Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Jane Hall Headteacher Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School Duck Street Abbotts Ann Andover Hampshire SP11 7FE

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 6 July 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2012.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

You provide strong and purposeful leadership. Your vision for the school is clear and shared by staff. Governors recognise that you have maintained the school’s strengths while adding a level of rigour since becoming the headteacher in September 2012. You have a strong sense of what exemplary teaching and learning looks like in your school and you have taken decisive action when your high standards have not been met.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

Your school values are clearly evident in everyday school life. Relationships across the school are warm and respectful. Older pupils look after younger children well. Teachers are calm, clear and extremely courteous towards pupils and this leads to excellent behaviour in the classrooms and around the school.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

Leaders have a very strong understanding of the school’s many strengths and a clear sense of what the next steps are. Your evaluation of the school highlights that teaching and learning has not been consistent for older pupils this year. You have worked tirelessly to recruit a permanent teacher throughout the year but also have a clear sense of the calibre of the teacher that you demand for your school. Governors value your high standards. Your draft plan for future school improvement prioritises mathematics because you and governors recognise that standards at the end of key stage 2 for current pupils will not be as high in mathematics as they will be in other subjects.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

At the time of the last inspection, inspectors recognised the many strengths in the school, including the early years foundation stage, the behaviour and safety of pupils, the progress of the most able and the teaching of reading. You have been successful in maintaining these strengths. Inspectors also identified that feedback to pupils was not consistent and that the enjoyment of numeracy across the curriculum could be improved. Leaders have enhanced this aspects of the school’s work by ensuring that:

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

 pupils across the school respond well to clear and consistent feedback  there are many meaningful opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

You and your governors have created a very strong culture of keeping pupils safe and secure. You have intentionally adopted the phrase ‘it could happen here’, in order to keep the safety and well-being of pupils at the forefront of everybody’s thinking. Detailed record keeping enables you to carefully track your work with vulnerable pupils and families. You show resilience in pursuing information and work tirelessly to ensure that other professionals know what you know. Parents strongly agree that their children are safe in school. Pupils also feel safe in school and are proud of the part they play in keeping others safe. For example, the junior road safety officers feel valued in their work as they raise awareness of car speed.

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Short inspection of Abbotts Ann Church of England Primary School

Leaders have ensured that policies and procedures are clear and understood. Regular training and briefings ensure that everyone is knowledgeable and that safeguarding is a priority. Governors play an important role in monitoring the work of leaders and gaining first-hand information about the safety and well-being of pupils. For example, governors have an overview of the safety of the school grounds, review the central record of recruitment checks and talk to pupils about how safe they feel in school.

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Inspection findings

 Your strong leadership is having a positive impact on every aspect of the school’s work. Leaders have a clear focus on improvement because good isn’t good enough for you.  Governors have high expectations of leaders because they are ambitious for the school. Governors know the school well because they do not rely solely on what they are told. Governors undertake a wide range of monitoring activity that is linked to the planned improvements for the school. The reports that governors generate enable them to share their first-hand experiences of the school’s work with colleagues. Governors are very clear about their strategic role and do not become involved in the day-to-day running of the school.  Leaders use the pupil premium effectively. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress and achieve outcomes that are at least in line with their peers. This year you have given greater focus to the needs of service families. You have

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Inspection findings

used the additional funding to invest in a wide range of literature that can be accessed by children and families. The resources support with some of the unique challenges that service children can face, such as moving house often or when a parent leaves on active duty.  Children in the early years continue to get a very strong start in the school. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has been significantly above the national average over time and will remain high for current pupils. The local authority values this strength in your school and you allow them to share your work to support other schools.  In 2015, Year 1 pupils did not achieve as well as in previous years in the phonics screening check and the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level was slightly below the national average. Leaders have taken decisive action to improve standards in phonics (letters and the sounds that they

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Inspection findings

make). Almost all current Year 1 pupils have reached the expected standard. Pupils in lessons use and apply their phonics knowledge very well. Progress in writing is strong for all groups of pupils, including boys. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation across the curriculum.  Mathematics is integral to the school’s curriculum. Pupils are given rich and meaningful opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills in a range of subjects. For example, pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 use precise measurement and careful recording to prove or disprove a series of science ‘facts’, such as ‘Is the length of my ear a third of the length of my face?’ and ‘Is the length of my hand one tenth of my height?’ Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 have been looking in depth at the European Union and using their understanding of percentages to calculate the proportions of voters by age.  Leaders’ ambition for their school has led to a very close look at the

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Inspection findings

teaching of mathematics. Leaders recognise that the high proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels at the end of key stage 2 over time in reading and writing has not yet been achieved in mathematics. Highly effective teaching in the early years and key stage 1 means that the vast majority of current pupils, at the end of Year 2, are working at expected levels and over half of pupils are working at greater depth in mathematics. However, you have identified that the proportion of current Year 6 pupils working at greater depth or reaching expected levels in mathematics is not as high as other subjects.  Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. The values of the school are clear and modelled by leaders, staff and pupils consistently. Older pupils explained how they had been challenged by their teacher to argue the opposite view to the one they held during their recent class debates. Pupils had been thinking a lot about voting, rights and

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Inspection findings

responsibilities this term, which led them to conclude that the age of 10 is ‘about the right age’ to be responsible enough to vote.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key strength of the school. The school is an oasis of calm because pupils have exemplary personal and social skills. Pupils are encouraged to reflect both in assemblies and also around the school, as they engage with ‘big questions’, such as ‘How do I decide what is right or wrong?’ Pupils develop a strong understanding of other faiths and cultures. Leaders have placed great value on the cultural heritage of families and have used those opportunities to plan whole-school celebrations such as Chinese New Year.  Parents have very high regard for the work of the school. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View online survey would recommend the school. The wealth of positive comments received value the culture of the

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Inspection findings

school, the relationships with staff and school leaders.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the proportion of pupils working at expected levels at the end of key stage 2 in mathematics keeps pace with other subjects.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Winchester and the director of children’s services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you, a group of governors and a representative of the local authority. I looked at the 40 responses on Parent View. I met a group of pupils from each class. I accompanied you on a visit to lessons and we looked at pupils’ books from all classes. I evaluated your self-evaluation and pupil performance information. I also visited assembly. I checked the effectiveness of your safeguarding arrangements, including those related to recruiting staff.

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