Setting

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

p.1

Mr Andrew Goldsworthy Headteacher Cheriton Primary School Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0QA

p.1

No formal designation inspection of Cheriton Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 21–22 May 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

p.1

No formal designation inspection of Cheriton Primary School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about outcomes for pupils at the school.

p.1

Evidence

I met with you, middle leaders and six governors, including the chair of the governing body. I observed learning in 12 lessons, covering all three classes, and looked at pupils’ work. This was done jointly with you. I analysed a range of the school’s documentation, including information about pupils’ achievement and the school improvement plan. We discussed your evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and I held discussions with an officer from the local authority. I spoke to parents at the start of the day to gather their views of the school. I met with pupils at breaktime and gathered views from several pupils throughout the inspection. I scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements.

p.1

Evidence

Having considered the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

p.1

Evidence

Leaders and governors have taken effective action to maintain the high standards identified at the previous section 5 inspection. The overall effectiveness of the school remains outstanding.

p.1

Context

All members of teaching staff, including the headteacher, have joined the school since the previous inspection. You work with a local consortium of seven schools, so that staff can share knowledge, expertise and moderate their judgements and evaluations. The number of pupils on roll has remained stable. The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average.

p.2

Inspection findings

Since joining the school in 2015, you have carefully evaluated, refined and improved all aspects of its work. You have recruited and galvanised an exceptionally strong team of staff and all have a leadership role in the school. Their capacity and skills have been effectively built upon through excellent development opportunities and training. Consequently, the pace of change strengthens as you and your team seek to constantly improve on the outstanding provision enjoyed by pupils.

p.2

Inspection findings

The greatest asset of the school is the quality of the curriculum. Staff carefully consider how to make meaningful links between subjects and develop their skills through a carefully planned sequence of learning activities. For example, the whole school studied the local area of Freemans Yard. The younger pupils drafted simple bar charts, Years 3 and 4 plotted accurate maps and the older pupils used global positioning systems to navigate their route home. Pupils worked with local residents to share their findings and gather further information from those who have lived and worked in the village. The collaboration, clear thinking and creativity of staff ensure that pupils learn, remember and make connections in their learning, adding greatly to their thirst for knowledge and debate.

p.2

Inspection findings

Pupils write exceptionally well in all subjects. They use their excellent understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling to plan and inform their work. Pupils consider the purpose of and audience for their writing and write texts which inform, persuade and entertain. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 wrote to persuade a local housing developer not to build on the fictional ’Dinosaur Island’. They used appropriate emotive language and rhetorical questions. Pupils throughout the school make strong progress in writing which, in turn, supports their learning in a wide range of subjects. Nevertheless, the presentation of pupils’ work is not always at the standard they are capable of, which can hinder their understanding and recall of their learning.

p.2

Inspection findings

Pupils throughout the school understand the basics of mathematics and practice calculation strategies regularly to ensure that their skills are well rehearsed. This was illustrated when a group of Year 5 pupils worked together to solve algebraic equations to find the missing internal angles of a triangle. Pupils in Year 3, working on computers, gathered clues and made informed inferences to locate a missing object within a pair of axes. Such activities stimulate debate and pupils relish the chance to hear others’ solutions and compare these to their own thinking. Pupils throughout the school make excellent progress in mathematics.

p.2

Inspection findings

Pupils are taught to listen, evaluate and communicate clearly. In class, they discuss challenging topics and think, often, about the moral and ethical implications of their actions. They learn about and understand attributes and values such as tolerance, respect and democracy. For example, in assembly, pupils discussed the merits of democracy and considered the voting rights of women and the poor in different parts of the world. Pupils’ considerate approach, strong ethical understanding and respect for others contribute considerably to the strong moral compass which helps to guide their actions.

p.3

Governors

Governors are skilled, analytical and curious. They have worked hard in recent years to review their systems, forging strong links with other governing bodies and the local authority to aid this process. This has resulted in a more focused programme of school visits and checks to ensure that they have an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They use this to hold leaders to account for the impact of their actions and then revisit these areas of enquiry to ensure that improvements have been secured. The governing body’s work to check the quality and coverage of the curriculum in the foundation subjects is developing. However, it does not yet match the rigour afforded to English, mathematics and the provision for disadvantaged pupils.

p.3

Safeguarding

Staff undergo statutory checks before they commence employment and are well trained to recognise families and pupils who may need help. When help is required, leaders waste no time, working appropriately with local agencies to get families the support they need. The local authority provides leaders and governors with an impartial review of the systems for keeping pupils safe which includes useful guidance on how to improve things further. Leaders and governors are well placed to stay up to date with emerging national and local risks and to refine their systems to meet the needs of pupils and families.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe in a range of situations. For example, pupils know to check multiple sources before believing what they have read on the internet or social media. They know how to stay safe around water and on local rural roads, important skills for those growing up in this remote locality. Children in Reception learn to assess and manage risk. This was exemplified by their work in the forest where they used cutting tools sensibly and played in the stream safely. Pupils are well placed to navigate risks when they present themselves.

p.3

Priorities for further improvement

 Refine governors’ checks on the quality and breadth of the curriculum in foundation subjects to match the rigour used for English and mathematics.  Ensure that pupils’ writing and presentation of their work is consistently neat and careful.

p.4

Priorities for further improvement

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.

p.4