Upham Church of England Aided Primary School

School report Upham Church of England Primary School Upham Street, Upham, Southampton, SO32 1JD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils across the school achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics given their starting points.  Good teaching ensures that pupils learn successfully. Well-planned and organised lessons with interesting content engage pupils and motivate them to learn. Support staff contribute well to the effective learning of small groups of pupils and individuals.  Strong, thoughtful leadership by the headteacher and the commitment of all staff and governors ensure a purposeful learning environment that supports good progress.  The school cares very well for all of its pupils, but particularly those who are in need of support. Consequently, pupils feel very safe in school and confident that any worries or concerns will be dealt with seriously and thoughtfully.  Careful checks on pupils’ progress ensure those that are falling behind are quickly identified and given the support they need to help them catch up.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ behaviour is excellent in lessons, around the school and when out in the community. Pupils work extremely well together, and are very kind and considerate towards each other. This is reflected in the outstanding relationships across the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always use marking and feedback to set the next steps in pupils’ learning or use challenging questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding, and this sometimes slows progress.  Staff who lead subjects do not observe teaching in classes and this limits their ability to fully support their colleagues.  The outdoor area for the Early Years Foundation Stage is small and this makes it difficult for children to have ongoing physical activity.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 13 lessons or part-lessons, of which one was a joint observation with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, a local authority officer, the headteacher and other senior staff.  The inspector took account of the 30 responses to the online Parent View survey.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and checks on the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  The inspector listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read.

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Inspection team

Janet Sinclair, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Upham is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The very large majority of pupils are White British.  The number of pupils eligible for 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 below average. There are no looked after children in the school.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes – Year1/2, Year 3/4 and Year 5/6, and one single- age class – Year R.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching from good to outstanding by ensuring:  questioning is used more consistently by teachers in lessons to deepens pupils’ understanding  marking is used more consistently to set the next steps for pupils’ learning so that they are more involved in improving their work.  Ensure staff who lead subjects observe teaching so that they can fully support all staff in improving their expertise.  Improve the outdoor area for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that they have more opportunities for physical activity.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The attainment of pupils currently in Year 6 is above average in English and mathematics. A minority of them are working at the higher Level 6 in their mathematics and English (the expected level for 15-year-olds). Their progress is good.  Across the rest of the school, progress is almost always good. Careful checks on pupils’ progress ensure that pupils not doing well enough are supported effectively, and this helps them to catch up. It also helps to ensure equality of opportunity and discourages any discrimination.  Children start in Reception with skills and abilities that are mainly typical for their age, and sometimes below, particularly in their reading and writing. Their progress is good due to a stimulating learning environment and careful monitoring of their progress through learning journals that record in detail what the children have done.  Throughout the school, pupils with disabilities and special educational needs make similar

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress to other pupils. This is because they are quickly identified, have personal learning plans and are given effective small-group and individual support that ensures they make good progress.  The very small proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium funding perform well. The school uses the funding effectively to provide a range of measures that improve pupils’ progress in English and mathematics and boost their confidence. Data show that pupils from service families attain in line with or better than their peers and make good progress in English and mathematics. There is currently very little data to compare the progress of pupils eligible for free school meals with all other pupils because there have been no such pupils on the school roll until very recently. However, this group of pupils are well supported and their learning and emotional needs are well met. The school has clear evidence to show that it is closing the

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The achievement of pupils is good

gap between their performance and those of other pupils.  Pupils achieve well in reading as a result of well-planned guided reading sessions that are used well to develop key skills. For example, pupils are organised into groups, their progress is carefully monitored and key skills taught. This ensures pupils make good and occasionally excellent progress.  Pupils’ writing skills are good. This is due to regular opportunities for extended writing and a good focus on spelling and punctuation. Additionally, topics are used well to encourage different forms of writing, for example producing newspapers such as a ‘Victorian Gazette’ in the Year 3/4 class and a ‘Roman Recorder’ in the Year 5/6 class.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good. This is because lessons have interesting content, and there are high expectations for what pupils can achieve. This secures excellent levels of involvement from pupils and enables them to learn well.  Effective teaching of letters and sounds enabled girls in Year 1 to attain well above the national average in the 2012 national phonics screening check. Boys’ attainment was not so strong. The school is giving additional phonics teaching to the boys who did not perform well.  Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work, particularly in English, but they do not always make sure that pupils respond fully or set the next steps in their learning, and this limits pupils’ involvement in improving their work.  Mathematics is well taught. Pupils are encouraged to carry out calculations, solve problems and persevere when tasks are difficult. For example, in the Year 3/4 class, pupils had to set out

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The quality of teaching is good

questions and provide answers related to their work on co-ordinates to prove their understanding. They persevered well and most were able to show a good understanding and an ability to think things through.  A strong characteristic of teaching is the focus on key learning behaviours such as ‘perseverance’, ‘ listening and speaking’, ‘share my understanding’, that support effective learning.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly those who have disabilities and special educational needs, and those for whom the pupil premium applies. This is especially effective in the small-group and individual support that they give to pupils.  Teachers occasionally miss opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding through effective questioning and this means that in a few lessons pupils do not do as well as they might.  Homework is used well to support pupils’ learning, particularly reading and mathematics, in

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The quality of teaching is good

school.  Skilled music teaching ensures pupils become competent musicians, make good progress and enjoy their learning.  Effective teaching enables children in the Reception class to enjoy their learning and make good progress. For example, they enjoy exploring where mini-beasts live and recording the life cycle of the butterfly. However, the outdoor area is very small and this limits the opportunity for on- going physical activity.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and this, coupled with excellent relationships and a very caring learning environment, ensures a very positive response from all pupils.  Pupils are very kind and supportive of each other. Peer mentors and Year 6 playtime buddies who look after Reception Year children are strong role models for all other pupils.  There are no recorded incidents of bullying and no indication that it has ever been a problem. Pupils say that if there is any name-calling or teasing, it is dealt with very effectively by staff.  Pupils have extremely good attitudes to school, and are kind and courteous to each other and all adults. This is very noticeable when pupils work collaboratively on tasks and helps to ensure good outcomes for their learning.  The school provides a safe environment for its pupils. As a result, pupils feel very safe in school

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and extremely confident that adults will listen should they have any concerns or worries. Pupils learn to stay safe through, for example, talks on the safe use of the internet. Year 6 pupils are trained as junior road safety officers and make sure that all pupils are aware of how to stay safe on the roads.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy school, and this is reflected in their consistent punctuality and above- average attendance.  Parents and carers who responded to the online Parent View survey unanimously agree that there are no issues whatsoever with pupils’ behaviour in the school and believe that their children are safe. School staff are also in full agreement. Inspection evidence confirms these views are accurate.  Additionally, there is excellent feedback about pupils’ behaviour when out in the community, on school trips or when there are visitors to the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership provides clear direction for all staff and pupils, within a caring, supportive learning environment. As a result, all staff work together very well as a team and relationships at all levels are outstanding. Progress across the school is good and accelerating, and teaching is effective. This indicates that there is capacity for further improvement.  Subject leaders work hard to support teachers and improve provision, particularly in writing, reading and mathematics. However, they do not monitor the quality of teaching in their subjects and this limits their ability to fully support staff.  Accurate self-evaluation and a very clear and detailed school development plan ensure key areas in need of improvement are tackled systematically. Governors are kept fully informed of the plan’s successes through regular updates from the headteacher, committee meetings and visits to classrooms.  Monitoring of teaching and learning by senior staff is thorough. This ensures that the

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The leadership and management are good

headteacher has a clear view of the quality of teaching and where it needs to improve further.  The process of setting individual and whole-school targets for all staff and ensuring they are met is fully in place. Clear and specific expectations ensure full accountability for the individual performances of staff.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. It provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their skills through interesting topics. An excellent range of visits, visitors and after-school clubs enriches the curriculum well. Pupils are very proud of their successes in sporting activities.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well. Pupils show respect for themselves and others, clearly know right from wrong and enjoy the social contact involved in classwork and after-school clubs.  There are excellent links with parents and carers, who are very supportive of the school and

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The leadership and management are good

appreciate the fact that their children are happy and achieve well. Families who have children with learning or emotional and behavioural needs are particularly pleased with the support and care their children receive.  The school receives light-touch support from the local authority.  The governance of the school:  The governing body fulfils its statutory duties well. Governors know about the quality of teaching and learning because the headteacher regularly updates them and they visit lessons so they can see for themselves. They make sure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place so that pupils and staff are kept safe. Governors carefully check the school’s financial arrangements, including the pupil premium funding and how effectively it is spent. They know how well pupils in the school are doing due to clear and regular updates from the headteacher. All governors undertake appropriate training so that they develop their

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The leadership and management are good

knowledge and skills and are well informed of local and national initiatives. They are involved in setting performance management targets for the headteacher and link this closely to the key areas in the school development plan. They know that there is a similar process for staff. Consequently, governors know how the performance of staff links to increases in salary levels.

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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 116372 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 412510

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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 98 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gwyn Halsal-Little Headteacher David Woolley Date of previous school inspection 26 March 2008 Telephone number 01489 860355 Fax number 01489 860776 Email address admin@upham.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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