Berrywood Primary School

Berrywood Primary School Maunsell Way, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2TL

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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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

 The headteacher has created a highly skilled team of leaders at all levels. Together, their outstanding leadership has brought about substantial improvements to the school since the previous inspection.  Leaders introduced a rigorous programme of coaching and training that raised the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good. And an increasing proportion of teaching is outstanding.  Teachers make effective use of assessment information to plan work that is at the right level for most pupils.  Pupils work hard and they make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They make good progress in other subjects.  The school provides a rich and stimulating curriculum for pupils. The extensive school grounds provide a wealth of opportunities for pupils to learn outdoors, often from first-hand experience.  Staff provide high-quality care for pupils, especially those whose circumstances may make

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This is a good school

them more vulnerable. Consequently, pupils feel very safe in school.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They get on well together and they have positive attitudes to learning. They appreciate the lengths staff go to to create enjoyable learning experiences.  Children are warmly welcomed into the early years. They make good progress in all aspects of their development.  The leadership team have established a clear vision and ethos for the school. They have built a team of talented staff who are ambitious and enthusiastic and who share this vision. Consequently the school is good and improving.  Governors rigorously hold school leaders to account. While they support leaders, they also provide a high level of professional challenge.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Time is occasionally wasted in some lessons because the learning activities provided are not always appropriate and the pace of learning slows.  In a few lessons, the most able pupils are not provided with sufficient challenge.  Teachers do not provide pupils with enough information about how they can improve their work in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of teaching that is outstanding by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

extending the good-quality feedback provided to pupils in English and mathematics to other subjects ensuring that the most able pupils are consistently challenged in all classes making sure that the best use of time is made in all lessons.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The headteacher has created a highly effective team of leaders and teachers who are ambitious and determined to secure a high-quality education for all pupils in a safe, stimulating environment. Under the guidance of the dedicated headteacher, they have worked tirelessly to bring about substantial improvements to the school since the previous inspection. Consequently, teaching is now consistently good with an increasing proportion that is outstanding.  School leaders make very effective use of a range of information to help them to understand what the school is doing well and what needs to be improved further. They have ambitious plans for development that are based on securing high academic standards for pupils within a stimulating and inspirational environment. In addition to improving the quality of education, school leaders have developed the extensive school grounds to provide enriching learning experiences for pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 School leaders have implemented an extensive programme of coaching and development to improve teachers’ skills. They have very high expectations and have established an ethos in which only the best will do. Consequently, teachers are enthusiastic and see training as a means to helping them to become even better teachers. Despite significant improvements, leaders are not complacent and continue to support staff at all levels to become the very best.  There is a comprehensive system in place to check the quality of teachers’ work. All leaders frequently visit classrooms, formally as well as informally, and they check work in pupils’ books routinely. They provide clear feedback to staff together with targets for improvement. Teachers are held fully to account for pupils’ progress. They know that their progression on the salary scale is dependent on the quality of their work.  Following the government’s decision to remove national curriculum levels, school leaders developed their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

own system to record and track pupils’ progress. This provides them with a clear view of the learning and progress of each pupil and allows them to check that all groups of pupils achieve equally well. This shows how well the school promotes equal opportunities for all pupils. Discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated.  Disadvantaged pupils are given excellent support both academically and socially and emotionally. Part of the additional funding has been used to support the role of a ‘pupil premium champion’ who oversees the provision and outcomes for these pupils individually. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils and, in some cases, better than other pupils.  The school offers pupils a wide range of stimulating experiences. Although English and mathematics are given high priority, pupils also benefit from opportunities to use the school grounds to learn subjects such

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

as science, geography and art. Pupils particularly enjoy gardening and speak enthusiastically about growing their own fruit and vegetables to sell on ‘market days’.  Displays of pupils’ work show that the school provides a wide curriculum that is enriched by visits to local places of interest and beyond. Pupils learn about the lives, faiths and beliefs of those from other backgrounds. This instils in them a tolerance and respect for others, developing their understanding of British values. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very effectively through subjects such as art, music and religious education.  The range of extra-curricular activities is exceptional. In addition to numerous sports clubs, there is a range of clubs including choir, gardening, cookery and computing. This greatly adds to pupils’ enjoyment of school and helps to encourage their participation in the wider school community.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Physical education (PE) is given high priority within the school. School leaders used part of the primary schools sports funding to employ a full-time PE leader. Although he spends some time teaching classes or groups of pupils, he also works alongside staff to help them to improve their skills and confidence. This increased the quality of sports provision and developed a sustainable model that will ensure pupils have high-quality PE in the future. The school takes part in a wide range of sporting competitions both locally and at county level.  Parents who spoke to inspectors or responded to the online survey were overwhelmingly positive about leadership. One parent reflected the views of many when she commented: ‘The school has gone through a very positive transformation over the last three years under the guidance of the headteacher. He manages the school with a very balanced approach and has been pro-active in helping us to resolve any

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

issues.’  The local authority have reduced the level of support they provide as they are confident that school leaders have the capacity to continue to improve. However, the school ‘buys in’ advisory support as it sees necessary.  The governance of the school Governors have an excellent understanding of the work of the school. They visit often and are highly visible among the school community. They work closely with leaders so they see for themselves how well the school runs on a day-to-day basis. They have an excellent understanding of school performance information and have been fully supportive of the actions taken by school leaders to improve teaching. They oversee the quality of performance management and test the rigour of leaders’ judgements thoroughly when considering pay increases. Governors have a clear understanding of performance information and they know how well pupils achieve across the school. They monitor the standards pupils reach and they focus especially on

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs or disability. Governors’ minutes show they are well organised with clear committee structures to help them manage their workload. They provide a high level of professional challenge to school leaders as well as supporting leaders to bring about the required changes. Many governors have specific responsibilities and this helps them to check the quality of policies and practices in aspects of the school’s work such as health and safety, safeguarding and the management of the school’s finances.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school, with the safety of pupils given very high priority. All staff and governors have had recent high-quality training on how to respond if they believe a pupil is at risk from harm. Within school, staff are vigilant and know the procedures to be undertaken should a concern be raised. Staff are fully aware of their legal

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

and moral responsibility to keep pupils safe. Records are thorough and show the involvement of external agencies when needed. Leaders and governors have had training on the prevention of extremism and clearly understand the risks posed to pupils.  All adults who visit school are carefully checked and vetted and robust records are kept of these checking procedures.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Staff have benefited from a programme of training and development that has improved their skills and made them better teachers. They value the support and help they receive from leaders and have fully embraced the changes to teaching that leaders introduced. Consequently teaching is good and improving still further.  Pupils trust and respect their teachers and this creates a very positive climate for learning. Classrooms are bright and attractive, with stimulating displays that help pupils to learn. Teachers provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to think and talk about their learning so they understand what they are expected to do.  One of the particular strengths of teaching is the way in which teachers use assessment information to guide their planning so that work provided for pupils is usually at the right level. During lessons, teachers check on pupils’ work and adapt activities as needed so that the majority of pupils make at least good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

progress. Teachers provide additional challenge for the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics, and so they achieve well.  Teachers have established a culture in which pupils are not afraid to make mistakes and this encourages them to try their best. Work in pupils’ books shows that teachers provide clear guidance to pupils about how they can improve their work in English and mathematics. Pupils respond to these comments and know that they learn from their mistakes.  Teachers have good subject knowledge, owing to recent training. They use this to probe pupils’ understanding by asking questions that deepen their knowledge and concepts. Consequently, lessons move at a brisk pace and pupils learn effectively. Just occasionally the pace of learning slows because the activities pupils do are not always appropriate and time is wasted.  In many lessons, teachers link subjects together so pupils gain a broader view of what they are learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Often, learning takes place outside as teachers use the outdoor environment as much as possible. For example, during the inspection pupils in a Year 1 class learned about coordinates by physically moving around a grid with squares.  Teaching assistants are well trained and make a valuable contribution in lessons. They help individual pupils or groups of pupils and provide very effective support to teachers and pupils. This is of particular benefit to disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability, as it helps them to understand what they have to do and builds their confidence.  Although pupils receive valuable feedback in writing and mathematics, this good practice is not consistently seen in other subjects such as science and topic work and so their progress is not always as rapid in these subjects as it should be. School leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to extend

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

the good practice to all subjects of the curriculum.  Just occasionally the work provided for pupils is too easy and does not provide enough extension, particularly for the most able pupils, in subjects other than mathematics.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are extremely well cared for and so they feel very safe in school. They love the outdoor facilities which include woodland, an allotment, gardens and space where they can run around or just sit quietly chatting or reading. This promotes all aspects of their physical, mental and emotional health very effectively.  Through the enriched curriculum, pupils learn to grow fruit and vegetables. They learn about conservation and the need to look after their world and so they grow into healthy and responsible young people. They take part in a wide range of physical activities, both indoors and outside. Pupils say there is something for everyone.  Pupils enjoy the range of responsibilities they have within school. For example, several act as head gardeners, helping to supervise other pupils when they take care of the plants. Others act as

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Personal development and welfare

conservationists and the school council plays a key role in suggesting how further improvements can be made.  Disadvantaged pupils are very well cared for owing to the support provided by the pupil premium champion. All teachers complete a ‘pen portrait’ for each disadvantaged pupil in their class and their social, emotional and academic progress is evaluated and discussed each term. This allows staff to identify the right level of support for these pupils and so they grow in confidence and achieve as well as their classmates.  Pupils know about different forms of bullying but are adamant that it rarely occurs. They are confident that adults respond to any concerns and would help them should an incident arise. Pupils have been very well taught about the need to stay safe when using modern technology. They know it is unwise to give out any personal information or to make unpleasant comments about people when using the internet or

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Personal development and welfare

other mobile devices.  School leaders give safeguarding a high priority and they have created a culture of safety within school. Consequently, pupils know how to stay safe from dangers outside school including those associated with roads, water and substances such as tobacco and some non-medicinal drugs.  The breakfast club provides pupils with a nutritious start to the day and the after-school club provides pupils with a variety of activities that help keep them fit and healthy. The clubs are well attended and provide a safe and happy environment for pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Most pupils behave well in class and when moving around the school. They get on well together and enjoy sharing their ideas in class and show respect towards the values and beliefs of each other. They are respectful and courteous and thoroughly enjoy talking to visitors about their school.  The vast majority of pupils who spoke to inspectors and who returned the questionnaires said that poor behaviour is rare and is quickly addressed by staff. Staff implement the school’s behaviour policy consistently so pupils understand how they are expected to behave.  Records held by the school show very few reported incidents relating to pupils’ behaviour. Attendance is above average and the rate of persistent absence is well below average. There have been few exclusions in recent years.  Very occasionally, a few pupils lose interest and their concentration slips when their work is too easy or

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Behaviour

when the pace of the lesson slows. They become bored and fidgety and do not focus on their work.  The vast majority of parents who completed the online survey agreed that their children were safe, happy and well cared for at school and that they behaved well. Staff and governors agreed that pupils’ behaviour at school was good. One parent echoed the views of many with her comment: ‘Both my children are so happy at Berrywood. They love going to school. It is such a safe, happy positive learning environment.’

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics as well as in other subjects including PE, music and art. Owing to training from school leaders, teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve are high and they demand a lot from pupils. Consequently there is a marked improvement in standards in all year groups, with the majority of pupils reaching and often exceeding the expectations for their age.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability achieve well and make progress at rates similar to their classmates. This is because teachers work closely with the inclusion team to identify pupils’ specific needs. This helps them to provide the right support in class or provide them with special programmes of work that help them catch up with other pupils. Often, trained teaching assistants help in class by sensitively explaining what it is they are to learn.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 One of the school’s particular successes is the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. These pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils owing to the coordinated way in which they are supported. The pupil premium champion works closely with class teachers to check their progress and to suggest alternative approaches to help them succeed. Sometimes the support is in the form of additional help in class, or it might be help with the costs of visits and activities. This gives those pupils the same opportunities as others and helps them to achieve well and to grow in confidence.  Teachers have fully embraced the new mathematics curriculum and provide pupils with activities that deepen their understanding and allow them to reason and apply their learning. Consequently pupils make at least good and often better progress in their mathematical understanding. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils used their knowledge of angles to explore patterns to show the sum of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

internal angles of different polygons.  Pupils enjoy reading and frequently read in class both to support their learning and for pleasure. The number of pupils reaching the expected level in the Year 1 phonics screening check is well above average and pupils confidently use their phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words. (Phonics refers to letters and the sounds that they make). In Year 2, teachers provide books for pupils that are exactly at the right level to help move them on and, consequently, pupils make good progress.  School leaders have invested large sums of money into improving the school library and books in classrooms in order to raise standards in reading. By the end of Year 6, pupils read widely and often and say that there is a good variety of books available to them. They talk about their favourite books and authors and explain their preferences.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy writing because they have a good command of language that they use to express

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Outcomes for pupils are good

their thoughts and ideas imaginatively and with good expression. New leaders quickly established ‘non- negotiables’ that all pupils are expected to master and consequently their basic skills are good. Teachers provide pupils with plenty of opportunities to write when learning other subjects such as history and science, and this helps them to practise and reinforce their skills.  Pupils’ outcomes are not yet outstanding because there are times when there is insufficient challenge for pupils, particularly the most able, in lessons other than mathematics. In a few classes, pupils spend time completing work that they can already do with few activities that extend their learning.  Pupils have reached high standards in PE, showing good coordination when moving and developing skills in a wide range of games including tennis, hockey and football. The quality of singing and music is high and art on display around the school shows how well they paint, draw and make pictures using textiles

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Outcomes for pupils are good

and fabrics.  A notable achievement is the way in which the school grounds are used to support pupils’ learning. As a consequence, pupils see at first hand how plants grow and they understand the importance of making sure they are well looked after. Through conservation projects, pupils learn how to look after their world and this contributes towards their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision is good

 Children in the early years enjoy school. They have very positive attitudes to learning and they behave well. Staff in the early years have built strong relationships with children, who feel very safe and secure in the Reception classes. The environment, both indoors and outside, is bright and attractive and contributes well to children’s well-being.  Children make good progress in all aspects of their development. This is reflected in the percentage of those reaching a good level of development, which is above average. Children’s progress across all areas of learning is good and gaps between boys and girls have closed rapidly. Disadvantaged children achieve as well as others owing to the high level of attention they receive from staff.  Teachers know children well and they provide a good range of activities that meet their developmental needs effectively. The teaching of phonics is good and children quickly learn to read and write simple

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Early years provision is good

phrases and sentences by blending sounds together to form words. Teachers frequently question children to draw out their understanding and to plan their next steps.  There is a balance between activities that children select for themselves and those selected by adults. Just occasionally, there is too much intervention by adults so some opportunities for children to develop independence, cooperation and resilience are missed. Conversely, there are times when children spend too much time on one activity with little or no adult intervention to support their learning.  Children get on well together and enjoy sharing and cooperating with each other. However, at times, some children, particularly boys, can become boisterous and dominate some areas when riding tricycles. On these occasions, adults are quick to intervene and provide help and guidance and so help children develop their social skills.  The early years team work in close cooperation with parents and a new electronic system for recording

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Early years provision is good

children’s progress helps parents to understand exactly what their child can do. Parents of children in the early years were overwhelmingly positive and this is reflected in the comment of one parent who wrote: ‘My son has settled extremely well into Berrywood School. This has largely been down to excellent Reception teaching and the quality of support staff.’  The early years leader is ambitious and has brought about key improvements to provision so that children achieve well. She is experienced and leads the early years team effectively. She has a good understanding of the strengths of provision and has plans to improve provision further.

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School details

Unique reference number 116249 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10012240

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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 632 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Millman Headteacher Chris Reilly Telephone number 01489 780 068 Website www.berrywood-pri.hants.sch.uk Email address office@berrywoodprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 13 February 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than most primary schools and has provision for children in the early years in three Reception classes.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage with very few who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and disability is lower than usual.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is below average. This is additional funding provided by the government to support those pupils who are entitled to free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ learning and progress.  There is a breakfast club and an after-school club for pupils. The school also runs a holiday club for pupils in the summer holiday. The breakfast and after-school clubs were part of this inspection but the holiday club will be inspected separately.

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to the leadership team and the teaching team since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils working in 27 lessons or parts of lessons, several of which were observed jointly with school leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they observed pupils in class and as they moved around the school. Inspectors listened to pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Meetings were held with school leaders, groups of teachers and support staff. Inspectors also met with the five governors, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  Among the documents seen were plans showing how the school is to develop in the future, records relating to pupils’ learning and progress and minutes from governors’ meetings. Inspectors also looked at records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance and information showing how the school keeps pupils safe.  The views of parents were taken into account by analysing the 168 responses to the online survey,

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Information about this inspection

Parent View, and by taking into account comments made by parents. Inspectors also met with parents informally during the inspection. The views of staff were considered by analysing the 40 responses to the staff survey. Inspectors spoke to pupils throughout the inspection and analysed their responses to the online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Stephanie Praetig Ofsted Inspector Rosemary Beattie Ofsted Inspector Nicola Cale 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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