South View Infant and Nursery School

School report South View Infant and Nursery School Off Shooters Way, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 5LL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is average by the end of Year 2. This represents good progress from their starting points, which are generally below those expected nationally.  Teaching is good. Good relationships, well- planned and organised lessons and regular checks on learning ensure that pupils enjoy their lessons and learn well.  Effective provision in the Nursery and Reception classes ensures children get off to a good start to their education.  Thorough checks on pupils’ progress ensure that any pupils falling behind are quickly identified and given the help needed to ensure they catch up.  Pupils in the Speech and Language Unit receive high-quality provision that enables them to achieve very well.  The school is a caring, supportive learning community. It promotes good behaviour in its pupils and provides a safe learning environment where they can flourish.  Strong leadership by the headteacher, who is well

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

supported by senior leaders, managers and governors, has ensured that the school has maintained its good provision from the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always question pupils in ways that develop their ideas or extend their understanding.  Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to improve their skills in investigating and solving problems in mathematics.  The outdoor provision in the Reception classes is not sufficiently well planned across the areas of learning to stimulate or challenge the children.  Senior leaders are not thorough enough in setting clear and measurable targets for whole-school improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons or part lessons, of which two were joint observations with senior staff.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, the headteacher and other senior staff. Additionally, a telephone conversation was held with a local authority officer.  The inspectors took account of the 11 responses to the online Parent View survey and the 120 paper returns received during the inspection.. They also spoke to several parents and carers when they brought their children to school. The inspectors took account of the 20 staff questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and checks on the quality of teaching,assessment, the new curriculum,records relating to behaviour and attendance, the sports premium action plan and

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Information about this inspection

documents relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors listened to pupils read in Year 1 and Year 2.

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Inspection team

Janet Sinclair, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 South View Infant and Nursery is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional government funding known as pupil premium (additional funding for looked-after pupils or those known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average.  There is an average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups.The proportion of pupils who speak Engish as an additional language is also average. Some of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English.  Children start in the Nursery the term after their third birthday, and many transfer to the school’s Reception classes the year in which they are five. There are two sessions per day, five days a week. There are 27 children who attend the Nursery.  There is a speech and language unit catering for 18 pupils. There are currently six pupils in the Key Stage

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Information about this school

1 resource provision and nine children fully integrated into the Early Years Foundation Stage speech and language provision .  There is an on-site breakfast club.  The school staffing has been somewhat unsettled since the previous inspection owing to staff changes and illness as well as leadership restructuring, which is still on-going.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning further by:  ensuring teachers’ questioning extends pupils’ ideas and develops their understanding  providing more opportunities for practical problem solving and investigations in mathematics.  Improve the outdoor provision in the Reception classes by planning stimulating activities across the areas of learning.  Ensure that targets for school improvement are clear and specific so that they can be accurately measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong leadership by the headteacher has ensured that the school has maintained its good provision from the previous inspection. Staffing issues have been resolved, teachers are enthusiastic and committed to the school, and morale is high. Progress across the school is good, including for those pupils who receive additional funding, those with special educational needs and those at the early stages of learning English. Teaching is effective and the school provides a calm, caring environment for its pupils. There is good capacity for further improvement.  Senior and middle leaders, some of whom are fairly new to their posts, are becoming increasingly effective. They have received training to support them in their roles, for example, in the new National Curriculum and in subject and leadership training. This has enabled them effectively to ensure that the curriculum interests the children and is well matched to the pupils’ abilities, and that there is improved

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The leadership and management are good

provision in literacy and numeracy.  Leaders have an accurate view of the school and the key areas for further improvement. Senior leaders have a clear view of the effectiveness of teaching and what needs to be done to improve it further. They are aware of occasional inconsistencies which remain, for instance, in the quality of questioning to develop pupils’ understanding and to challenge them further.  The school’s development planning is clearly based on identified areas for improvement and is detailed and well supported by subject action plans. However, plans do not always effectively indicate how improvements will be measured. This sometimes limits the school’s ability to accurately evaluate its own success.  The process for setting individual and whole-school targets for all staff, appropriate to their level of responsibility, is fully in place. It sets clear expectations for teachers’ work, makes sure that training needs

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The leadership and management are good

are met and has suitable procedures to reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance. Staff spoken to felt very well supported by the process.  Activities for the pupils are effectively planned. Staff are well trained in implementing interesting and appropriate subjects and topics. Parents are invited to discuss curriculum changes and feel fully informed as a result. Pupils enjoy topics such as ‘the rainforest’ and ‘mystery habitats’ as well as having visits from theatre groups and authors. These enrich the curriculum well as well as providing good opportunities for the pupils to reinforce and improve their literacy and numeracy skills.  Effective and regular assessments of pupils’ learning ensure that senior leaders and all staff have a clear understanding of how well pupils are doing and how to bring about further improvement. Leaders are aware, for instance, of occasional inconsistencies in mathematics teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils, know right from wrong, cooperate well, know and abide by classroom and playground rules and demonstrate good levels of tolerance and respect for others. They are well prepared to take their place in modern Britain.  The school uses the extra sports funding effectively to ensure the well-being of all pupils. It has used a sports company to provide lessons as well as lunchtime, after-school and holiday clubs for those who would benefit. This year, the focus is on the professional development of staff to ensure effective physical education and sporting activities are fully implemented.  There are good links with parents and carers, who are very pleased with the education their children receive and with the approachability of staff. They are well informed through, for example, newsletters, reading and writing weeks and comprehensive reports on their children’s progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Effective links with the junior school ensure good sharing of assessment information at the point of transfer.  The school receives good support from the local authority as well as commissioning advice from it in teaching literacy and numeracy.  The school ensures all current safeguarding requirements are fully met.  The governance of the school:  Governors fulfil their statutory duties well and provide good support and strategic direction to the school. They know how effective teaching and learning are. Through their committees, they review the curriculum, monitor pupils’ progress carefully and visit classes to check for themselves. Governors carry out an annual safeguarding audit to check that all current policies and procedures are in place. They keep a close watch over the school finances, including the additional funding and how it is spent. They undertake appropriate training in, for instance, understanding pupils’ performance data so that they

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The leadership and management are good

develop their knowledge and skills and are well informed of local and national initiatives. Through their pay committee, they are involved in setting targets for the management of the headteacher’s performance. They have also been involved in the process that is in place for staff in rewarding good performance and tackling underachievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They know the expectations staff have of them and like and understand the rewards they get for good behaviour.  The school carefully monitors any incidents of poor behaviour so action can be taken if necessary. The school manages pupils’ behaviour well and has clear policies in place to promote good behaviour.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They respond well to instruction, are keen to cooperate and are respectful, polite and friendly. This supports their good progress. Only occasionally, when lessons do not engage them, do they become restless and fidgety.  School councillors enjoy their responsibilities and are pleased with the posters they made to help improve attendance.  Pupils say that there is no bullying, just some rough play and unkindness at play-times that is dealt with quickly by staff. There have been no recorded incidents of bullying or racism since the previous inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average and getting better consistently. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection. The school has made determined efforts to improve attendance and has been successful. Pupils are punctual and enjoy coming to school.  The school supports its vulnerable pupils extremely well, ensuring that they and their families get the help that they need.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils learn about how to stay safe through, for example, fire drills, e-safety training, playground rules and safe use of equipment.  The vast majority of parents who responded to the online Parent View survey and those who completed the paper questionnaire agree that behaviour is good and the school keeps their children safe. Staff and governors agree. Inspection evidence confirms these views.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good and is enabling pupils to make good progress.  Teachers ensure lessons are well managed and organised, pupils are kept on task and disruption to lessons is rare. Good relationships foster mutual respect.  Effective teaching of sounds and letters (phonics) in Reception and Key Stage 1 promotes pupils’ reading and writing skills well. Daily teaching that is well structured and focused on teaching key skills helps pupils to make good progress. For example, in a lesson seen in Year 2, pupils made rapid progress as a result of strong teacher knowledge and pupils’ good use of their knowledge of letters and sounds. Their positive attitudes to learning ensured they responded with enthusiasm and correct pronunciation.  Teachers work hard to encourage pupils’ writing through providing interesting and engaging tasks as well as regular assessments and clear next steps for their learning. This has ensured pupils achieve well. There

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The quality of teaching is good

is good evidence of the variety of writing and pupils’ enjoyment of it in their work books.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly those with disabilities and special educational needs and those at an early stage of learning English. For example, one pupil was being supported well to improve her vocabulary, and around the school individuals pupils were given one- to-one support targeted well at their individual needs.  Planning for lessons clearly sets out the expectations for the learning of pupils of different ability to ensure work is set at the right level for them.  Teachers set clear goals for pupils’ learning at the start of lessons and ensure pupils assess how well they have done when their work is finished. They mark work regularly so that pupils are clear about how well they have done and what they need to do to improve.  Although teachers discuss pupils work with them, they do not always question them effectively in order to

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The quality of teaching is good

re-shape tasks when pupils are finding difficulty, to check pupils’ understanding or to increase their knowledge. This slows overall progress in lessons.  Teachers provide appropriate homework which reinforces reading, spelling and topic work. One pupil, for instance, was keen to talk about how much she enjoyed her science homework.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils often enter the school with below-average levels of attainment. Their progress is good from these low starting points. In 2013, attainment rose to nationally expected levels at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics, and this has been maintained. The pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are identified early and receive targeted support that helps them to make good progress towards their specific targets.  The school works closely with external agencies to ensure appropriate support for the small number of pupils who start school with very little English. Pupils receive targeted support to increase their vocabulary and so ensure that their English language skills improve quickly. Good use of signing and clear speaking by staff help pupils with their spoken English and enable them to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds make similar progress to other pupils in the school.  Pupils in the speech and language unit achieve very well because of good teaching that focuses well on their particular needs.  There are good systems in place to track pupils’ progress. This combined with comprehensive half-termly checks enables the school to identify pupils who are not doing well enough and ensure they are given the necessary support to help them catch up. This is effective in helping to accelerate progress. It is also helping to ensure that the gaps in the performance of different groups are closing and that the school is promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination.  The school has worked hard to improve the level of challenge for more-able pupils. This has resulted in them making better progress.  Pupils in Year 2 who are supported by additional funding attain as well as other pupils nationally in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading, writing and mathematics. There are no significant gaps between them and pupils at the school who do not attract the additional funding.  Writing has improved well because pupils have regular writing opportunities and assessments that set clear next steps. This has raised standards in writing and ensured pupils now make good progress.  Although pupils generally achieve well in mathematics, on occasion they do not get enough opportunities to think mathematically or to solve practical problems. This sometimes limits their ability to use their mathematical knowledge or investigate patterns in number in a range of everyday situations, and thus can slow down their progress.  There are effective systems in place to support good progress in reading. Almost all pupils perform well in the Year 1 phonics (letters and sounds) screening assessment. There is a good emphasis on letters and sounds work across the school and this enables pupils to make good progress. Pupils regularly read to

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The achievement of pupils is good

their parents. The school encourages this well by awarding certificates for regular reading at home.

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is good

 Children start in both the Nursery and Reception classes with skills and abilities well below the levels typical for their age. All groups make good progress, with the majority of children achieving the expected levels of development for children nationally across the areas of learning by the time they leave Reception. This is due to careful checks on children’s progress and targeted support to ensure they catch up. Any gaps between the attainment of different groups are picked up through this process and intervention quickly initiated.  Teaching is good. Staff provide a range of stimulating activities that engage children fully in their learning. For example, children enjoyed exploring the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the Nursery and a nature walk to collect materials for investigation in the Reception classes.  Excellent relationships ensure children behave well, enjoy their learning and engage happily in the wide

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is good

range of activities on offer.  Staff regularly assess how well children are doing and ensure that activities are planned well so that children are challenged in their learning. Staff make good use of learning journals to record children’s progress and provide extension or support where needed.  The outdoor area provides good opportunities for physical development, but there is not enough planned provision for the other areas of learning. This is an area for development which has been identified by the school but not fully addressed.  Safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures are fully in place to ensure the safety of children. Staff also promote safety within the classroom, for example, in the safe use of scissors.  There are very good links with parents through a range of induction activities to ensure parents are fully involved as partners in their child’s learning and are well informed about their progress.

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is good

 Good leadership and management ensure a well-organised learning environment in which children participate fully as active and inquisitive learners. Effective professional development ensures a constant focus on providing a good-quality education for the children and a drive for further improvement.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 115975 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 443780

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3−7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Hicks Headteacher Sarah Eastwood Date of previous school inspection 5−6 July 2011 Telephone number 01256 465960 Fax number 01256 465960 Email address s.eastwood@southview-inf.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

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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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