Rowner Junior SchoolOfsted inspection, 2 Jul 2014

School report Rowner Junior School Tichborne Way, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0BN

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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.  Senior leaders took decisive and successful action following the previous inspection to raise the quality of teaching and increase the rate at which pupils make progress. Consequently, pupils’ achievement has improved markedly.  Pupils now make good progress through the school. Underachievement has been eradicated.  Teaching is typically good and is sometimes outstanding. Strong relationships between pupils and staff and clear expectations of behaviour and work mean pupils’ attitudes to learning are now good.  Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils behave well and are safety conscious. They feel safe and well cared for.  Senior leaders and managers carry out regular and careful checks on how well pupils are doing. They rigorously monitor the quality of teaching and learning and give constructive advice to help teachers improve.  Governors are knowledgeable about the school. This enables them to question senior

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leaders about the school's performance, including the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Achievement in mathematics is not as strong as in reading and writing, with fewer pupils reaching the higher levels. Pupils are not always helped to understand from the guidance they receive how to move to the next level in their learning.  Teaching is not yet consistently outstanding. Occasionally, pupils' progress is hindered when teachers do not move pupils on to harder work, or provide adequate support if they are struggling.  The role of middle leaders in checking the school's work has not yet fully developed. This limits their impact on the school’s overall effectiveness.  Parental involvement in helping their children’s learning at school and at home, although improving, remains limited for many families.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in seven lessons or part lessons. Four of these were observed jointly with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  For both days of the inspection all pupils changed classes in order to experience lessons with the teachers due to teach them in September. Year 6 pupils were out of school for both days visiting their secondary schools. Year 2 pupils from Rowner Infant School joined their future Year 3 classes.  Inspectors observed an assembly, listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work in their exercise books. They spoke to pupils informally throughout the inspection and talked with them about their work. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons and at various times around the school, including lunchtimes.  Meetings took place with governors and other senior and middle leaders. An inspector met with three governors. The team examined records of the local authority’s involvement with the school

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Information about this inspection

and met with a local authority representative.  The inspectors reviewed school documentation including that related to safeguarding, the management of performance of staff, behaviour and safety, attendance and checks on pupils’ attainment and progress.  Inspectors were unable to take account of responses from parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as the number received was too small. Instead they looked at the results of a recent parental survey carried out by the school and talked to parents informally during the inspection. They analysed 23 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Marshall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Good Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized junior school. It shares the same site as the infant school. Most pupils come from a White British background.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is almost double that found in similar schools. This is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after.  Approximately a quarter of pupils has a parent or parents in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The mathematics leader has been in post for two terms.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and so raise the numbers of pupils achieving their full potential and reaching the higher levels, especially in mathematics, by:  making sure teachers regularly check and, if necessary, promptly adapt work to ensure that it is not too hard or too easy for pupils to complete  sharing the best examples of teachers’ guidance for pupils on how to improve their work in mathematics with other members of the teaching staff  developing the skills of middle leaders so that they are more effective in checking the quality of the work of the school and the difference their actions are making  continuing to increase the understanding of parents of how they can help support their children’s learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils' achievement has improved since the last inspection as a result of leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching. The rates of pupils' progress are improving year on year. More pupils now make good gains in their learning from their starting points.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are average, although fewer pupils reach the higher levels in mathematics. This is due largely to the legacy of weaker teaching across the school in previous years. More pupils in Year 6 are now achieving well and working at higher levels than at the same time last year.  Pupils enjoy reading and confidently discuss different texts, writing techniques and authors. They build successfully on their skills as readers during their English lessons and specific reading sessions. In 2013 a downward trend in reading standards in Year 6 was halted. Improvements have continued and Year 6 pupils are presently working at levels above those expected for their

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The achievement of pupils is good

age.  Progress in writing has accelerated this year as it is the focus for school improvement. In particular, comments teachers make as they mark pupils’ written work help pupils do well. This is increasing the proportion of pupils making good progress in writing. This quality of guidance is not yet consistently seen in mathematics.  The most-able pupils typically achieve similarly to their peers. Increased expectations of the standards they are capable of reaching are raising their progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. They are supported effectively during lessons and receive additional individualised support to develop their skills where needed.  In 2013 the attainment of pupils supported by additional funding was behind that of other pupils by one term in reading, two terms in writing and just over two terms in mathematics. School evidence shows the gap is now closing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from forces families typically achieve at least as well as their peers. They are helped to settle quickly as they move between schools and their progress is checked regularly to make sure they do not fall behind other pupils.  Leaders know the difference parents’ participation in their children’s learning can have to pupils' achievement and are keen to involve them more. For example, leaders are promoting the importance of regular reading with an adult at home and having school events such as ‘Bring a parent to grammar’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Procedures to check the quality of teaching are robust and have helped to improve teaching since the previous inspection. The successful introduction of a programme of ‘coaching’ has enabled teachers to benefit from the experience and support of the best practitioners in the school.  The learning of different groups of pupils is good. Leaders have focused on addressed gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils of all abilities now have a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn in lessons. Pupils acknowledge that they are now making ‘more progress’ because work tasks usually provide ‘more challenge than before’. However, occasionally, the work they are asked to do is either too hard or too difficult for them to successfully complete.  Teachers and teaching assistants work together effectively to support pupils requiring additional help with learning. This includes disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

Leaders regularly check the quality of the support additional adults provide, both in and out of the classroom, identifying and providing training where necessary.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and most provide especially helpful comments to show pupils how they can improve. Pupils value this, explaining, ‘It really helps me to improve.’ This is a key factor in their accelerating progress seen in writing. However, the best quality marking seen in a majority of classes is not yet found consistently across the school. In some classes, and particularly in mathematics, teachers’ advice does not help pupils to improve their learning. Pupils are less clear what they need to work on to make better progress. Consequently, progress in mathematics is less strong than reading and writing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful towards each other and talk and play well together. For example, during the inspection older pupils were keen to welcome the infant children as they visited their new classrooms.  Pupils listen well to instructions in lessons and complete their work to the best of their ability. They take a pride in their work. They help each other and are keen to improve.  Pupils talk confidently about the new school values that have been introduced over the last year. All pupils spoken to described the difference they have seen in behaviour and attitudes in the school. Typical comments included, ‘Everything has changed, especially my behaviour.’ ‘We used to mess around a lot but now we want to learn.’ Behaviour is no better than good because these positive attributes have still to make a stronger impact on raising pupils’ achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on well together. They show care and sensitivity towards those pupils who have additional difficulties or find behaving well a challenge, explaining, ‘It’s team work, we all help each other.’ Records show staff are successful when supporting the very small number of pupils with particular behavioural needs and their families. This reflects the school’s focus on ensuring everyone has the same chances to succeed and helps to foster good relationships.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The site is safe and pupils take care when moving around the site shared with the infant school. Pupils have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe using the internet.  Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour. They say that incidents of bullying are uncommon. Cyber bullying is not an issue and pupils understand how to handle risks. They say they know adults will help them to sort out any problems that arise.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel happy and well looked after by their teachers. The very large majority of parents who spoke to inspectors or completed the recent school’s survey agree with their children’s views.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are very effective in carrying out well-planned actions to improve the school’s work. They have tackled underachievement and inadequate teaching robustly, not shying away from making difficult decisions.  All leaders, including governors, and staff are unanimous in their drive for improvement. They share an ambition to improve standards by continually improving the quality of teaching across the school. The school recognises that not enough teaching is yet outstanding to ensure that progress is consistently strong over time. Staff are clear about their targets to improve pupils’ progress and value the effective professional development they receive. They know their success is clearly linked to both their future careers and salary progression.  Senior leaders monitor the school's performance regularly. However, the role of middle leaders in checking the school's work has not yet fully developed. The school is currently focusing on

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The leadership and management are good

developing the skills of middle leaders so that they are more effective in checking the quality of the work of the school and the difference their actions are making.  The local authority regards the school as having the capacity to improve. It provides effective support and staff training. For example, during the inspection, lunch time supervisors took part in training sessions focusing on supporting good behaviour and play.  Provision for sport is good. The school uses the new primary school sport funding effectively. Staff benefit from coaching aimed at developing their expertise in a variety of sporting activities. This helps them to improve pupils’ physical well-being and ensure pupils reach the performance levels they are capable of.  Subjects are planned well so that pupils have a range of experiences which serve to deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, pupils develop their skills in reading, writing

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The leadership and management are good

and mathematics effectively through a series of topics such as Dungeons and Dragons. These also serve to engage pupils’ interest, an area leaders are keen to develop as they plan for the autumn term. Pupils learn about other cultures, religions and countries. Consequently, the school successfully ensures that all elements of spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning are to be found as pupils learn across a range of subjects.  The governance of the school:  The governing body supports the headteacher well. Governors visit the school regularly to keep up to date with developments. These visits are increasingly linked to checking on the impact of school improvement planning. Governors take part in regular training, either at school or on local authority courses. They are becoming more proficient in using information about pupils' progress to compare the school's performance with similar schools. They check

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The leadership and management are good

that teachers are suitably rewarded for good performance and areas of underperformance are identified and improved. Governors ensure that additional funding is allocated correctly and leads to eligible pupils making good progress in developing their reading, writing and mathematics skills. The governing body ensures that the school follows the correct procedures and systems to keep pupils and staff safe.

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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 116167 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 431012

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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 Junior School category Maintained Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Erricker Headteacher Sarah Rogers Date of previous school inspection 12−13 July 2012 Telephone number 01329 280299 Fax number 01329 285428 Email address headteacher@rowner-jun.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 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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