Cottage Grove Primary School

Inspection of Cottage Grove Primary School Chivers Close, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 1HG

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 23–24 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cottage Grove is a friendly and welcoming school. Classrooms are a happy hive of activity. Leaders and staff work well together to bring to life the school’s vision of ‘Success for all’. Pupils are proud of their school. One explained, ‘Our education is first class and, with this, we will be good role models.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to learn. They are keen to have a go and try new things. Pupils like the challenge of learning. They know not to worry if they find new things hard at first. Pupils work hard and show they understand that making mistakes is part of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents and carers like the kind and approachable staff. They say it feels like a family. Pupils value the wide range of cultures and languages that are represented in the school. Pupils told us, ‘We are a very diverse school and that is a really good thing.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm place to learn. Pupils behave well. They demonstrate great care and respect for each other and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe, and bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that, if they have any problems, they can tell an adult who will help sort things out quickly.

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better?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. Leaders carefully consider the needs of pupils at Cottage Grove and what they need to know by the time they leave the school. Pupils learn a broad range of interesting subjects linked to the national curriculum. Leaders ensure that pupils are taught the vocabulary they need to achieve successfully.

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better?

Plans for reading, mathematics and some other subjects, such as modern foreign languages, are clear. They describe plainly what to teach in a sensible order. The knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in these subjects are organised into small logical steps. However, not all subjects are planned as successfully as this yet. Leaders are working to ensure that other subjects, such as science, are planned with the same level of detail.

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better?

Useful training and support for teachers in reading and mathematics are helping to ensure that these subjects are taught well. Results in national tests at the end of key stage 2 are improving, although remain below the national averages. The high proportion of pupils who need skilful personal support to help them achieve well receive it. Many pupils join the school throughout the year. These pupils get exactly the right support to settle in quickly and keep up with their learning.

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better?

Reading is a top priority for the school. Most staff are skilled and confident in teaching this subject. Children who join the nursery are taught phonics right from 23–24 October 2019

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the start. The school’s programme for teaching phonics is clear, and teachers know exactly which sounds to teach week by week. Over time, the proportion of pupils achieving the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is improving because reading and phonics are taught well. Staff are becoming increasingly expert in teaching these important skills to the high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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In each class, pupils listen to stories every day. They take books home, visit the local library and use the well-stocked school library. As a result, pupils successfully develop a real love of reading. Leaders have bought new reading books so that pupils read books that are matched precisely to their phonics ability.

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Pupils flourish because the school’s work to promote their personal development is exemplary. Leaders skilfully plan to meet pupils’ diverse needs. A wide range of well- considered clubs, visits and experiences are on offer. Pupils enjoy cookery, for example, and learn to make healthy meals on a budget. Members of the ‘school parliament’ proudly told us they have been elected by their classmates. They told us about democracy and how they debate ‘big issues’, such as whether the school should become plastic-free. Pupils relish their roles of responsibility, such as being a ‘language ambassador’ or a buddy for a new arrival to the school.

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Pupils behave well because routines and expectations are consistently clear. Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Staff work closely with families. As a result, there are many examples where attendance is improving.

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Children are happy and settled in the early years. The indoor environment is well organised. Pupils share equipment and cooperate well. They busily use their early reading, mathematical and creative skills. Staff provide helpful support to develop children’s vocabulary skills effectively. However, the outdoor area is not as well developed. As a result, the rich language and broad range of learning that exist indoors are not taking place as effectively outside.

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Leaders ensure that staff get the training and support they need to teach pupils well. Staff like the way leaders notice their achievements in the ‘Friday bulletin of brilliance’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and vigilant. They can spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff know exactly what they need to do if they are worried about a pupil. Any concerns are reported appropriately to the dedicated safeguarding team. Referrals to outside agencies are made efficiently.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Pupils could explain confidently how to use the internet safely. They know not to chat to people they do not know and how to block people if necessary. Pupils know who they can talk to if something 23–24 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have made sure that reading and mathematics are carefully planned and sequenced. However, this is not the case in all subjects. Leaders need to continue to improve the planning of foundation subjects so that the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced in these subjects too. It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to develop the curriculum further and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about.  The outdoor environment in the early years is not as inviting or well developed as the indoor area. Further work is needed to continue to improve the outdoor area so that it promotes all areas of learning effectively and matches the same good quality as that of the indoor environment.

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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. 23–24 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111218 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 February 2016

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Information about this school

 The school includes a nursery which provides for children from the age of two.  Cottage Grove offers a breakfast club which is managed by the school.  A high proportion of pupils join and leave the school throughout the school year.  The school includes a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Over half of the pupils on roll speak English as an additional language. A wide range of different languages are spoken by pupils attending the school.  Approximately half of the pupils on roll are eligible for the pupil premium funding.

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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

 We held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers and a group of support staff.  We evaluated the quality of education by looking in detail at the teaching of reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages, science, geography and design 23–24 October 2019

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and technology.  We discussed the curriculum design with leaders, carried out lesson visits, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers about the curriculum.  We evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding. The school’s single central record was reviewed. We met with the designated safeguarding lead, scrutinised documentation, including a sample of case files, and spoke to pupils and staff.  The lead inspector met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body.  We met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to pupils informally about the school. No pupils responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  We took account of the 33 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and 17 additional free-text responses. We met with some parents at the beginning of the first day of the inspection.  We considered the views of 45 members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s staff

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Inspection team

Claire Prince, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Green Her Majesty’s Inspector 23–24 October 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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