Titchfield Primary School

Titchfield Primary School Southampton Road, Titchfield, Hampshire, PO14 4AU

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The progress pupils make is good regardless of their starting points. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is above national averages.  Pupils are taught skills to help them learn across all subject areas and are able to use these skills of perseverance, discussion and resilience when tackling new tasks.  Improvements in the teaching in the Reception class are ensuring children are making good progress and are better prepared for Year 1.  The teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) ensures pupils have a good understanding of how to read and spell unfamiliar words.  The school is well led by a committed headteacher who is very well supported by a strong senior and middle leadership team. Together with all the staff they work as a cohesive team to drive school improvements.  The governing body is very effective, checking the work of the school carefully and ensuring that there is a constant drive to secure

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvements in outcomes for pupils.  The curriculum provides good opportunities to develop the social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness of the pupils. Pupils behave well and feel safe and secure in school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching is not consistently outstanding because pupils are not given enough opportunities to use their skills in mathematics in real-world problem-solving activities.  Marking does not always provide pupils with clear enough guidance on how to improve their work in all subjects and pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to make any corrections quickly.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 15 lessons, one of which was jointly observed with the headteacher.  Inspectors also observed two school assemblies.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body and vice-chair. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority. The inspectors also met with senior and middle leaders.  A wide range of documentation was reviewed, including planning, checks on teaching and learning, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The inspectors listened to pupils read and scrutinised samples of the pupils’ work in books.  Responses from 42 parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered along with comments written in three letters and one email. Inspectors also met informally with a number of parents and carers to listen to their views of the school. They also

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Information about this inspection

took account of the views of staff through the 13 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

David Hogg, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Neil Gillespie Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Titchfield is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent or carer in the armed services) is in line with the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is again close to the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much lower than the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the current floor standards, which are the minimum standards for attainment and progress expected by the government.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils consistently receive written feedback across subjects, which provides them with clear guidance on how to improve their work, including their presentation, and then the time to quickly improve their work based on this feedback.  Provide pupils with more opportunities to apply their skills in mathematics in real-world practical activities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The majority of pupils have skills which are broadly in line with those typical for their age but a sizeable minority have skills at below the levels typical for their age when they enter the Reception Year. During their first year in school they make good progress and most now reach above expected standards preparing them well for Year 1.  The school’s own accurate assessment information and pupils’ work show that pupils in other year groups make at least good progress through effective teaching. Attainment over time in Key Stage 1 in reading and writing is above national averages and the pupils continue to achieve well in English at Key Stage 2 where again attainment is above national averages. Following a slight dip in attainment in mathematics, national assessments in Year 6 recovered last year and indications are, from unvalidated results in this year’s assessments and from pupils’ work, that

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The achievement of pupils is good

this improvement has been maintained.  The teaching of reading is a strength of the school. More effective teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) has accelerated the progress pupils have made in reading this year. Both progress and attainment in reading are generally at least good in most year groups.  The progress pupils make is tracked closely by middle and senior leaders. This has enabled the school to quickly identify those pupils whose progress may slow to be identified as early as possible and appropriate support to be deployed to help them. The success of this has ensured disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils.  The small numbers of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds make very good progress and all achieve well.  The gaps in skills between those pupils eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils have closed over time. The small numbers in each year can influence the patterns in achievement. In

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The achievement of pupils is good

2011 to 2012, for example, those pupils receiving additional support through small-group work or one-to-one sessions were one term ahead of others in English and two terms in mathematics. The school’s information indicates that gaps overall are continuing to narrow with no differences in English and a slight gap of one term in mathematics for the current Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements in the quality of teaching over time have ensured improved outcomes for pupils and raised achievement. This year has been particularly challenging with key teachers being seriously ill and colleagues having to cover. This has not affected the quality of learning and is a credit to the hard work and commitment of all the staff.  Learning activities are well matched to the abilities of the groups with tasks neither too easy nor too hard. Teachers have very good classroom skills and are able to modify parts of lessons to accelerate pupils’ learning or to address misunderstandings pupils may have. Teachers’ questioning is generally very effective but just occasionally does not sufficiently draw in and involve all pupils in some discussions and as a result, their learning dips. This is the exception rather than the norm.  Information and communication technology is extremely well taught with pupils in different year

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The quality of teaching is good

groups developing excellent skills and making outstanding progress in this subject area. Pupils in Year 1 demonstrated excellent skills in formatting texts, and changing fonts and colours in pieces of work. Animation work is used very effectively by the pupils to help illustrate themes or key messages such as rainforest destruction and the work is presented on the class blogs which are regularly updated.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported very effectively in class by teaching assistants. Their work is reviewed to make sure the support they are delivering is effective in helping pupils build their skills quickly.  Pupils’ work is well marked with teachers generally providing clear guidance. In some subjects however the feedback does not always highlight poor presentation in some of the pupils’ written work. Pupils do respond to this ‘next step’ marking but as yet do not consistently make the

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The quality of teaching is good

improvements to their work quickly enough so some mistakes are sometimes repeated and this hinders pupils’ progress.  In mathematics pupils tackle puzzles and challenges but are not given enough opportunities to apply their skills in more real-life situations. This means tasks or activities in mathematics lack a context in which to develop pupils’ investigative skills.  The quality of teaching has improved with a prime example being in the Reception class. Class activities linked the theme of ‘Under the Sea’ providing excellent opportunities for children to explore a wide range of exciting activities and allowing the children to explore writing, art and develop social skills. Adults working with them record the progress children make more systematically and this information is now been used more effectively to plan and personalise the next steps in the children’s learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are clear that they are well looked after by the adults around them and that they feel very safe in school. They demonstrate care and concern for each other. For example one younger pupil, who was very upset after falling in the playground, was seen being helped by a Year 6 pupil and taken to the school office to receive attention.  Bullying incidents are rare although pupils do say fall outs do happen and that there is some ‘whispering’ between pupils. The school works hard to raise pupils’ awareness of how to deal with acts of unkindness. Pupils are confident that the staff in school will support them if problems occur. Parents, carers and pupils themselves rightly view that behaviour in school is good.  The school is very inclusive and works to ensure all pupils are in a position to achieve. To do this the school uses small-group work very effectively to nurture and support those pupils with

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

additional social and emotional needs. Incidents of extreme behaviour are very rare and are well managed with the school seeking advice from a range of outside agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of all the pupils. The school is very effective in ensuring there is no discrimination.  Attendance is improving. The school celebrates good and improved attendance but still has to work hard with some families to ensure that their children attend as regularly as possible.  The school aims to widen the experiences of the pupils as much as possible by visiting places of significance, such as the Houses of Parliament, and through projects which involve pupils researching their own heritage with local historians. Music and art are very strong within the school with the steelpan orchestra of particular note.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are not yet outstanding as pupils’ achievement is not at the highest level or sustained at this level over a period of time. The headteacher is supported by a very strong team of senior and middle leaders. They take on the responsibility of checking the progress pupils make, ensure support is effectively targeted to those pupils who need additional help and make sure staff are accountable for the progress their pupils make. The school promotes equality of opportunity well. The school has worked closely with the local authority in the past and continues this partnership to ensure the quality of teaching continues to improve with the ambition to become outstanding. There is a strong capacity for this school to improve and move forwards.  The systems to check the quality of teaching are robust and the school has taken the necessary steps to eradicate weak teaching. Systems for managing the performance of staff are clear and

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The leadership and management are good

link salary progression to pupils’ outcomes.  The curriculum has a sharp focus on pupils developing the skills to learn, including those in information and communication technology alongside skills in literacy and numeracy. Teachers look to make the learning opportunities relevant to the pupils and learning is tailored to what pupils are interested in finding out in a topic area. Pupils are provided with the chance to explore differences in culture and diversity locally and in the wider world. The school has strong links with the local church, who visits regularly. Overall the curriculum supports the social, moral spiritual and cultural development of the pupils very well and helps challenge intolerance and discrimination and unacceptable attitudes towards one another.  Links with parents and carers are good, with the school drawing together families from quite different backgrounds on fund raising activities and workshops to help parents and carers

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The leadership and management are good

support their children’s learning. The school is becoming increasingly popular and well thought of in the local area. Child protection and safeguarding arrangements ensure the pupils are well looked after.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is active in school, with governors making regular visits to review the work of the school. Through astute review of information the governors have a very good understanding of the quality of teaching and learning. Analysis of the information on pupils’ progress supplied to them by the school and from other sources means the governors know the strengths of the school. They hold the school to account for the progress of different groups of pupils, including those in receipt of additional funding from the pupil premium and how this money is spent. The governors have a good understanding of how good teaching is rewarded through a rigorous system of performance management and staff review and how

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The leadership and management are good

weak teaching has been tackled and eliminated. There is a good range of skills within the governing body which enable them to check the school’s finances, and governors have accessed training from the local authority to ensure they have the skills to review safeguarding arrangements. The governors hold the school to account and provide challenge to the leadership team to ensure that outcomes for all groups of pupils continue to improve.

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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 115953 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 413117

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Webb Headteacher Michael Bainbridge Date of previous school inspection 1–2 December 2010 Telephone number 01329 843322 Fax number 01329 842638 Email address adminoffice@titchfield.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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