enough. Improvements are beginning to have a greater impact and some teaching is good, but inconsistencies remain.  Teachers do not always plan work that is well enough matched to pupils’ needs. For example, group activities in some mathematics lessons are the same for all pupils so are too easy for some and too difficult for others. This limits pupils’ involvement and the progress they make.  Similarly, in some lessons, teachers do not challenge or extend pupils’ ideas enough through questioning that makes them think deeply about their work.  Regular group reading takes place and pupils enjoy the opportunity to read while the teacher takes a group for supported reading. However, there is not enough emphasis on the development of key skills during this time and this limits the progress pupils make.  Pupils have targets for improvement that are regularly up-dated and teachers mark pupils’ work

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

regularly and thoughtfully. However, they do not always ensure that pupils respond through correcting their work or using the next steps set to improve it and this limits its impact.  Where teaching is good, work is well matched to pupils’ needs, expectations are high, and questioning challenges pupils’ understanding. For example, in an excellent lesson in Year 4, effective questioning by the teacher enabled the pupils to explain their ideas, and group work that was well matched to their needs ensured high levels of concentration and enthusiasm.  Good use of clear learning objectives and success criteria helps to focus the teaching and ensure pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn.  In some lessons, teachers make good use of subject specific vocabulary to increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding. For example, in a Year 4 literacy lesson, pupils were clear about the meaning of ‘rhetorical questions’ and ‘persuasive vocabulary’ and were able to use this

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

knowledge well when producing an advert.  While the work planned for them in whole-class lessons may not always be well tailored to their needs, learning support assistants provide good support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Through effective interactions, a supportive manner and good use of resources, they make similar progress to their peers.  Pupils in receipt of the pupil premium receive small group teaching support as well as in-class help from teaching assistants and this, alongside careful monitoring of their progress, is ensuring they keep up.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils mainly behave well both in lessons and around the school. They are clear about the school’s expectations for their behaviour and rarely need reminders. Policies and procedures to promote good behaviour are in place. Behaviour overall is not better than good because occasionally, when the lesson does not engage pupils, they become a little restless and inattentive.  There are a few pupils with identified behavioural problems. The school manages this well in order to minimise disruption to other pupils. There is also a supportive lunchtime club for pupils experiencing relationship problems.  There are few recorded incidents of bullying or racism and when it does occur it is well handled by staff. Pupils confirm that bullying is infrequent and that peer mentors help to sort out problems.  Pupils have good attitudes to their learning and are kind and helpful towards each other. They enjoy working together, especially as talk partners.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school council supports and encourages a respectful and harmonious learning environment as part of its involvement in being a ‘rights respecting’ school.  Attendance is average. The school works hard with parents and carers through the home school link worker to promote regular attendance and punctuality.  The school provides a safe environment for its pupils. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and are pleased with the fact that they get cycling proficiency training, talks by the police and assemblies on e-safety to make them aware of safety issues.  The few parents and carers who responded to the online Parent View survey strongly agree that their children are safe in school.  The school takes very good care of its small number of potentially vulnerable pupils, including seeking support from outside agencies to help with part-time placement, where necessary. Pupils behave appropriately when they attend any provision off site.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 A small number of pupils attend the daily breakfast club provision, where they enjoy a healthy breakfast and the opportunity to play together.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the school strategic plan does not clearly identify key areas for improvement nor does it have specific success criteria to help leaders check that agreed improvements take place. This limits the school’s ability to clearly measure the effectiveness of its actions.  There is effective monitoring of teaching and learning by senior leaders. However, although middle leaders bring about improvement in their areas of responsibility, they do not monitor the quality of teaching in the classroom and so do not have a clear enough view of how initiatives impact on pupils’ learning. This hampers their effectiveness to drive forward improvements at a more accelerated rate.  Senior leaders have created a good staff team who are keen to bring about improvement and accelerate pupils’ progress. They have addressed the issues from the previous inspection, begun to make improvements in the quality of teaching and put initiatives in place to improve

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The leadership and management requires improvement

provision in reading, writing and mathematics. This demonstrates the capacity for further improvement.  The process of setting targets for staff ensures they have individual and whole-school priorities linked to improving the quality of their performance. This ensures that staff increasingly contribute to whole-school improvement or get the support they need in order to do so. There is increased staff confidence and improved performance as a result.  Senior leaders have improved the tracking of pupils’ progress so that they can identify those not making enough progress and enable them to receive the help and support they need.  The curriculum provides a range of interesting topics that cover all subjects well and engage pupils’ interest. It is enhanced well through music, art and residential visits.  The school contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Staff

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The leadership and management requires improvement

ensure that pupils know right from wrong and are kind and supportive towards each other.  The local authority provides good professional support to the school enabling senior leaders, in particular, to hone their skills and begin to bring about improvements in teaching.  The school works well with parents and carers ensuring they are well informed through regular newsletters, the school’s website and detailed reports on their children’s progress. The small number who responded to the online Parent View survey unanimously agreed that they would recommend the school to others.  The governance of the school:  Governors fulfil their statutory duties and have a secure knowledge of the quality of teaching. They monitor the school’s finances rigorously, including the use of pupil premium funding, ensuring it is used to provide small group work and a home – school link worker. They have a number of committees in place and this gives them a good understanding of the school’s

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The leadership and management requires improvement

work. Governors undertake training to help broaden their knowledge and to keep informed of local and national initiatives. However, they do not have a clear enough understanding of pupils’ rates of progress in school or how these compare nationally, including those for whom the pupil premium applies, and so cannot accurately monitor the school’s effectiveness. They are involved in setting targets for the headteacher and have been involved in a similar process for staff. Consequently, they have a sound knowledge of how the performance of staff links to increases in salary. They ensure that safeguarding procedures keep pupils and staff 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 116175 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 401570

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 193 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Johnson Headteacher Carole Bishop Date of previous school inspection 24−25 May 2010 Telephone number 01329 281206 Fax number 01329 230811 Email address judy.scard@peelcommon-jun.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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