Marlborough Infant School

Marlborough Infant School Redvers Buller Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 2HR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 make good progress from their starting points and reach above average standards by the end of Key Stage 1.  Pupils in Year 3 achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is good. Lessons include exciting, well-planned activities that are well matched to pupils’ needs and ability levels.  Behaviour is excellent and pupils have exceptional attitudes to learning. Attendance is good.  The strong staff team works well together to provide high levels of pastoral care and all pupils feel safe and secure. Staff have a good understanding of the community the school serves, including the fact that many pupils arrive and leave at different times during the school year.  Good leadership from the headteacher, senior leaders and the governing body has ensured that standards continue to rise. All leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 When marking work, teachers do not always make clear to pupils how to achieve the next steps in their learning.  Teachers’ analysis of progress data is not frequent enough to enable teachers to plan work to help pupils make outstanding progress.  The school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress are robust, showing the progress of pupils however is problematic due to the very high levels of those joining and leaving part way through their education. As a result, information from these systems is not as useful to school leaders as it could be.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons or part lessons, including sessions on phonics (the sounds that letters make). Three observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, a representative from the local authority and four members of the governing body including the Chair.  The inspector took account of the 15 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and held informal discussions with parents and carers at the end of the school day.  The inspector scrutinised documentation related to pupils’ attainment and progress, including pupils’ books and learning and monitoring documents, as well as records relating to attendance.  The responses to 12 staff questionnaires were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Liz Bowes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Marlborough Infants is a smaller than average-sized infant school that includes Year 3 pupils.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is high with a large proportion coming from Asian backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special needs who are supported at school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. The most common areas of need relate to personal and social development.  The majority of pupils are from service families and so almost all who attend the school are eligible for pupil premium funding (additional funding for children of service families, children in local authority care or those known to be eligible for free school meals). As a result of the service family connection, the proportion of pupils entering and leaving the school during the

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Information about this school

year is significantly higher than average.  A forces liaison administrator and parent support adviser work with the school.  In Years 1, 2 and 3 most pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching from consistently good to outstanding by:  improving the quality of marking to ensure that all pupils know their next steps  making sure that teachers regularly analyse information on pupils’ progress so that they can plan work that helps all pupils to make rapid and sustained progress.  Develop the school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress so that full account is taken of the impact of the high numbers of pupils joining and leaving the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When entering the Reception class, children’s skills and knowledge this year were in line with those expected for their age; however, the level of skills on entry varies from year to year and is sometimes below typical expectations. In all year groups pupils make good progress from their starting points.  In the Reception Year, children happily follow class routines, play and explore independently. They have exciting learning opportunities every day; for example, they delighted in making wheeled vehicles out of empty drinks bottles, elastic bands and wheels.  As children move through the school this good progress is built upon and by the end of Year 2 overall attainment is above national averages. It is better in reading than in writing and mathematics.  By the end of Year 3, achievement is also good. This year, a quarter of pupils reached the higher level (Level 3) in writing and mathematics and nearly a third reached this level in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There is no difference in the attainment of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium and others in the school.  Those pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as their peers.  The outcomes of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 in 2012 were slightly below those found nationally. The school has responded well with a range of strategies, including using some pupil premium funding to pay for individual support, and this has led to accelerated progress in pupils’ early reading skills.  Progress in writing is good because pupils practise writing across different subjects in a variety of ways. Pupils concentrate hard to form letters carefully, they think carefully about what words to use and how to spell them. An example of this was seen in a Year 1 lesson where pupils enjoyed writing about a prince.  The progress of those who join part way through the school year is also good. The school

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The achievement of pupils is good

quickly makes an assessment of the pupil and puts them into literacy and mathematics groups appropriate for their ability.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress as other pupils.  There is no difference in the achievement of pupils from different ethnic groups.  All the parents who responded to the on-line survey, Parent View, agree that their children are making good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between staff and pupils are good. Teachers are highly supportive so that pupils are happy and ready to learn.  Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled at asking pupils questions which develop their understanding and extend their learning. For example, in a Year 2 lesson the teacher stretched pupils’ understanding by showing the pupils how simple words are sometimes found within more complex words.  Because teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations they get the best out of the pupils, who thrive in an atmosphere that is both supportive and challenging. For example, in a phonics lesson in Reception, the pupils were able to accurately write, ‘Tuck up the ted in his bed.’ They could not only spell the words correctly, they also all used a capital letter at the start of the sentence and a full stop at the end.  Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is well supported by the expansive range

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The quality of teaching is good

of music, art and drama activities. Teaching assistants often act out roles to make learning fun, such as in a drama lesson when the teaching assistant played the role of a spoilt little girl.  Pupils say that they really enjoy both their English and mathematics lessons. For example, in an exciting Year 1 lesson, pupils were ‘buying’ toys for 7p. As the lesson progressed the teacher modelled larger numbers and, by constantly checking pupils’ understanding, was able to get most pupils to select the correct coins to make 49p. This demonstrates how pupils are helped to learn quickly and effectively.  Although teachers check on understanding throughout lessons, in some classes the quality of marking does not clearly show pupils how to achieve the next steps in their learning.  Teachers analyse information on pupils’ progress once a term, but this is not frequent enough to help them plan work at precisely the right level of difficulty to ensure that all pupils make

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are exemplary; pupils are always industrious and keen to please. They love coming to school, behave well from the beginning of the school day and settle into work quickly and efficiently. As one school council pupil put it, ‘All the teachers look after us and make us feel happy when we are sad.’  In many lessons there is outstanding behaviour for learning. For example, pupils in Year 2 showed responsibility for their own learning by finding and using resources independently and without fuss. In music, pupils listened carefully to the teacher and waited for instructions before playing the instruments.  Pupils say that they feel safe in the school and are well informed about how to keep safe. For example, an assembly was based on the theme of fire and this was followed by the fire alarm when pupils were taught about the need to act responsibly and carefully.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show that they have a good understanding of what bullying is, but report that it very rarely happens and if it does staff would deal with it promptly.  The parent support adviser helps with ensuring good attendance as well as providing other support to parents. This initiative is funded partly by the pupil premium.  Pupils benefit from a long-established nurture group which provides emotional support to more vulnerable pupils. The aim of the group is to provide strategies for pupils to develop positive relationships, both within and outside school.  The ‘Bluey’ lunch club was introduced to give additional emotional support to pupils who had family members deployed often to war zones. Pupils send letters and make welcome home banners. In this club pupils can also discuss their fears and concerns in a safe environment with other pupils and staff who fully understand and respond to their needs. The forces liaison

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

administrator also provides invaluable support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is led effectively by a team of experienced and committed senior leaders. They have worked hard to ensure continued improvements. Staff morale is high, they are committed and all work exceptionally well as a team.  Leaders and managers have high expectations of teachers and pupils and set challenging targets for pupils’ progress. However, the school does not yet have a clear system for accurately tracking the progress of those who are only in school a short time and leaders are aware that such a system would provide them with more useful information on the achievement of all pupils.  The local authority provides light touch support for the school; it agrees that the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans are accurate and sharply focused.  Arrangements to manage the performance of staff, including teaching assistants, are effective. Teachers have performance targets linked to the progress of the pupils they teach. Decisions

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The leadership and management are good

about pay are closely linked to how successful the teacher has been in meeting their targets. Training is provided when areas for improvement in teachers’ practice are identified.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements.  The school fosters pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through initiatives such as the connecting classrooms project, which has linked Marlborough Infants with a school in Brazil.  The programme of work that pupils follow offers them broad and balanced opportunities to learn, using exciting topics. In the Reception classes learning journals record achievements in different areas of learning. The curriculum for the other years is also well planned to ensure that all pupils progressively build on their learning. The school is about to revise the curriculum further to continue to improve the pupils’ experience. Pupils particularly enjoy music, art, drama

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The leadership and management are good

and German. They also enjoy visits and the contribution of visitors who come into school, a particular favourite being when farm animals came to the school. There are some sporting extra- curricular activities as well as dance and cooking. Pupils said that they like the large mural in school that shows the history of the Victorian building though the years.  As the vast majority of pupils receive the pupil premium funding, there is a strong focus by management to ensure that the money is used wisely. The school has employed additional staff for small group work and individual tuition, and work is carefully planned and targeted to improve pupils’ progress in specific areas of need. Additional support staff and clubs are also paid for by the pupil premium.  Parents are really supportive of the school and praise the assemblies. For example, the recent Spring Assembly celebrated the theme of growing things and the garden. As all pupils took part,

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The leadership and management are good

this reflected the school’s commitment to equal opportunities. All are treated fairly with no discrimination.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly supportive. They bring a range of expertise to their role and are well trained. They work closely with senior leaders to analyse data regularly and prioritise the allocation of school funds effectively to improve pupils’ outcomes. Governors visit the school regularly; they know the quality of teaching and what is being done to further improve teachers’ practice. Governors understand how the performance of teachers is managed and how the information may be used in any proposed promotions or salary increases. Governors ensure that the school’s funds, including the pupil premium, are spent wisely to help all pupils to achieve well. They make sure that the procedures for keeping pupils safe meet 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 116143 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 412682

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4−8 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 105 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Susan Brettell Headteacher Christine Bird Date of previous school inspection April 2009 Telephone number 01252 323910 Fax number 01252 323910 Email address adminoffice@marlborough.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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