Wallisdean Infant School

School report Wallisdean Infant School Wallisdean Avenue, Fareham, Hampshire, PO14 1HT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The aspirational leadership of the headteacher, together with senior leadership expertise and challenge from governors, has secured outstanding teaching and achievement.  Outstanding teaching ensures that all groups of pupils make outstanding progress from their various starting points.  As a result, since the last inspection, pupils have continued to sustain high standards in reading, writing and mathematics every year. This prepares them very well for junior school.  A significantly high percentage of the most able pupils reach a level beyond that expected nationally by the end of Year 2.  Pupils who find learning difficult and those who are disadvantaged make excellent progress because of outstanding leadership in this area of the school’s work.  Weekly reviewing the deployment of adults against the needs of these pupils ensures that they benefit immediately from the expertise and skills of highly trained teaching assistants.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Thorough and well-organised procedures in the Early Years Foundation Stage and a warm welcome ensure that children make a very confident start to school.  Despite significant weaknesses in some areas of learning when they join the school, early years children make exceptional progress.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils are very well cared for and parents fully support this view.  Pupils consistently demonstrate the school’s golden rules of ‘Be Kind, Think First and Be Polite’ and their behaviour is exemplary. They follow the excellent model shown to them by adults, resulting in a high level of mutual trust and respect.  A rich and exciting range of subjects means that pupils are keen to learn and they thoroughly enjoy school and all that it offers.  Due to the school’s rigorous procedures for dealing with absence, pupils’ attendance is improving and is now above average.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Many parents expressed to inspectors their very positive views of the school both in the online questionnaire and verbally on both days of the inspection.  Strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that they develop a secure sense of right and wrong and the skills they need to get along very well together. Since the last inspection, there has been very good improvement in the provision for pupils’ cultural development.  Underpinning the success of the school are its values of ‘Challenge, Motivation and Independence’. These thread through all its work, encouraging the whole-school community to be the best it possibly can.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors looked at learning in 16 lessons and observed six teachers. They were accompanied for some observations by the headteacher. Teaching assistants were observed working with individual pupils and small groups. The inspectors talked to pupils about their work and heard individual pupils from Year 1 and 2 read.  A wide range of documents were scrutinised, including systems for checking progress, records relating to behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures and the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and how it plans to improve. Records of checks on the quality of teaching and the minutes of the governing body meetings were examined.  The inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and classes, especially writing.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, school staff and groups of pupils. Individual pupils were spoken to in lessons and around the school. A phone call took place with a school adviser

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Information about this inspection

from the local authority.  Questionnaires from 20 members of staff were analysed. The inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 25 online responses from Parent View and informal meetings with parents at the school during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Anna Sketchley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Wallisdean Infant School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils attend from the local area.  All children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attend school full time.  All pupils are taught in single-age classes.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is considerably above that found in most schools. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  Most pupils are of White British Heritage.  The school offers the facility of a privately run pre-school, breakfast and after school club on the school site but it was not a part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more regular opportunities for children to practise in self-chosen activity times what they have learned while working with adults.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has sustained and built upon its high performance over the last five years because of the strong drive and ambition of the headteacher. All other leaders, including governors, fully support her in the challenge to provide the best possible education for all the school’s pupils. The school clearly demonstrates its capacity to continue its outstanding effectiveness.  The local authority provides appropriate guidance for this outstanding school and regularly uses the skills of staff to help with such areas as regulating standards across Hampshire.  The school values of ‘Challenge, Motivation and Independence’ are consistently encouraged in lessons and in pupils’ personal development. They create a culture of very high expectations for pupils of both work and behaviour and make a significant contribution to their outstanding progress.  The pupils’ ‘School Etiquette’ teaches them to ‘Be Kind, Think First and Be Polite’. These ‘golden rules’ are

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The leadership and management are outstanding

strongly supported by provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The issue from the last inspection regarding pupils’ understanding of the diversity of other cultures has been rigorously addressed. A wide range of topics now ensure that pupils develop a very good understanding of the diverse cultures that exist globally and in modern Britain. Pupils learn to be tolerant and respectful of cultures and faiths that would normally be outside of their day-to-day experience.  The senior leadership is innovative but reflective and insightful. They constantly research into what could make a difference to pupils’ achievement. They are ably supported by a very skilled team of teachers and teaching assistants fully committed to improving their practice. The school’s values of ‘Challenge, Motivation and Independence’ are applied just as robustly to adults as they are to pupils. No-one is in any

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The leadership and management are outstanding

doubt as to the high standards expected.  The quality of teaching is checked accurately to ensure that pupils are making the best possible progress. Robust procedures and an adherence to the national standards expected of all teachers have previously quickly eradicated poor practice. The school rapidly identifies and provides training and development for all staff where necessary.  The leadership and provision for pupils who are disadvantaged or who are disabled and have special educational needs are particularly strong. Equal opportunities for different groups of pupils are promoted exceptionally well and the school does not tolerate any form of discrimination. Teaching assistants are highly trained, specialising in offering particular programmes to support a wide variety of pupils’ needs. These programmes are targeted to meet specific difficulties and, as a result, pupils’ progress is rapid.  A creatively planned and wide range of subjects ensure that pupils develop key skills but most especially

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The leadership and management are outstanding

in mathematics, reading and writing. They have many opportunities to practise these skills well in other subjects. An example of this was seen in a lesson about the similarities and differences between schools in Africa and the United Kingdom. Pupils used their writing skills well as they worked in small groups to record their ideas after watching a video clip. Visits, visitors and after-school activities all enhance and enrich learning. Provision for music and sport is a strength of the school.  Additional funding for school sports is used effectively to provide teachers with the skills to teach a variety of sports competently. The school now offers a wider range of sports during and after school for pupils to enjoy. This is making a significant contribution to improving pupils’ fitness levels.  Strong partnerships with other schools, external agencies and the local community further enrich and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

support pupils’ learning and development. For example, the school works closely with the adjacent junior school and local pre-schools to ensure pupils transfer seamlessly from one setting to another. Links with other schools, colleges and agencies provide advice for gifted and talented pupils and those who find learning or behaviour difficult. This ensures that all pupils make the best possible progress. Partnerships for teachers in their various responsibility roles support them well in planning and delivering their different subjects.  Meetings with parents before school and the online questionnaire show that they hold extremely positive views of the school’s work. The school is particularly good at reaching out to parents who might otherwise find it difficult to share any concerns or barriers to learning for their children.  School staff follow safeguarding procedures rigorously and governors play a leading role in safeguarding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and equality, ensuring that all statutory responsibilities and requirements are fully met.  The governance of the school:  Governors are frequent visitors to the school and receive detailed reports about its work. They know and can discuss the school’s strengths and areas for development very well.  They use this knowledge, attendance at governor training and their very useful work life skills not only to support the school, but also to ask challenging questions. In this way, they play an important part in helping it to sustain its high performance and improve even further.  Governors are well organised. They have an in-depth knowledge and understanding about how additional funds are spent, ensuring that they are used wisely and to maximum benefit.  They check the quality of teaching rigorously in relation to pupils’ progress and teachers’ pay and progression and ensure that teachers are rewarded where appropriate.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is set robust targets and these are reviewed regularly throughout the year as well as at an annual review with an external advisor.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. School records show that there have been no exclusions, racist incidents, bullying or challenging behaviour. Pupils who might have difficulties in behaving appropriately are very well managed.  Pupils’ attendance is now above the national average and there are rigorous procedures in place to continue to improve it further.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of the school’s behaviour systems and its rewards and sanctions. Sanctions are rarely required because pupils really enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic learners. Pupils say ‘We learn new things every day. We work hard!’ They are spurred on by earning ‘golden time’ and certificates.  The school’s policies and practices are modelled on the ‘Rights Respecting Schools’ initiative so pupils are daily encouraged to be thoughtful and respectful towards their companions and to adults. As a consequence, school is a calm and harmonious place in which to learn and play. Pupils behave

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Behaviour

impeccably in assembly and around the building and get on very well together on the playground.  In the lessons observed during the inspection, there was no low-level disruption of any kind. Pupils listened very carefully to the teacher, were fully engaged in their tasks and showed a pride in their work.  The excellent ‘Children as Leaders’ scheme within the school reinforces and supports all the school does to cultivate positive behaviour. Importantly it also helps pupils to develop the skills to deal with challenges they may face in the future.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say they feel very safe in school and parents fully support this view. Effective teaching about internet safety, ‘stranger danger’ and touch are examples of how the school heightens pupils’ awareness of how to keep safe.  Pupils demonstrate a very good awareness of risk as they walk sensibly on the stairs, report the ‘slippery’ condition of the play equipment outside and explain clearly the reason for the fluorescent jackets they wear on visits in the local area.  Pupils say there is no bullying in school but know that if they were in any kind of difficulty, they can trust an adult to help them.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils’ outstanding progress and the high standards achieved over time shows teaching to be outstanding. A hallmark of this is the excellent classroom organisation, high quality resources and information on walls to encourage pupils’ independence. Routines are the same in all classrooms and this consistency means that time is well used. Pupils are familiar with the high expectations of work and behaviour and are always ready to learn. No time is wasted.  The excellent and respectful relationship between pupils and adults creates a positive climate in which pupils respond well, participating and engaging eagerly because lessons are interesting. For example, pupils watched stimulating video clips in a skilfully planned lesson and learned about the features of animals and how they relate to the environment in which they live.  This imaginatively planned lesson was a good example of how teachers use every opportunity to

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

encourage pupils to practise their writing skills. Pupils’ language was effectively extended through the use of scientific vocabulary such as ‘camouflage’ and herbivore’.  Pupils are very clear about what they are learning and how they can succeed. Teachers’ very good subject knowledge enables them to ask pupils probing questions that check their understanding and progress during the lesson. Year 1 pupils could tell the teacher exactly what they must check when recording their mathematics work. This supported their achievement very well.  Tasks are very carefully matched to pupils’ different abilities with just the right amount of challenge to ensure that they make rapid progress. Pupils are eager to try the extra challenges teachers set.  During the inspection, listening to pupils read, looking at their work with them and observing lessons demonstrated clearly that literacy and numeracy skills are very well taught.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly with encouraging comments and explain simply how they might improve their work. This helps pupils take the next steps in their learning independently.  Pupils’ progress is supported well by regular homework tasks, especially reading, spellings and number facts.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children join the school with significant weaknesses in most areas of learning, but particularly communication and language, personal and social development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Due to the outstanding education on offer in the Early Years Foundation Stage, they make exceptional progress from their starting points. By the end of the Reception Year, the percentage of children who reach a good level of development is similar to the national average.  This very good progress is built upon further throughout pupils’ time in Key Stage 1. By Year 2, standards are high in all three areas of reading, writing and mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs make the same very good progress from their starting points as all other pupils. They are exceptionally well supported and their progress is rigorously checked and discussed every half term. The ‘Woodland Warriors’ outdoor

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

group successfully supports pupils with social and emotional difficulties that would otherwise be a barrier to learning. As a result, they soon begin to make improved progress.  By Year 2, the gap has closed between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils and they achieve the same high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  The sounds that letters make (phonics) are very well taught. Results of the national screening check for phonics show the attainment of Year 1 pupils to be close to the national average. Because the starting point for many pupils is lower than might typically be expected, it takes extra time for some pupils to acquire the necessary phonic skills. However, by Year 2, almost all pupils, and especially those who are disadvantaged, achieve the standard expected.  Pupils use these skills consistently when reading to build, read and spell unfamiliar words. The most able pupils successfully tackle words such as ‘particular’ and already have favourite authors such as Roald

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

Dahl. Pupils say they enjoy reading and have firm ideas about the type of books they like, describing them as ‘magical’ and ‘funny’. They know and understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction and many prefer ‘fact’ books to story books. Pupils say they like to ‘find out about things’.  A significant number of pupils reach a higher level than is expected in all three areas of reading, writing and mathematics. Work in the books of the most able pupils demonstrates that punctuation is habitually in place and many words are correctly spelled. Word choices are becoming ambitious and their work is well organised, using a range of simple connectives to join, and so make, longer sentences. Their handwriting is legible and mostly joined.  During a mathematical investigation in a lesson observed during the inspection, the most able pupils in Year 2 were able to recall that the scientific idea of a ‘fair test’ means ‘keeping everything the same’.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

They applied their knowledge very well to the task in hand.  Exemplary teaching is leading to outstanding achievement, which means that pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Excellent leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has resulted in good improvement since the last inspection. By the end of the Reception Year, the percentage of children reaching a good level of development is similar to the national average. This represents excellent progress from their weak starting points and prepares them very well for Year 1.  Procedures when children join the school are extremely well planned for both children and parents. There are many opportunities for children to become familiar with routines before they start school. Children are kept very safe and as a result they quickly develop confidence in the calm and well-organised surroundings.  No opportunities are missed for children to develop their personal and social skills, for example as they take responsibility for delivering the register to the school office when acting as ‘Star of the Week’. They take turns with activities, share resources and learn to walk beautifully from one space to another as they

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The early years provision is outstanding

move to the computer suite.  Exciting and stimulating activities ensure that children are always busily engaged in learning so behaviour is excellent. When children choose their own tasks, there are very good opportunities for them to develop the characteristics of effective learning. During the inspection, children were observed learning to persevere for long periods of time and thinking of ways to solve problems, for example when building a marble run.  Adults join in very sensitively with children’s learning, for example when decorating a Christmas tree together. They encouraged children to recap on previous class discussions, talking about what happens in Germany at Christmas time and extending their vocabulary. This also began to develop children’s cultural awareness well.  Occasionally, after adult-led learning times, there are not enough planned opportunities for children to choose activities that would help them to consolidate their learning and so make even quicker progress.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children achieve so well because teaching is outstanding. For example, during the inspection, a small group of children were observed learning the sounds that letters make. Children listened exceptionally well, were totally engaged and learned very rapidly because of the highly imaginative way in which the sounds were taught. For example, ‘Fred the Frog’ watched from the teacher’s shoulder to make sure that everyone was participating as children chose a colour from an imaginary paint pot to paint letter shapes in the air.  Adults check how well children are learning very regularly. An excellent system for collecting observations and photographs of learning exists in the classrooms. This enables all adults to contribute to each individual child’s progress throughout the day. A valuable record is compiled and used to plan children’s next steps in learning.

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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 115893 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 443803

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 167 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Evelyn Wrixon Headteacher Sandra Cammish Date of previous school inspection 6–7 July 2011 Telephone number 01329 280827 Fax number 01329 281681 Email address adminoffice@wallisdean-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

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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