Mansbridge Primary School

Inspection of Mansbridge Primary School Octavia Road, Swaythling, Southampton, Hampshire SO18 2LX

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 9 and 10 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mansbridge is an ambitious and friendly school. Pupils enjoy learning and relish the opportunities the school offers. This includes the annual festival of culture and visits from the local theatre and football club. The vision of ‘learn more, remember more, be more’ drives everything that the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND work towards the same ambitious goals as other pupils. Leaders create a safe and supportive environment. They welcome pupils into the school daily and provide activities to help pupils feel confident and happy. Pupils access workshops on how to manage anxiety and how to care for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say unkind behaviour or bullying does not happen often. When it does, staff deal with it swiftly. Pupils behave well and are polite and respectful towards each other and adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and parents and carers value the range of support the school offers. When pupils struggle or fall behind in their learning, the school recognises this promptly and provides the help needed to catch up. One parent commented, ‘My child feels safe and secure with the learning and has never once had a bad day.’ This was typical of parents’ comments.

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better?

Learning to read early is a priority in the school. Staff are well trained to teach phonics. The recently introduced phonics scheme is followed and taught consistently well.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading a range of books and these are planned to be at the centre of their learning. If pupils fall behind with their reading, staff identify this quickly and provide the correct support for pupils to catch up. Reading has a high priority in the school. Leaders have allocated extra resources to provide two additional adults to teach phonics. This helps the school realise their motto of ‘keep up, not catch up’. As a result, pupils are equipped with the vocabulary and reading skills needed to fully access all areas of the curriculum.

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better?

At the beginning of this school year, some children joined the school with weak attention and listening skills. This was partly due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, leaders provided children with extra support at the start of Reception. Children in early years are now able to listen carefully to instructions and work together politely and calmly.

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better?

Leaders have broadened and redesigned the school’s curriculum. With the support of the trust, leaders have identified and sequenced the knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn. This is complete in nearly all subjects from early years to Year 9 and 10 November 2022

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6. They have a clear system to identify what pupils remember from their lessons. In most subjects, staff have been well trained to deliver the curriculum, and pupils are able to remember the most important aspects they have been taught. The mathematics curriculum is set out in a sensible way for pupils to progress to the next steps of their learning. In a few foundation subjects, leaders have not yet identified all the knowledge that they would like pupils to learn and remember. This results in teachers not always knowing what aspects to focus on in lessons.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils who have SEND. As soon as children join the school, staff identify any pupils needing extra support and monitor them closely. Staff plan lessons so that all children have the opportunity to reach the same learning goal. They use resources and additional adults well so that this can happen.

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Staff provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to develop personally and learn important life skills. This includes learning about healthy lifestyles through the ‘Healthy Hi-5’ and oral hygiene with the Southampton Dental Association. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and fundamental British values through their personal, social and health education lessons and assemblies.

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Leaders and governors have an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and what they need to continue to work on. The local authority and trust support the school well. Governors visit the school regularly to assure themselves of the school’s work. Leaders are considerate of staff’s workload, including those who are new to teaching. They provide sufficient time for them to develop their teaching and subject areas further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their families well. They quickly identify when pupils need extra help. Staff are well trained and report any concerns diligently.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have clear systems in place to ensure that pupils are safe and pupils and families swiftly get the help they need. Leaders use external agencies well to support their work. Leaders ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in lessons. They say that school is a safe place, and they know who to speak to if they have a concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leaders do not consistently identify the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember. As a result, 9 and 10 November 2022

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teachers sometimes lack clarity over what to teach and when. Leaders need to further refine the curriculum in the foundation subjects. They need to identify the most important content that pupils need to learn.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started in her substantive role in September 2021.  The school is part of the Aspire Community Trust, which is a group of nine schools in Southampton.  Mansbridge Community Pre-school is situated on the school site. This is led and managed independently of the school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 9 and 10 November 2022

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors, representatives from the local authority and the trust and other school leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and music. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 lead inspector listened to some pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors spoke with staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke to staff and groups of pupils from different year groups and observed behaviour in classrooms and around the school.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and

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the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

James Munt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracey Brunton Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 2022

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