Anton Infant School

Anton Infant School Wellesley Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 2HF

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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

 The acting headteacher is a strong leader and has made her vision for improvement clear to staff. She is well supported by the deputy headteacher and governors. All share the same quest to provide the very best for pupils.  There has been a successful drive to improve pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. Consequently, the dip in pupils’ performance, which occurred in 2014, has been successfully addressed.  Children in Reception make good progress overall through good teaching. Their progress in reading is excellent.  By Year 2, pupils’ attainment is significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Their progress from their starting points is good in every year group. This includes those pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs.  Disadvantaged pupils progress well. Gaps in their attainment have closed completely by Year 2.  Teaching is good and this ensures pupils learn

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quickly. Teachers’ expectations are high and teachers teach basic skills thoroughly. Strong teaching in phonics (the sounds that letters make) contributes to this.  Pupils have positive attitudes to their work and are keen to learn. They enjoy school and behave well.  Pupils feel very safe and are kept safe. Their attendance is above average.  Senior leaders have created an effective staff team who are focused on making the school as good as it can be.  Knowledgeable governors support the school well and provide a considerable level of challenge. They are well informed about the school’s work and are proud of its successes.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teachers do not ensure pupils develop good handwriting.  Children in Reception do not develop their imaginations well enough, including during outdoor learning time.  The broader curriculum does not consistently provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their artistic skills and creativity.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 16 lessons. Most lessons were observed jointly with the acting headteacher or temporary deputy headteacher. The inspectors heard samples of pupils read and looked at a range of pupils’ work in their books.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunch and break times. They met with groups of pupils to gain their views of the school and spoke informally to them at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders and middle leaders to discuss systems for keeping pupils safe and to discuss the progress groups of pupils make. They also met with governors and a local authority representative.  The team looked at a range of documentation. This included the most recent assessment data on pupils’ progress, the school’s own view of its effectiveness, its plans for improvement, and information on the checks made by senior staff on the quality of teaching and learning.

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Information about this inspection

 They also considered documentation relating to safeguarding and behaviour, including policies, records and guidance. They examined attendance figures, records of behaviour and other incidents, and the school’s website.  Inspectors considered parents’ views of the school through informal discussions before and after school and the 64 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). The team spoke to staff during the inspection and took account of the 22 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Eileen Chadwick, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Anton Infant is a little smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There are two classes in each year group. Reception children are taught in one of two classes and enter school full time in the first half of the autumn term.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds.  The proportion supported through the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  The school is led by an acting headteacher. She was previously deputy headteacher until the departure of the substantive headteacher in December 2014. A temporary deputy headteacher joined the school in January 2015.  Anton Infant is part of a local Schools Direct consortium. The school provides a school-led training path for

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Information about this school

graduates to gain qualified teacher status.  Pupils are eligible to attend an after-school club. This is not managed by the school and is held at the nearby Anton Junior School.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers consistently help pupils to form their letters properly and write neatly so their handwriting improves  teachers receive training so they provide pupils with high quality experiences for developing their artistic skills and creativity  in Reception, children fully develop their imaginations through stimulating activities, including when learning in the outdoor area.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is a strong leader and promotes high achievement for all pupils. She is well supported by her deputy. They have quickly focused on improving the standards of teaching and the curriculum to raise achievement for all pupils. Governors and staff share their quest for excellence in all areas, including pupils’ personal development.  Leaders acted rapidly to tackle the dip in pupils’ performance in 2014 and, as a result, pupils’ attainment is rising again. Pupils in all year groups are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Training and clear guidance from senior leaders are strengthening the leadership of others. Developments in literacy and mathematics are particularly well led. Other subject leaders are now driving improvement in their subjects.  There are robust systems for evaluating the impact of the school’s work. Senior leaders’ and teachers’ careful checks on pupils’ progress enable resources to be targeted effectively. Any pupils at risk of falling

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The leadership and management are good

below their expected targets are quickly given extra support to help them to catch up.  Leaders check the quality of teaching very thoroughly. Outcomes are used to identify the most effective practice and any training that is needed to sharpen or update teachers’ skills.  Senior leaders and governors make all staff accountable for pupils’ progress. They set challenging targets for staff and ensure that teachers’ level of pay depends on their responsibility and pupils’ progress. Teachers welcome the accountability and have good opportunities to develop their skills. They fully support the leadership in its drive for improvement.  The school has used the pupil premium effectively to provide extra support for the eligible pupils. The result is that these pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils in the school and other pupils nationally.  Leaders, staff and governors successfully strive to ensure all groups of pupils achieve well and feel safe

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The leadership and management are good

and well cared for. Good relations are fostered. Pupils have equal opportunities to learn in an orderly and supportive atmosphere in which discrimination is not tolerated.  There is very good support for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school ensures all pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and the importance of respect for others. Pupils learn about the importance of democracy as they vote for pupils who should represent them on their school council.  Teachers give pupils knowledge of other faiths and cultures and relate this to British values such as tolerance. The school has strong links with a school in London, which has been visited by some pupils, and a school in Africa, which has been visited by some staff.  Staff have worked hard to develop and implement the new curriculum. They have devised topics which interest pupils and ensure literacy and numeracy skills are systematically developed.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and staff are fully aware that pupils’ creative and artistic skills are not yet well provided for. Staff have had little recent training for developing pupils’ skills and creativity in art and design. The school has also identified imaginative activities, including in the outdoor area, are in need of further development in Reception.  The primary sport funding is used effectively. For example, a sports specialist teacher has been employed to work closely with the school’s physical education leader and teachers to develop their teaching and assessment in the subject. It has also been used to provide swimming lessons for all Year 2 pupils and to purchase quality outdoor equipment to promote physical activity at break and lunchtimes.  The school has developed effective partnerships with parents, who hold the school in high regard. Parents appreciate the curriculum evenings which help them to understand how key subjects such as reading are

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The leadership and management are good

taught. The school’s websites also provide parents with a good range of information, including how they can further their children’s learning at home.  The local authority has confidence in the school’s leadership and provides light touch support. The school has found the support useful and purchased more help as needed, for example with subject training.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and are effective.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. Governors are ambitious and have a strong commitment to the school. They regularly review and challenge the school to improve. They monitor the success of actions taken by senior and middle leaders, for example the impact of new methods for teaching phonics. They are fully involved with school improvement and action planning and use their regular visits to the school to check on improvement priorities. They have an in-depth view of the school’s performance and training has

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The leadership and management are good

ensured they understand pupils’ assessment data. For example, governors frequently check how well different groups are achieving, including those in receipt of pupil premium funding. Governors ensure there are effective arrangements for managing the performance of staff, including that of the headteacher. They closely consider teachers’ performance when giving pay rewards and know where support has been provided to improve teaching.  The governing body monitors the school’s finances closely, including the pupil premium and sport funding, to ensure that pupils benefit from spending. Governors take careful note of the views and any concerns expressed by parents.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are eager to learn and obviously enjoy their time at school. They talk about the things they like at school, including reading and writing, and a range of activities, such as a recent visit to Marwell Zoo as part of their Beasts and Bones topic.  Pupils listen carefully to their teachers and respond quickly to reminders to concentrate on their work. The school is calm. Relationships between pupils and the adults are very positive.  Senior leaders have ensured there is a consistent scheme of behaviour management and teachers, support staff and pupils apply this system. Rewards play an important role in encouraging good behaviour and recognising effort and good work.  Pupils are very aware of the sanctions they face should they misbehave. They say incidents of misbehaviour are infrequent, but when they occur they are dealt with promptly. Most pupils look after

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Behaviour

books and keep their classrooms tidy. However, some pupils do not take enough care with their handwriting.  Children in Reception quickly settle and behave well. They concentrate for long periods of time and show much interest in taking part in adult led tasks. They are not developing their ability to develop their own ideas well enough through stimulating activities.  The pupils’ above average level of attendance reflects their love of school and the positive relationships between school staff and parents.  The very large majority of parents who responded to Parent View, and those spoken to, feel that their children behave well and most said they are well cared for in school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The policies to keep pupils safe are applied consistently and related staff training is up to date. Checks are carried out on all adults to make sure they can work with children.  Pupils know how to stay safe on the internet. They have also learned about other ways of keeping themselves safe, including road safety.  Pupils say incidents of bullying are very rare. They say they would have no hesitation in telling an adult should they have any concerns. The school’s logs confirm that this is the case.  The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View feel that their children are kept safe in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Very positive relationships between staff and pupils empower pupils to achieve well. Teachers know pupils well and tailor activities so they are hard enough in individual and sequences of lessons.  Teachers’ good subject knowledge for teaching basic skills enables teachers to provide the right sort of challenge, including for the most able pupils.  The teaching of reading, including phonics, is very skilful and systematic across the whole school. Systems, such as daily phonics and guided reading sessions as well as very regular opportunities to read to an adult in school, help pupils to become successful readers. Teachers’ choice of reading materials stimulates pupils’ interests and helps to instil a love of reading.  Teachers are implementing the new National Curriculum well. Mathematics subject training and revisions to planning have helped to raise teachers’ expectations. Teachers ensure all pupils are given good levels

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The quality of teaching is good

of mathematical challenge, including the most able.  Teachers are quick to spot when pupils need extra help or harder work. For example, in Year 1 after the most able pupils quickly mastered a new skill, the teacher soon provided them with more advanced reasoning problems involving higher numbers.  Senior leaders have focused on improving the teaching of writing. There is a systematic approach across year groups to enable pupils to develop their ability to write in clear sentences and to gradually write longer pieces, including stories.  Topics are chosen so they interest both boys and girls. For example, both boys and girls were eager writers after learning about life in castles in their history topic. However, a few teachers do not teach handwriting skills carefully enough and this prevents some pupils forming their letters and writing neatly.  Teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support pupils, including those who are disabled or who

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The quality of teaching is good

have special educational needs and those eligible for additional funding. They make a good contribution in lessons and at other times during the school day.  Teachers assess and mark pupils’ work regularly and help pupils to know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work further. Pupils’ work shows pupils respond to this advice. Pupils understand their very clear learning targets.  Homework is used well to further pupils’ learning in school. Recently, the school has begun to focus more on providing mathematics homework.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in Reception do well and their progress in reading is excellent. Their attainment at the end of Reception is above average, including in literacy and numeracy, and has risen in the last two years. This means children are well prepared to start the next stage of their learning.  Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress. Improvements to the teaching of phonics have led to an increase in the numbers reaching the expected standards by Year 1. In the 2014 phonic checks, pupils’ attainment in Year 1 was above average and much better than their average phonics attainment in 2013. Consequently, more pupils are reaching higher levels in reading in the current Year 2.  The current Year 2 pupils are on track to reach standards that are higher than average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ attainment was significantly above average for many years, until 2014 when it dipped to only a little above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Actions by senior leaders have ensured the dip in pupils’ achievement in 2014 has been reversed. Better use of assessment and staff training have helped to improve pupils’ progress.  The most-able pupils are performing well. These pupils are identified early and given more challenging work. They do especially well in reading and about two thirds of the current Year 2 are on track to reach Level 3, the higher level. There are many good examples of their well-written work where they express both ideas and facts. In mathematics, an increasing number is reaching higher levels and making faster progress.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good. The individualised support they receive, combined with the good teaching they receive in lessons, has resulted in almost all of these pupils attaining at least the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time

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The achievement of pupils is good

they leave the school.  Disadvantaged pupils benefit from a comprehensive range of support and additional teaching. This results in them progressing at least as well as other pupils. At the end of Year 2, in 2014, their attainment was one term ahead of other pupils nationally and other pupils in the school in reading, writing and mathematics. Assessments show their current attainment is similar to their classmates. The attainment gaps have gradually closed over the past three years.  Pupils’ reading skills develop well and progress is rapid in Reception. Pupils take a strong interest in reading and, once proficient, enjoy reading a wide range of books, including poetry and factual books. The improved systems for teaching phonics and regular opportunities to read to an adult on an individual basis are quickening pupils’ progress. Pupils, including the youngest lower attainers in Key Stage 1, use phonics

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The achievement of pupils is good

to confidently read new words.  Pupils make good progress in many other curriculum areas, for example in geography when Year 2 pupils learn about ‘On Our Street’ and the history of Andover. These experiences are used well to underpin writing tasks, for example, when pupils write imaginative stories about their own street. However, pupils’ handwriting is sometimes untidy and a few do not form their letters well enough.  Pupils show much imagination when writing stories, but there are not enough opportunities for them to generate ideas in other areas such as art and design. The quality of pupils’ learning in art and design is patchy and the school is aware staff need more training about how to teach the skills and promote pupils’ creativity in this area.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join Reception with levels of skills and knowledge which vary, but overall are typical for their age. Children achieve well in their personal development as well as in their basic skills.  By the end of Reception, the proportion reaching a good level of development is above that found in most schools, including in communication and language, literacy and numeracy. Pupils’ attainment has gradually risen in recent years and in 2014 four fifths of children achieved a good level of development. More effective teaching of phonics and more rigorous assessment have ensured that children are well prepared for entry to Year 1.  Children’s progress in reading is outstanding due to excellent teaching of phonics and early reading skills. For example, in a lesson on sounds and letters, children were able to pronounce and write a new sound and to combine sounds to read simple words.  Children are also making remarkable progress in guided reading sessions. Tasks help all children, including

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The early years provision is good

the most able, to gain a love of reading and build their skills very well.  Children learn new vocabulary quickly, for example when learning about animals and farm equipment for their farm topic. Children develop their writing skills well and some of the most able children are making very good progress in this area.  Children feel safe and are confident. Adults’ effective management of their behaviour ensures children behave well and fully understand class routines. They settle quickly to both adult-led and self-choice activities.  The quality of teaching is good. Relationships are excellent and staff encourage children’s enthusiasm for learning. Adult-led learning is particularly effective.  Children have good opportunities to develop their imaginations through small world play and inventing scenarios with toy play sets, such as farms. However, children do not develop their ideas well enough through imaginative activities, including in the outdoor learning areas.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management are good. Staff ensure children are kept safe and well looked after. They know individual children well and thoroughly check and record their progress. They have developed good links with parents who have a positive involvement with the school and are very pleased with their children’s progress.

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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 115973 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 448791

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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 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Barlow Headteacher Kelly Bird Date of previous school inspection 23 September 2009 Telephone number 01264 365168 Fax number 01264 332732 Email address adminoffice@anton-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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