Hiltingbury Infant School

Hiltingbury Infant School Off Hiltingbury Road, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 5NP

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an outstanding school

 The headteacher has high expectations and demonstrates an unyielding commitment to providing the best start for pupils in all aspects of school life.  All leaders are highly committed and highly effective. Standards have risen considerably since the previous inspection.  The school’s motto, ‘Learn, care and achieve together’ is at the heart of leaders’ vision and work.  Standards are high. Pupils achieve very well in reading, writing and mathematics.  The proportion of pupils who achieve the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics is significantly above national averages.  Teachers plan engaging and highly effective activities. Much teaching is outstanding and pupils say ‘Learning at Hiltingbury is fun!’  The additional resource provision caters extremely well for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties. Pupils achieve a high level of success, making rapid progress across all

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This is an outstanding school

areas of the curriculum.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled. They ask probing questions and ensure pupils, including those with special educational needs, make rapid progress.  Local authority officers know the school well. Support has been useful and timely. Leaders have strengthened many aspects of the school’s work in the light of useful guidance from local authority officers.  Pupils behave very well. They love school and ‘learning well’ is at the top of most pupils’ lists of their favourite things.  The vast majority of parents would recommend the school. They say their children are happy, safe and enjoy learning.  The school develops pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development superbly. Pupils are thoughtful, kind and respectful.  Leadership of the early years is extremely effective. Children make rapid progress and many exceed the early learning goals.  All pupils have an equal chance of success. For

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This is an outstanding school

example, disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as their peers in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils contribute their views effectively though the school council and learning council. Leaders ensure their opinions matter and shape the direction of school improvement.  The school environment, including displays of pupils’ work is top notch. It is well organised, tidy and cared for by pupils. The new library is particularly eye-catching and appreciated.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To develop further the strategic effectiveness of the governing body in order to build on extremely high standards.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Following a period of instability and while in an acting headteacher role, the headteacher made sure that high standards were maintained. Since her appointment to the permanent role in March 2015, the pace of improvement has accelerated; the headteacher has shared her vision for an outstanding education, wholly embraced by governors, staff, parents and pupils. Standards in all aspects of the school’s work, although previously high, have risen further.  The headteacher’s leadership is characterised by a calm and gentle approach, alongside an unwavering commitment to ensuring the very best for every child. She is supported well by the deputy headteacher, and together they have a shaped a strong, cohesive team spirit. The school’s motto ‘Learn, care and achieve together’ is evident in all aspects of its work.  Parents feel welcomed and embrace the many and varied opportunities to contribute to numerous aspects

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

of the school’s work. Regular curriculum evenings, year group open mornings and high levels of communication are highly appreciated and wholeheartedly embraced by parents. Recently, the school library has had a makeover. Parents redecorated, painting splendid illustrations of pupils’ choices of favourite story characters; the school library service offered guidance and the school’s parent teacher association helped with the renovation work. Constructive partnership working, together with high levels of engagement, characterises the team spirit of Hiltingbury Infant School.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well together, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for excellence. Self-evaluation is rigorous, as they scrutinise the school’s performance from every possible viewpoint. Consequently, leaders are quick to initiate support where needed and swiftly address any aspects that occasionally dip. For example, the attainment of middle-attaining boys has risen considerably

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

since the previous inspection. This, in part, is because of well-judged changes to the curriculum making it more appealing to boys.  The school’s curriculum is highly engaging, creative and enriched by trips, extra-curricular opportunities, volunteers and visitors to school. Special events, like the recent traditional tales week, enliven learning opportunities for pupils. Pupils relish contributing their ideas for ‘CHIPS’ – children’s ideas and projects sessions. Teachers go the extra mile to bring learning to life, such as the construction of a mission control centre in a Year 1 class studying the ‘great explorers.’  Performance management procedures are rigorous. Leaders provide teachers with helpful advice and regularly follow-up discussions to support and check progress. All staff show tremendous commitment to being the best they can be and are tenacious in seeking excellence. As a result, the quality of teaching is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

outstanding.  The school is a hub of activity. Every space is well organised and purposeful. The school presents itself well and holds a tidy school award. High-quality displays, language-rich classrooms and a well-stocked and vibrant library all contribute well to pupils’ experiences.  The English and mathematics leaders are highly proficient. They readily identify the school’s strengths and can demonstrate a clear impact on raising standards within their subjects. Carefully-considered action plans, excellent guidance from senior leaders and a commitment to excellence ensures standards are high.  The local authority knows the school well and, although identified as a ‘low priority’ school, officers are quick to offer support when new challenges emerge. For example, helpful guidance was provided to governors to ensure recruitment processes were followed stringently during the recent appointment of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

senior leaders. Other support, such as that given to subject leaders, has contributed well to the successes of the school. The local authority skilfully dovetails support alongside school leaders’ actions and this approach has strengthened the school further.  Additional funding is used exceptionally well. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils receive bespoke support in order to learn well and achieve high standards. Resourceful use of funding, coupled with systematic liaison with parents, ensures pupils benefit greatly.  Pupils hold the school’s sports coach in high regard. Leaders make full use of this expertise to develop the expertise of teachers. In turn, the coach makes certain physical education is not merely an ‘add on’ but matches leaders’ high expectations well. For example, pupils receive awards in celebration assemblies for cooperation or helping others in sports sessions. The integration of this aspect of the curriculum into school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

life is seamless. Sports funding is used very effectively and contributes well to pupils’ all-round well-being.  All pupils have an equal chance of success. Leaders have high levels of commitment to ensuring all pupils learn well, are kept safe and are happy in school. They leave Hiltingbury Infant School with all the skills they need to experience continued success at their junior schools.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding is excellent. They know about different religions and have opportunities to learn about other cultures. Pupils have a sound understanding of modern British values. They understand how democracy works and talk in depth about the rigorous, but fair, school council elections. They are thoughtful and kind towards one another and are proud when their classmates achieve well. In a school assembly pupils sang, ‘Well done, you did you’re best! Well done we’re so

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

impressed!’ The song words encapsulate pupils’ positive attitudes and thoughtful kind-heartedness towards each other.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The governance of the school Governors meet their statutory duties well, such as keeping policies under regular review. They fully immerse themselves in the life of the school, offering appropriate challenge and support to school leaders. Governors understand the link between pay and performance. Governors regularly attend a variety of training to develop their skills and expertise. The governing body’s strategic effectiveness is at a relatively early stage of development, as several governors are comparatively new and inexperienced in their roles. Governors, including the new Chair and vice-chair, are making good use of local authority support in what is a transitional period for this aspect of the school’s leadership arrangements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Record keeping is highly organised and up to date. School leaders keep policies under regular review to ensure they meet requirements. For example, governors have discussed, and made changes to, the safeguarding policy following local authority advice. All required checks are undertaken on adults. Children feel safe and have total confidence that adults will always help them if needed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Teachers have high expectations. They gain much satisfaction from working at the school and, in return, they give their full dedication to ensuring pupils learn well. Teachers are unanimous that the school has continued to improve since the previous inspection. They feel appreciated by school leaders and supported to continually improve and refine their skills.  Teachers plan appealing activities, using assessment information well. Activities are matched well to pupils’ starting points. Teachers ensure that pupils are confident at choosing activities that will provide appropriate challenge. Teaching assistants receive detailed guidance on the purpose of activities and information about pupils’ learning goals.  Teaching assistants provide expert guidance to pupils. Excellent questioning, high levels of care and gentle reassurance are all competencies they exemplify. Pupils, including those who join in from the additional

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

resource provision, respond well, radiate enthusiasm and try their very best. Consequently, many disabled pupils and those with special educational needs feel confident to have a go at mastering new skills. Many make rapid gains in their learning and experience high levels of success.  Parents speak very positively about their involvement in their child’s learning. The school’s website ‘learning platform’ is used well to celebrate pupils’ work and keep parents up to date with classroom activities. A good example is that of the video clip of pupils in Year 2 retelling the Fire of London.  Writing is a strong aspect. Teachers carefully develop pupils’ spelling, grammatical and sentence-writing skills. Pupils are then able to apply their skills when writing for a wide range of purposes. During the inspection, pupils in Year 2 used their skills effectively to find out about famous people such as Prince

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

William and Major Tim Peake. Well-planned tasks encourage pupils to think deeply and find things out independently. For example, pupils were keen to know more about Major Tim Peake’s space rocket and if there were women in space too. Pupils apply their good grasp of sentence writing and highly effective use of spelling strategies to produce impressive, thoughtful pieces of writing.  Pupils love mathematics and say it is their favourite subject. They relish opportunities to solve tricky problems or learn new calculation strategies. They are highly effective mathematicians and confidently use a range of written approaches or practical equipment to find the correct answers. They reflect well and enjoy high levels of success. One pupil noted ‘I can’t believe I learned to tell the time today and I didn’t even need help!’ Pupils are proud of their achievements, work well independently and make rapid progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Leaders continually seek excellence. Standards in the Year 1 phonics check are just above average. Nevertheless, all share the ambition to do better still. Teachers have received helpful training and regularly review how well pupils are grasping new sounds. Teachers are highly skilled at ensuring pupils develop a rapid and secure understanding of letters and sounds, applying these successfully when reading unknown words or spelling tricky words when writing. As a result, standards in phonics (the sounds that letters make) and pupils’ early reading skills are improving further.  Pupils read well, with expression, fluency and the skills needed to self-correct when necessary. The recent improvements made to school facilities has rekindled and heightened pupils’ love of reading. Pupils’ eyes light up when they describe their new library saying, ‘It is a lovely, quiet place to read.’  Parents agree that teaching is excellent. One parent commented, ‘All staff including the headteacher,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

teachers and teaching assistants know my child well.’ Lessons are characterised by high levels of care, guidance and support to all pupils from teachers and teaching assistants alike.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils’ views are at the heart of the school’s work. School councillors and learning councillors regularly meet with leaders to review and discuss school activities. For example, the English leader has recently met with the learning council to allow pupils to discuss the school’s recent ‘traditional tales week’. Pupils’ opinions are used effectively in guiding teachers when they are planning curriculum activities and enhance pupils’ experiences of school further.  The school’s system to develop ‘essential life skills’ contributes extremely well to pupils’ social development and attitudes to learning. Pupils have mature attitudes to learning and many show high levels of independence. They have all the skills they need to be either a reflective learner, a creative thinker or an independent enquirer.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They know about different types of bullying and know

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Personal development and welfare

how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils say that adults care for them and make sure they stay safe. Pupils are confident that the school’s ‘red cap’ pupils always ensure everyone has a friend at playtimes.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils conduct themselves well, acting as positive role models and ambassadors of the school. They display high levels of respect to each other and adults. They understand what is expected and display high levels of self-discipline. In assembly, pupils listen attentively, showing exceptional levels of concentration and interest, rarely requiring adult reminders.  Attendance is above average. Authorised absence has fallen and is now well below the national average. Pupils enjoy coming to school. One parent said, ‘Pupils enjoy coming to school because it is such a magical place to be!’  Pupils are courteous and polite. They play well together and encourage each other, including those in Reception classes. This is a cohesive school community, where there are high levels of respect for each other from the word go.  School leaders log concerns and incidents carefully, demonstrating a high level of commitment and,

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Behaviour

indeed, success at resolving incidents to everyone’s satisfaction. The headteacher keeps open lines of communication meticulously with parents so that everyone is well informed. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare and there are no exclusions.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Pupils achieve high standards. For the last three years, standards at the end of Year 2 have been significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils achieve very well and are equipped well for the challenges of Key Stage 2.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Many achieve the higher levels and their achievement in 2015 was above that of other pupils nationally.  All pupils have an equal chance of success. Most pupils including boys, girls, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, pupils who speak English as an additional language and disadvantaged pupils achieve the standards expected for their age. Many exceed them.  The most-able pupils achieve well. The proportion who achieve the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics is significantly above the national average. This is because teachers and teaching assistants

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

work together effectively to ensure pupils are fully challenged to reach their full potential.  The teaching of phonics is effective. Standards are just above average and rising steadily. Leaders have ensured that teachers have received regular training. Pupils read fluently and are able to apply their decoding skills confidently to unknown words.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good and sometimes rapid progress. The leadership of this aspect of the school’s provision is particularly strong. The headteacher, teacher with responsibility for disabled pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and the manager of the additional resource provision work closely together to ensure high standards. Many pupils with specific difficulties catch up and achieve as well as their peers.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Teachers plan in depth and ensure activities hold great appeal. Children respond well, whether weighing pirate treasure to investigate balance or listening to a parent talking about her newborn baby. Real-life experiences give children regular opportunities to ask their own questions and deepen their understanding.  Children love learning at Hiltingbury Infant School. They happily choose, or are guided towards, appropriate activities and become absorbed swiftly into their tasks. They show high levels of concentration and persistence, determined to do their best, whether designing a treasure map or retelling a pirate story to an adult. They gain much satisfaction from learning well.  The teaching of early reading skills is highly effective. During the inspection, children enjoyed finding sounds written in chalk on the playground. They chorused confidently the sounds their letter patterns made. Adults are highly skilled at planning outdoor activities, across all areas of learning, to consolidate

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The early years provision is outstanding

and extend children’s understanding and experiences. Since the previous inspection, improvements made to the outdoor area have ensured this is now a much more user-friendly space.  Reception classes are characterised by high-quality teaching and outstanding adult support. Children readily engage in activities as they hold great appeal. Adults seek opportunities to engage in dialogue, exploring children’s ideas and understanding skilfully. They know children well and maximise opportunities to challenge and extend their ideas. This means that, for all children, progress in all areas of learning is outstanding.  Assessment is used well. Parents make regular contributions using the school’s electronic system. Parents and teachers work closely together and children’s learning needs are understood very well as a result. School records show that children are making rapid progress since joining the school in September.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children start school with the skills and understanding typical for their age. Many make good and often rapid progress in all areas of learning and achieve or exceed the early learning goals. Standards are extremely high.  Safeguarding procedures are robust. Staff keep a close eye on children and ensure they are safe. Children have confidence in adults.  Leaders make good use of external support, such as that received from Shepherd’s Down Special School, to ensure disabled pupils and those pupils with special educational needs achieve well. In 2015, children with special educational needs achieved as well as their classmates and were well prepared with the skills and understanding needed for Year 1.  The leader of early years, the deputy headteacher, knows the department well. Teachers are supported well and receive helpful advice. Because of leaders’ insightful evaluations, alongside the whole team’s high

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The early years provision is outstanding

levels of commitment, standards continue to rise. Children get off to a cracking start and are prepared well for Key Stage 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 115980 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10003731

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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.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 272 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Colette Fretton Headteacher Mrs Cathy Moden Telephone number 02380 265414 Website www.hiltingbury-inf.hants.sch.uk Email address admin@hiltinbury-inf.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 October 2010

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Information about this school

 Hiltingbury Infant School is a larger-than-average-sized infant school. There are nine classes in the school.  The early years provision comprises of three Reception classes. Children attend full time.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language are below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school shares an additional resource provision for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties with Hiltingbury Junior School. This provision has 12 places.  Following the previous inspection, the headteacher, who was deputy headteacher at the time, took up the

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Information about this school

role of acting headteacher. She became the permanent headteacher in March 2015.  The school holds several awards including healthy schools awards, ICT Mark and a tidy schools award.  The school has a before- and after-school club. This was visited as part of this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons, 11 of which were visited jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors heard some Year 2 pupils reading and discussed their reading progress with them. A meeting was held with the school council and learning council.  Inspectors considered 117 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, 28 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 37 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire. They also considered two letters received from parents.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders, class teachers and three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  A meeting took place with a representative from Hampshire local authority.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors observed pupils at playtimes.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current

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Information about this inspection

progress, teachers’ planning, records of leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching, records of behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to keeping pupils safe.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Farr, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christopher Crouch Ofsted Inspector Jennifer Boyd Ofsted Inspector Debra Anderson 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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