Stanmore Primary School

Inspection of Stanmore Primary School Stanmore Lane, Stanmore, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 4AJ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy school. Strong relationships between pupils, families and staff thrive in its positive and safe community. The school’s expectations of pupils are high. The vision, ‘be the best that you can be’ permeates through school life. Pupils and staff aim to be the best versions of themselves all day, every day. Pupils typically achieve well. They are self-motivated and work hard in lessons. Pupils behave well. The ‘keys for success’, a toolkit of skills such as ‘confidence’, ‘organisation’ and ‘resilience’, help pupils to learn successfully. Pupils love taking home ‘merit cards’ to show their families, having used the ‘keys’ in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities. All pupils in Year 3 are learning how to play a brass instrument currently. There is a school orchestra and choir. Pupils love the clubs they can attend such as Spanish, football and the popular chess club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the centre of its community. It works well with other education settings and local services to support pupils to feel safe beyond the school gate. The popular ‘in it together’ coffee morning helps parents and carers with a wide range of support. Parents speak highly of the school.

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

The school has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of education since the previous inspection. This has been very successful. The school and governors share high aspirations for Stanmore’s pupils. Governors have supported and challenged the school on its improving journey diligently. Staff love working here and fully support the many changes the school has made. They appreciate the school’s support in helping them do their jobs well.

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

There is now an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum in place. It follows a clear sequence of learning from Reception to Year 6. At times, in some non-core subjects, there is a lot of content for pupils to learn. The school has not identified clearly enough what it wants pupils to remember long term in these subjects. Consequently, this makes it difficult for teachers to know what content to prioritise in lessons and to check what pupils have remembered over time.

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

Teachers are skilled and confident to teach the curriculum, because of well-considered professional development. Staff model and explain new ideas clearly. They support pupils to learn and use subject-specific vocabulary well.

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

The school has transformed the teaching in many subjects since the previous inspection. Current pupils learn well. For example, in mathematics, teachers check pupils’ learning and address any gaps in their understanding effectively. In the early years, children develop a secure understanding of number, preparing them well for Year 1. The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly and accurately. The school has trained staff to know how to meet pupils’ needs well. Staff adapt tasks and resources so that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum 1 and 2 October 2024

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successfully. In the past, published outcomes in mathematics have not been high enough. This was due, in part, to a legacy of weaker teaching, assessment and curriculum design, as well as COVID-19. This does not reflect the current quality of education in the school.

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Pastoral support is especially strong. There is a well-understood approach to pupils’ behaviour choices. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils who need extra support to help manage their behaviour benefit from carefully planned programmes. Suspensions have greatly reduced. The school’s nurture provision offers well-considered and bespoke support to vulnerable pupils. This helps these pupils be successful back in class.

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Pupils learn to read quickly. They talk about books enthusiastically. The school places a high priority on the teaching of reading. Teachers in the early years and in key stage 1 develop pupils’ phonics knowledge skilfully. Once a pupil can decode text, the school ensures that pupils read with appropriate fluency. Any pupil who struggles to learn their sounds are well supported to catch up.

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Most children attend school regularly. The school has an effective approach to understanding the reasons for non-attendance. Pupils’ attendance is improving rapidly. Despite this, there remains too many pupils who persistently miss school or take a day off here and there. They miss out on vital learning.

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The school considers pupils’ wider development carefully. Pupils learn about differences between people, including a range of religions and cultures. For example, Year 6 pupils are reading the book ‘Pig Heart Boy’ currently. They are establishing their thoughts on using animal organs to save human life. Pupils appreciate the viewpoints of others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the school has not identified well enough the most important knowledge that pupils need to recall long term. This means that teachers do not know what to check up on, which slows pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that teachers are clear what pupils need to remember over time, so that all pupils achieve as well as they could.  Some pupils have poor attendance. This means that they miss out on important learning and all the great experiences that this school offers. The school should continue to work with families so that all pupils, especially the most disadvantaged, attend school regularly. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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.

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 March 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses one registered provider of alternative provision, as well as the local authority’s behaviour support service.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continual impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the senior leaders, other school leaders, school staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with nine members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. They held a phone call with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also spoke with representatives from the alternative provision used and Hampshire Behaviour Service.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, talked to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the school’s curriculum in other subjects through discussions with leaders and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the team: reviewed the single central

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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 reviewed a wide range of documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation of the school and school development plan.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the inspection. They spoke to pupils about their views on behaviour in school. Inspectors considered how the school is supporting pupils’ personal development.  The inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff and pupil surveys. They took account of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View and parents’ free-text comments. An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul McKeown Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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