Scantabout Primary School

Scantabout Primary School Ionic Close, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 2NR

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and senior leaders have a clear vision for improving the school. Effective systems for checking on pupils’ progress enable all staff to know the next steps pupils need to take to improve their learning.  Attainment is well above average. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils achieve levels that are significantly above the national average. Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers know their pupils well and plan interesting and stimulating lessons to match pupils’ abilities.  Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning and concentrate for sustained periods in lessons, which has a powerful impact on their progress.  Pupils feel extremely safe in school and have a very good understanding of how to keep safe.  Governors are experienced and take time to check on the school’s progress. They provide effective support for the headteacher.  Children in the early years settle quickly and make

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

exceptional progress because adults plan exciting and thought-provoking activities designed around their own interests.  The school provides a motivating and well-balanced curriculum. Music, in particular instrumental teaching, is a particular strength.  Parents are very positive about the school. They say that everyone is welcome and their children feel safe and happy.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always provide sufficient information to pupils to help them to know how to improve their work, particularly for the most able.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work, both in writing and mathematics.  The headteacher and governors know what the school does well, but strategic planning is not sharp enough to bring about rapid improvement.  Governors do not always have all the information they need to provide sufficient challenge to school leaders.  The skills of some middle leaders to bring about improvements in teaching and learning are at an early stage of development.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Her Majesty’s Inspectors observed 14 parts of lessons and one assembly. Two observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the English and mathematics subject leaders, the early years leader, three governors including the Chair of the Governing Body, and a group of pupils. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors heard six pupils read from Year 2 and Year 6. They also evaluated the quality of pupils’ work in books.  The views of parents were taken into consideration during informal discussions at the start of the school day, through the 95 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and a letter from one parent. Responses from the 16 members of staff who completed the staff questionnaire were also considered.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school improvement plan, the school’s own self-

p.2

Information about this inspection

evaluation, details of pupils’ progress and attainment, records of attendance, behaviour, child protection and safeguarding, documents relating to the management of staff performance and minutes of governing body meetings.

p.2

Inspection team

Ann Henderson, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in single age-range classes.  Children attend full time in the Reception class.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the pupil premium grant provides support is well below the national average. In this school this funding is used to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher is a local leader of education (LLE) and supports a number of local schools. She is also a leadership and learning partner for the local authority and in this role supports seven local schools.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding so that a higher proportion of pupils, particularly the most able, make rapid progress by:  providing pupils with clear guidance and the opportunity to show improvements in their work  making sure pupils present their work to a high standard.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  sharpening the actions in the school improvement plan, clearly identifying who will monitor and evaluate the actions, and include steps to measure the success of the actions linked to expected gains in pupils’ progress  making sure that governors have clear and accurate information so that they can challenge school leaders about the school’s effectiveness  increasing the skills and effectiveness of middle leaders to bring about improvements in teaching and learning.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has created an ethos where the school’s vision of ‘Achieving our best together’ permeates the whole school. Relationships are strong and enable pupils to thrive in a culture of kindness, thoughtfulness and care.  All staff are extremely supportive of pupils and one another. They have confidence in the school’s leaders and are proud to be members of staff. They strive to ensure pupils have a memorable, supportive and enjoyable experience during their time at Scantabout Primary School. Parents are in agreement too. Almost all parents would recommend the school to other parents. They say that teachers listen, take time to sort out any issues and provide many opportunities for their children to encounter important and unforgettable experiences.  There are robust systems in place to manage staff performance. Teachers are set challenging targets and held to account effectively for pupils’ progress so that any pay progression is justified.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through its strong and caring ethos. Adults are positive role models and show empathy, respect and kindness. As a result, pupils are considerate and thoughtful. They have extremely positive relationships with adults and one another.  Pupils learn about democracy through elections to the school council and for house captains. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain because the regular personal, social, health and citizenship lessons enable pupils to explore different viewpoints and cultures, which helps to promote a wider understanding of the views of others.  The curriculum is well designed to promote pupils’ love of learning. A wide variety of additional activities enhance pupils’ learning experiences. Trips to places of interest, such as to Stubbington and Selborne, support pupils’ geographical understanding. Older pupils look forward to their residential trip to Swanage.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

Music is a central element to broadening pupils’ education. Many pupils learn to play a musical instrument and their prowess is impressive.  Statutory safeguarding arrangements are met extremely well. School leaders have rigorous systems in place. All staff have up-to-date training in child protection and know the correct procedures to take if a cause for concern emerges.  The school ethos promotes strong, supportive and inclusive relationships. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. The school promotes equality of opportunity well. The additional pupil premium funding is targeted effectively so disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to other pupils.  The school has made effective use of the primary school physical education and sport funding. A higher proportion of pupils are now taking part in sporting activities such as gymnastics, cricket and taekwondo. Sports coaches have been used well to develop the confidence of teachers to deliver physical education

p.4

The leadership and management are good

lessons. In addition, more pupils in Key Stage 2 are able to swim 25 metres.  The local authority has provided ‘light-touch’ support for this school. The leadership learning partner visits annually to provide an external view of the school’s work.  The impact of middle leaders is yet to be fully realised because some are new to their roles and their plans to bring about improvement in their areas of responsibility are not fully developed.  School leaders, including governors, are involved in a range of monitoring activities. However, the steps to measure the success of the school’s action are not explicit in the school’s plans. The school’s assessment of its performance and the information provided to governors is not sharp enough for governors to be able to challenge school leaders and hold them to account robustly. Improvement plans do not make it absolutely clear who is responsible for checking that actions are successful.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the performance of staff, including the headteacher, and the quality of teaching so make sensible decisions about teachers’ pay.  Governors visit the school regularly and provide useful reports so that all governors gain an accurate understanding of the work of the school. They are aware of the school’s strengths and support school leaders well. However, they do not always receive precise enough information on the school’s performance to be able to challenge school leaders robustly.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to share their ideas during lessons and listen and respond to one another with maturity and sensitivity. In some lessons pupils provided clear and helpful explanations to their peers. This was evident in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, when the most-able pupils explained the steps to take to calculate complex multiplication problems successfully to others in their group.  Pupils manage their behaviour well in lessons and around the school, so much so that learning is not interrupted and pupils act responsibility and sensibly. No inappropriate behaviour was observed during the inspection and school records show that incidents of unacceptable behaviour are extremely rare. The records also show that if incidents do occur, swift action is taken and the pupil’s behaviour rapidly improves.  Pupils are polite, courteous and extremely well mannered. They are rightly proud of their school and of

p.5

Behaviour

one another’s achievements. During a celebration assembly, pupils responded to the successes of their peers with delight and encouragement, listening carefully and responding with respectful applause.  Pupils arrive punctually for school. Attendance is average.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils receive age-appropriate guidance in lessons and assemblies to help them to know how to keep safe in school and in the community. They know what to do if they feel worried. Pupils say they feel safe in school, and all parents who responded to the online questionnaire agree.  Pupils say that bullying is extremely rare. They understand about different types of bullying, including bullying that takes place using mobile technology and when using the internet. Pupils are able to learn well within a culture of respect and regard for diversity, free from discrimination.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers create a very positive atmosphere to encourage good learning. Supportive and encouraging relationships between adults and pupils help pupils to take risks in their learning and this contributes strongly to their good progress in lessons. In a Year 4 mathematics lesson, pupils were investigating the patterns and relationships of numbers. Their enthusiastic excitement as they discovered the patterns that emerged while exploring multiplication tables contributed strongly to the rapid progress they made during the lesson.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and explain the learning that they expect to take place in the lesson well. This provides pupils with a good understanding of how successful they have been when they check their work at the end of the lesson.  Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and their very strong, supportive relationships enable them to help each other and share their ideas openly. In the Year 5 class, pupils were considering the options to try to

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

persuade the physical education leader to introduce a new sport. Lively discussions in pairs and groups enabled pupils to crystallize their thoughts in preparation for planning their presentation or letter.  Pupils enjoy reading and make good use of the school library during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Standards of reading are high because teachers discuss the structure and content of texts regularly in reading lessons. Younger pupils are taught phonics (the sounds letters make) in a systematic way, but occasionally the content of the lesson is too easy for some pupils and much too difficult for other pupils, which limits their progress.  Teachers know pupils well and understand the steps that each pupil needs to take to improve. However, this is not always conveyed clearly to pupils. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but do not always frame the feedback they give so that pupils know what they need to do to improve their work.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils learning but they do not always have the same high expectations of how pupils present their work. As a result, some pupils work is not well organised. The highest standards of handwriting and presentation are not evident in much of the work pupils produce; this includes in their writing and mathematics. The consequence of this, in mathematics in particular, is that errors in calculations occur.

p.5

is good

 Pupils start in Year 1 with skills and abilities that are above levels typical for their age, and some have skills and abilities that are well above levels expected at the start of Year 1. They make good progress and by the end of Year 2, pupils reach standards which are well above those found nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make good progress. At the end of 2014, although overall standards for Year 6 pupils were well above the national average, the progress of the most-able pupils was not rapid enough to enable them to achieve the highest level, particularly in mathematics.  Pupils currently in the school are beginning to make more rapid progress, particularly in Year 6. This is because additional support is being provided to help the most-able pupils to reach the highest levels. School leaders know that the most-able pupils across the school need to make rapid and sustained

p.6

is good

progress every year to enable them to reach the standards of which they are capable.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their peers. This is because they are provided with additional adult support and teachers plan effective activities to help them to make good progress.  School leaders have used the additional government funding (pupil premium) to target additional adult support for eligible pupils in lessons. As a result, the very few disadvantaged pupils in each year group make similar progress to their peers.  During their time at the school pupils develop a wide range of skills in literacy, reading and mathematics. The broad nature of the curriculum enables pupils to excel in other subjects too. Achievement in music is a strength. Music makes a strong contribution to pupils’ enjoyment of school.

p.6

is outstanding

 Children settle quickly to their learning in the Reception class. This is because effective arrangements are in place at the start of the school year to help children and their parents understand what is expected. Parents and children have opportunities to visit the classroom and become familiar with adults and the school setting. Positive relationships between adults and children develop swiftly because of the care and understanding of all the adults.  Adults plan interesting and stimulating activities for children to explore, both within the classroom and in the well-organised outdoor learning area, which have an extremely positive impact on children’s progress. Children start in the Reception class with skills and capabilities that are above levels typical for their age. They make exceptional progress and are very well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Adults regularly check children’s knowledge and understanding. Parents are encouraged to share

p.6

is outstanding

information about their child’s needs and development. Information about how well children are learning and developing is regularly shared between home and school. The early years leader has recently introduced a new information technology (IT) system to record observations and assessments of children’s learning. She is considering how this new system can be used to share information with parents online, to enable swift access.  Children in the early years behave extremely well and are kept safe. They are eager to please and have trust and confidence in the adults and other children. They cooperate well and sustain their concentration because they are excited by the activities available for them.  The early years leader has an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of provision. She is taking effective steps to continue to improve the experiences provided for children of all

p.6

is outstanding

abilities. External checks on the accuracy of assessments ensure the next steps planned for children’s learning are highly appropriate and fully effective.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 116042 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 444277

p.8

School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Darren Miller Headteacher Veronica Shaw Date of previous school inspection 17–18 June 2009 Telephone number 023 8026 6892 Fax number 023 8027 6847 Email address admin@scantabout-pri.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9