Oliver's Battery Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Oliver’s Battery Primary and Nursery School Austen Avenue, Oliver’s Battery, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 4HP

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Oliver’s Battery Primary and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of this school. Staff have high expectations of how all pupils behave and apply themselves to learning. Pupils are encouraged to meet these high standards by the caring and considerate staff. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to access the ambitious curriculum alongside their friends. Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities to learn and play in the outside areas, particularly the edible playground and forest, where they grow and eat healthy food.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning, and they work hard in lessons. Pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects. Regular high-quality trips and events help pupils to embed their learning. The school values of ‘ready, respectful and safe’ are clearly understood and used by pupils. For example, they show respect through the polite and courteous way in which they behave towards each other and staff. Pupils are eager to earn points for their house by showing these values in action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From Reception Year to Year 6, pupils enjoy the many roles of responsibility they have. The ‘Eco Ambassadors’ are passionate advocates for the environment. They lead a range of projects, from reducing the use of plastic to planting hedges for increased biodiversity.

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

The school curriculum is broad and ambitious. Pupils are excited to learn, both in their classrooms and while using the extensive outdoor learning spaces. For example, pupils in Reception Year observe the trees in the forest to learn about the seasons. They then 14 and 15 January 2025

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develop their pencil grip as they draw them. This well-sequenced approach extends throughout the school and helps pupils to achieve well. Staff address any misconceptions that pupils have before teaching something new. In a few subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge that they want pupils to remember. As a result, the learning is not always broken down into manageable chunks as well as it could be. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and quickly. Staff work closely with families and external agencies so that these pupils get the support they need to access the full curriculum.

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The school has made the development of proficiency in mathematics and English a priority. This starts in the Nursery with rhymes and counting songs, and continues throughout the school. The school has selected a phonics programme to teach pupils to read. Teachers are skilled at helping children to learn the letters and their sounds. Children quickly become fluent and accurate readers. Pupils relish reading increasingly complex books and tackling tricky problems in mathematics. Pupils talk animatedly about their work and viewpoints. They use discussions to shape interesting pieces of writing. Sometimes, teachers do not check that pupils have used challenging vocabulary and techniques. This means some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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The school takes every opportunity to promote and encourage good attendance and punctuality. This is based on strong home-school relationships that are renewed by daily interactions at the school gate. Staff forensically analyse information about who is not in school and the reasons for the absences. They take swift and effective actions. As a result, attendance has improved significantly. From the start of Nursery, pupils learn routines that help them to behave well and focus on their learning. They show kindness as they play together during social time, and all ages mix for conversations around the lunch tables.

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Pupils’ personal development is carefully woven through the curriculum. Pupils learn about the democratic process through voting for the school council and a range of pupil ambassador roles. Pupils are keen to hold these extra responsibilities and undertake them diligently. The pupil well-being ambassador team puts together and monitors well-being boxes in each classroom. These pupils promote a shared understanding of strategies to support good mental health.

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Pupils are confident that adults will listen to them. Pupils value the ‘worry boxes’ around the school. They see them as a good way of expressing their concerns and receiving help quickly. Pupils are proud to welcome new people and learn about a range of cultures and world views. Pupils learn how to stay safe online and offline. They develop independence because all staff expect them to ‘have a go’ at things that are challenging.

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Staff and governors work closely together. They are all committed to giving pupils the best education. Staff are appreciative of the way their workload is considered. Governors use careful monitoring to understand the school’s strengths and priorities. As a result, they provide effective support and challenge to the school. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, the school has not precisely defined the key knowledge they want pupils to remember over time. This means that teachers do not know what the most important things are for them to teach. The school should further refine the curriculum to prioritise the key content that it wants pupils to learn.  When teachers check written work, they do not consistently focus on the use of higher- level vocabulary and grammatical structures. This means that some pupils do not use these features as well as they could. In Year 6, greater depth writing outcomes are below those achieved nationally. The school should ensure that systems are fully implemented so that pupils’ extended writing skills develop.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in March 2016. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Hayley Stacey and Linda Courtney (co-chairs) Headteacher Sarah Vittle

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The headteacher joined the school in April 2024.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was 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 her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers and special educational needs coordinator. She met with members of the governing body, including the co-chairs of governors. The inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with groups of staff. She considered the opinions expressed in Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector spoke with some parents at the end of the school day and considered the views gathered through Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector spoke with pupils.

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Inspection team

Lizzie Jeanes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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