Godshill Primary School

Inspection of Godshill Primary School School Road, Godshill, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 3HJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 11–12 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Godshill is a friendly school where everyone is welcomed. Pupils and adults care about each other. Leaders are ambitious for pupils to do well. Pupils say that the school is much better than it was a year ago because teachers explain lessons well. Pupils are working very hard to make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They enjoy mathematics and understand it much more easily than they used to do. Most pupils like to read and younger pupils love to listen to stories. Pupils enjoy other subjects, but their lessons do not help them to remember enough of the content.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look forward to what they will learn each day. Many sports and activities keep them active at breaktimes and after school. More than half have represented their school in a sporting event. Pupils have every reason to be proud of the sports award that their school recently earned.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Changes in the way that teachers manage poor behaviour mean that there is much less of it than there was last year. Older pupils insisted that there is no bullying because ‘it isn’t allowed’. There is always an adult around who will help pupils if they have any concerns.

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better?

Pupils reach similar standards in reading, writing and mathematics to others nationally. They also do well in physical education (PE) and sport. This is because these subjects are well planned. At present, only a few other subjects are well thought out. Some subjects need further development. For example, in science, pupils learn most of the facts they need to know, but not enough about scientific enquiry and skills. Sometimes, important content is left out, such as in geography where older pupils have not learned about human and physical features on maps. Similarly, in history or religious education, teaching does not help pupils to remember important knowledge. This does not help them to be successful. Nor does it ensure that the most able pupils are challenged sufficiently.

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better?

Leaders are determined that all pupils will become fluent in phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Currently, teaching expertise in this area is not shared well between staff. Key stage 1 pupils do not build well on their Reception achievements to become fluent readers quickly. If they fall behind, they are not helped to catch up promptly. Pupils have insufficient opportunities to read to an adult in school or change their books.

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better?

In lessons, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are generally good. They mostly get on well together. Sometimes, a few pupils lose interest during lessons. They are then over-reliant on adults to prompt them to work. Their poor behaviour does not distract other pupils.

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better?

The school provides many events that support pupils’ social development, helping 11–12 September 2019

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them to be tolerant and respectful of others. Most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy the clubs that take place beyond the school day. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to appreciate the diversity of modern Britain. The different subject areas do not stretch the full range of pupils’ talents and interests.

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Not all pupils with SEND make the progress that they should in all subjects. The new leader has started to improve the quality of classroom support. This is beginning to help pupils have the support they need to achieve success. At the same time, specific training is helping teachers to develop skills to meet the needs of pupils with SEND in all lessons. As with other developments in the school, this work needs to become fully effective.

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Children in the early years are well provided for, both in the Nursery and in Reception. Teachers and other adults are responsive to children’s development. They know each child well and adapt learning so that they achieve as well as they can. Children quickly develop speaking, listening, reading, writing and number skills. There are lots of opportunities to practise these and become fluent. Children are confident to move into key stage 1.

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After many changes in a short space of time, the school is now well led. Leaders are beginning to ensure that pupils learn what they need to know in all subject areas. Staff share leaders’ ambitions for all pupils to be successful. There is more to be done to put all of their planned actions into place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors place a very high priority on keeping pupils safe. They have thorough procedures for all staff to follow. Designated safeguarding leaders ensure that all staff are thoroughly trained.

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Safeguarding

Staff know their pupils well. They are alert to any concerns that might suggest a pupil is at risk. Leaders make timely referrals to other agencies to find the support that families need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are knowledgeable about the risks that pupils are likely meet in their everyday life. Teachers make sure that pupils learn to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. 11–12 September 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have implemented curriculum plans in reading, writing and mathematics that carefully sequence subject content and allow pupils to revisit what they have learned and build upon it. This work needs further refinement so that all pupils make consistently strong progress as they move through the school, including the most able pupils and those with SEND.  Recently developed plans to support teaching in some, though not yet all, of the subjects other than English and mathematics need to be fully developed and implemented. The usefulness of these, and existing plans, and their impact on pupils’ learning should be monitored to ensure that they achieve the improvements in the curriculum and teaching which leaders intend.  Pupils engage with many interesting curricular activities but, outside of PE and sport, these are not sufficiently planned to promote all aspects of pupils’ personal development. In particular, leaders should develop meaningful opportunities to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

support pupils’ spiritual and cultural development.  The expertise available, about how to promote pupils’ successful early reading skills, should be deployed more effectively to develop the skills of the wider staff team. At the current time, this expertise is too thinly spread. Training and development for support staff and teachers should continue purposefully, so that pupils with SEND make consistently strong progress, as soon as possible.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111117 Type of school Primary School category Maintained

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Mark Snow (interim executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 June 2017

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been six changes of headteacher. The current executive headteacher has been in post since September 2018.  There have also been many changes of staff. All current class teachers have joined the school since September 2018.  Some of the school’s curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator work across the federation of schools.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classrooms with a senior leader. They talked to leaders, teachers and pupils about their work.  The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair. She also met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors examined a wide range of school documents, including those that are published on the school’s website. 11–12 September 2019

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 Inspectors listened to key stage 1 pupils reading either with a teacher or teaching assistant.  To gain their views of the school, inspectors spoke with pupils before school and at breaktime. The lead inspector met a group of Year 6 pupils to talk about their experience of school.  In addition to speaking to a number of parents at the start of the school day, inspectors considered the 48 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 23 written comments. They also took account of the views of 21 staff who completed Ofsted’s survey.

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Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Bill James Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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