Greatham Primary School

Inspection Report Greatham Primary School

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115898 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279698 Inspection number 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 Inspection dates Barry Jones AI Reporting inspector

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

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Petersfield Road School address Primary Type of school Greatham Community School category Liss, Hampshire GU33 6HA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01420538224 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01420538013 Fax number 208 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss S N Badawi Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279698 21 September 2005 - 4 to 11 22 September 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Greatham Primary School is an average size with a socially advantaged intake. More pupils than have a statement ofeducational need than is usually found in primary schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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Grade: 2

Greatham Primary is a good school with some outstanding features. It is a community in which every child does matter. The inspection team share the school's view that leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides an excellent lead and her honest, open management style has fostered teamwork that is exemplary. The school evaluates its work very well and the readiness to identify and tackle weaknesses is a strength. The governing body is very supportive, and with relatively new membership, is effectively re-establishing its monitoring role.Pupils make good progress and this means that standards in reading and science are very good throughout the school. Generally, progress in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory and it is good in Key Stage 2. The quality of provision and standards in the Foundation stage are good. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of the very good teaching

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Grade: 2

support and high levels of care.The quality of teaching and the curriculum are good. The governors decided to provide extensive in-class support and this has been very effective, particularly in enhancing the progress of pupils with learning difficulties and higher attaining pupils. The school is fortunate to have access to well-qualified support assistants who provide valued support and enable teachers to plan well for the full range of ability. Parents speak highly of the school and also contribute significantly to the high reading standards.The positive atmosphere which permeates the whole school means all pupils are included in what it has to offer. Parents, pupils and visitors find it very welcoming. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are strong and the quality of care for the pupils and their personal development are outstanding.The expenditure per pupil is higher than the national average. Nevertheless, in view of the

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Grade: 2

standards achieved and the quality of the preparation for life, the value for money is good. Progress since the previous inspection and capacity for further improvement are also good.

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What the school should do to improve further

* assemble examples of the range of pupils` writing which illustrate good assessment practice and set an expectation for the teaching;* enable subject managers to monitor and promote good practice.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress and attain standards which are above the national average, particularly at age 11. Attainment on entry to the school is higher than expected for children of this age and effective teaching in the reception class means they make sound progress and receive a solid grounding. Progress in Key Stage 2 is good. While there has been some underachievement by the ablest pupils in Key Stage 1 in the past this has now been addressed and pupils in this stage now make satisfactory progress. There are particular strengths: pupils are acquiring very good scientific skills and standards in reading are very good throughout the school and are boosted by parental 2 Inspection Report: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 support at home. Progress in mathematics has been more variable but is now satisfactory as a result of concerted school efforts. Higher attaining pupils achieve

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Grade: 2

well except in writing. Standards in writing are lower at both key stages and the school is giving it particular attention in order to resolve this. The school generally met to its challenging targets in 2005.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils are polite, well-mannered and confident when talking with each other and adults. They value their school greatly and participate in and enjoy the many opportunities that it offers. This is demonstrated by their regular attendance, willingness to participate fully in lessons and excellent behaviour. They think of school as a safe place to be and have confidence in knowing that they can ask adults for help if they need it. Pupils enjoy physical activities and have a good understanding of healthy eating and speak highly of their school cook. Learning support assistants also carry out lunchtime supervision which underpins a consistent approach and contributes to the good relationships.Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are respectful of each other, follow a clear moral code, and relate very well to each other and adults. They

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Grade: 1

are keen to take responsibility both for classroom tasks and by taking on school roles, like Young Governors. Their work has brought about several improvements including new benches in the shady parts of the playground. Pupils participate in a wide range of activities that help them to understand about the beliefs and lives of people from different cultures. They sing carols at a local hospital at Christmas, raised a substantial sum for a tsunami charity and participate in art activities that involve the whole family. They respond well to opportunities to show initiative within the school and make a very positive contribution to the wider community.

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Grade: 2

Effective teaching this term enables pupils to make good progress overall. The staff continually seek to enhance their skills through training courses. Teachers have strong classroom management skills and are adept at creating a climate which is really very conducive to effective learning. An outstanding feature is the effective teamwork by teachers and well-qualified, support assistants. For instance, in a Year 6 class the teacher coordinated the work very well. This meant that the needs of all the pupils were met fully. The monitoring of teaching quality by senior staff has identified areas for improvement and this has contributed to the good progress made by pupils. Teachers have responded well but some lessons are still conducted at too slow a pace.Assessment and analysis of data are strong and teachers have detailed records of pupils' achievement which they use well. The 'progress books', which provide

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Grade: 2

exemplars of pupils' work, are an exception: they lack a clear purpose and so are 3 Inspection Report: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 infrequently used. Opportunities are missed therefore for promoting good practice in writing and moderating and raising standards.

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Grade: 2

A good curriculum meets the needs of individual pupils well. They have many opportunities to visit places of interest that support their topic. For instance, the year 2 pupils dress in costume for the annual visit to a Victorian classroom in a nearby town. The pupils' enjoyment and their gain in knowledge and understanding are very evident. Some aspects of the curriculum are outstanding. There are theatre workshops, multicultural dance sessions, artwork and other exciting projects. A large proportion of pupils are learning musical instruments. There is a wide range of well-attended after school clubs. These all contribute to pupils' development and to the positive ethos. Pupils' information and communication technology skills are satisfactory and are reinforced at home. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop these skills at school because of ageing equipment and technical problems. A strong

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Grade: 2

emphasis is placed on eating healthily and the school promotes this well, both by providing healthy school dinners and through praising healthy eaters.

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Grade: 1

The school evaluates care and guidance as good but the inspection team judge it to be outstanding and this accords with the views of parents. Several parents spoke passionately about the exceptional commitment of the staff and their willingness to give help outside their normal teaching hours. One parent said 'there is a little element of magic here'. While this is true, the most significant factors are the exceptionally high degree of teamwork, the professionalism of staff and the good communications between the school, parents, governors and other agencies. The care for pupils with complex learning needs is exceptionally strong. The parents speak well of the 'daily diary', often completed by a learning assistant, which enables parents or carers to be involved actively in their child's learning. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are very good.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and contribute significantly to the good standards in the school. The headteacher is an excellent role model and has successfully promoted effective teamwork and a family atmosphere. Parents comment positively that she is approachable while retaining high expectations for the school. The oversight and management of curriculum developments by the deputy head is very good. The monitoring of school performance is rigorous and the school's self evaluation is good. Parents', carers' and pupils' views are sought and acted upon. The monitoring of teaching is equally robust. Findings are shared with the teachers and patterns that 4 Inspection Report: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 emerge from the observations inform staff training and performance management. A summary is usefully reported to the governing body who are well informed by the headteacher. Subject managers lead on training sessions but are not sufficiently

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Grade: 2

involved in monitoring their area and this is recognised as a weakness by the school.The governors fulfil their statutory duties. They have supported the school well. There has recently been considerable change in the membership of the governing body and they are effectively re-establishing their monitoring role.The governors' policy to allocate substantial funding to in-class support has paid dividends and the school has a very favourable adult-to-pupil ratio which has had a positive impact on progress. The high surplus budget is being used well to provide ICT equipment and to improve the accommodation. The school is financially secure, has made good progress since the previous inspection and the capacity for future improvement is good. 5 Inspection Report: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 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: Greatham Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 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 1 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 2 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 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 1 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 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 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

Thank you for speaking to us when we inspected your school. You gave us your views on all aspects of the school's work and we appreciated that. Sometimes that was in small groups, as with your young governors, or around the school. I met some of the 'rabbits' in the dining hall. It is very clear that you think highly of your own school cook and her home cooking. It was also a delight to observe Year 2 pupils in their Victorian dress before their trip. We were very impressed by your school which will come as no surprise because that is what you and your parents and carers say also. It is a very friendly place and visitors are made to feel very welcome. This is due largely to the staff but everyone plays their part. You are lucky to have help from talented support assistants. It all contributes to your good progress and to the high standards that you attain. In some respects your school is excellent. This includes the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

wealth of extra curricular activities and special events in the classroom but especially for the care shown to pupils. Yours is a school where every child matters. You have an excellent headteacher backed up by good teachers. There are two areas which we agree with your school that further improvements can be made. These are in writing, and for staff to be able to visit other teachers' lessons to share ideas.You have good reason to thank your teachers and others connected with the school. Yours is a true community and it was a privilege for us to join you for two days.

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