Endeavour Primary School

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

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Mrs Marina Crean Acting Headteacher Endeavour Primary School East Anton Farm Road Andover Hampshire SP11 6RD

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 14 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 Endeavour Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Together with your deputy, you have steered the school through a turbulent time well, making sure that pupils are well cared for, motivated by their learning and encouraged to achieve their best. One parent commented, ‘My daughter loves school and that is a credit to her brilliant teachers and assistants – I couldn't be happier with the school.’ The very large majority of parents share this view. Staff feel valued, motivated and proud to be part of the school team. Teaching continues to improve as a result of the many opportunities that staff have to learn and develop their skills. One staff member wrote, ‘I am fully supported with my continued professional development and enjoy my wonderful working environment.’

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

Pupils are happy and confident learners who appreciate their rich and varied curriculum. Parents and pupils value the opportunities for learning outdoors. Older pupils say that they enjoy being able to make choices about their learning and to take risks, including using substantial tools safely. Pupils readily embrace the challenge and higher expectations that teachers are providing, including in English and mathematics. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. There is a calm, purposeful atmosphere throughout, and this makes pupils feel safe and part of the harmonious school community. Leaders work hard to ensure that vulnerable pupils have their needs met so that they can learn well and play a full role in the life of the school. Leaders have acted on the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. In the early years foundation stage, children now have richer opportunities to apply their

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

language and mathematical skills during outdoor activities. For example, during the inspection, three boys were seen having a lively, friendly discussion about how to improve a slope for cars they were making. Adults play alongside children, asking good probing questions and providing a rich, clearly articulated, running commentary. Pupils absorb this and so their vocabulary extends and their speaking develops very well. Across the school, leaders’ effective action has improved standards in reading. Leaders have also implemented useful systems that help pupils to understand the progress they are making in lessons. Pupils are ambitious to do well and take on greater challenge, because they understand clearly what is expected of them and can assess how well they have achieved.

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

Since the previous inspection, governors have reviewed their practice and restructured the way they work so that they now focus more closely on the school’s work. They understand the need to challenge and support the leadership of the school and to hold them to account for pupils’ outcomes. As yet, the school’s improvement plans do not include specific targets to help them do this effectively. Leaders identify that there is still work to do to improve governance so that governors can challenge and hold them to account more stringently. Leaders also recognise that systems for tracking pupils’ progress do not yet allow them to focus on the progress of groups of pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

The safety and well-being of pupils are at the heart of your work. Policies and procedures are fit for purpose and reviewed regularly. Records are detailed, accurate and well maintained, including those to make sure that only suitable staff, volunteers and governors are allowed to work in the school. Leaders ensure that all adults in the school are well trained so that staff can be constantly vigilant to any concerns that may arise. Governors take an active role in checking safeguarding arrangements and quickly address any areas for improvement.

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Short inspection of Endeavour Primary School

Pupils are safe in school and taught how to keep themselves free from harm. One boy told me that bullying is talked about in depth during the school year, so that pupils have a good understanding of it, in all its facets. Pupils say that bullying is extremely rare because pupils’ behaviour is typically kind and thoughtful. On the rare occasions when it does happen, it is quickly nipped in the bud. Pupils rightly have confidence in the staff and say that there is always someone they could turn to if they had a worry. Parents echo this view. The school works tirelessly to support any pupils in potentially challenging circumstances, including pupils of service families and young carers.

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Inspection findings

 We agreed to explore why too few pupils, including those that were middle attaining, reached the expected standard in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. You and other leaders have identified several factors behind this and have made some valuable changes to mathematics teaching.  Leaders’ determination to improve outcomes in mathematics across the school is clear. You analysed carefully the questions that pupils could not answer in the tests last year and used this information wisely to adjust the curriculum. You have made sure that teachers are covering these topics thoroughly this year. Teachers now use interesting materials and resources to help pupils gain a secure understanding of new mathematical concepts, first acquiring a familiar, tangible grasp before approaching them in a more abstract way. Once pupils have shown that they have understood a concept, they are challenged to apply their knowledge by solving real-life problems

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Inspection findings

and explaining their reasoning. As a result, pupils currently in school are now making good progress in mathematics. Your records show that a greater proportion of them are on track to achieve and exceed the expected standards by the end of key stage 2.  Another focus for the inspection was to explore how well teaching in key stage 1 builds on the good start that children have in the early years. Last year, too few pupils who had achieved the early learning goals at the end of early years went on to reach the expected standard at the end of Year 2. This year, all but a very few of these pupils currently in Year 2 are on track to achieve the age-related expectations.  Leaders use coaching well to help teachers become even more effective. The local authority also provides helpful support and challenge to accelerate improvements. As a result, the quality of teaching is consistently good. Teachers have a clearer

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Inspection findings

understanding of the next steps that pupils need to learn, and plan effective lessons based on accurate assessments of pupils’ previous learning.  We looked closely at how effectively leaders’ and governors’ actions improve attainment and rates of progress in the school, especially for disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are achieving well and making good progress, especially in Years 5 and 6. In other year groups, most pupils are on track to achieve almost as well as other pupils nationally. Where there is still a significant difference in achievement for some, this is starting to diminish. You provided some compelling evidence of the significant barriers to learning faced by some of these pupils, which the school is working hard to overcome.  The school rightly takes pride in how well it knows all its pupils as individuals. However, systems for tracking pupils’ progress do not yet enable leaders at all levels

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Inspection findings

to focus forensically on different groups in the school. This also limits governors’ ability to check on the progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, governors do not challenge school leaders about the achievement of these pupils as rigorously as they could.  I looked carefully at the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. In the past, rates of absence among these two groups of pupils have been too high. School leaders have worked hard to engage with parents and remind them that regular attendance matters. Leaders make every effort to make all parents feel valued and welcome in the school. As a result, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving this year and almost no pupils are persistently absent.

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Inspection findings

However, leaders recognise that there is still work to be done to ensure that these pupils attend at least as regularly as other pupils.

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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

 systems for tracking pupils’ progress are sharper so that leaders are better able to check groups of pupils’ progress to further accelerate progress, especially for disadvantaged pupils  targets set for improving pupils’ achievement are precise and measurable so that governors can regularly check on the progress being made  the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities continues to improve so that they are in school as regularly as other pupils.

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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 met with you and your deputy, other leaders, two members of the governing body and with a representative of the local authority. I visited classes with you to look at teaching and learning. Together we looked at pupils’ work. I observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and had a meeting with a small group of pupils. I took into account 52 responses to the staff survey, 74 responses to the pupil survey and 83 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as speaking to a number of parents at the beginning of the day. I evaluated a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation documents, the ‘rapid attainment plan’ and external reports of the school’s effectiveness, and safeguarding policies, procedures and checks.

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