Greatham Primary School

Greatham Primary School Petersfield Road, Greatham, Liss, Hampshire GU33 6HA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet good and so current pupils are not making fast enough progress in the majority of year groups.  Teachers do not always ensure that the work is challenging enough for pupils, especially those of average ability.  Some teachers fail to check that pupils have always corrected their mistakes.  In recent years few pupils have made good progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2.  Disadvantaged pupils do less well than their peers and gaps in attainment are not closing quickly.  Some adults do not teach phonics effectively.  Behaviour is not consistently good and some pupils fail to present their work neatly.  Early years provision does not enable all children to make good progress in all areas of the curriculum.  Some school leaders have insufficient time to check and improve the quality of teaching.  Leaders’ plans for improvement focus on the right things but do not set out clearly enough what

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This is a school that requires improvement

needs to be achieved and by when.  A few teaching assistants are unable to demonstrate the skills needed to help pupils to behave well and make good progress with their learning.  Pupils rarely apply their English and mathematics skills in other subjects.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has led well through a challenging period of change. The school is now improving.  Governors give the school clear direction and challenge leaders to make the necessary improvements.  There are strong partnerships between the school and parents. Parents are very supportive of the school.  Safeguarding procedures are effective.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare are good.  The most-able pupils are now making good progress, especially in Years 5 and 6.  The school promotes equal opportunities and supports pupils with disabilities or special educational needs well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching in all key stages so that more pupils make rapid progress by ensuring that: teachers apply systems for marking and feedback consistently so that pupils learn from their mistakes the new assessment systems are used to identify the next stages of learning effectively so that tasks are challenging enough for all groups of pupils, especially those who are of average ability or are disadvantaged pupils have the opportunity to apply their English and mathematics skills in other subjects all teaching assistants make a consistently effective contribution to learning.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: all leaders have the time to check and improve the quality of teaching a teacher is given responsibility to lead the teaching of phonics so that it is consistently good and improves pupils’ reading that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to improve their outcomes

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

the curriculum and environment in the early years broadens children’s experiences in all areas of learning all members of the school community have the highest expectations of behaviour at all times plans for improvement have clear milestones so everyone knows what needs to be achieved and by when.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher took up her post a few weeks before the previous inspection. Her determined work to improve the quality of teaching has been slowed down by significant changes in staffing since then. She has, rightly, tackled previous underperformance rigorously but this has not left her with enough time to focus on other areas requiring her attention.  A stable team of senior and middle leaders is now in place, but as yet these leaders have not all had time to check on the quality of teaching regularly and make the necessary improvements. As a result, all areas of the school continue to require improvement.  Improvement plans focus on the right things but lack clear milestones of what should be achieved and by when. Consequently, some teachers and leaders are not always clear about which identified improvements they should focus on first.  Spending of the funds for disadvantaged pupils has lacked careful targeting to improve these pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

academic attainment and progress. Therefore there are wide gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally.  Key areas of the school’s work such as the leadership of early years and the teaching of phonics (the sounds letters make) have not received enough attention from senior leaders so there has been some underachievement by pupils in these areas.  The headteacher has a very clear vision of what teaching and learning should be like at Greatham and has been successful at putting this in place since September. A consistent approach can now be seen throughout the school.  Middle leaders, such as the subject leaders for English and mathematics, have benefited from local authority support and now have the skills necessary to carry out their roles effectively.  Performance management procedures have been used well to reward the best teachers and tackle previous underperformance. The headteacher gives teachers clear developmental feedback to help them

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

to improve their teaching.  The school has successfully worked with the local authority to commission expertise from external consultants for training and support to improve teachers’ knowledge and skills.  The provision for pupils with disabilities or special educational needs is a strength of the school, due to dedicated leadership in this area.  In Key Stages 1 and 2 the curriculum is engaging and stimulates pupils’ interest. For example, Year 5 pupils have enjoyed their space topic and especially learning about UFO hoaxes. In all year groups, the use of a class text has enhanced the teaching of English and has led to valuable links with other areas of the curriculum, such as Year 6 pupils developing a sensitive understanding of the holocaust.  A varied selection of extra-curricular activities, a wide range of trips and visitors in all year groups, and a residential visit for older pupils contribute to a wide curriculum that is valued and enjoyed.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 British values of respect and tolerance are promoted well, supporting the school’s aims of ’Care, achieve and aspire’. In addition, good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development means that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The new physical education leaders have enthused pupils and ensured that the school does well in competitive sport. While the primary sports premium fund has been spent effectively, there has only been a limited analysis of its impact.  Parents are very supportive of the school. They say it is well led and they receive ample information about how well their children are doing.  The governance of the school Since the previous inspection governors have reflected on what needs to change in the school. They reconstituted their membership by recruiting governors with the specific skills and expertise needed to drive forward the necessary improvements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Governors were very supportive of the difficult actions the headteacher took to improve teaching; they can recognise the early signs of improvement with the current team of staff. Nevertheless, they also provide constant challenge to the headteacher and other school leaders, especially in relation to the effective use the of pupil premium and primary sports funds. Governors now have an accurate view of the school and are determined to make it the school of choice for parents and teachers in the local area. By attending training and implementing what they learn, governors ensure that they meet their statutory responsibilities around safeguarding, and check that the curriculum is broad and balanced and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have up-to-date relevant training and the school carries out a regular risk assessment to ensure that their procedures remain compliant with the latest

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

best practice. The school works well with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Pupils told inspectors that sometimes teachers are not clear about what they are expected to do or do not explain things well. During the inspection, there were examples of times when teachers could have given a fuller explanation or modelled to pupils an example of how to complete a task.  Sometimes tasks are too easy for pupils, especially for those of average ability, because teachers do not always assess what pupils know before a lesson or make changes in lessons when tasks are not at the right level of challenge.  In some lessons, teachers focus too much on managing behaviour rather than moving pupils’ learning on to help them make progress. For example, some teachers spend too much time asking pupils to work quietly even when the discussions taking place are clearly helping pupils to develop and deepen their understanding of the concept being taught.  Most pupils are organised into ability groups for the teaching of phonics and spelling. However, school

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

leaders have not monitored the effectiveness of these groups recently. Consequently, some groups were seen receiving good-quality, targeted teaching that helped pupils to improve their skills; in some other groups, teaching was confused and lacked a clear focus.  The school’s well thought out policy for marking pupils’ work and giving them feedback is applied consistently across the school. Pupils understand it well and say it helps them to improve their work. However, there are times when they do not follow up teachers’ marking so that mistakes remain uncorrected.  There are positive relationships between adults and pupils in classrooms. Adults who work with individual pupils with disabilities or special educational needs are skilled at providing support and resources so they can access the learning being completed by other pupils.  Many teaching assistants are skilled at leading groups of pupils to help them make good progress with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

specific elements of their learning. Where they are most effective, teaching assistants teach a group of pupils who need different instructions and support to understand what is being learnt. However, a few teaching assistants are less effective, especially if they fail to spot some pupils who need extra support during the introductions to lessons to understand what is being taught or to behave sensibly.  Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use subject-specific vocabulary in English and mathematics well. The school has a consistent approach to providing pupils with prompts on ‘working walls’ to aid their learning. Older pupils say they find them helpful when they are working on their own. Consequently these older pupils, particularly those who are the most able, are making better progress than others elsewhere in the school.  Whole school policies to use a class text as a basis for work in English and to use practical apparatus to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

support understanding in mathematics are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning in these subjects. There is, however, more scope for pupils to apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills in other subject areas.  The school has adopted a new method of assessment which is based on a format provided by the local authority. The system allows school leaders to track areas of the curriculum where pupils would benefit from better teaching.  Teachers ensure that there is equality of opportunity in their classrooms. Boys and girls are catered for equally well, as are pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs.  The vast majority of parents believe that teaching is good in the school and feel that the homework which is set is the right amount for their child.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  All adults in the school, from the headteacher to the cook, know each pupil as an individual and genuinely care about their welfare and personal development.  Older pupils take on roles of responsibility such as young governors and junior road safety officers, and act as playtime buddies to younger children.  A range of extra-curricular clubs, opportunities to take part in competitive sport and many healthy eating options promote pupils’ physical well-being.  The most vulnerable pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are supported very well by the school, particularly through interventions that enable them to be ready to learn.  Pupils are confident and generally articulate about their views of learning. By the time they leave Greatham, they are ready for the challenges of secondary school both academically and socially.

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Personal development and welfare

 Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils know about different types of bullying and are confident that any issues will be dealt with by the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Pupils learn how to stay in safe in school and when they are online. They say they feel safe in school because there are adults to watch over them and buddies to play with them.  Pupils’ spiritual and moral development are promoted particularly well. Preparing for the harvest festival that took place during the inspection, pupils were able to articulate the reasons why the festival was celebrated and how they could help others by donating food to the local food bank.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  The school’s behaviour policy is not consistently applied by all members of staff. As a result, some incidences of poor behaviour, such as pupils running down the corridor or jostling when lining up, go unchallenged by some members of staff.  A few pupils demonstrate unhelpful attitudes to learning in some lessons when they call out or make silly remarks that distract others.  The quality of presentation in pupils’ workbooks is variable, showing that not all pupils take pride in their work.  Successful systems help the few pupils who find managing their behaviour most challenging to make improvements over time.  Rates of attendance are above the national average demonstrating that pupils enjoy coming to school on a daily basis. Persistent absence is low.  Surveys completed during the inspection show that staff and parents believe that overall behaviour is

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Behaviour

good in the school. However, observations during the inspection demonstrated this is not always the case.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Very few current pupils are making better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This continues a trend of pupils making limited progress in recent years. The relatively few disadvantaged pupils in each year group are now making similar progress to their peers. However, this is not closing the wide gaps in attainment quickly enough because support, funded through the pupil premium, is not targeted well enough.  Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs are making similar progress as their peers, some of them from low starting points.  Progress in subjects other than English and mathematics requires improvement because there are not enough planned or recorded opportunities for pupils to demonstrate how they have deepened their knowledge or applied their skills.  School assessment information and work seen in pupils’ books and in lessons during the inspection indicate that a higher proportion of current pupils are now making the progress that is expected in

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, in most year groups the majority of pupils are working at age-related expectations in these subjects. The most-able pupils in Years 5 and 6 are making rapid progress. This is because teachers give them tasks to deepen their thinking and engage their skills. They used the formulae for the area of a circle and rectangle to calculate the areas of different colours on flags from different countries.  Pupils who are of average ability often make less progress than their peers as they are sometimes left to work independently on tasks that are too easy.  Pupils from service families are making good progress from their starting points because teachers meet their individual needs well.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is broadly average, meaning that the majority of pupils are well prepared for secondary school.  Parents who completed the Parent View survey at the time of the inspection believe that their children

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The majority of children enter the early years setting with skills and abilities that are broadly in line with those expected for their age. For example, they are able to listen, play together and speak in simple sentences.  The proportion of children who reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year is above average and these pupils are well prepared to start Year 1. However, the number of children exceeding age-related expectations at the end of the year is below average, showing that the outcomes in the early years require improvement overall.  Phonics and mathematics are taught daily but other areas of the curriculum, including personal, social and emotional development, are not given enough time. This, combined with a classroom which limits opportunities for children to make choices about what they will do, restricts the progress that is made across all areas of learning.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Some activities are interesting and grab children’s attention. After being inspired by the teacher telling them a story dressed as a witch, a group of them independently explored making potions out of coloured water and used creative language in the style of a magic spell. Other children enjoyed making a broomstick out of sticks and a nest out of leaves for a hedgehog.  Children sometimes lose focus playing outside because staff do not organise enough purposeful activities or their interactions with children are not always targeted carefully to deepen learning.  Relationships are warm and positive and children are happy. They feel safe and levels of supervision are good. A high level of care is shown to pupils with disabilities or special educational needs.  Parents are very positive about their children’s experiences when starting school. There are good links with the local nursery. Partnerships with parents are strong with a well-used electronic system so parents

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Early years provision requires improvement

can see what their children have learnt at school. Safeguarding procedures in the setting are effective.  Senior leaders recognise that they should check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and the quality of the provision in the early years setting, more regularly and rigorously.

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School details

Unique reference number 115898 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10002372

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School details

This inspection 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 186 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Hedicker Headteacher Jo Goman Telephone number 01420 538224 Website www.greathamschool.co.uk Email address info@greathamschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 September 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average primary school.  The school provides full-time early years provision in one Reception class.  Since the previous inspection there have been many staffing changes. Five teachers have left and five teachers have joined the school in the last year.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is low compared with the national average. This is additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils and children of families in the armed forces.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is below that found in primary schools nationally.  The vast majority of pupils are of white British heritage. Very few pupils have a first language other than English.  The school meets the current government floor standards which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in each class and also made shorter visits to a number of lessons and intervention groups. Several observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher or other senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other school leaders, three governors, a small group of teachers and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class, in the dining hall and on the playground to seek their views about the school. They also met with groups of children more formally to talk about their work and heard some pupils read.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of school documents including assessment information, minutes from governors’ meetings, improvement plans and records about the quality of teaching.  Inspectors considered 67 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire and spoke to some parents before school at the beginning of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of 17 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Lee Selby, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Sue Quirk Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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