Sharps Copse Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Sharps Copse Primary and Nursery School Prospect Lane, Havant, Hampshire PO9 5PE

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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Outcome

Sharps Copse Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sharps Copse is a vibrant, caring, inclusive school where everyone is welcome. Leaders have created a school which puts pupils’ emotional and academic needs at the forefront of everything they do. Parents are highly positive about the school. This is reflected by comments from parents such as, ‘The teachers and staff genuinely care about the well- being of their pupils.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. These are based on mutual respect and kindness. Pupils are incredibly proud to attend this school. Pupils behave well in lessons and they have positive attitudes to learning. They are caring towards each other and play well together. They know what is expected from them by the adults. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ attitudes to learning and behaviour, and pupils respond well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in school. They feel confident in asking adults for help if they have any concerns. Bullying rarely happens and pupils are confident that staff deal swiftly with any issues. Pupils learn how they can contribute positively to the local community. For example, in the harvest festival assembly pupils donated generously in support of the local food bank.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. They know what specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils need to learn. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to reflect gaps in pupils’ learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher and assistant headteachers effectively support subject leaders. This enables most subject leaders to have a clear oversight of the curriculum and pupils’ learning. However, this is not yet consistent in every subject. This is something that leaders have already started to develop. Effective systems are in place to check what pupils know and remember in English, mathematics and science. Here, teachers are adept at checking pupils’ understanding. 27 and 28 September 2022

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However, this is not consistently the case in other subjects. Leaders are considering the best way to establish what pupils have learned across all subjects. Staff have ambitious expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff swiftly identify pupils with SEND and provide a wide range of effective support. Teachers wisely adapt their teaching so that all pupils can learn the same curriculum. This ensures that no pupil feels different from their classmates. The mathematics curriculum is carefully sequenced and taught well. Children in the early years have many opportunities to talk and learn about numbers. Teachers accurately model strategies so that pupils are confident to practise on their own. Pupils use resources confidently to help them to visualise the challenges they are solving. In other subjects, the curriculum carefully builds pupils’ learning over time. For example,

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children in early years enjoy exploring the natural world in the forest area, through making observations and finding out new things. This learning helps prepare them well for learning geography in key stage 1. Older pupils can recall their previous knowledge about different regions in the world to develop their understanding about different climates. Consequently, pupils secure deep understanding in geography.

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The teaching of reading is a priority. Pupils say that they love reading. Teachers ensure that pupils have access to high-quality books that engage and motivate them to read. Staff are well trained to teach early reading. Pupils who struggle with reading get the help that they need. Throughout school, pupils discover interesting texts, often linked to the topics they are studying. They enjoyed World Book Day and having an author visit the school virtually during COVID-19 pandemic. The personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully planned. It enables pupils to learn about keeping healthy, staying safe and relationships. Leaders and teachers actively promote equality and diversity. A group of pupils meet regularly to discuss equality and diversity, including gender stereotypes. During their ‘smash the stereotype’, an activity that pupils organised, they explored the meaning of stereotype

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and how they can identify instances of stereotyping.

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The school serves a community of significant disadvantage. Leaders are relentless in their approach to supporting pupils and their families in all aspects of school life. Former pupils, now adults, talk to pupils about their successful careers. This helps pupils to help develop their own thinking about possible career choices.

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Staff work well together as a hard-working and supportive team. Leaders consider their workload and well-being. Governors know the school well and recognise the strengths and areas for development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 and 28 September 2022

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There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders have a deep understanding of families and the community. Staff receive regular training. Leaders involve outside agencies for professional advice and support, without delay, when needed.

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Staff know how to report concerns. Safeguarding issues are recorded accurately and followed up appropriately. All the required checks are completed to ensure the suitability of staff. The curriculum helps pupils learn how to be aware of potential risks and keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and parents agree with this.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, teachers do not routinely check that pupils are learning the curriculum content. As a result, teachers do not have a secure understanding of what pupils remember and any gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to make sure that staff know what to assess, and how to assess learning, in the foundation subjects.  Leaders do not have a strong oversight of some foundation subjects. Consequently, they do not have a clear understanding of the effectiveness of the curriculum. They should ensure that subject leaders are developed to play a greater role in evaluating the curriculum and identifying where improvements are needed.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 27 and 28 September 2022

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 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. 27 and 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211385 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 16 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses one alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and assistant headteachers. He spoke with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also examined curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. 27 and 28 September 2022

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 Responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and parents’ free- text comments were considered. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. The pupil survey was available to the school but there were no responses.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements in the school, the inspector spoke to members of staff and pupils. He met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s policies and procedures. During these meetings, records were scrutinised, including those relating to the safer recruitment of staff. The inspector also spoke with a range of pupils and staff to evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture.

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Inspection team

Darren Aisthorpe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 2022

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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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