Leesland Church of England Controlled Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Leesland Church of England Controlled Infant School Whitworth Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 3NL

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Outcome

Leesland Church of England Controlled Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school where they are cared for well by staff. They thrive in this friendly community where anyone can make friends. Pupils learn how to show the ‘Leesland Federation’ values of ‘Love, Respect and Grace’. They demonstrate these by being polite and considerate around school. Pupils have positive relationships with staff, who know them well. They appreciate being greeted each morning when they arrive and check in with teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond to the school’s high expectations positively. They keenly anticipate who will gain the weekly ‘FABB Friday’ awards, which recognise efforts with behaviour. Pupils are motivated by the enthusiastic attitudes of staff, and they work hard to complete learning activities and achieve well overall. They enjoy a range of competitive opportunities, such as earning ‘Snuggle Buddy’ days by reading at home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take full advantage of the different opportunities to be active. In the early years, the rich outdoor area provides a wide range of play activities, which children relish. At playtime, pupils busily play different games together. They take turns to complete circuits of the popular ‘Agility Area’. They talk excitedly about attending clubs and remember fondly places they have visited on trips.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and broad. Across subjects, it is designed and organised to carefully build pupils’ knowledge and develop important skills. The continual adaptation of the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs well is particularly effective in the early years. Here, the curriculum addresses children’s starting points. The curriculum is organised so that it revisits previous key learning. This approach to curriculum thinking supports pupils in building secure knowledge and helps them to develop a deeper understanding across subjects. 12 and 13 March 2024

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Teachers have a secure subject knowledge and explain new ideas accurately. They use appropriate demonstrations to support explanations. Teachers widely use questioning to check pupils’ understanding. However, in some cases, this does not provide the teacher with a clear enough picture of how well pupils understand. Learning activities are well thought out so that they support pupils to develop deeper understanding. These activities are adapted effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), whose needs are promptly and specifically identified. Pupils’ work is assessed carefully, and teachers use this information to decide which areas of knowledge will be revisited in future teaching.

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The school is prioritising attendance. Currently, too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent. As a result, they do not benefit fully from the school’s high expectations and carefully planned curriculum. Consequently, they have knowledge gaps that affect their achievement. This year, the school made changes to how absence is tracked and addressed. Some pupils who have been supported through this work are now attending more regularly. However, the school knows that this work can be further strengthened as it is not yet making enough sustained improvement with the wider group of regularly absent pupils.

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Around the school, behaviour is calm and respectful. This is established in early years when children learn the routines and language that is needed for effective learning. Pupils know the school rules and clearly explain how they uphold these. In lessons, pupils work with purpose and listen attentively to teachers. At playtime, pupils behave responsibly and safely. They benefit widely from the school’s pastoral work. This provides prompt support for pupils if they have challenging circumstances.

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There is a sharp focus on developing pupils’ reading. Carefully chosen diverse texts are woven through the curriculum. The school purposefully develops pupils’ enjoyment of reading, promoting and rewarding wider reading. Early reading is prioritised. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. If pupils struggle, they receive additional same-day support to quickly catch up.

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There are rich opportunities to develop pupils’ character through the ‘Leesland Legacy’. At the heart of this is broadening pupils’ understanding of difference. Pupils learn about celebrations in different world religions. A range of experiences with trips and visiting speakers further broaden pupils’ horizons. For example, they reflect on how the life of a visiting Olympian is different to their own. Pupils have regular opportunities to discuss moral issues. These support pupils to develop their views and to learn how to share their views respectfully with others.

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Staff enjoy working at the school and feel appreciated. They value the steps that are taken by the school to make sure that the workload is manageable and does not affect their teaching. The school strives to continuously improve, and staff are fully engaged when changes are made. 12 and 13 March 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent from school. These pupils are missing key learning that affects their achievement. The school needs to embed and further refine the approach to addressing absence, so this robustly secures improved attendance for these pupils.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2018.

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How can I 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 my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Acting Chair of governing body Rebecca Strong

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 31 October and 1 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Leesland Church of England Junior School as part of the Leesland Church of England Federation.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Portsmouth. Its last section 48 inspection took place in September 2016.  The governing body manages before-school breakfast club provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with governors. He also met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the assistant headteacher, the local authority school improvement adviser and a representative of the diocese. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 The lead inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education. For each deep dive, the lead inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to subject leaders and teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector also spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work in science and history.  The lead inspector observed playtime activities.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.

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 The lead inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses. He also spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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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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