The Crescent Primary School

Inspection Report The Crescent Primary School

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115886 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279695 Inspection number 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 Inspection dates Peter Thrussell AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Toynbee Road School address Primary Type of school Eastleigh Community School category SO50 9DH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 02380612536 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02380612612 Fax number 372 Number on roll Mrs Anne Westcott Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jane Laurie Headteacher 16 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279695 30 November 2005 - 4 to 11 1 December 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by 3 additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large, popular primary school serves the town of Eastleigh. Most of its pupils are of British white heritage, with very few from minority ethnic backgrounds. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is above average for this size of school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is just below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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Grade: 2

The inspection agrees with the school's judgment that it is a good school. It has some outstanding features in its care, guidance and support for pupils and the thoroughness of its self-evaluation. Children feel safe and enjoy coming to school. They receive a good start to their education in Reception, meeting their expected learning goals.The quality of education, including teaching, throughout the school is good. As a result, pupils make good progress in their learning and attain above average results in national tests. Assessment information is used well to organise learning groups, to plan work, and to share with pupils how well they are doing. The school has focused strongly on improving pupils' skills in individual subjects. It is now starting to develop topic areas where pupils can draw on these different skills, so that learning becomes even more challenging and enjoyable.Pupils' personal development is good. Many opportunities

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Grade: 2

are provided for pupils to work and play alongside each other. This helps to foster good relationships, the care they show for each other, and their good behaviour.The leadership of the head teacher is very good. She is well supported by the governing body and the effective staff team she has built up. There has been very good improvement since the last inspection. The school provides good value for money and is very well placed to carry out further improvements and to continue making progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

Continue to develop the curriculum to make learning even more relevant and exciting.

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Grade: 2

Standards on entry to Reception vary from year to year. In particular, children's skills in communicating with others are underdeveloped. Children get a good start to their education; they make good progress and most achieve all of the learning goals expected at the end of the Reception year. In Years 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress. The school's performance in national tests for Year 2 has been slightly above average for the last two years. In Years 3 to 6, pupils continue to build on earlier successes and make good progress in meeting the challenging targets set for them. Year 6 pupils' performance in national tests has improved in recent years and is now above average in English, mathematics and science.Particular improvement has been made in mathematics since the last inspection, when standards throughout the school were too low. More recently, English standards by Year 6 have shown steady

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Grade: 2

improvement. These improvements have been brought about by raising the quality of teaching and learning and providing better quality books and equipment. The use of good assessment systems have enabled teachers to check pupils' progress and to plan more carefully the next steps in their learning. The quality of pupils' writing has improved because the teachers make sure that their pupils always read over what they have written and then make adjustments to their text. 2 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school, cooperate well with each other, and are polite, friendly and caring. One pupil said 'It's fun to come here'. The majority of pupils attend regularly and punctuality is good. Rigorous systems are in place to reduce unauthorised absences. As a result, pupils make good progress in a happy and safe environment.Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They show respect for other's feelings and opinions. A 'buddy' system is used well to welcome new pupils. The way in which pupils sit quietly to reflect on the main theme in assembly shows their emerging spiritual awareness. Pupils are learning about decision making through, for example, the school council. They feel they are listened to and that their suggestions are thoroughly considered. The very good integration of pupils from a local special school is having a very positive effect on the social development of all pupils. Pupils become

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Grade: 2

increasingly aware of the importance of living harmoniously together in a multi-cultural society. Activities, such as a multi-cultural week and visits to different places of worship, support this successfully. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. The school has achieved a nationally recognised award as a 'healthy school'. The newly installed kitchen is providing healthy meals, and the very good range of after school activities is enabling pupils to participate in a variety of sports. Pupils know about keeping safe. They have a good awareness of economic matters through many fund raising activities. Such opportunities are good examples of the ways in which the school is equipping its pupils for the future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. A particular strength is the very good relationships between pupils and staff. This results in pupils behaving well and having positive attitudes to learning. Teaching assistants give good quality support to pupils, which, in particular, helps those with learning difficulties to participate fully in lessons and make good progress. Gifted and talented pupils are equally well supported through specific initiatives to meet their needs. All teachers and support staff communicate caring attitudes and these, alongside clear explanations and well-planned and engaging activities, ensure that pupils learn well and make good progress. Good use is made of assessment during lessons to help pupils improve. Individual learning needs are identified well and pupils of all abilities make good progress. The school is implementing new strategies for involving pupils in

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Grade: 2

assessing their own work. For instance, in one outstanding lesson, pupils had specific individual targets to work towards plus whole class targets based on the objectives of the lesson. This resulted in them having a very clear understanding of how to assess and improve their work. All did so with enthusiasm. Good use is made of information and communication technology to support teaching and learning. 3 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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Grade: 2

The school is good at meeting the needs of all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those identified as gifted and talented. Teachers make very good use of visits and visitors to enrich the curriculum. Residential visits in Year 4 and Year 6 contribute well to pupils' learning and social development. Personal, social and health education is well planned and effectively makes pupils aware of staying safe and keeping healthy. A wide range of clubs and other enrichment activities provide further interest and enjoyment to pupils' learning. The school has identified a need to plan further opportunities for links between different subjects, so that they are even more meaningful and enjoyable, also enabling pupils to use their skills with greater relevance and understanding. Subject managers are already making good progress with this.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support shown towards pupils and their families is outstanding. From the Reception classes onwards, the children are well known to staff and their individual needs are very carefully considered and are fully met. Pupils feel safe in school and parents wholeheartedly agree that their children are well looked after. One parent thanked the school for doing 'that little bit more'. The school is diligent about its responsibility to pupils. Health and safety procedures are rigorous and child protection measures meet requirements very effectively. There is a very high level of expertise in the welfare of pupils.Support for pupils' learning is very effective and based on the monitoring of the progress they make. It is sensitive to the needs and learning styles of individual pupils. Most pupils are aware of the areas in which they need to improve, helping them therefore to make good progress in meeting their

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Grade: 1

targets. The help given to pupils by skilled learning support assistants is very well organised, and is aimed accurately at the point of need. Learning difficulties and disabilities are identified early and education plans contain 'child friendly' targets that are appropriate and achievable. The school makes very good use of specialist help from outside agencies.

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Grade: 2

The head teacher's leadership and management are very good; she is ably assisted by her deputy head teacher. She gives clear direction for the school's work and focuses very strongly on the all round development of pupils. The school is extremely good at monitoring and assessing its own performance and makes full use of information gathered to plan its improvement. This has resulted in very good progress since the last inspection, particularly in raising standards. The consistent collection and use of information about pupils' progress has helped to raise achievement by setting challenging targets for pupils to work towards. Careful and regular monitoring has improved the quality of teaching and learning.The head teacher has built up a good 4 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 staff team. The Foundation Stage is well led and the provision for pupils' with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties is very effectively managed. Co-ordinators know their subjects well and provide good leadership. They work closely together to improve the provision in their own subjects and to consider whole school developments.The work of the governing body is good. Governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and contribute to its self-evaluation. Finances are managed well, contributing effectively to the success of the school and the standards achieved. Improvements to the buildings and their decor continue to develop a pleasing and effective learning environment. There are very good links with parents and the community that contribute to pupils' learning and maintain the popularity of the school. The annual, informative and professionally produced 'Crescent Chronicle' paints a picture of a popular and successful school. 5 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: The Crescent Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am writing to let you know what we found out when we visited your school. Thank you for taking part in the inspection. We spoke to many of you during our visit and you were always interesting to talk to, polite and helpful. You spoke enthusiastically about enjoying school and all the activities that you can take part in. We liked these things the most:* You behave well, work hard and enjoy your lessons.* You are learning things more quickly than pupils in some other schools.* The school provides many out of school activities for you. * All the adults who work in your school take good care of you and listen to what you have to say. * Your teachers are good at letting you know how well you are doing and what you need to do to improve.* Pupils who need extra help are very well supported.* You make healthy choices.* You are very responsible in the jobs the school asks you to do.* Your head teacher and deputy head teacher do a very good job.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the school to work on this now:* Continue to make your learning even more interesting and exciting.Thank you again. Yours sincerely Peter Thrussell Lead Inspector

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