Wallop Primary School

Wallop Primary School School Lane, Nether Wallop, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 8EH

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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 Good

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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 Inadequate

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders’ actions have not yet brought about consistently good teaching and outcomes for pupils. Their checks on teaching and learning are not having sufficient impact.  Leaders are not clear whether pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium (funding for disadvantaged pupils and those from service families) and pupils with special educational needs are catching up with their peers in school and nationally.  Some middle leaders do not have sufficient expertise in their areas of responsibility. This means that they are unable to provide support and development for teachers and teaching assistants when it is needed.  Teachers do not always plan lessons at the right level in mathematics. They teach work which is at the expected level for the age of pupils, without taking account of any gaps in understanding.  Teaching assistants sometimes give too much help, so that pupils complete tasks but do not necessarily understand what they are doing.

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Teaching in the early years does not meet children’s needs well enough. Staff do not consistently ensure that all activities help children to make as much progress as they could.  Pupils do not get enough opportunity to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Some pupils and groups have not made up for past underachievement to reach the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils who reach the higher levels is below the national average.

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The school has the following strengths

 Governors and new senior leaders have achieved a great deal in a short time. They know what they need to do to improve the school further.  The English leader, who also leads Key Stage 1, is effective in her role. She is helping to improve teaching and learning in her areas of responsibility.  Teaching and achievement are improving, and many more pupils are working at the appropriate level for their age.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Their personal development and welfare is supported well. Pupils feel safe; staff care for them and keep them safe.

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching is at least good and that pupils catch up to at least the expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics by making sure that: – teachers plan activities which are at the right level and adapt tasks during lessons to meet pupils’ needs, particularly in mathematics – teaching assistants know how to support pupils’ learning effectively, rather than help pupils to complete tasks which they do not understand – pupils are provided with opportunities to practise their writing through longer pieces of work – the most-able pupils are challenged to achieve as much as they can in all subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and management by making sure that: – phase leaders have sufficient expertise to improve teaching and outcomes in their areas of responsibility – checks on teaching are more frequent and lead to more rapid improvements – when checking teaching, leaders evaluate how well pupils are learning so they are clear whether progress is being made during the lesson and over time – leaders and governors analyse the progress of groups more closely, so they can be confident that all groups of pupils are catching up – pupils have enough opportunities to use their skills across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop the early years by making sure that activities are well planned to meet boys’ needs and enable all children to make as much progress as they can.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Since September 2015, new senior leaders have brought about rapid improvements. The culture and ethos of the school are much more positive and focused on pupils’ learning. Leaders are clear about the priorities for further improvement.  Some phase leaders do not have the necessary skills and expertise to ensure teaching and outcomes are good. The headteacher has provided support to develop their skills and, as a result, they are becoming more effective.  The headteacher checks the quality of teaching, but not often enough to get all teaching to a good standard. His evaluations of what is, and is not, helping pupils to make progress are accurate, as is his feedback on what needs to improve. However, the infrequency of checks is hindering the pace of improvement. Other leaders are still developing their skills in evaluating teaching. They tend to focus too much on what teachers are doing, rather than what pupils are learning. This means that they do not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

always notice that pupils are busy but may not be making progress.  The new assessment system is used well by leaders and teachers. Each pupil’s progress is checked carefully every half term. Individuals who are not making enough progress are identified and leaders ensure additional support is provided to help them catch up. However, leaders do not consider the progress of groups enough. This means that they cannot be sure whether the gaps are closing, for example, between boys and girls, and between pupils eligible for pupil premium and their peers.  Pupils develop a good understanding of British values, including the rule of law, democracy and tolerance. They can explain how these areas have an impact on their lives. The school also promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through lessons and assemblies, which, for example, reflect on friendships and respect for others and their beliefs. Pupils enjoy learning about subjects, such

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

as science, and about topics, such as explorers, but they do not get enough opportunities to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in those subjects.  Sport funding is used effectively to develop teachers’ skills and promote sport. An example of this is the subsidy of after-school clubs to make them more affordable for parents. More pupils now participate in external sporting opportunities, such as the area athletics competition and the dance festival.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively. The school considers carefully how best to support pupils’ needs, such as employing a member of staff to develop effective communication with newly arrived service families. This has helped many new pupils to settle more quickly so they are able to make immediate progress in their learning.  Support provided by the local authority has been effective. Assistance with recruitment and development of leaders has enabled the school to move forward rapidly. Local authority subject advisers provide useful

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

training for teachers; this is having a greater impact on the school now that staffing is more stable.  The governance of the school – Governors understand the school well. Since the school became subject to special measures in November 2014, they have rightly prioritised stabilising the leadership and teaching teams. Governors have successfully appointed a substantive headteacher and restructured and appointed the leadership team so that the school has sufficient leadership strength to get to good. Where possible, they have also secured permanent teachers. Governors recognise, and have plans in place to tackle, the ongoing challenge of recruiting and training effective teachers and leaders. – Governors hold leaders to account through rigorous and challenging questions about the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of leaders. They visit school regularly to gather their own evidence and take careful account of external reports to triangulate their evidence.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All appropriate training is in place, including safer recruitment processes. Staff are clear about the processes to follow if they have a concern and their training is updated regularly. Governors keep the school’s safeguarding processes under review and identify ways in which improvements can be made.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Some teachers do not provide activities at the right level to meet pupils’ needs in mathematics. They plan lessons based on what pupils should know by the end of the year, but some do not adapt their teaching once the lesson has started so that it meets pupils’ specific learning needs. Some teachers lack the necessary subject knowledge to deepen pupils’ understanding.  Teaching of reading does not always meet the needs of less confident readers. The whole-class reading lessons help many pupils to develop their comprehension skills, but these sessions do not meet the needs of less confident readers. Pupils who are well below the expected level are receiving effective additional teaching and support, which is helping them to catch up.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is much improved. Teachers and teaching assistants work effectively with groups to teach letter sounds and blends. They then show pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

how to use those skills to work out what short words say. Pupils do not, however, have enough opportunities to practise writing the words they are learning during phonics sessions.  Teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling is effective and pupils in many classes are catching up. However, the opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces are too varied and, in some classes, they do not have enough opportunities to practise their writing skills.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, who are working below the expected level for their age, are taught well. Carefully planned and regularly reviewed programmes help these pupils to make more progress. Similarly, support for pupils with special educational needs, including those with behavioural issues, is well planned and is helping many pupils to catch up.  Support from teaching assistants is variable. Sometimes they give pupils too much help so, although

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

pupils complete tasks, they often do not understand how to do the work independently.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils demonstrate confidence, independence and respect for each other.  Pupils now demonstrate pride in themselves and their school. They keep their books, classrooms and school tidy.  Pupils speak very positively about their lessons and the staff who look after them. They rightly identify that they are kept safe and are cared for as individuals. They say that staff know them well. Parents reiterate this and say that they are very pleased with the care pupils receive.  Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know who to talk to if they are worried and know how to keep safe online.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is above average. Leaders’ checks and regular reporting to parents are helping this to improve further.  Leaders recognise that the behaviour of a few pupils, when travelling on the bus to and from school, is

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Personal development and welfare

not as good as it is in school and action is being taken to tackle this.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good because the recently introduced behaviour policy is consistently followed by all staff. Pupils are clear about expectations and say that behaviour is much better than it was.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils are keen to do their work, even if it is too easy or hard for them.  At breaktime, pupils play cooperatively with other year groups. They enjoy playing games and do not let the games get out of hand. Teachers supervise carefully to ensure this is the case.  Pupils say that there is no bullying and this is reflected in the school’s behaviour records. Pupils are pleased that name-calling and bad language are very rare now.  Exclusions are much less frequent than they were. The school takes rapid action to resolve any behaviour issues so that learning is not disrupted.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Attainment in 2015 was broadly in line with national figures but the percentage of pupils who achieved the higher levels was below. Some groups of pupils, such as pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, did not achieve as well as their peers.  Pupils decode words very well using their phonics and, as a result, read books at the expected or higher levels for their age. However, many pupils do not fully understand what they read as their comprehension skills are not as well developed. In 2015 in phonics, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected level was just above average. This reflects the improvements that have been made to phonics teaching.  Fewer pupils than expected reached the expected level in grammar, punctuation and spelling. The school’s work to tackle this has led to improvements. However, in some classes, pupils’ writing overall is not as good as it needs to be because pupils do not get enough chances to practise writing longer pieces.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 In mathematics, pupils have significant gaps in their learning as a result of weak teaching in the past. In some classes, teachers fill these gaps well and pupils make good progress, based on a sound understanding of mathematical concepts. However, in other classes pupils follow a method to work out answers to sums without understanding the mathematics. This means that when they encounter a new problem many are not able to work out how to solve it.  In 2015, pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium did not achieve as well as their peers. However, since then, progress has accelerated for these pupils as a result of the carefully planned support. Although leaders check progress of individuals, their checks do not help them to compare against other pupils nationally. This means that, although there is evidence of many pupils catching up quickly, the school is not able to prove that they are closing the gap.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils with special educational needs are now making more rapid progress. The specific, and regularly reviewed, programmes are helping this group to catch up.  Pupils are increasingly well prepared for the next stages of their education, whether the move between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 or the more challenging move from primary to secondary. Pupils have the confidence and necessary skills to manage well.  Achievement in other subjects is erratic and reflects the confidence and priorities of each teacher. Leaders have rightly prioritised the effective teaching of core subjects.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The teacher, who is also the early years leader, is new in post. She is developing her knowledge and expertise to ensure all activities meet pupils’ needs as well as they can.  Children are happy and well cared for by adults who know them well. Children work cooperatively with each other to take turns, share toys and discuss their ideas. An example of this was a group of five children working on a picture mat, writing three-letter words to put with the pictures. The children discussed the different pictures and worked well together. Children participate well in activities; however, some of the activities are too structured and do not enable children to become more independent and self-sufficient.  Children’s achievement in most areas is now in line with, or above, the national average. They are making good progress in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics, and most children are working at the

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Early years provision requires improvement

expected level. However, there is a gender difference. All girls reach a good level of development but less than half of the boys achieve the same. The early years leader has planned new topics to motivate boys, but this is in the early stages.  Pupils learn effective skills such as handling scissors and tidying their resources. Children have the personal and organisational skills to cope well as they move to Year 1. Girls are well prepared academically but boys have to catch up when they move into Key Stage 1.  Children’s behaviour is good. They know what is expected of them and conduct themselves well, even when they have to sit for extended periods. Staff manage behaviour well and keep children safe. They follow the school policies and systems for safeguarding and know what to do if they have concerns.

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School details

Unique reference number 115957 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10009289

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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 Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 147 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Higgs Headteacher Martin Lambert Telephone number 01264 781216 Website www.wallop.hants.sch.uk Email address adminoffice@wallop.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 November 2014

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Information about this school

 Wallop is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  Approximately half of the pupils come from service families. This means that more pupils than normal leave and arrive during the school year. Most pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The percentage of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium (extra government funding given to schools to support those known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the local authority and pupils from service families) is well above average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is broadly average.  Pupils in the early years class attend full time.  The headteacher joined the school in May 2015 and the deputy headteacher and Key Stage 1 leaders started in September 2015. There are permanent teachers in five of the six classes.  A new Chair of Governors took over in September 2015.

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Information about this school

 In 2015, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Her Majesty’s Inspector observed six lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher. The inspector also made some shorter visits to classes, listened to pupils reading and looked at pupils’ work in books and on display.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, who is also the inclusion coordinator, other leaders, staff, members of the interim executive board, including the Chair, and a group of pupils from across the school. The inspector also met with two representatives from the local authority.  The inspector took account of parents’ views through informal discussions and 25 responses to Ofsted’s online survey Parent View.  The inspector scrutinised a range of school documentation, including the school’s information on pupils’ progress, the school improvement plan, minutes of governors’ meetings and documents related to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Louise Adams, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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