Bishopswood Infant School

Bishopswood Infant School Barlows Road, Tadley, Hampshire RG26 3NA

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Leaders and governors have brought about significant improvements to the school since the previous inspection. Teaching is consistently good and pupils’ outcomes have improved.  Children get off to a good start in the early years because they are welcomed into a stimulating environment where they make good progress in their academic and personal development.  Pupils achieve well so that by the end of Year 2, their attainment in reading and mathematics is significantly above average. Their attainment in writing is broadly average.  Disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs progress at rates similar to their classmates.  Teachers plan work that is at the right level for pupils and this helps pupils to progress well.  The school grounds have been extensively developed and offer a wide range of activities that develop pupils’ imagination, curiosity and ability to learn from practical experience.

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This is a good school

 Pupils are very well cared for and consequently they feel safe in school and they behave well. Staff help those very few pupils who find some aspects of school difficult to manage. Pupils’ attendance has improved and is now average.  Pupils get on very well together. They enjoy learning about people from different parts of the world and this promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  The curriculum is very well planned to provide stimulating experiences for pupils. It links tightly to the school’s new approach to assessing pupils’ learning. This helps teachers to tailor learning to meet the needs of all pupils.  Leaders and governors are ambitious. They have high expectations for themselves and pupils. Leaders encourage teachers to reflect on their practice and continuously improve their skills. This has created a strong team of dedicated staff.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although pupils’ writing has improved, it remains weaker than reading and mathematics. Pupils do not all have a secure grasp of spelling, handwriting and punctuation. The presentation of their written work is not as good as it should be.  Teaching is not yet outstanding. Teachers do not all provide hard enough work to challenge their most-able pupils.  Staff do not always check quickly enough on those groups of pupils working independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Secure outstanding teaching across the school by ensuring that: all teachers provide work that challenges the most-able pupils pupils are taught to spell and punctuate their work correctly and that their handwriting and the presentation of their work is of the highest quality staff check on groups of pupils working independently to make sure they are working hard and know what they are doing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Since joining the school just before the last inspection, the headteacher has created a strong team of teachers and support staff who share his ambition and drive for continuous improvement. Staff who responded to the survey all agreed that the school has improved significantly since the previous inspection. One member of staff echoed the views of many with her comment, ‘I feel so proud to be a member of such a strong and committed team.’  School leaders and governors have a clear understanding of what the school does well and what needs further improvement. Their plans for development are firmly rooted in an accurate analysis of performance information. Consequently the actions they have taken have brought about considerable improvement across the school. They have successfully addressed most of the issues for improvement from the previous inspection. They know that more still needs to be done to improve pupils’ writing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school motto, ‘Learning and Growing Together’, underpins the ethos and values of the school. Leaders set high expectations for themselves within a culture of self-improvement. Staff reflect on their practice and capitalise on the opportunities they have to further develop their skills. Consequently teaching has improved and is now good.  Leaders make frequent checks on teachers’ work by visiting classrooms, looking at work in pupils’ books and checking pupils’ progress information. Staff are provided with high quality feedback that helps them to improve further. Leaders have taken effective action to improve pupils’ writing so standards in writing are broadly average. However, they know that there is still some way to go to secure good achievement in this subject. That is why leadership and management are not yet outstanding.  The well thought out curriculum is imaginative and captures the interest of pupils. They study a range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

subjects, often through practical activities that stimulate their curiosity. The school grounds allow pupils to study science, mathematics and some aspects of geography through practical experience. Pupils also learn subjects such as art, music and drama outside the classroom.  School leaders have developed comprehensive systems to assess pupils’ learning across all subjects within the new national curriculum. This has enabled them to build a clearer picture of pupils’ individual strengths and weaknesses in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics. It also allows them to identify those pupils who have special talents and ensure they receive the coaching to develop those talents. However, this system has only recently been implemented and so it is too early to see any emerging trends.  Additional activities such as talks by visitors and visits to local places of interest add to pupils’ enjoyment of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

learning. Topics such as ‘The Great Fire of London’ helped them to make links between subjects such as literacy, history and art. They reflected on how it might feel to lose their home and this promoted their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school actively fosters cultural diversity through links it has established with schools both within and beyond the local community. School assemblies allow pupils to reflect on core values such as kindness to others and respect for those from different backgrounds, and as such prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils of all backgrounds are welcomed into school, reflecting the school’s commitment to equal opportunities.  Careful use has been made of additional funding. For example, some of the primary sports funding has been used to train staff to provide high quality physical education as part of the school’s curriculum provision. Some has also been used to subsidise after-school clubs. Pupils now enjoy taking part in a wider

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

range of activities that keep them fit and healthy.  The pupil premium funding has been used effectively to make sure that disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other pupils. Part of it has been used to provide additional support for these pupils in class so that they do not fall behind their classmates. Other pupils have benefited from being able to attend Summer Club, which helps them with their social skills, as well as other activities such as reading.  The school’s arrangements to keep pupils safe are robust. All staff are trained annually to keep them well informed of how to protect children. The school has established good relationships with external agencies to help them support pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable. Staff, governors and parents all agree that the school is a safe and happy place for pupils.  The overwhelming majority of parents agree that the school is well led and managed. Many reported that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

they are welcome in school and that the school responds to any concerns they may have. One parent wrote, ‘The school has a fantastic management team who make continuous improvement and who make the school a great place to be part of.’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school Governors have benefited greatly from training and development and now offer a high level of support and challenge to school leaders. They check the accuracy of the information they are provided with by visiting school regularly. They visit formally as well as informally to meet staff, observe pupils and see for themselves how well the school is led and managed. Governors feel very much part of the school team as they attend staff meetings and staff training, as well as occasionally accompanying the pupils on school visits. Governors have a good understanding of performance information and will challenge school leaders if they feel the school is not doing as well as it should. They know that teaching is good and what steps leaders are taking to secure outstanding teaching. They ensure that reliable evidence is produced before sanctioning pay awards for staff and that arrangements for managing the performance of staff

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are fair and robust. Governors check the school’s finances to ensure that all funds, including the pupil premium funding, are spent wisely. They are well organised and hold school leaders to account for the performance of the school.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is typically good across the school. Staff collaborate and share their ideas and so they have consistent approaches to teaching. They work very well together as a team and so pupils settle quickly as they move from one class to another. Teachers share assessment information to plan learning that builds on what pupils already know and can do. Consequently most pupils achieve well in all aspects of their learning and personal development.  Teachers check on pupils during lessons and they provide additional support and guidance to help pupils to learn. This has been particularly successful in helping disadvantaged pupils to overcome their obstacles and progress as well as other pupils. However, there are times when staff do not make enough checks on those groups of pupils working independently. This means that some pupils wait for too long before they receive the attention they need.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide helpful guidance so that pupils know what they have

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

done well and where further improvements are needed. However, they do not always reinforce the need for accurate spelling, punctuation or grammar and so pupils are slow to develop these skills. Consequently pupils’ progress in writing is slower than in other subjects.  Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning and to learn from their mistakes. This helps pupils to develop positive attitudes and behaviours such as resilience, perseverance and independence. However, work provided for the most-able pupils is not always sufficiently challenging and that is why teaching is not yet outstanding.  Relationships between staff and pupils are good. Teachers plan imaginative lessons that inspire pupils to work. For example, in a Year 2 lesson the teacher asked pupils to identify adjectives to describe a witch. Pupils had a lot of fun thinking up words to depict particular features of a witch, including ‘hairy, smelly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

feet with pointed toenails’.  Most teachers explain clearly to pupils what they are expected to do and this helps pupils to learn. Teachers ask questions that require pupils to think and to reason and to solve problems. Pupils said they enjoyed being challenged because it made them work hard. Teachers use a good range of practical equipment to help pupils complete their work and this helps them to progress well.  Teaching assistants provide good support to teachers. They say they feel a valued part of the school team and that they have equal opportunities for further training and development. Consequently they are skilled in helping pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to progress as well as their classmates.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils love coming to school and are keen to talk to visitors about their favourite activities. They enjoy learning and say that staff make lessons fun. One parent wrote, ‘Staff ensure that children are happy and well cared for.’  School leaders have created a bright, stimulating and safe environment both indoors and outside. The safety of pupils is given very high priority and all staff are encouraged to be vigilant in ensuring that pupils are safe and secure at school. Consequently, pupils are confident that should an incident occur, they would be well looked after.  Pupils learn about values and understand why it is important not to upset anybody. They say that all pupils are treated equally and fairly and that it is unkind to call anybody names. They know about different forms of bullying, including that related to modern technology. However, they say bullying rarely occurs.

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Personal development and welfare

 Through the curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe outside school. They learn about road safety and dangers associated with water and the railways. They know that some substances such as tobacco can be dangerous.  School lunchtimes are calm and well organised. Most pupils have a school lunch that is healthy and nutritious and sets them up well for learning in the afternoons. Pupils know that the right sort of food is important and talk enthusiastically about why they need to stay fit and healthy.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in class and move around the school safely and sensibly. The playground is well resourced with a good range of games and equipment that pupils enjoy using. They play very well together and say that most pupils are friendly, helpful and kind.  Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy good relationships with staff and with each other. They are confident, friendly and helpful and get on very well together regardless of background.  In most lessons, pupils are attentive and they concentrate well. Just occasionally, in those lessons where they are not provided with sufficient challenge, pupils lose concentration and chat among themselves. That is why pupils’ behaviour is not yet outstanding.  Pupils’ attendance has improved and is now broadly average. The school has successfully reduced the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent and the number of fixed-term exclusions has fallen.

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Behaviour

 Governors, staff and parents agree that pupils behave well.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. This is because they achieve well from their different starting points to reach standards that are above average in reading and mathematics. Most groups of pupils achieve equally well. The previous gap between boys and girls has closed owing to actions taken by staff. Pupils’ attainment in writing is improving but does not yet match that in other subjects.  Work in pupils’ books shows that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs progress at rates similar to their classmates. Staff are skilled in pinpointing their problems and putting into place the right actions to help them to overcome their difficulties. Teaching assistants provide focused support by breaking down work into more manageable steps and this helps pupils to better understand what they are expected to learn.  One of the school’s particular strengths is the support provided for disadvantaged pupils and this has

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Outcomes for pupils are good

helped them to achieve similar levels to other pupils. The needs of these pupils are given high priority throughout the school and consequently they make good progress both socially and academically.  Although the most-able pupils are given harder work than other pupils, this is not always at a high enough level to really challenge them. Consequently, the most-able pupils do not always reach the high standards of which they are capable.  Pupils make good progress in reading so that by the end of Year 1 many are reading fluently, confidently and with good understanding. They consistently achieve above the national average in the Year 1 phonics screening check. They confidently use their phonic (letters and sounds) knowledge to good effect when reading unfamiliar words.  Pupils’ progress is slower in writing than in reading and mathematics. This is because they do not have sufficient grasp of spelling, handwriting and punctuation to express their ideas clearly and confidently.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Some teachers’ expectations of pupils are too low and they do not all encourage pupils to present their work to the highest possible standard.  Pupils enjoy mathematics. They have a good conceptual understanding of number and they confidently use this to solve problems, to reason and to work things out for themselves. Teachers are skilled at showing pupils how to complete their work and they provide pupils with appropriate equipment to help them learn.

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Early years provision is good

 Children are warmly welcomed into bright and stimulating classrooms. Classrooms are well organised with a range of exciting resources of high quality that helps children to learn. Provision both indoors and outside is of high quality and children are encouraged to work and play in both areas. All staff are vigilant and provide high quality care to ensure children are well looked after.  The outdoor area has been extensively developed since the previous inspection and offers a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn and play outdoors. For example the ‘building site’ offers children experiences such as measuring, counting, developing physical skills and solving problems. The site office allows them to take notes and provides timely health and safety advice, including the need to wear hard hats when ‘on site’.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class. There are good arrangements in place to help them

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Early years provision is good

before they start school and so they settle quickly into the new routines. They get on very well together and share and take turns and cooperate with each other and with staff. Children behave well and they feel very safe in school.  Teaching is good. Staff know the children well and so they plan learning experiences that build on what children can already do as well as those that inspire their curiosity and imagination. Some activities are directly led by adults while at other times pupils develop independence and resilience by choosing their own activities.  Parents are encouraged to be partners in their children’s learning. Staff have established systems so that information can be shared and both staff and parents contribute to children’s learning records. This helps parents to better understand how they can help their child at home and this helps the children make good progress.  Staff are skilled at asking children questions that deepen their learning and understanding. However, there

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Early years provision is good

are times when children go for too long without adults checking on what they are doing and opportunities to develop their learning are missed.  The proportion of children reaching and exceeding the early learning goals shows a year-on-year increase and is above those found nationally. There are no differences between different groups of children, with all of them achieving well. Consequently they are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.  Leadership of the early years is good. The leader has a good knowledge and understanding of the learning needs of children. She has a skilled team who are reflective and constantly seek new ways to develop what they already do well. Consequently, they have good plans in place to develop early years provision further.

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School details

Unique reference number 116035 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10002386

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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

School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 175 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mary McCrae Headteacher Glen Golding (Executive) Telephone number 0118 981 2836 Website www.bishopswood-inf.hants.sch.uk Email address adminoffice@bishopswood-inf.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12 September 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to most infant schools.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than usual. This is additional funding provided by the government to support those children who, in this school, are in receipt of free school meals.  There is provision for children in the early years in three Reception classes.  The school is federated with the adjacent junior school and the executive headteacher leads both schools.  There have been significant changes to the staff team since the previous inspection.  There is a breakfast club and an after-school club that are run by an external provider and did not form part of this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils working in 12 lessons or parts of lessons, all of which were jointly observed with school leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils read. Inspectors attended two assemblies.  Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers, support staff and pupils. Inspectors also met three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and held a telephone discussion with a representative from the local authority.  Among the documents scrutinised were school improvement plans, minutes from governors’ meetings, and information relating to the quality of teaching and curriculum planning. Inspectors also looked at documentation to see how the school keeps pupils safe.  The views of parents were taken into account by analysing the 33 responses to the online survey Parent View. The inspectors also held informal discussions with parents during the inspection. The views of staff

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Information about this inspection

were considered by analysing the 23 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Steven Hill 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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