Curdridge Primary School

Church Lane, Curdridge, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 2DR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires 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

 In the early years and in Years 1 and 2, pupils do not make good progress particularly in writing and mathematics.  In Years 3 and 4, pupils do not write regularly enough, leaving too much to be done in Years 5 and 6.  Middle leaders do not check if everything is working well in their areas of responsibility. They do not have enough influence on driving improvements.  Some pupils with special educational needs make slow progress. They do not catch up quickly enough to give them a good chance of reaching expected standards.  Teachers do not check pupils’ learning during lessons and adapt activities promptly so that the pupils who are capable of moving on quickly can do so.  Governors do not know enough about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They are not well enough placed to provide appropriate challenge for the school’s leaders.  In the early years, teachers do not use the observations they make to shape and extend

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has been determined and successful in retaining the school’s happy and caring atmosphere during a period of significant staff change. New teachers have been inducted well to minimise any potential disruption to pupils’ learning.  Procedures for keeping pupils safe from harm are robust.  Pupils are responsible, kind and well behaved. They respect one another and play a key role in making the school a happy community.  Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is good. This year, attainment has risen and pupils are leaving the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons, including sessions for individual pupils or small groups. Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in writing and mathematics from September 2014 to the end of May 2015. They also observed other aspects of the school’s work, including an assembly.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, middle leaders and governors and held a telephone discussion with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met a group of pupils, listened to pupils read and spoke to many pupils informally at lunchtime, in lessons and during breaktimes.  Inspectors spoke to parents before school and reviewed 55 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered 20 questionnaires completed by staff.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including the school’s records of pupils’ achievement, leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and records relating to behaviour, attendance and keeping

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Inspection team

Abigail Wilkinson, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Margaret Dickinson Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller-than-average primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  In 2014, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the Reception class attend full time.  Three out of the four classes in the school have had a change of teacher during this academic year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching so that pupils’ achievement improves particularly in writing and mathematics, by: – making sure that pupils with special educational needs, especially boys, receive well-targeted support and encouragement to help them catch up quickly and develop positive attitudes to learning – ensuring teachers check pupils’ learning regularly during lessons, adapting activities quickly when pupils show that they are capable of moving on to more challenging work – making sure pupils in Years 3 and 4 have frequent opportunities to write independently – following up grammatical and spelling errors in pupils’ writing to check they have made the necessary improvements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve children’s learning and development in the early years by: – taking more opportunities to observe, record and intervene in pupils’ learning to extend it more successfully, particularly in physical development, understanding the world and expressive arts and design – ensuring that leaders check the effectiveness of early years provision to identify specific actions for improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by:  improving middle leaders’ evaluation of the quality of learning and achievement in their areas of responsibility and ensure they use their knowledge of weaker aspects to make improvements  focusing sharply on the pupils with special educational needs to ensure changes in provision are quickly put in place where support is not making a difference  improving governors’ understanding of the school’s performance, particularly teaching and achievement, so that they can balance challenge and support, and hold leaders to account more effectively. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders do not ensure pupils’ progress is consistently good.  The headteacher’s efforts to improve pupils’ learning have been hampered by the absence of key leaders and changes in staffing. Despite these changes, the headteacher has ensured the school remains a happy and caring environment for pupils to learn.  At present, too much responsibility rests with the headteacher for leading improvement. Other teachers with leadership responsibilities have not had sufficient involvement in monitoring what works well and what needs improving in their respective areas.  Leaders do not make full use of the information about pupils’ progress to check if it is good enough over, for example, two or four years. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs.  Checks to evaluate the quality of teaching have not always focused sufficiently on pupils’ learning,

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The leadership and management require improvement

particularly the learning of different groups. Consequently, leaders have an overly positive view of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils receive additional help in literacy and mathematics. Although this support ensures these pupils do not fall behind others in the school, it is not yet accelerating their progress enough.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements. Training is regularly updated and staff are knowledgeable about how to keep pupils safe from harm. The headteacher ensures that any concerns are followed up swiftly and thoroughly.  Systems for managing teachers’ performance are thorough. Targets are linked closely to the school’s current priorities. Decisions about awarding teachers a pay rise are based on clear criteria. A stringent recruitment process has taken place to secure permanent teaching staff from September.  There is a strong ethos of responsibility, care and respect within the school, promoted through the

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The leadership and management require improvement

school’s core values. These permeate school life and are one of the reasons why pupils are committed to being responsible members of the school community. Although discrimination is not tolerated, pupils are less knowledgeable about the wider range of cultures and beliefs than they should be in order to prepare them well for life in modern Britain.  While equality of opportunity is promoted and understood by pupils and staff, groups of pupils in some classes, including boys and pupils who have special educational needs, are not achieving as well as they should.  The curriculum provides interest and variety across the full range of subjects. Pupils benefit from an engaging range of topics, such as ‘The Great Curdridge Bake Off!’ They also have opportunities to take part in additional curriculum activities which extend learning, such as the Primary Engineer Challenge.  Leaders make effective use of the primary sports funding. Training for staff, specialist coaching and new

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The leadership and management require improvement

resources have increased the range of sports that pupils can try, including yoga and tag rugby. More pupils are participating in these sporting opportunities and the headteacher plays a key role in setting up regular competitive events with other local schools.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has ensured that arrangements to manage the performance of staff are in place. Governors review the school’s key policies and ensure that safeguarding procedures are robust. Governors engage well with families and visit the school regularly.  Governors lack detailed knowledge about the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils. They do not have sufficient oversight of the performance of different groups, including pupils with special educational needs. As a result, the visits they make and the questions they ask are not sufficiently focused. This limits the extent to which they provide the right degree of challenge for leaders.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are well mannered, responsible and show consideration for others. They are highly aware of the school’s core values and know that these help to make the school a happy place for them to learn.  Good relationships between pupils and adults are a feature in and out of lessons. Pupils need few reminders about how they should behave in the school. Consequently, with few exceptions, they show interest in lessons and are committed to do their best.  Pupils show sensitivity to others, including those pupils who have additional difficulties. They talk about how they welcome, respect and include other pupils. Pupils with medical needs are particularly well supported by other pupils, who look out for them in the playground to make sure they are not on their own.  Pupils move sensibly around the school and during playtimes. ‘Playground champions’ play with and guide

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Behaviour

younger children, showing them how to cooperate in shared games. This sense of responsibility ensures pupils make a strong contribution to the school’s community feel.  Recent work with parents has improved attendance this year and as a result fewer pupils have been persistently absent.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about this aspect of the school’s work.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and that staff deal with any poor behaviour effectively. The school’s records show very few incidents of bullying. Leaders respond quickly to any incidents, treat them seriously and put the right steps in place to improve the behaviour of any pupil involved.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Those who talked to inspectors were aware of potential dangers and knew various ways that they could manage risk, including when using computers online.  Pupils are well supervised at all times. The school grounds are checked and maintained well. There are thorough risk assessments for activities both on and off the school site.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good across the school. Teachers’ checks on learning during some lessons are not used to adapt activities so that pupils can extend and deepen their thinking. As a result, some groups do not make good progress and achieve as well as they could, particularly in writing.  In Years 5 and 6, pupils benefit from good teaching. Skilful questioning and strong subject knowledge help to develop pupils’ command of subjects. Pupils talked in some depth, for example, about the Greek myths and legends they had read. Pupils presented confident, knowledgeable answers to the question, ‘Was Icarus a hero?’ using examples from texts to support their views.  Teachers often plan activities which motivate pupils to write, such as pirate-themed instructions in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 and 4, however, pupils do not write often enough. Work in these pupils’ books shows that they have the imagination, vocabulary and skill to be good writers but there are long gaps between

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

pieces of writing. Teaching over time has not helped them to make good progress.  In mathematics, teachers encourage pupils to draw on a range of strategies to support calculation. Pupils enjoy mathematical challenges and make good use of the practical resources available to them to aid their reasoning. In some lessons, however, teachers’ explanations are not clear enough to enable pupils to calculate confidently and accurately when they move off to work independently.  Teachers follow the school’s marking policy uniformly well. Pupils know what they have done well and what they need to do next. Teachers do not always follow up their comments to avoid pupils continuing to make grammatical and spelling errors in their subsequent work.  Phonics knowledge (the sounds that letters make) is taught well and sessions give pupils a secure grasp of sounds and patterns in words. Most pupils use their phonics knowledge well in their written work and to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

support their reading.  Pupils with special educational needs are not always taught well and this slows down their progress. Some teaching assistants skilfully support and encourage pupils, particularly those with medical needs. Not all teaching is as encouraging, particularly for boys who have special educational needs, and this has a negative impact on the attitudes they have to their learning.

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requires improvement

 In 2014, attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 dipped having been above average in the previous two years. Pupils’ achievement in writing, in particular, was much lower than previously. Due to the small number of pupils in Year 6, these outcomes were significantly influenced by a few pupils who did not make expected progress in writing.  Achievement in Year 6 this year has improved and attainment is predicted to rise. Far more pupils are likely to make expected or better progress in writing. This is largely the result of good teaching in Years 5 and 6. In other years, pupils do not make similarly good progress in writing.  In Key Stage 2, more able pupils make expected progress. Their achievement is strongest in Years 5 and 6. This year, in Key Stage 1, fewer pupils are expected to reach the higher levels, compared to last year. More able pupils who have the potential to reach these standards have not made good progress in

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requires improvement

reading, writing and mathematics.  No disadvantaged pupils were in Year 6 in 2014. The school’s assessments show that disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 2 make expected, but not good, progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 1 last year, disadvantaged pupils achieved well and were two terms ahead of other pupils nationally in reading and a term ahead of other pupils in the school. In mathematics and writing, gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally were less than a term.  Reading is enjoyed by most pupils across the school. In Key Stage 1, boys and those with special educational needs are not given enough support to develop their skills and confidence in reading. In 2014, a much lower proportion of boys reached the expected standard in the phonics check than girls.  Some pupils who have special educational needs make slow progress. These pupils do not catch up

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requires improvement

quickly enough. Gaps between their attainment and that of other pupils in the school widens because support is not always as effective as it needs to be.

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requires improvement

 Children make steady progress in Reception but do not achieve well because progress is not rapid enough. The majority of children start school with skills, knowledge and understanding that is typical for their age. The proportions of children entering Year 1 with a good level of development are broadly similar to those found nationally.  Children enjoy a range of activities to support the development of reading, writing and number skills. Children’s independent writing shows good letter formation and use of phonics. More able children use a wide range of vocabulary to make their story writing lively using words such as ‘lassoed’. However, activities are not always adapted quickly enough to extend more able children and, as a result, they do not make good progress.  Adults check children’s understanding and adapt their explanations to support number and calculation. This approach strengthens children’s understanding of ideas such as sharing or counting in groups of

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requires improvement

more than one. Children were able to use a fishing game to ‘catch’ multiples of five and say the next or previous multiple. Other children were able to share jewels equally into four pirates chests.  Provision across all areas of learning is not as well developed in areas such as physical development, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. Opportunities are missed to extend children’s skills through observing, planning for and intervening in children’s learning. As a result, adults do not have a clear picture of children’s development in these areas and this hinders progress.  Leaders do not have a clear enough picture of the strengths and weaknesses in early years to focus actions and measure impact.  Relationships between children and adults are caring. Children learn and play in a safe environment and cooperate well together. Safeguarding procedures are robust.

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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 115879 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 461929

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 112 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair James Hillyear Headteacher Sally Wood Date of previous school inspection June 2011 Telephone number 01489 782613 Fax number 01489 790964 Email address admin@curdridge.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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