Nursling Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Nursling Church of England Primary School Nursling Street, Nursling, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 0XH

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 8–9 October 2019

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at Nursling Primary and apply themselves well to any given task. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The Nursling team want the very best for pupils in their care, socially and academically. The values, ‘love, hope and courage’, weave through all aspects of school life. Relationships are strong. Staff expect all pupils to be brave in their learning and try their best. ‘Cyril the Squirrel’, the school mascot, reminds pupils to be ready to learn and resilient when challenged. Pupils show determination to achieve well.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they feel safe in school. They said that bullying rarely happens and trust adults to sort out any problems that may arise. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. This learning includes road safety, managing feelings and how to keep themselves safe when online.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy many aspects of school life such as learning to play musical instruments, homework projects and ‘Olympic Day’. They especially like how they can take part in both competitive and non-competitive sport. Younger pupils told us how much they enjoy learning how to care for ‘Nigel’, the bearded dragon.

p.2

better?

The school is well led and managed. Leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure that pupils study a wide variety of subjects, to a high standard. Leaders have mapped out exactly what they want pupils to learn in every subject. However, despite the quality of education across the school being much better than it was in the past, pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics in national tests at the end of Year 6 still lags behind that of most other primary schools.

p.2

better?

Teachers value their training, which helps them teach the ambitious curriculum. For example, science teaching has been strengthened. Teachers know exactly how to build pupils’ investigative and practical skills. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They give clear explanations to pupils when teaching new content. Leaders have identified key vocabulary to be taught and used. Pupils confidently use these new and often technical words well. For example, in a Year 3 science lesson, pupils were using words such as igneous, durability and transparent correctly. While most pupils achieve well, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always reach their full potential. Support for this group of pupils is not precise enough.

p.2

better?

Reading is taught well and is central to learning at Nursling Primary. Phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) teaching is precise. Teachers are quick to correct any pupil who is mispronouncing a sound. They model the correct sounds well. 8–9 October 2019

p.2

3

Leaders have carefully thought about the pace they want pupils to progress through the phonics programme. This means that any pupil who is not keeping up can be identified swiftly and extra help put in place. Leaders also ensure that parents and carers understand what their children are learning. For example, staff show parents how they teach pupils to read, so that parents know what they can do to help.

p.3

3

Pupils love reading. Children in the early years have created their own ‘reading hut’, complete with blankets, cushions, books and magazines. They enjoy sharing books with each other. Leaders have carefully chosen high-quality texts to study in lessons to link learning for pupils. For example, pupils learn about fossils in science after reading an historical book on the life of Mary Anning.

p.3

3

Pupils understand the recently introduced behaviour policy and respond to it well. Bullying is not tolerated. Classrooms are productive places where pupils can learn without being interrupted. Children in the early years are confident learners who work together well.

p.3

3

Leaders plan well for pupils’ well-being and social development. During the inspection, leaders had organised a workshop encouraging pupils to look after their mental health. This was in preparation for ‘World Mental Health Day’ later in the week. One pupil reflected, ‘Singing clears my mind.’ Pupils have a good understanding of equalities. For example, as part of their topic on space, pupils in Year 5 had been learning about Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician. They explained how unfairly she had been treated in her early life. However, pupils’ cultural understanding, including that of other faiths, is less well developed.

p.3

3

Staff morale is high at Nursling. Staff respect their leaders. They know that leaders consider their opinions and workload when they introduce new initiatives into the school. Staff are a united team, focusing on the best possible outcomes for pupils.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Practice for managing safeguarding in the school is strong. Staff are well trained. They know exactly what to do if they are anxious about a pupil. Record-keeping is meticulous and communication between staff is strong. This has resulted in a culture where all worries, however small, are shared with the right people.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders take prompt action to escalate concerns when necessary. They make sure that all pre-employment checks are carried out before adults work or volunteer in the school. Staff work closely with families and help them when they need extra support. 8–9 October 2019

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are ambitious with what they want pupils to learn. A demanding curriculum is now in place. Leaders know that pupils need to make strong progress if the legacy of poor teaching and learning from the past is to be overcome. Leaders need to monitor and review the success of the newly introduced curriculum so that pupils leave Nursling Primary having attained well.  Leaders do not have an accurate strategic overview of the specific needs of pupils with SEND. The support that is currently in place for this group of pupils is not precise or tailored enough to pupils’ specific needs. Leaders need to ensure that they improve the provision for pupils with SEND, including rigorously monitoring and reviewing pupils’ plans, so that these pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.  Currently, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop a deep understanding of other cultures and faiths. Leaders need to ensure that pupils have more

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain and beyond.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 8–9 October 2019

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10111113 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Christine Slater

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 10–11 May 2017

p.5

Information about this school

 The current headteacher started her post in September 2017, after the previous inspection.

p.5

Information about this inspection

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

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with six governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also met with two representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors considered the quality of education, by looking at reading, mathematics, science and art. This involved speaking to leaders, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and leaders’ planning.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors spoke to staff, governors and pupils, checked recruitment procedures, and looked at safeguarding records and policies.  Inspectors considered the 63 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 33 free- 8–9 October 2019

p.5

6

text responses. In addition, 15 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff were considered, as were 51 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.

p.6

Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Abbie Wilkinson Ofsted Inspector 8–9 October 2019

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7