Kings Worthy Primary School

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

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Julie Mullane Headteacher Kings Worthy Primary School Church Lane Kings Worthy Winchester Hampshire SO23 7QS

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 February 2017, 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 March 2012.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have created a strong and caring team who put pupils’ learning and well-being first. You have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and are determined to make it even better. Leaders and governors take successful action so that all groups of pupils make good progress. Led by a highly dedicated chair, governors have become revitalised to fulfil their responsibilities well. They hold you to account and challenge the school’s ongoing improvements effectively. Governors use the school’s published data to explore the reasons for any decline in pupils’ achievement. They then work with you to monitor and evaluate the impact of improvement actions. Governors are fully involved in deciding the school’s next steps.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

Parents and pupils are very positive about the school. Many parents commented that their children are happy to come to school and they love their lessons. Parents appreciate the support, care and guidance that you and your staff provide for their children. As one parent described, ‘staff put their heart and soul into what they do’. Pupils helped to frame the school’s core values of ‘belong, enjoy, succeed and try’. These are embedded in your school motto, ‘Be the best you can be’. Pupils have a thorough understanding of the school’s values, following them in their work and play. Parents report that new pupils to the school are welcomed warmly and they settle quickly. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for those who are younger, for example by accompanying younger pupils around the Christmas fayre. The rich and engaging curriculum supports pupils’ academic and personal development, enabling them to flourish. They develop a love of literature, enjoy

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

writing and are increasingly able to solve challenging problems. As a result, pupils like to learn and they talk with interest about their work. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading and regularly take books home. Those who read to the inspector could explain why they liked the books they had chosen. Pupils in key stage 2 showed their understanding of challenging texts by correctly inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

Pupils have helped to devise topics that imaginatively link different subjects. In the Year 2 ‘Great fire of London’ topic, pupils made model houses which they burned at dusk in the woodland area. Pupils remembered this experience because it enhanced their understanding of this historic event. Pupils were further inspired to write, paint and explore construction materials in science. In the Reception classes, children responded excitedly to the threat that crows were coming at midnight to steal their plant seeds. The lesson linked to a range of creative learning activities to support communication and language development. Several parents commented that their children are so interested in what is happening in their class that they skip happily to school every day. Pupils themselves are particularly enthusiastic about the woodland walk, which they use regularly to complete their ‘golden mile’ run.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

At the time of the last inspection, inspectors commented on the many strengths of the school, including the quality of teaching and pupils’ ability to work well together. Inspectors identified the need to further improve the quality of teaching and learning. You have addressed this through the provision of high-quality professional development which has enriched teachers’ subject knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, leaders’ detailed monitoring and feedback ensures that teaching staff support your expectations for all groups of pupils to achieve well.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

You agreed with me that you can do more to accelerate the progress of the most able disadvantaged pupils and you have correctly identified this as an area for school improvement. You have already taken action to improve outcomes in mathematics for key stage 1 pupils and are aware that pupils’ progress needs to be carefully checked.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

Pupils’ safety is important to everyone in the school. It was ‘safer internet day’ on the day of the inspection and pupils confidently told me why learning about how to keep themselves safe online is important. Pupils said that incidents of bullying are rare. If it happens, they know to inform any member of staff. They say that issues will be quickly sorted. Pupils feel safe in school and parents appreciate the careful attention that staff pay to pupils’ social, emotional and health needs. Several parents commented on how their children’s anxieties about school had been sensitively managed.

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Short inspection of Kings Worthy Primary School

You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. All staff receive regular training in safeguarding to enable them to follow the school’s comprehensive procedures. The school’s recording systems are rigorous, and regular checks ensure these are consistently maintained. Records show timely involvement of support agencies, with actions carefully followed through to conclusion. Pupils’ attendance at school is good and any absence is swiftly followed up.

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Inspection findings

 During this inspection, I focused on the quality of safeguarding; actions taken since the previous inspection; the progress of disadvantaged pupils; the quality of mathematics teaching and learning in key stage 1; and writing across the school.  You have taken successful actions to further improve the quality of teaching since the last inspection. Teachers know their pupils well. They plan lessons carefully and ask effective questions. This helps pupils to be clear about their learning and to understand new concepts. You have established a culture where staff have high expectations and pupils love learning. You are supported by a skilful team. This means that the school has a good capacity to improve still further.  Last summer, you identified that pupils’ recall of basic number facts was a barrier to them reaching expectations for their age. As a result, you ensured that teachers provided more lessons to address gaps in fluency. Pupils’ mathematical

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Inspection findings

understanding this academic year has deepened because learning responds to pupils’ different abilities and interests. Consequently, pupils currently in key stage 1 are making strong progress, particularly in mathematics. You are aware that the current cohort entered the key stage with higher than average starting points and you have appropriate actions in place to ensure that pupils make the progress that is expected of them.  In 2016, disadvantaged pupils made good progress in reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of these pupils’ needs and closely monitor their learning and progress, allocating additional support where it is needed. However, the school’s historic performance information showed that too few of the most able disadvantaged pupils reached the higher standards. You and your governors are currently researching further ways to strengthen these pupils’ progress so that more of them reach the highest

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Inspection findings

standards.  Pupils write with increasing fluency as they move through the school, skilfully making their writing more interesting for the reader. Pupils use accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling as a result of regular opportunities to practise. In Reception classes, children freely choose learning activities that involve writing, such as preparing lists to shop at the class garden centre. Pupils in Year 2 enthusiastically help the teacher to correct their previous writing by pointing out the features of good sentences. Year 5 pupils explain how to edit their writing by adding more adventurous vocabulary. Older pupils enjoy reading each other’s work because it helps them to make their writing more interesting. Last year, pupils at the end of key stages 1 and 2 achieved similar standards in writing as those found nationally. Teachers demonstrate good and improving subject knowledge when teaching writing and, consequently, current pupils are

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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 most able mathematicians in key stage 1 progress quickly to work at a greater depth of understanding, fluency and recall  the most able disadvantaged pupils progress rapidly from their starting points, so that more of them reach the highest standards in reading and mathematics.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner 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 visited the school for one day. I held meetings with you, your leaders, staff and governors as well as a representative of the local authority. Policies around safeguarding, your own analyses of pupils’ achievement, your own staff survey and other documents were scrutinised. I visited almost all year groups to see teaching and learning. I talked informally with pupils, as well as listening to pupils read. I also looked at pupils’ work in lessons and with leaders, in particular writing and mathematics. The 51 responses to the pupil survey, 26 staff survey responses, 180 responses to Parent View and 112 free-text responses were analysed. The views of parents, who I spoke to informally at the end of the school day, were also taken into account.

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