Speenhamland School

Inspection of Speenhamland School Pelican Lane, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 1NU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 4–5 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in Speenhamland School. They told inspectors they are proud to attend the school and have someone to talk to if they need help or advice. Pupils say that bullying is rare. If one pupil is unkind to another, they know that adults are always on hand should they need them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour has improved over the past year. Leaders have put in place a new behaviour system that everyone follows. Pupils told inspectors they like the system and think it is fair. Relationships between staff and pupils are good. One parent commented, ‘The staff are friendly and approachable.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of activities and clubs on offer, particularly the sporting ones, and taking part in competitions. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the range of visitors to the school and the trips they take part in. For example, they described the pantomime trip as ‘amazing’ and ‘brilliant’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a good start in the early years. Yet, as they move through the school, they do not gain the knowledge they need in subjects such as science and history. This is because not all the subjects are planned as well as they should be.

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better?

Leaders and the trust have improved pupils’ school experience over the past two years. Staff are working well together to improve the school community. All staff recognise that there is more to do. Poor teaching in the past has left some pupils with gaps in what they should know. Leaders have worked with the trust to improve mathematics and reading.

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better?

Staff work hard to make sure that pupils enjoy reading. Teachers prioritise the development of early reading skills. The teaching of phonics is effective. Well-trained staff deliver good-quality phonics right from the outset. Pupils and teachers talk about the importance of reading. There are lots of opportunities to read for pleasure during breaktimes and during lessons. The reading system the school uses motivates pupils to read a wide range of high-quality books.

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better?

Mathematics teaching has improved over the last year. Leaders have reviewed what works well for their pupils and revised the curriculum to meet their needs. Staff training is helping to improve pupils’ knowledge. Lessons are well sequenced. This helps pupils learn. Several pupils said that mathematics was their best subject.

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better?

In other subjects there is no clear plan of the skills and knowledge that pupils need to know. In subjects like history and science, teachers have insufficient guidance about what to teach. Teaching does not sequence learning well enough to ensure that pupils know more and remember more. Teachers have not had the necessary training to develop their knowledge and understanding in some subjects. 4–5 December 2019

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Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. All staff encourage pupils from this vulnerable group to do their best. Despite this, pupils with SEND struggle to learn in subjects like history and science. This is because teachers do not adapt tasks well enough to meet their needs.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils and staff understand the behaviour policy and pupils say that they follow the school rules. Pupils work well together in lessons and show respect to all.

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Pupils visit a range of places, such as Stackpole Outdoor Learning Centre and the cinema. This helps bring their learning to life. Pupils also enjoy the ‘Dragon Club’. This school-run breakfast and after-school club is a nurturing environment.

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Pupils take on positions of responsibility within the school. For example, the ‘PM Pals’ help children to respect everyone within their community and to work together to solve any disputes.

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Staff in the early years provide an interesting range of activities to help children learn well. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they start at school. They enjoy the games and actions that help them learn the sounds quickly. As a result, they make a good start to their education.

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Most parents say that they are well informed about the school’s work. Some would like more information about how their child is doing and what they are learning.

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Staff are positive about leaders’ efforts to reduce workload. They told me that the school is a positive and supportive place. They feel that they are treated fairly and with respect. Staff enjoy working at the school and are proud to be part of the ‘Speenhamland community’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff throughout the school are well trained to keep pupils safe. Leaders have made sure that there are clear systems in school for staff to report and record any concerns. All staff understand these systems and use them well. When concerns arise, staff waste no time in passing these concerns on. Staff work well with other agencies to support pupils and families when necessary. Almost all parents agree that their child feels safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all curriculum subjects are planned clearly or sequenced well enough. Leaders should ensure that all subject plans identify what pupils need to know and understand, so that their learning is secure and builds over time. 4–5 December 2019

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 Leaders need to ensure that teachers have the skills and knowledge to develop a well-planned curriculum. Subject leaders need to improve the way in which they influence what pupils learn. They need to develop clear plans that focus on the key skills pupils are expected to learn. Additionally, some staff require training to develop their understanding of what they teach and how they check that it is working.  Pupils with SEND do not achieve well in all areas of the curriculum. This is because subjects are not adapted appropriately to meet their needs. Leaders need to ensure that teachers adapt learning so that these pupils achieve well.  Not all parents are happy with the quality of information they receive. Leaders should review the range of information they provide and how this is communicated to parents. This should help parents to be better informed about their child’s learning and progress.

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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. 4–5 December 2019

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School details

Headteacher Charlotte Wilson (executive headteacher) Emma Parish (associate headteacher) Website www.speenhamlandprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Speenhamland Primary School is part of the Newbury Multi-Academy Trust. The school joined the trust in February 2017. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement.  Speenhamland is one of three schools in the Newbury Multi-Academy Trust. The work of the school is overseen by the board of trustees. The executive headteacher is the chief executive officer (CEO) and oversees all three schools. Each school is run by an associate headteacher. The associate headteacher at Speenhamland was appointed in July 2018.  There have been significant changes to the teaching staff since the school joined the multi-academy trust.  The school has a specialist resource unit for physically disabled pupils. These pupils are taught alongside mainstream pupils.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 4–5 December 2019

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 During the inspection, we met with the executive headteacher, the associate headteacher and two trustees, including the chair of the trustees.  As part of this inspection, we considered certain subjects in detail (deep dives). We did deep dives in: reading, mathematics, science, history and physical education. For each of these subjects, we discussed the quality of provision and teaching with senior leaders and subject leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils and looked at work in their books.  We took into account 110 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire and the 23 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors scrutinised training records, spoke with pupils and tested staff’s safeguarding knowledge to ensure that pupils are safe. The lead inspector also met with the designated safeguarding lead.

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Inspection team

David Harris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Teresa Hill Ofsted Inspector 4–5 December 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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