Peel Common Primary School

Inspection of Peel Common Primary School and Nursery The Drive, Rowner, Gosport, Hampshire PO13 0QD

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make a point of being on the gate in the morning to welcome families to what for many is a new school. Pupils are greeted at the classroom door by staff’s friendly smiles. From Nursery upwards, they are pleased to see familiar adults and their classmates and look forward to the day ahead. Pupils who find the start of the day tricky are sensitively scooped up and supported to settle.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The simple motto ‘kind hands, kind feet and kind words’ helps pupils of all ages to remember how they should behave towards each other. Praise for being ‘ready to learn’, making an ‘excellent effort’ or being ‘a star’ encourages good learning habits. Typically, pupils are kind to each other and respectful, and classrooms are calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a strong start in the Nursery. This is not, though, sustained consistently through the school. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not been supported well enough in the past. The school is at an early stage of designing a curriculum that plots pupils’ learning all the way from early years up to Year 6. There is more to do to nurture pupils’ personal and social development too.

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

The parent who shared that they ‘have seen some really positive changes and feel the teachers and leaders are dedicated to developing as a new school’ was spot on. Key appointments have further strengthened the leadership. The governing body has balanced support and challenge wisely. There has been a resolute focus from all concerned on bringing early years and key stage 1 staff, pupils and parents into the fold. At the same time, a careful eye has been kept on the provision for older pupils. Staff enjoy being part of the new team. They appreciate the support for their own development and the care for their well-being and workload so that they are at their best for pupils.

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

The school has focused on getting the fundamentals right first. The consistent approach to encouraging and explicitly recognising good behaviour ensures that classrooms are conducive to learning. The school works tirelessly with families to improve attendance. Concentrating on the teaching of early reading has had a notable impact. The foundations are laid in Nursery, where children learn to tune in to rhymes and songs, listen to the sounds that instruments make and enjoy stories. Elsewhere, training and support have, in a short time, improved most staff’s skills and confidence to teach phonics. Regular checks identify pupils who need extra support and exactly what that needs to be.

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

The majority of pupils reach the expected level for their age in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. This is, in part, dependent on catch-up strategies. A legacy of early reading skills not being secure means that a significant minority of pupils across the school are not reading as well as they might do. Teaching is suitably adapted to tackle this. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading and listening to their teacher read to them. Work to improve writing skills in key stage 2 is beginning to have an impact. There is, though, more to do to tackle spelling, punctuation and handwriting, and to get younger 29 and 30 April 2025

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pupils off to a better start. Mathematical learning is sometimes not challenging enough. Pupils have not learned their times tables early enough in the recent past.

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Leaders are absolutely clear what still needs to be done to achieve their vision for the primary school. There simply has not been enough time to design a curriculum that builds pupils’ learning from early years to Year 6 in other subjects. At times, teaching is not sufficiently focused on what pupils should be learning and checking whether they are. Internal and external expertise has been used well this year to upskill staff to be alert to, and be able to meet, the needs of pupils with SEND. However, support in class for these pupils is not consistently focused on learning.

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The school’s ambition for pupils ‘to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society’ is not fully realised. Pupils learn the importance of being physically healthy and enjoy opportunities to ‘have a go’ at different sports and games. The recent introduction of ‘well-being champions’ has raised the profile of mental health. However, pupils are sometimes too ready to give up when they find learning tough. While pupils learn to respect difference, their understanding of the world beyond where they live and of different religions is limited. The range of out-of-school activities is somewhat narrow.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Work to develop all-through curriculums in subjects beyond English and mathematics is at an early stage. Currently, pupils’ learning is not sequenced well enough over time. The school must make sure that it maintains the momentum to design and embed curriculums from early years through to Year 6 so that pupils’ knowledge and skills build systematically.  Teaching is variable across the school. At times, it is not ambitious enough for pupils. Activities and questioning are not sufficiently focused on the intended learning. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they might. The school needs to improve teachers’ understanding of where pupils should be academically and how best to deliver what is planned for the range of needs in their class.  Developing a personal development programme from early years upwards is in its infancy. Pupils do not have a good understanding of the world beyond where they live

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

or of different religions. They lack resilience at times. The school should make sure that it implements its plans to overhaul the personal, social and health education curriculum and keeps a watchful eye on its impact. 29 and 30 April 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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Glynis Alexander

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School details

Website www.peelcommonjuniorschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became a primary school in January 2025, as a result of extending the age range of the predecessor junior school. At the same time, the partner infant school closed, with pupils transferring to the new primary school. Delays to building works meant that the school had been operating on one site for less than a week at the time of the inspection.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2020. They were formerly the headteacher of the junior school. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator was new to the school in September 2024 and the deputy headteacher in January 2025.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is well above average.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are run by an external provider so were not included as part of this inspection.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 29 and 30 April 2025

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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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other school leaders; members of the governing body, including the chair; and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, design and technology, and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of 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 read to a familiar adult. The team also considered the

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Information about this inspection

curriculum in some other subjects through discussions with leaders and sampling pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspection team 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.  Staff, pupil and parent views were gathered using Ofsted’s surveys. In addition, the inspectors also met with pupils and staff during the inspection. They also talked to pupils around school and outside at breaktimes, and with staff as they went about their work.

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Inspection team

Alison Bradley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jody Murphy Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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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