Vigo Primary School

Vigo Primary School Vigo Road, Andover, Hampshire SP10 1JZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school has been through a time of turbulence in leadership due to the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. This has affected the quality of provision and outcomes.  Over time, significant staffing issues have resulted in most pupils not making the progress they should across the school.  Some leaders are relatively new to their roles. There has not been time to demonstrate the full impact of their work on improving pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers do not use assessments of pupils’ work well enough to plan learning. The work set for pupils is not always challenging enough to extend their understanding.  Pupils’ cultural development, particularly of different faiths and backgrounds, is limited.  The quality of teaching is varied. At times, expectations for pupils’ progress, particularly for the most able and disadvantaged pupils, are not high enough to develop learning

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectively.  Leaders provide a broad curriculum. Due to the variability in the quality of teaching in history, geography and religious education, pupils’ cultural development is not promoted as well as it should be.  When teaching does not meet pupils’ needs, they lose focus, show no pride in their work and, sometimes, low-level disruption occurs.  The quality of provision in the early years has significantly improved. However, time is needed to determine the impact on children’s outcomes.  The school’s policy for managing pupils’ behaviour is not consistently applied by all adults. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The new headteacher is determined to improve the school. She is highly ambitious for all pupils. She has identified the most urgent priorities and has already taken effective action to improve pupil outcomes.  Governance is strong and holds leaders to account effectively.  The welfare of all pupils is paramount at the school.  Leaders and teachers are enthusiastic. They have established a confident climate for learning. The school is in a strong position to secure further improvements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve assessment opportunities, enabling teachers to have a clear understanding of the steps needed to ensure that pupils make good progress, by: – further identifying gaps in learning – embedding newly introduced assessment practices consistently across the whole school.  Raise all staff’s expectations to ensure that all groups of pupils are sufficiently challenged, in particular, that: – the most able pupils, and disadvantaged pupils, are regularly challenged across the curriculum  Take steps to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding generally, particularly their cultural development, by developing their appreciation of people with different faiths and backgrounds.  Improve pupils’ behaviour in class, so that it impacts positively on their learning, so that: – pupils are ready and keen to learn – pupils’ presentation is of a consistently high standard in all their work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Since her arrival, the current headteacher has worked tirelessly to establish a shared vision. She has shown a strong determination to bring about improvements and provide the best possible provision and outcomes for pupils. However, it is too soon for her improved systems to have ensured consistently good teaching, learning and assessment across the school.  Numerous changes in staff, including at senior leadership level, have hampered improvements since the amalgamation of the infant and junior school. Previously inaccurate assessments of pupils’ progress led to a significant drop in pupil outcomes.  The quality of teaching has been weak over time and this has resulted in significant gaps in pupils’ learning.  Initiatives, by new leaders, to improve the quality of teaching and outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics still need time to embed. However, improvements seen demonstrate leaders’ capacity to improve the school further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have an honest, accurate view of the quality of provision and outcomes for pupils.  Staff morale is high. Staff speak positively of the impact of the new headteacher despite the significant and, at times, rapid changes. They typically report that they feel supported as staff and empowered as middle and subject leaders.  Most middle and subject leaders are relatively new to their roles. They are passionate and determined to secure improvement, and demonstrate a good knowledge of their areas of expertise. Leaders of English and mathematics have identified gaps in learning and have taken steps to address this in order to improve outcomes for all pupils.  The highly experienced special needs coordinator (SENCo) has a clear understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She is aware of the present strengths and areas for further development. The SENCo acknowledges that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

many of the systems put in place are new, and that they need time to be fully effective and for their impact to be fully investigated.  The additional sport premium funding is being used effectively. Specialist coaches have increased the expertise of teachers and the number of pupils taking part in competitive sports. In addition to this, the increased focus on swimming is ensuring that more pupils are able confidently to swim 25 metres by the time they leave the school.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and their understanding of British society, is taught through assemblies and events. However, pupils have limited opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding generally, particularly their cultural development. They do not have a full appreciation of people with different faiths and backgrounds, for example.  Most parents and carers are pleased with the leadership of the school. One parent

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

wrote: ‘I feel that since the new headteacher arrived, the school has gone from strength to strength, people are talking more positively about it too.’

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Governance of the school

 Governors are extremely knowledgeable and very passionate in their desire to improve the school. They are doggedly determined that pupils’ outcomes will significantly increase. To ensure this, they hold leaders to account rigorously. Governors have an in- depth knowledge of how all pupils, including the different groups, are progressing.  Governors regularly visit the school to monitor the impact of actions taken by leaders. They ensure that additional funding meets the needs of pupils with SEND, and that it is targeted to meet the needs both of disadvantaged pupils and other individual pupils where appropriate. They acknowledge that pupils’ current progress needs to improve.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe at school. Staff receive regular training and are familiar with the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a pupil.  Staff are clear about their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff with designated responsibility for safeguarding have a detailed understanding of families whose circumstances make them vulnerable. The pastoral team works effectively with external agencies and makes timely referrals where necessary. It is tenacious in its support for its pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The headteacher’s and governors’ high expectations, along with focused training and development for staff, have resulted in crucial improvements to the quality of teaching. However, leaders are accurate in their evaluation that teaching is not consistently good.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has not enabled pupils of differing needs and abilities to achieve well. In some year groups, teachers are not able to plan activities which present enough challenge for all pupils, particularly the most able. Consequently, pupils’ progress is hindered and too few pupils reach age-related expectations.  Not all teachers are taking sufficient account of the assessment information they have in order to plan teaching and learning that addresses the needs of all groups of pupils to ensure that they make the progress they are capable of.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do in some other subjects are not routinely

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

high enough, for example in science and history. These subjects are not taught in enough depth to enable pupils to develop and deepen their knowledge and skills.  There is some good teaching in the school. Some classrooms have a calm, purposeful working atmosphere and teachers with consistently high expectations of pupils’ learning. For example, in Year 2 pupils were engrossed when solving problems using money. Some learning is planned which interests and challenges pupils’ thinking, and in those classes, teachers know how to get the best out of their pupils.  English teaching has improved since the beginning of the year. Teachers now give pupils clear guidance about what they need to do to improve their written work. Time is given so that teachers check that pupils have taken account of this advice. Pupils’ books show, across the school, that pupils have made more progress than previously.  Teachers are becoming more aware of the gaps pupils have in their mathematical

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

knowledge, the result of previously weak teaching. Progress was seen in most pupils’ books, particularly since the beginning of the year. There was clear evidence of pupils developing secure number and calculation skills. Pupils have increasingly more opportunities to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills.  Staff in the school’s specialist resource provision for pupils with SEND know the pupils well. Strong relationships help to support pupils in gaining language and communication skills. Staff often provide these pupils with specific support, or create learning activities that use a variety of resources and technology. Books sampled show that pupils attending the resource provision achieve well. However, this higher degree of independence that they have gained is not replicated when they return to their classrooms.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of pupils’ presentation. Some

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

teachers accept poorly presented work and, as a result, pupils do not take enough pride in their work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are varied throughout the school. In classes where there are positive relationships between adults and pupils, it is clear that this promotes effective learning and reinforces positive attitudes. However, in some classes, where expectations are low, incidents of off-task behaviour and low-level disruption were observed.  Not all pupils take pride in their work, and as a result make unnecessary errors. For example, in mathematical computation where calculations have not been set out correctly, pupils provide too many incorrect answers. There is also little evidence of pupils taking pride in the presentation of their work across the different subjects in most year groups.  The highly effective and cohesive pastoral team is dedicated to the welfare of every pupil. They know the pupils and their needs very well and, as a result, provide good

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Personal development and welfare

support for vulnerable pupils. Staff care deeply about pupils’ well-being. Pupils respond positively and access individualised support, for example in the nurture group and the ‘ready to learn’ room. Resources like this are used well to address pupils’ social and emotional needs. Pupils report that they feel safe at school.  Attendance for all pupils is high. Persistent absence for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, has reduced significantly this year. This is as a result of strategies introduced by the leadership team and the support given for families.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Although pupils are keen to learn, when teaching does not meet their needs effectively, they lose focus, and some engage in low-level disruption.  The number of exclusions and incidents of poor behaviour recorded by the school has fallen significantly. This is due to the introduction of a new behaviour policy and a more consistent approach to applying it by staff. Pupils at risk of exclusion are supported well. For example, the newly created ‘ready to learn room’, although too soon to measure its impact, has enabled more pupils to remain in school.  A few parents raised concerns regarding bullying. Pupils know what bullying is, and told inspectors that bullying was rare but dealt with well by teachers when it occurs. Pupils know what to do if they have a problem at school. They know how to stay safe online and not to share passwords.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 School data gathering and analysis is efficient and effective. It accurately reveals that present outcomes are still in need of considerable improvement in all areas, both by key stage and in all year groups.  Inspectors, together with leaders, undertook an extensive work scrutiny of English and mathematics books in key stages 1 and 2. This demonstrated that there have been overall improved levels of progress in most year and class groups. Despite this, attainment is still below average.  Much of the teaching and learning lacks suitable challenge. As a result, not enough pupils, particularly the most able pupils, attain at the higher standards.  The rate of pupils’ progress in reading and writing is variable across the school and reflects the inconsistencies in teaching.  The teaching of phonics has not been strong. As a result, the number of pupils reaching the required standard in phonics in Year 1 was significantly below the

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

expected standard.  Less than half of children who left the Reception Year in 2018 achieved a good level of development.  Work in books shows that most pupils with SEND are making real progress from their starting points. This is as a result of targeted support and additional interventions, which are allowing pupils to access learning alongside their peers.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stages 1 and 2 in 2018 was well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. The number of disadvantaged pupils who achieved age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly low when compared to other pupils nationally.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Previous weaknesses in provision have, over time, led to poor outcomes for most children. Outcomes were significantly low in 2018.  The new leader has rapidly gained an accurate overview of the weaknesses in the early years, which her plans are beginning to address. She has high expectations and a clear vision to develop the early years to ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. All adults have been trained and recognise each child’s attainment and their needs. This is reflected in adults’ questioning of, and interactions with, children. As a result, in adult-led activities, children of all abilities are now suitably challenged.  The early years environment has been overhauled, both inside and out, to meet the needs of all children. The school acknowledges that time is needed to embed these changes.  Children benefit from having a wide range of opportunities to initiate their own learning

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Early years provision Requires improvement

in both the indoor and outdoor provision. The activities on offer represent a suitable focus on developing children’s speech and language. For example, the bright learning areas feature a range of attractive and word-rich displays promoting language development.  Adults have high expectations of children’s behaviour. They ensure that the children follow the school’s ‘Vigo hi-five’ rules consistently. As a result, children behave well. Children are well cared for and their development is nurtured. The welfare of the children is prioritised and safeguarding is effective.  Parents have opportunities to contribute to their children’s assessment information by recording and sharing moments that have happened outside of school. Consequently, parents have a greater understanding of how they can support their children’s learning at home.  Transition for next year is well thought through and involves effective work with pre-

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Early years provision Requires improvement

schools, as well as home visits. For example, during the inspection, a ‘teddy bears’ picnic’ held for the new entrants on their first visit to the school enabled children and parents to meet their teachers and start to build relationships informally.  Children’s learning journals show that they are covering the different areas of learning through well-planned activities, such as learning to follow instructions. Children were seen decorating biscuits, adding a given number of raisins to their biscuit, combining both literacy and mathematical skills.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address adminoffice@vigo.hants.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Vigo Primary School is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. Vigo Infant School and Vigo Junior School amalgamated in September 2016.  A new headteacher took up post in November 2018.  There has been a high amount of staff turnover since the two schools amalgamated, including many leadership post changes.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The community experiences above-average levels of deprivation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning across the school. Some observations were carried out with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, staff, governors and school leaders. The lead inspector also met with members of the local authority.  Inspectors met informally with parents at the start of the school day. The team took account of 105 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as written responses received during and after the inspection. They also considered staff and pupils’ responses.  The team listened to pupils read, and talked to them in classrooms, at playtime and lunchtimes. They also scrutinised pupils’ work in their books.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plans. They looked at information on current pupils’ progress, minutes of governing body meetings, safeguarding procedures, and the plans for additional funding.

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Inspection team

Becky Greenhalgh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Brian Macdonald Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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