Swanmore Church of England Aided Primary School

Swanmore Church of England Aided Primary School Church Road, Swanmore, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 2PA

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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’ behaviour is exemplary because of the school leaders’ outstanding focus on the school’s ethos and values.  The extremely positive promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development means that pupils work together exceptionally well, are extremely considerate of each other and value each other’s differences. They feel really safe and try to make others safe around them. Parents and carers overwhelmingly agree.  Pupils from all backgrounds achieve well. The trend in standards in English and mathematics is significantly above the national average by the end of Year 6.  The quality of teaching is typically good throughout the school and pupils say that teachers make ‘learning fun’ in many lessons.  Children in the Reception classes get a good start because of the many opportunities they have to use phonics (the sounds letters make) to help them read and write.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, has a very good understanding of how well the school is doing and what actions to take next to make it better.  Governors too know the school well and use this knowledge to good effect when holding the school to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Teachers sometimes step in too quickly, so that pupils miss the chance to learn from others or to take responsibility for their own learning.  Pupils do not always have the opportunity to act upon the guidance that teachers have given when marking their books and so mistakes appear in successive pieces of work.  In some lessons, pupils are not involved quickly enough in learning which is well matched to their abilities, or those who show they can do the work are not always moved on quickly to harder things. This can slow their progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 36 lessons or part lessons. They were accompanied by the headteacher or deputy headteacher for approximately half of these.  The inspectors took account of the 82 responses to the online Parent View survey as well as informal conversations with parents and carers during the inspection. They took account of the school’s own parental and pupil surveys.  Inspectors listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read individually and met with two different groups of pupils. They spoke with four school governors and a representative of the local authority. They also spoke to school staff, including senior and subject leaders. They observed all the classes, as well as a group of pupils supported outside the classroom.  The school’s work was observed and inspectors looked at documentation including: school policies, including those relating to safeguarding; information on pupils’ progress; attendance

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Information about this inspection

figures; the school’s improvement planning; and records of checks carried out by leaders on the quality of teaching. They observed playtimes and an assembly, as well as looking at the school’s website.  They scrutinised work in pupils’ books from a range of classes including those of pupils from the Year 5 class who were away on a residential visit during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Marshall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Victor Chaffey Additional Inspector Debbie Thomas Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils come from a White British background. Others are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller heritage is larger than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and receive support through school action is average. The proportion being supported through school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress through securing a greater proportion of outstanding teaching through the school by:  making sure teachers focus on pupils’ learning, ensuring they are actively involved in work appropriate to their ability at all times  quickly moving pupils on to more challenging work in lessons once they have demonstrated their understanding of what is being taught  providing more opportunities for pupils to be independently involved in their own learning  making sure that pupils are given time to read, understand and act upon marking and guidance provided by teachers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from all backgrounds make good progress across the school. Some inconsistencies remain however, and this means progress is not yet outstanding. Their progress is most rapid in lessons: where teachers check regularly how well pupils are doing and promptly adapt activities to increase the challenge or provide support where needed; and where pupils have lots of opportunities to try out their ideas and make rapid gains in their understanding as they evaluate their own and their classmates’ work.  Achievement in reading is strong. Pupils do well in reading across the school and typically reach well above average standards. Pupils read widely from a wide range of texts and are successfully encouraged to draw on a range of strategies to help if they are stuck. The introduction of a more systematic approach to teaching phonics is having a beneficial effect both in early reading and writing across the Early Year Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. As a result, a larger

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The achievement of pupils is good

proportion of pupils are set to reach above the national average scores in the Year 1 phonics check.  Since the last inspection, the standards pupils reach by the end of Year 6 have remained significantly above the national average in English and mathematics because teaching is good overall and expectations are high. Attainment dipped somewhat in 2012, however, and standards were only average. Leaders have taken actions to address this dip by supporting pupils more quickly when they are at risk of falling behind and ensuring more teaching is consistently good in all year groups and classes across the school. As a result, more pupils are now working at higher levels in their books than pupils of the same age last year.  Close links between the school and families of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller heritage ensure attitudes to learning are good. Pupils are keen to explain they like school because, ‘you get to

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The achievement of pupils is good

learn’. Consequently, these pupils achieve well, performing better than their peers nationally.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve as well as their peers. These pupils, along with those supported by the pupil premium funding, do well because the work that is planned for them, whether in small groups, individually or in lessons, is closely tailored to their needs.  Based on their average points scores, pupils receiving the pupil premium funding were at least a year behind their peers in the 2012 national tests in both English and mathematics though only slightly behind the national average. Current assessments indicate that they are making similar progress to their peers as a result of the increasingly effective use of assessment information to target support, accelerate progress and help narrow any remaining gap.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are very positive relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and pupils. These, along with the wide range of interesting activities teachers plan, are a key factor in pupils’ extremely positive attitudes to learning and school.  Greater use of information from regular checks ensures all teachers have an accurate knowledge of pupils’ levels and their rates of progress. As a result, in pupil progress meetings with senior leaders teachers are able to identify any individuals at risk of falling behind and provide additional support. They use assessment information well to plan lessons so that pupils build on what they already know and can do. This helps them to make good progress.  Occasionally, teachers spend too long talking to the whole class without taking account of the different abilities of pupils. In the best lessons, teachers use assessment very effectively to match work closely to individuals’ needs and add additional challenge where needed as pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

demonstrate their understanding. However this is not always the case, and sometimes opportunities for pupils to make even better progress by the teacher adapting an activity during the lesson are missed.  Teachers are very good at using questioning effectively to explore the knowledge and understanding of pupils. Occasionally, however, they jump in too quickly when pupils would be better sharing their own ideas and opinions. This denies pupils opportunities to learn first hand from each other.  Pupils regularly receive advice on how to improve, both through marking in their books and comments from teachers during lessons. This is used particularly effectively to make sure pupils know their targets in order to achieve the next levels in their work. However, opportunities are not always taken to give pupils time to reflect on teachers’ comments and they are not always encouraged to take account of the comments when completing their next piece of work. As a

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The quality of teaching is good

result, similar mistakes appear in consecutive pieces and progress is slowed.  Teaching assistants have a good understanding of what needs to be done because planning is shared and expectations are made clear. They support pupils of all abilities and are confident in their approach. Very focused small-group sessions and specific programmes, taught well by the deputy headteacher and other adults, are effective in helping pupils to catch up or build confidence and good attitudes towards learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are extremely positive about the many interesting learning activities that are on offer both during lessons and after school. They really enjoy coming to school, citing the school’s friendliness and the many opportunities to learn as key factors. As a result of this, and initiatives such as the highly popular awards, attendance among all groups has risen to above average since the last inspection.  Incidences of bullying, such as name calling or cyber bullying, are very rare and dealt with quickly. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers feel any problems are dealt with positively and pupils agree.  Pupils take on extra responsibilities enthusiastically whether in the classroom or as play leaders, school ambassadors or councillors. Pupils agreed they felt very safe, know who to go to if they need help and are proactive in looking after others and reminding each other how to behave.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 A consistent approach to managing behaviour across the school means pupils in and out of lessons behave extremely well even when the teaching is less engaging. The wide range of support the school provides for those pupils who find behaving well tricky, has been particularly effective in reducing the time they spend out of lessons and ensuring they do not fall behind in their learning.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to work safely with ICT (information and communication technology). They know exactly what to do if they have any concerns when they use the internet and consequently are confident using ICT in lessons and clubs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The effective headteacher, supported particularly well by the deputy headteacher and governors, has developed a successful team of senior leaders who share his vision to bring about improvement and make pupils’ progress even better. Subject leaders are increasingly being encouraged to check for themselves how well pupils are achieving in their subjects and taking actions to bring about improvements.  Rigorous management of teachers’ performance is linked closely to the new Teachers’ Standards. Senior leaders have concentrated on improving the consistency and quality of teaching. Staff targets have been set for their performance and are focused on helping to raise pupils’ achievement. Progression up the pay scale is carefully matched to pupils’ outcomes. School leaders recognise that some patchiness in the quality of teaching remains and that they have more to do to ensure teaching across the school matches the outstanding practice seen in

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The leadership and management are good

some classes and year groups.  Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and what needs to be improved, and take actions to achieve this. For example, a decline in mathematics standards has been addressed and teaching of phonics is now systematic and effective. They work closely with the local authority, seek their expertise and receive good quality support. Along with the headteacher, they have been active in improving the quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage and resultant improvements to the gains children make in their early writing.  Rigorous evaluation by the senior leaders and regular meetings with teachers have improved the accountability of all teachers for the sustained progress of all pupils. This enables pupils who are identified for help, including those receiving the pupil premium, to make the same progress as other pupils. Through such approaches the school ensures equality of opportunity for all groups

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The leadership and management are good

of pupils so there is no discrimination.  The governance of the school:  Governors effectively challenge as well as support school leaders holding them to account for pupils’ achievement because they have a thorough working knowledge of pupil progress information. They use this, and their knowledge of how well the school is doing in relation to other schools nationally, to regularly evaluate the school's performance. They are involved checking the progress the school makes towards achieving its improvement priorities, such as improving the teaching of phonics and raising the rates of attendance. Governors check their own skills and seek training to maintain their effectiveness, recently attending training on both the management of teachers’ performance and the pupil premium. Consequently they have a good understanding of how teachers’ performance is used to develop teaching further, links to pupils’ progress and how this progress is reflected in the salary structure. Governors can

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The leadership and management are good

explain how the pupil premium budget has been planned to enable a wider range of strategies to be provided to accelerate the progress of eligible pupils. Governors make sure safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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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 116371 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 413258

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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 428 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sallyann Smith Headteacher John Paterson Date of previous school inspection 9 March 2007 Telephone number 01489 894555 Fax number 01489 896199 Email address john.paterson@swanmore-pri.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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