Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School

School report Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School Church Lane, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 8EP

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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. The proportion of pupils that make good progress compares favourably with national figures. In Key Stage 1, there are some examples of pupils making outstanding progress.  Pupils make accelerated progress in their reading because of effective teaching of phonics. They read often and widely.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the effective arrangements the school makes to support them.  Teaching over time is good and some teaching observed was outstanding. Teachers and skilled teaching assistants provide work that is not too hard or too easy.  The dynamic headteacher, well supported by the assistant headteachers, leads the school effectively and together they have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and what needs to be done.  Governors have a clear awareness of how well pupils are achieving. They contribute

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectively to the management of the school. Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching and they attend the regular meetings to review pupils’ progress.  Close links with the adjacent Romsey Abbey enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There is a caring atmosphere in the school. Pupils say they feel safe and their behaviour is good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 There is not enough excellent teaching in school to ensure that achievement is outstanding.  Not all pupils make outstanding progress because the level of challenge is variable, especially in Key Stage 2.  Teachers do not always make it explicit exactly how pupils can monitor their own progress and improve their work.  Achievement in writing is not high enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons, three of which were jointly observed with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors visited phonics sessions (linking letters and the sounds they make), looked at pupils’ work and listened to children read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, senior and middle managers and a telephone discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 66 responses to the online Parent View survey and also held informal talks with parents and carers at the end of the school day. Inspectors also took account of two letters sent by parents and carers and had a telephone discussion with a parent or carer.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation of its own performance, the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation,

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Information about this inspection

and records of how the school uses its funding, particularly how pupil premium money is spent. Records relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance were also taken into account.  The views of 14 staff who had completed the staff questionnaire 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

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English well.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average, as is the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children of service families and looked after children.) There are no children of service families.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The governing body runs the on-site breakfast and after-school clubs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by:  ensuring that all pupils are consistently challenged to the best of their ability in Key Stage 2  involving pupils fully in their own learning through helping them to track their own progress, both in individual lessons and over time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in writing by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to shape and form letters in Key Stage 1  giving pupils a longer time to discuss ideas before they start to write in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All pupils make good progress and achieve well from their different starting points.  When children start school, many of their skills are below the levels expected for their age. The supportive and caring atmosphere in the Reception class ensures that they quickly settle in and gain confidence. They are encouraged to try out new experiences and explore ideas through interesting role-play activities. For example, children were discovering about pirates and hunting for treasure in the exciting outdoor area, before writing messages to put in a bottle. Children enjoy their learning and make good progress by the time they start Year 1.  Attainment in Key Stage 1 is above that expected nationally; the school’s latest assessments indicate that attainment is again on course to be above average. In some classes, especially Year 1, pupils make particularly rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is

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The achievement of pupils is good

because the teacher has very high expectations, leads pupils to understand through skilful questioning and has a precise awareness of where each child is in their learning.  Reading across the school is good. In phonics sessions, pupils are grouped according to their ability and this initiative has had a positive impact on their progress. Younger pupils acquire a range of strategies to help them to make sense of new words and they read simple texts with increasing fluency. In Key Stage 2, pupils are developing a love of reading and talk knowledgeably about different authors. This year, over half of the pupils are predicted to attain the higher Level 5 in reading.  The Key Stage 2 tests results dipped slightly last year. However, the evidence from pupils’ work and the school’s own data show that standards by the end of Year 6 this year are expected to be above the national average, as they were in 2011.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Mathematics has improved rapidly as a result of decisive action by the school’s senior leaders. Pupils are confident in carrying out mental calculations and solving problems. Several pupils in Year 6 are currently working at the highest available levels for their age. The close link with the local secondary school’s mathematics department ensures that those who are more able have no limit to the progress they can make. Pupils reported that they really enjoyed doing the project designed by the secondary school, which asked them to investigate how different cultures use their bodies to measure.  Pupils in Year 6 write confidently in a range of styles and formats, using language effectively to engage the reader and create suspense. Several pupils are working at the highest available standards for their age. This year, the school has had a strong focus on improving writing and standards across the school are rising rapidly. However, in Key Stage 1, there are still not

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The achievement of pupils is good

enough opportunities for pupils to shape and form letters accurately, and in Key Stage 2, pupils start to write too quickly and do not have enough time to talk about and develop their ideas for writing.  The school’s commitment to equality is evident in the careful assessment and planning for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Pupils make good progress, often as a result of the skilled and experienced teaching assistants.  Pupil premium funding is allocated effectively to support eligible pupils. This year, most of these pupils are closing the gap well on their peers and against other pupils nationally in English and mathematics so that there is little difference between them. In some cases, they are achieving better than those who do not receive the funding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Overall, the quality of teaching is good and improving. However, there are some variations between classes, particularly in Key Stage 2, and only a small minority of lessons are outstanding.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, all the teachers have good subject knowledge and work is well planned to provide children with a range of stimulating activities, both indoors and outdoors.  Across the school, work is planned carefully to meet the range of ability in each class. Lessons captivate the pupils’ interests. For example, pupils were delighted when a security guard brought down a Second World War Enigma code-breaking machine from Bletchley Park so that pupils could learn all about how to crack a code.  Teachers use questioning well so that pupils have to think more deeply. Typically, teachers exhibit good subject knowledge, explaining and demonstrating new learning and correcting pupils’ misconceptions well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In an outstanding English lesson in Year 5, the teacher set very high levels of challenge and used an iPad to record pupils when they were answering. This enabled her to plan accurately for the next lesson as she had a very clear understanding of where each pupil was in their learning.  Teaching assistants are skilled. They liaise closely with the teachers, know the pupils well and provide effective support for all groups of pupils.  All pupils are set targets for improvement, which are assessed regularly and used effectively to keep track of their progress. Pupils are aware of their targets and teachers refer to them often in lessons.  In English, teachers always make it clear to pupils how they can move on in their learning. Pupils have an opportunity to respond to the marking of their work and to say how well they felt they had understood a task. This information is then transferred to the sheets in the back of their

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The quality of teaching is good

books where pupils can track their own progress against the National Curriculum levels. This good practice enables pupils to be fully involved in their own learning and allows them to see how quickly they are progressing. However, in other subjects, pupils are not so involved in tracking their own learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are courteous and have positive attitudes to school. In lessons, they behave well, listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions, work effectively together and treat other pupils with respect. However, pupils occasionally lose concentration when they are not fully challenged and this was especially true in the small amount of relatively weaker teaching in Key Stage 2.  Teachers and other staff want pupils to do well and they involve them in many aspects of the school’s work. Pupils undertake responsibilities as prefects, head girl and boy, peer mentors, monitors and as members of the school council. The result of all these different roles is that pupils develop maturity and a strong capacity to support others. This is effective in supporting pupils’ social and moral development.  The partnership with the adjacent Romsey Abbey enhances the school’s spiritual provision. Pupils are able to learn about the Anglo-Saxons, as the Abbey dates from that era. Pupils report

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

that it really makes their history come to life and they particularly enjoyed looking at the hair of a person from those distant days.  Teachers and support assistants in the Reception class are keen to ensure a smooth transition into school and parents and carers report that they really appreciate the ‘memorable moments’ emails sent by the school. These are quick photographs taken during the day, which are sent to parents and carers immediately by email to show what their child is currently doing. The email typically starts, ‘I’m fine, this is what I am up to.’  Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in all situations, including when they are on the internet. The majority of parents and carers believe that the school is good at keeping their children safe and free from any form of discrimination. Pupils report that there is no bullying, and comment that if it were to occur, their teachers would be fair and prompt in dealing with it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils who find good behaviour difficult receive good support from the pastoral team. The monitoring of pupils’ well-being is exemplary and all staff are committed to ensuring that each pupil is healthy and happy. In addition, the school also offers three highly effective parenting programmes.  The breakfast and after-school clubs provide a good opportunity for pupils to develop their social skills.  Attendance is average and the school takes appropriate action to address any unauthorised absence. The school regularly finds innovative ways to improve attendance. One of the school fund raising associations has donated a Tardis to be used for role play in the class that has the highest attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders monitor standards rigorously and there is a thorough and regular analysis of pupils’ progress. The school provides equal opportunities for all pupils to succeed and carefully tracks the progress of different groups, for example those supported through the pupil premium, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The impact of this is that the school can quickly identify any pupil who is falling behind and implement immediate strategies to improve their progress.  The quality of teaching is monitored closely; performance is checked in lesson observations, work seen in books and the overall progress that pupils have made. Teachers receive good training to develop their skills further. The link between performance management and salary progression for staff is clear. Teachers have targets based on their performance and increases in salary are based on achieving these targets.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides a moderate level of support for the new leaders who are taking up middle management roles. Some middle leaders have attended training run by Winchester University at the local secondary school.  The curriculum is well adapted to meet pupils’ needs. It promotes positive attitudes, which encourage pupils to do well. In Reception, there is a good balance of activities led by an adult and those where children explore new learning for themselves. In the rest of the school, topics start with a visit or visitor, the aim being to enthuse pupils to learn more about the subject. Sporting provision is good and is developed further in after-school clubs. All pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and the school orchestra plays at Hampshire Festivals. Pupils gain a reflective appreciation of other cultures through learning about faiths and countries across the world. Pupils in Key Stage 2 also have the opportunity to learn French.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the pupil premium to secure improvements in both achievement and attendance.  Most parents and carers speak highly of the school and are appreciative of the efforts the school is making to meet the needs of their children.  Staff and governors are rigorous in applying safeguarding policies, updating their training and ensuring that child protection and staff vetting are thorough.  The governance of the school:  Governors, who are very experienced, contribute well to the management of the school; they are often in school helping and so have a very clear understanding of the day-to-day issues. They are effective in challenging the school to improve further. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s data and are involved in reviewing the data on pupils’ progress. They attend regular progress meetings to see how well all pupils are doing and what interventions can be put in place for those who are falling behind. As a result of their close

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The leadership and management are good

involvement, they ensure that all funding, including pupil premium money, is used effectively. Governors are very aware of the quality of teaching and how performance is closely aligned to pay.

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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 116368 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 400098

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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 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Louise Newman Headteacher Louise Rosen Date of previous school inspection June 2011 Telephone number 01794 512047 Fax number 01794 830191 Email address adminoffice@romseyabbey.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

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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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