Hamble Primary School

Hamble Primary School Hamble Lane, Southampton, SO31 4ND

p.1

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ attainment in all subjects, while generally lower than nationally expected, has strongly improved since 2013, when it declined considerably. All groups of pupils currently in the school make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school has improved the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those who have disabilities or special educational needs. The gap between the achievement of these pupils and others is narrowing.  Early years children are taught well and make good progress. Their attainment has remained above average over time and continues to improve.  The school curriculum is strong. The school promotes children’s rights, democracy and British values extremely effectively.  Pupils are keen to learn and proud of their achievements. They behave well in lessons and around the school and towards one another. They are courteous and considerate.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is very

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

thorough and highly effective. Pupils feel very safe at school.  Teaching is good. Teachers and teaching assistants give pupils clear demonstrations and explanations. They question pupils well to draw out and deepen their understanding.  The acting headteacher, together with other senior leaders, managers and governors, has worked swiftly to raise expectations, improve standards and bring stability to the school. She and other leaders have strongly improved teaching and pupils’ achievement.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attainment in writing remains weaker than their attainment in reading or mathematics. Teachers do not always tell pupils clearly what they expect to see in their writing, or how much writing they expect to be produced. They do not always advise pupils how to improve their spelling, grammar, punctuation or presentation of work.  Boys do not do as well as girls in the early years.  Teachers do not always give pupils, particularly the most able, work that contains a high level of challenge. Not all teachers check that pupils have followed the advice given to them.  Leaders’ feedback to teachers following lesson observations, while helpful, does not always concentrate on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress strongly enough. This means that teachers do not necessarily focus on whether their teaching is improving pupils’ learning.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 18 lessons and pupils’ behaviour in the playground and at lunchtime. Ten lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Discussions were held with pupils, four members of the governing body, the acting headteacher and other members of staff. A discussion was also held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors observed many aspects of the school’s work, including support for pupils who need extra help. They heard pupils read and examined pupils’ work in their exercise books and on classroom and corridor wall displays.  The inspectors looked at a number of documents, including plans for what pupils should learn in each subject and plans for the school’s future development. They scrutinised the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe, pupils’ attendance records and minutes of governing body meetings. The inspectors also looked at records of how pupils’ learning is monitored and of how the quality of teaching is checked.

p.2

Information about this inspection

 The views of parents were taken into account through the 37 responses to the online Parent View survey and one letter that was received. The inspectors also held discussions with several parents.  Staff views were taken into consideration by looking at questionnaires completed by 21 staff members and through discussions with several members of staff.

p.2

Inspection team

Steven Popper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is an above-average-sized primary school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for children known to be eligible for free school meals) is lower than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than in most other schools.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school teaches early years children in two, full-time Reception classes.  The school experienced a period of instability in leadership for about 18 months, up to September 2014. This was brought about through ill health.  The acting headteacher took up her leadership responsibilities provisionally in May 2014 and was officially appointed to this role in May 2015.  The special education needs co-ordinator also became the acting deputy headteacher in September 2014.

p.3

Information about this school

The English and mathematics leaders also took up their leadership responsibilities in September 2014.  The Chair of the Governing Body took up his position in September 2014.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve pupils’ achievement in writing by:  ensuring that all teachers tell pupils clearly about the specific features of writing and the volume of work that they expect  making sure that all teachers give pupils precise advice about spelling, punctuation, grammar and the presentation of their writing.  Improve teaching to outstanding by:  checking that all teachers give pupils, particularly the most able, work that contains a consistently high level of challenge  making sure that all teachers check that pupils follow the advice given to them  teachers in the early years raising boys’ achievement to be as good as girls’.  Further strengthen leaders’ management of teachers’ performance by:  making certain that leaders’ feedback to teachers following observations of teaching focuses on the impact of their teaching on pupils’ learning and progress.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The acting headteacher, together with other leaders, has considerably strengthened the school in a short period of time. She has generated a positive school atmosphere in which good teaching, behaviour and relationships flourish. She has raised teachers’ expectations of their own performance and of pupils’ learning and achievement. These have strongly improved over the last and present years as a result.  The school curriculum is strong. Pupils learn a broad range of subjects, including French, and have very good opportunities to apply and develop key skills in writing and mathematics across different subjects. The school provides pupils with a very good selection of clubs, such as cross country, football, dance and choir.  School aims are explicitly linked to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and to Oxfam’s definition of ‘global citizenship’. A thoughtful programme of assemblies and events, such as a

p.4

The leadership and management are good

recent democracy week, promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. The school’s genuine and deep promotion of rights and British values prepares pupils for life in modern Britain very strongly. It also illustrates how well the school promotes equal opportunities and guards against discrimination.  The acting headteacher has brought about stability to the leadership team. She has supported the development of subject leaders and strengthened leadership at all levels in the school. As a result, subject leaders, while quite new to the role, are effective. They have helped senior leaders improve teaching and raise standards. They contribute to school improvement planning well.  The school makes good use of additional funding to provide an additional teacher and trained teaching assistants. Their work has helped to ensure that disadvantaged pupils’ achievement has improved.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The staff also use the primary physical education and sport premium funding well, with the effect that gymnastics teaching has improved in quality. Pupils’ participation in, and enjoyment of, sports have also improved.  The school has developed good relationships with parents. A large majority of parents who offered an opinion praised the leadership of the school, despite the recent period of instability. Practically all the parents who completed the questionnaire said they would recommend the school to others.  The local authority has given good support to the school. It helped the acting headteacher to raise expectations and develop the role of subject leaders.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. Leaders work well with other agencies and ensure that staff are thoroughly and regularly trained. Pupils are properly protected from harm as a result.  The acting headteacher has tightened the way that teachers’ performance is managed, with the effect that

p.4

The leadership and management are good

teaching has improved. She and other leaders set staff challenging targets and give them helpful and sensible practical advice about how to improve their teaching. However, leaders’ feedback to teachers following observations of teaching does not always concentrate on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. This means that teachers do not necessarily focus on whether their teaching is improving pupils’ learning and achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has become much more efficient than it was previously. Governors are very aware of the need to prevent pupils’ standards from declining again and scrutinise information about pupils’ achievement very closely. They check that leaders expect enough from teachers and give them proper support to enable them to teach well. Governors challenge school leaders to ensure that the school meets or exceeds national expectations of performance. They monitor the quality of teaching and provision carefully and systematically. They ensure that good teaching is properly rewarded and that any underperformance is tackled. Governors check the quality of the school’s safeguarding work diligently and regularly. The acting headteacher appreciates governors’ high expectations and encourages the governors to offer a strong level of challenge. The governing body has a good impact

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils enjoy learning and are proud of their work.  Pupils are polite and treat each other with consideration and respect. They behave well in the playground and during lunchtime, apart from a few occasional minor squabbles.  The school manages pupils’ behaviour well. Pupils are clear about the consequences of any poor behaviour.  School records show very few incidents of poor behaviour over time. They also show that the school has responded effectively to any such incidents. The school has successfully helped the behaviour of a few individuals to improve.  Just occasionally, some pupils can get distracted from their learning. This happens when the level of challenge is not high enough to keep them absorbed.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Leaders check that any possible risks to pupils’ safety are minimised as much as possible. Pupils are taught very well about how to avoid risks and protect themselves. They learn about the availability of support agencies such as Childline.  The school teaches e-safety extremely thoroughly. Pupils who spoke to the inspectors praised this aspect of the school’s work.  Pupils learn about different kinds of bullying, including cyber bullying, physical bullying and verbal bullying. The school holds regular ‘anti-bullying’ weeks that raise pupils’ awareness of bullying very well. Pupils who spoke to the inspectors demonstrated a very good awareness of strategies to avoid bullying. They also emphasised that there was no bullying in the school.  Pupils’ attendance is higher than in most other schools. The school has consistently improved pupils’

p.5

Safety

attendance and lessened persistent absenteeism since 2013.  Pupils said they felt very safe at school. One Year 6 pupil said, ‘Adults are always there to support you, the headteacher always has time for you.’  An overwhelming majority of parents who offered an opinion thought that their children were happy and safe at the school.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Leaders’ high expectations and effective support have improved and ensured that teaching is good. Pupils make good progress in all key stages as a result.  Reading is taught well. The school has improved the way it teaches phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) by grouping pupils so that work is pitched accurately to meet their needs. Pupils demonstrate a genuine love of reading and their progress in the subject is above national expectations.  The school teaches mathematics effectively. Teachers know the subject well and offer pupils clear explanations. However, there are times when teachers do not give pupils, particularly the most able, work that is challenging enough.  The teaching of writing has strongly improved. Teachers have stimulated pupils’ writing through the use of high-quality texts such as Beowulf and War Horse. Teachers also enable pupils to apply their writing skills

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

across a good range of subjects. Pupils’ standards of writing have improved as a result. However, teachers do not always make clear what they expect to see in pupils’ writing, or how much writing they expect pupils to produce. Some work given to pupils, particularly the most able, does not challenge them sufficiently.  Teachers and teaching assistants ask good questions which check pupils’ understanding and deepen their learning. They give pupils clear explanations, demonstrations and advice about how to improve their work. However, teachers do not always give pupils enough advice about their spelling, grammar, punctuation or presentation of work. Teachers do not always check that pupils follow the advice that they have received.  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion thought that their children were taught well.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement steeply declined in 2013 during the school’s period of instability, but has substantially improved since then. Pupils’ work and the school’s own analysis of progress show that all groups of pupils currently in the school make good progress from their starting points. High proportions of pupils now make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.  In 2014, pupils’ results in all subjects at the end of Key Stage 1 were below national expectations, but these results represented good progress from this cohort of pupils’ starting points. Pupils’ results in reading at the end of Key Stage 2 were above average overall, but their writing and mathematics results were below. However, most results in Key Stages 1 and 2 in 2014 were much higher than equivalent results in 2013.  Current pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are producing work much closer to the level expected for pupils’ age

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

in writing and above the level expected in reading and mathematics. This is because pupils apply and develop their skills in these subjects across the rest of the curriculum very well.  The most able pupils’ results at the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 2 strongly improved in 2014. These pupils’ results were very high in reading, but remained lower than national average in other subjects. However, the most able pupils’ attainment has continued to improve and these pupils make good progress across the school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in all years. Their attainment is lower than that of other pupils nationally, but is improving in relation to them. Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that individual pupils’ needs are identified and responded to well.  The school is also quickly narrowing the gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils, both in the

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

school and nationally. In 2014, the end of Key Stage 2 gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school were approximately five terms in mathematics, four terms in reading and two and a half terms in writing. When compared to other pupils nationally, the gaps were about five and a half terms in mathematics, three terms in reading and four terms in writing. However, all these gaps were narrower than they were the year before. Disadvantaged pupils makes good progress in all subjects compared to pupils nationally. Their progress in reading is slightly slower than that of other pupils in the school, but their progress in mathematics and often in writing is faster.  A very large majority of parents who offered an opinion thought that their children made good progress in the school.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 The achievement of early years children is good. Children enter the school with skills slightly below those typical for their age. They make good progress whilst in Reception and are well prepared for later learning. In 2014, children left the Reception year having attained standards above the national average. Children currently in the early years are working to an even higher standard this year.  Children’s behaviour is good. Children work together and share resources happily and in a friendly manner. They enjoy learning and listen to early years staff well.  Early years staff take pains to keep children safe. For example, they monitor the safety of the outdoor area on a daily basis.  Early years teaching is good. Teachers and teaching assistants give children clear guidance, including in phonics, and develop their learning well.  The early years leader and other staff assess children’s skills accurately. They use their understanding of

p.6

The early years provision is good

children’s needs to inform their planning and provision. For example, the early years leader has carefully revised writing activities in recognition of some children’s needs and lower starting points.  Early years staff communicate well with parents and other pre-school providers to help children enter the school happily and ready to learn.  Early years leadership is good. The early years leader has developed the effectiveness of adult-led and child-led learning. She has helped senior leaders ensure that all early years staff have high expectations. As a result, children’s attainment is high and continues to rise. However, school leaders have not yet ensured that boys attain as highly as girls.

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 115901 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 456199

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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 311 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Griffiths Headteacher Nicola Rickman Date of previous school inspection 6–7 March 2012 Telephone number 023 8045 3298 Fax number 023 8045 2167 Email address admin@hamble-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