Titchfield Primary School

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

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Mrs Michelle Stephens Headteacher Titchfield Primary School Southampton Road Titchfield Fareham Hampshire PO14 4AU

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 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 July 2013.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You provide much-needed stability to the school’s leadership after a year without a full-time headteacher. Since your arrival in September 2016, you have been clear and uncompromising in your expectations for pupils and staff. As one member of staff explained, ‘It’s all about the children, so we feel more focused about our work’. All staff are held firmly to account for ensuring that pupils achieve their very best. Leaders at all levels work effectively together to make teaching even better and help pupils make stronger progress than in the past.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

Parents describe your school as having a ‘sense of family’. At the start of the day, pupils arrive cheerfully and are greeted warmly by staff in the playground. Pupils are friendly and respectful towards each other and adults. Pupils work hard in lessons, trying their best and helping each other. Teachers help them with their work, showing them what to do to solve ‘tricky problems’ and encouraging them to be active learners. Pupils relish the opportunities to participate in music, sports and other clubs. They enjoy trips that bring their learning to life, such as residential visits to a farm in Devon. They appreciate taking on responsibility in school, including being part of the ‘young governors’ or ‘eco-warriors’ groups.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

Since the last inspection, teachers and leaders have worked hard to improve the school. Pupils now use their mathematical skills regularly to practise solving real-life problems. This helps more pupils to achieve the expected standard in mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Pupils revisit their writing work routinely, using the advice teachers give them to make it even better. As a result, the quality of writing is improving, and more pupils produce writing which is above the expected standard by the end of Year 6 than is seen nationally.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

You, leaders and governors know that the school could be even better. Although most pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, they do not always make strong progress across the school from their individual starting points, particularly in mathematics. In the past, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have not made rapid enough progress for them to catch up with other pupils nationally. While the current whole-school focus on this group is making a difference, there is further work to do to secure even better achievement for these pupils.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

Pupils feel happy and safe at your school. You and your staff do everything you can to make sure pupils are cared for well. This starts before they begin the Reception Year, when your inclusion leader works closely with families so that children settle quickly and happily into school life. Pupils describe confidently how adults help them learn how to be safe, through work they do in lessons and special assemblies about e-safety and as part of anti-bullying week, for example. They know who to speak to about any worries they need help with, and trust adults to sort out any problems that arise.

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Short inspection of Titchfield Primary School

Along with governors, you have reviewed wisely the policies and procedures in place to keep pupils safe, to be sure they are detailed and of high quality. You make careful checks on any adults coming into school to work with pupils, and keep appropriate records. You and your staff take prompt action to support pupils and families whose circumstances make them vulnerable, using experts from beyond school if helpful. You and the inclusion leader monitor pupils’ attendance carefully, to make sure all pupils are accounted for and attend school as much as possible.

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Inspection findings

 During this inspection, I focused on: how effectively teaching supports pupils to achieve well and make strong progress; how leaders keep pupils safe and ensure that they attend regularly; whether pupils are on track to make better progress by the end of key stage 2 than was the case in the past; and how leaders of the early years foundation stage ensure that pupils are prepared well for key stage 1.  Leaders evaluate accurately that teaching is consistently good across the school. Teachers work effectively together, using experts from beyond the school, to improve their teaching and leadership skills. They use the increasingly detailed and accurate information about pupils’ achievement to identify what pupils need to do to improve further. Leaders use this information to challenge teachers to make sure all pupils make strong progress and achieve their best.  Leaders work supportively with families to improve the attendance of individual

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Inspection findings

pupils who do not come to school as often as they should. As a result, attendance figures are now close to the national average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is reducing steadily, as a result of leaders’ effective actions.  Leaders’ records suggest a large proportion of pupils are on track to achieve age- related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics in most year groups by the end of the year. The work in pupils’ books supports this judgement, particularly in literacy work, where pupils write with increasing accuracy and stamina. For pupils in Year 4 and Year 5, the proportion of pupils who are on track is much lower than in other year groups, but is improving rapidly.  Although most pupils achieve the expected standard in mathematics by the end of key stage 2, some do not make as much progress as they should. The most able pupils are not challenged consistently in lessons, so less of them achieve a

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Inspection findings

greater depth of learning by the end of Year 6 than is seen nationally. Some pupils who have lower starting points do not make the rapid progress needed for them to catch up with their peers.  The number of pupils in the school who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is small. These pupils have not achieved well in the past. Leaders and teachers know these pupils’ needs well, and plan appropriate work to help them make more rapid progress. Consequently, their outcomes are improving, but they are not yet close to achieving the same standard as other pupils in school or nationally.  Children in the early years foundation stage are happy, settled and well cared for. They enjoy participating in the valuable activities available for them during the day. They play and learn well together, for example when creatively gathering boxes and old tyres to make a train in the outdoor learning area.

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Inspection findings

 The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development by the end of the early years foundation stage is well above the national average and has increased for the last three years. In the past, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have not achieved as well as their peers. Those currently in the Reception class are being supported effectively and therefore making better progress than their predecessors.

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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

 pupils who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make accelerated progress, so they achieve more highly in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2  pupils, especially the most able, are challenged to make rapid progress in mathematics over the course of key stage 2, so that more of them are working at a greater depth of learning.

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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

Together with you and your assistant headteacher, I visited all classes to look at learning and talk to pupils about their work. I met with you, the assistant headteacher, the inclusion leader, the ‘young governor’ pupil group, some staff and four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. I also spoke to a representative from the local authority on the telephone. I considered a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, the website, various policies and pupil progress information. I also looked at a selection of work from pupils in Year 2 and Year 5. I reviewed safeguarding arrangements, including the central record of recruitment checks, the child protection policy and records relating to children whose circumstances make them vulnerable. I considered the views of stakeholders via 66 responses to the Parent View online survey and Ofsted questionnaire responses from 68 pupils and 21 staff. I also met

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Information about the inspection

some parents informally on the playground at the start of the day.

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