Pinewood Infant School

Pinewood Park, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 9LE,

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Require improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ achievement is not good enough at the end of Key Stage 1, particularly in reading and writing.  Leadership is not good because systems for tracking how well pupils are doing are not effective in securing good achievement.  Middle leaders, including leaders of subjects, are not sufficiently involved in improving the impact on pupils’ progress.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, leadership requires improvement. A lower percentage of children when compared to the national average reach a good level of development. Learning journals are not well used.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is not taught well enough. The results of the phonics reading check at the end of Year 1 were lower than average. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to read to adults in school.  A smaller-than-average proportion of pupils achieve the higher levels in writing.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

what pupils can achieve. They do not set work at the right level. They do not give pupils enough chances to write regularly or develop their writing skills in other subjects.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is very inclusive and all feel welcome. Pupils have positive attitudes to school. They feel safe and get on well with each other. Behaviour is good.  Governors have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. They are skilled in checking the school’s data and now hold leaders to account.  The school is improving, as demonstrated by the rise in mathematics standards.  Those who attend the specially resourced unit for speech and language difficulties make good progress from their starting points.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational need also make good progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons and part lessons, with three being jointly observed with senior leaders. In addition, the inspector heard Year 2 pupils read.  Books in every year group were examined, including learning journals in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair and other members of the Governing Body and school staff. A discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of 46 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Discussions were held with parents at the end of the school day. The school’s own parent questionnaire was also examined.  The inspector observed the school’s work and analysed a large range of documents and policies. These included the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress and its planning and monitoring documents. She also examined records relating to behaviour, attendance, risk analysis and safeguarding.

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Information about this inspection

 The views of staff were analysed through the 21 responses to the staff questionnaire .

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Inspection team

Liz Bowes, Lead Inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Pinewood Infant School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs on the school roll is nearly a third. This is well above average.  The school has a fully inclusive, specially resourced provision for children with speech, language and communication needs for 15 pupils between the ages of four and seven. All of these pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through pupil premium is lower than average. This is additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  Children attend full-time in the Reception class.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better and so enable a greater proportion of pupils to make more rapid progress by ensuring:  teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve and make sure that work is set at the right level  pupils, including the most able, more frequently write longer pieces of work and apply their writing skills in other subjects of the curriculum  pupils have more chances to read with adults.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring:  clear tracking of the progress of different groups of pupils  teachers have more skills to ensure good phonics teaching  middle leaders, including leaders of subjects, have a greater impact on improving pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage to speed up progress and raise standards by ensuring:  teachers have higher expectations and provide children with more challenging work  children have more chances to demonstrate their understanding of phonics  learning journals clearly record what a child can already do and indicate next steps in learning.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The methods used to check on pupils’ progress are not effective. The school does not track the progress of different groups of pupils clearly enough. Nearly a quarter of the parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, did not feel that their children made good progress in the school.  Middle leaders and subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in monitoring pupils’ progress. The impact of this is that they are not fully aware of how pupils are doing in their subjects. They rarely provide guidance to teachers on raising expectations and, as a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.  The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage requires improvement because children do not do as well as they should.  Following the results in 2013, the leadership team decided to request some support from the local authority. Advice has been provided in several areas, including literacy and early years. Staff are now very

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The leadership and management require improvement

accurate in knowing the level at which a pupil is working. Other suggested improvements are only now beginning to have a measurable impact.  The school is now more accurate in knowing its strengths and areas to improve. After a period when there were few advances, a culture now exists where the school has good capacity to improve.  Leadership has worked hard to improve standards in mathematics. The impact of various initiatives has led to results being more in line with the national average in 2014.  Additional government funds for disadvantaged pupils have been effectively used. Extra teaching staff have been employed to provide intensive individual sessions. This has ensured that gaps continue to close.  The sports fund is used well. Staff have been trained and new equipment has been purchased for sports such as football. Pupils’ physical well-being has increased because they are active in a variety of sports,

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The leadership and management require improvement

such as gymnastics, karate and dance.  The school offers a broad range of subjects. It has worked hard to develop this area and has consulted with other local schools, parents and pupils. Subjects are designed around the interests of pupils. For example, Year 1 pupils requested to find out more about plants. Staff acted on this interest and pupils are now learning about plants in a topic on British woodlands. The school has well-developed plans for the changes to the new curriculum. Pupils are taught about other religions and the need for tolerance and respect. The British values of democracy and the rule of law are included in the curriculum and pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand about the next stage in their education.  The school effectively promotes equality of opportunity. Parents of pupils who attended the specially resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs were very complimentary. As one

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The leadership and management require improvement

parent said, ‘I like the fact that my child is fully included in every class and has so many friends.’ There is no discrimination.  Leaders are now ensuring that teachers’ pay increases are linked to progress.  Effective safeguarding and child protection arrangements meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has become much more effective. It is now much stronger, and dedicated individuals who have expertise in education and business are driving forward improvements. Minutes show that governors are now holding the school to account and ask challenging questions.  Governors have worked closely with the local authority and have had extensive training to enable them to effectively review the data regarding the school. They are accurate in knowing how the school is doing when compared to other schools nationally. Governors have a very clear view of the school’s

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The leadership and management require improvement

strengths and areas to develop.  The close tracking of standards and progress is a priority. Governors visit classes regularly and so know about the quality of teaching. The governing body effectively tackles teacher underperformance and sets ambitious targets for teachers. Pay awards are closely linked to the performance of pupils.  Finances, including additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and sport, are well managed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The vast majority of parents agreed that the pupils are well behaved.  Records show that pupils’ behaviour, including that of the pupils in the specially resourced provision, is good and there have been few incidents of inappropriate behaviour. There has been one exclusion since the last inspection.  Pupils behave well in lessons and usually have good attitudes to their learning. Most pupils are enthusiastic and motivated to learn. In a very few cases some pupils lose concentration and become distracted in a lesson. This is why behaviour is not outstanding.  Behaviour around the school is good and routines in the dining hall are well managed.  Pupils are given a good moral and spiritual awareness in assemblies. Social skills are well developed. Pupils are encouraged to celebrate the achievements of others. They play well together and are sensitive to the needs of those who attend the resourced provision. Cultural development is developed through, for

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Behaviour

example, a visiting artist who encouraged pupils to craft designs out of natural objects.  Currently attendance is improving and is just above the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision, say that they feel safe and happy at the school. They are taught how to be safe in a range of settings and know about stranger danger and e- safety.  Pupils understand about bullying and the different forms that it can take, including cyber-bullying. They reported that they did not consider that bullying was an issue but knew who to go to if they were worried. Parents who were spoken to at the end of the school day were very positive and did not consider that there were any issues.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it has not consistently helped pupils, to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and how to move them on quickly in their learning.  Teachers do not always make sure that pupils are given work that is at just the right level of difficulty. For example, in a Year 1 class, pupils who had a good understanding of numbers up to 100 were only required to add simple single-digit numbers.  There are not enough planned opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills in other subjects of the curriculum.  Learning support assistants are effectively used in every class to deepen pupils’ understanding and to support those who find learning more difficult.  Wall displays around the school develop pupils’ cultural awareness, for example, the commemoration of the First World War. Other displays in classrooms help pupils with key facts in mathematics and literacy.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work and written comments focus on areas for improvement in a way that pupils understand.  Homework is often closely linked to the class topic and parents and pupils can work together on researching a topic. Many pupils commented on how enjoyable they found working with their parents on some of the homework tasks. They gave the example where they had to research islands. This activity stretched their imaginations. As one pupil said, ‘I really like islands and want to visit as many of them as possible when I grow up.’

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requires improvement

 From their various starting points, not enough pupils have made good progress. Many pupils are not ready for learning in Year 1 and do not reach national standards in reading and writing by the end Year 2.  In 2014 the large majority of pupils did not meet the expected standard in the Year 1 check on their knowledge of phonics. This is because teachers are not sufficiently skilled in the teaching of phonics. Many pupils do not have enough chances to read to adults, which has a negative impact on progress.  Progress in writing was hindered by pupils having limited chances to write in both English and other subjects. They do not often get the opportunity to write longer pieces of work.  In 2014, there was an improvement in mathematics standards. These are now in line with the national average. This is because of the effective impact of various initiatives.  Currently, the most able pupils are only making reasonable progress in reading and mathematics, and

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requires improvement

significantly lower in writing.  In 2014, disadvantaged pupils were less than a term behind their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. When compared to national averages, disadvantaged pupils were a term behind in mathematics, two terms behind in writing and three terms behind in reading. However, gaps are closing rapidly. Currently, these pupils are making similar progress to their peers.  Nearly a third of the pupils who attend the school have special educational needs; many have a statement. Overall, they make good progress from their starting points.  Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs make good progress. By the end of Key Stage 1, some are performing similarly to their peers in the school. This is because their needs are carefully and sensitively met.  Those who are disabled or have special educational needs in the rest of the school also make good

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requires improvement

progress. They often achieve similarly to their peers. Pupils’ needs are well met because of effective additional support and guidance that is given by teachers and teaching assistants.

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requires improvement

 Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what children can do. Many are capable of doing more challenging work.  Learning journals that record a child’s progress are very little used. In one case there was nothing recorded for a child who had been at the school for over two months. The journals do not clearly record what a child can already do and the next step needed for making rapid learning.  In phonics sessions, teachers do not often allow children to demonstrate their understanding. The impact of this is that teachers do not clearly know what each child can do, which slows progress. For example, one child who could already write three- and four-letter words was being taught a letter sound that they already knew.  Children start the school with variable skills and abilities. They are weaker in some areas of learning such as understanding the world, literacy and number. When compared to national averages a lower number of

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requires improvement

children are ready to start Year 1 because of inconsistent progress in the Reception year.  The local authority has recently provided some support to the early years. Leaders are well aware of the low standards and are now planning how to raise achievement based on the advice. There have been some improvements in 2014; in some areas of learning, particularly understanding the world and expressive arts, progress was better.  Parents of children in the Reception class have praised the transition arrangements from the pre-school. They report that they enjoy the information evenings that the school puts on about various subjects, such as how reading is taught. They are happy that their children are safe and well looked after. Parents consider that behaviour is good and that their children have settled down very well.

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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 116158 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 443757

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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 4−7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Craig Robb Headteacher Sue Harris Date of previous school inspection 2 March 2011 Telephone number 01252 511885 Fax number 01252 545182 Email address admin@pinewood.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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