Mason Moor Primary School, Nursery & Specialist Bases

Helvellyn Road, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 4AS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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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This is a good school because:

 Pupils’ progress and results have improved rapidly since the previous inspection, especially in Key Stage 1. Pupils now make good progress across the school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make very good progress from very low starting points.  Most teaching is at least good across the school, and some is outstanding. Pupils learn well because their teachers and teaching assistants give them a high level of challenge and provide them with engaging lessons.  Pupils enjoy learning and take pride in their work. They are courteous and look after the school and each other. The school cares for its pupils very well and keeps them safe.  The headteacher, other leaders and governors have high expectations of teachers and pupils. The thorough and continuous training and support given to teaching staff have led to significant improvements to the quality of teaching and to pupils’ achievement.  Governors are effective and check that key

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not always given sufficient advice about how to ensure that they present their work to a high standard.  Teaching is not yet of a high enough standard to make sure more pupils make rapid progress.  Attendance, while strongly improving, is not yet consistently in line with national figures.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in every class. They observed one assembly, 13 lessons and pupils’ behaviour in the playground and at lunchtime. Four lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, five members of the governing body, the headteacher and other members of staff.  The inspectors observed many aspects of the school’s work, including support for pupils who need extra help. They heard pupils read and examined pupils’ work in their exercise books and on classroom and corridor wall displays.  The inspectors looked at a number of documents, including plans for what pupils will learn in each subject, plans for the school’s future development, the school’s use of sports premium and pupil premium funding, the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe, pupils’ attendance records, minutes of governing body meetings, records of how pupils’ learning is checked and

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Information about this inspection

tracked and records of how the quality of teaching is checked.  The views of parents and carers were taken into account through taking note of the 19 responses to the online Parent View survey, and through discussions with several parents and carers.  Staff views were taken into consideration by looking at questionnaires completed by 25 staff members and through discussions with several members of staff.

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Inspection team

Steven Popper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Roger Thurlbeck Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for additional government funding, known as the pupil premium, is much higher than the national average. This extra money is provided for children known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including pupils supported through school action or school action plus and those with statements of special educational needs, are above average. Some pupils have speech, language and communication needs, while others have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties or other needs.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much lower than the national average.

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Information about this school

 The deputy headteacher, and leaders responsible for reading and phonics, writing, and the education of pupils eligible for additional government funding, took up their leadership responsibilities in September 2013.  The school shares its premises with a pre-school. This pre-school is not managed by the school and was not included in this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by: – ensuring that pupils are consistently given advice about how to improve the presentation of their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve attendance so that it is consistently in line with national figures.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress has improved strongly over time. All groups of pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language and those who receive extra funding, now make good progress across the school. As a result, pupils’ attainment in national tests is improving, although there are still some differences. Not enough pupils, however, make the rapid progress which would make their achievement outstanding. The school is undertaking the right developments to ensure that attainment continues to rise across both key stages.  Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills well below those typical for their age. They make very good progress and are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  The school’s results of national screening in phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) are higher than those seen in most other schools. Pupils’ results in reading in Key Stage 1 are strongly improving as a result.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ results in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 are below average. However, there have been strong and rapid improvements to these results every year over a considerable time. Pupils currently in Key Stage 1 are on track to attain even better results in all subjects this academic year, including at the higher levels.  Pupils’ results in English grammar, punctuation and spelling at the end of Key Stage 2 are in line with national averages, while their results in reading, writing, mathematics vary between being lower and higher than average. Key Stage 2 results have strongly improved over time, particularly in reading and writing.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their individual starting points. This is because the school responds to their individual needs well and ensures that they receive work at the right level.  The most able pupils make good progress across the school. This is because their teachers and

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The achievement of pupils is good

teaching assistants give them a high level of challenge.  The gap in progress between pupils eligible for additional funding and other pupils is narrowing swiftly. There are gaps in performance of approximately eight months in mathematics and four months in English at the end of Key Stage 2. These gaps are significantly smaller than in previous years. Pupils eligible for additional funding make good progress across the school  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion expressed positive views about their children’s progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good across the school, and some is outstanding. Teaching has strongly improved over time because of the continuous monitoring of the quality of teaching and the training and support given to teaching staff. As a consequence, pupils now make good progress across the school, and their results in all subjects have swiftly and strongly improved.  Teachers and teaching assistants care for their pupils and have high expectations of them. Teaching staff ensure that pupils feel included and valued in lessons often through skilful questioning to increase the pupils’ understanding.  Teachers monitor pupils’ learning and assess them well. They use this information to meet the needs of all groups of pupils, including the less able and those eligible for additional funding, by giving them work at the right level.  Teachers have a confident knowledge of their subjects. Pupils receive skilled explanations and

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The quality of teaching is good

guidance that enables them to develop their skills and understanding.  Teachers provide pupils with a high level of challenge, encouraging pupils to challenge themselves further and to produce the work that is, as the school puts it, ‘better than their best’. Pupils, including the most able, enjoy the high level of challenge and rise to it. As a result, pupils’ progress and results have swiftly and substantially improved.  Teachers’ marking is clear and helpful. It gives pupils clear guidance how to progress further. However, pupils are not always advised how to improve the presentation of their work. Because of this, pupils’ work and handwriting are not always presented to a high enough standard to promote further progress.  Teaching assistants are used well to support the learning of different groups of pupils and individuals. They provide clear explanations which help pupils learn.  Staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensure that children have a very good start to their

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The quality of teaching is good

education by strongly developing children’s key literacy, numeracy and social skills. Teachers in Year 1 and Reception work well together to ensure that children move seamlessly from the Early Years Foundation Stage into Key Stage 1.  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion thought that their children were taught well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s motto of ‘learn, achieve, enjoy’ is demonstrated in pupils’ positive attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy lessons, take pride in their work, and value their school. They take a delight in challenging themselves to do better. Pupils behave well in lessons, in the playground, during lunchtime and when travelling around the school. They are courteous, care for each other, and treat other people with friendship and respect. They look after the school’s equipment and treat resources properly.  Pupils’ behaviour shows that the school is successful in promoting an ethos of equal value and equal opportunities. Discrimination in any form is not tolerated by the school, and pupils understand this and behave accordingly.  The school’s management of behaviour is consistent and effective. School records show that there have been very few incidents of poor behaviour or bullying recently, and that behaviour

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

has substantially improved over time.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles, avoiding bullying, and keeping safe in different situations. E-safety is promoted strongly and effectively. Pupils who talked to the inspectors said that they felt safe and understood how to keep themselves safe.  Attendance, including the attendance of pupils eligible for additional funding, has been very low in the past. Attendance is not yet consistently in line with national figures and thus some pupils do not learn as quickly as they could with full attendance. This is a key reason why behaviour and safety are not outstanding. However, the school does much work to improve attendance and punctuality, and both have strongly improved over time.  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion thought that their children were happy and safe at school, and that the school managed behaviour well and dealt effectively with

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leadership team are dedicated to improving the education and well- being of their pupils, and their good work has resulted in significant improvements to teaching and to pupils’ achievement. This is why leadership and management are good. However, the work of school leaders has not yet enabled pupils to achieve the highest results possible. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and thorough. It is coupled with a highly detailed improvement plan, which is constantly reviewed and updated.  A key strength of the school is the thorough and continuous training and support that senior and middle leaders give to teaching staff. As a result of such training and support, several staff who originally joined the school as newly qualified teachers are now effective leaders and teachers.  Teaching has also improved as a result of robust monitoring and strong performance management that ensures that teachers’ work is of a good standard and that it continues to get

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The leadership and management are good

better. Weak performance is not accepted, and good performance is rewarded appropriately.  Subject leaders help develop other staff’s skills in their subjects and ensure that teaching is of a high standard. They regularly and effectively check the progress that pupils make in their subjects and review how the subjects taught meet pupils’ needs.  The school teaches a broad range of subjects that pupils find engaging and stimulating. It enables pupils to apply and develop their reading and writing skills across a wide range of subjects.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school puts a strong importance on nurturing individual pupils, which is recognised and appreciated by the pupils themselves. Stimulating and rich displays across the school clearly demonstrate the school’s valuing of pupils’ work, effort, feelings and ideas.  Sports premium funding is spent effectively on developing teachers’ knowledge, skills and

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The leadership and management are good

confidence in physical education and sports. Funding has also been used successfully to enhance pupils’ engagement in sports though a range of clubs and other activities.  Additional funding is spent on a range of measures, including extra support in English and mathematics and subsidies for school uniform for eligible pupils. These measures are monitored well to ensure that they help improve eligible pupils’ progress, attendance and punctuality.  The school has worked hard and successfully to foster good relationships with parents, including those who might find working with the school difficult. This work has contributed to improved attendance and higher engagement of parents with their children’s learning.  The school ensures that all pupils are safe. It keeps appropriate and up-to-date records of its work in this area and meets statutory requirements.  The local authority has offered support to the school to help it to make the improvements

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The leadership and management are good

advised at the time of the previous inspection. It has visited the school to check the strengths of the improvements being made.  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion considered the school to be well led.  The governance of the school: – Governors support and encourage the headteacher’s high expectations. They have received training about school data, safeguarding, and other aspects of the school’s provision, and this training has helped them monitor and challenge the school well and check that necessary improvements are made. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s key priorities. They monitor the quality of teaching and check the quality of pupils’ work for themselves. They check that performance management and the training and support given to teachers result in improved performance, and that any weak performance is properly addressed. Governors monitor the use of additional funding carefully and make sure that it

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The leadership and management are good

effectively supports pupils’ achievement.

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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 116263 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 442458

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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 249 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane May Headteacher Sian Smith Date of previous school inspection 3 – 4 October 2012 Telephone number 012380 390140 Fax number 012380 390150 Email address info@masonmoorprimary.co.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 and 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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