Pennington Infant School CLOSED

Inspection Report Pennington Infant School

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115983 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279717 Inspection number 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 Inspection dates Steven Hill AI Reporting inspector

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

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Priestlands Road School address Infant Type of school Pennington Community School category Lymington SO41 8HX 5 to 7 Age range of pupils 01590672910 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01590688707 Fax number 119 Number on roll Ms Jane Corden Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Diane O'Grady Headteacher 20 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279717 6 December 2005 - 5 to 7 7 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small infant school in Pennington Village, Lymington. Most pupils come from the immediate locality, which has been assessed by the Local Authority as a 'pocket of deprivation'. Although pupils' social circumstances vary, overall they are considerably less favourable than average. When children start in the reception class, their overall attainment is significantly below that expected for their age, particularly in their social development and their communication, language and literacy skills. An above-average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities. The vast majority of pupils are of white British heritage.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Pennington Infant School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 2

The school's own view of its effectiveness matches that of the inspector. This is a good school, which has outstanding pastoral provision. It provides good value for money. Pupils achieve well because of consistently good teaching. Good provision in the Foundation Stage gets children off to a flying start, and they maintain this good progress throughout the school. Despite the low standards on entry, attainment is average by the time children are seven. Pupils' personal development is outstanding because the school provides for their individual needs, and sensitively addresses any difficulties they have. Behaviour is good and pupils have very positive attitudes to school. Children thoroughly enjoy school and get on well with each other. They like, respect and trust the staff; they told the inspector It's a good place to learn because all the teachers are really nice and helpful. Parents share this positive view of the

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Grade: 2

school, and greatly appreciate its openness and how it cares for their children. The school has introduced a good range of activities to help parents support their children's learning. However, many parents have not yet participated in these initiatives. There is an outstanding curriculum that gives pupils a wide range of exciting experiences. The care and guidance provided for pupils is outstanding. Very thorough tracking of their learning, combined with excellent systems to address their pastoral needs, mean they all do well, both academically and personally. Good leadership and management have led to good improvement since the last inspection. Strong leadership from the headteacher has resulted in a cohesive team, who strive to provide the best deal possible for their pupils. There are good systems in place for teachers to observe each other's lessons, or to check on samples of pupils' work. However, the written records

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Grade: 2

of this monitoring are not specific enough about strengths and weaknesses to improve practice further. The school is well placed to get even better, and has already planned improvements in the areas identified by the inspection

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What the school should do to improve further

* Increase the participation in the school's events to support parents in helping their children to learn.* Develop more precision in the records kept of the monitoring of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Reception classes make good progress from generally low starting points. They do particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development, and meet the expected standards in this area by the time they start Year 1. This provides them with a strong foundation for their future learning. In other areas of learning, despite the good progress they make, many children still do not reach the expected standards by the end of Reception. Continued good progress in Years 1 and 2 ensures that, by the time pupils leave the school, they are attaining broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Challenging targets are set for pupils and most 2 Inspection Report: Pennington Infant School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 meet them. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make similarly good progress to their classmates, and do particularly well in meeting their individual targets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. They appreciate the wonders of the world around them through the many opportunities they are given. For example, this year they were able to observe the inside of a blue-tits' nest, using a webcam, on a daily basis. They know how they should behave and why, and develop their skills and appreciation of art, music and dance effectively. Older pupils develop their independence well and show good collaborative skills. These strong social skills, as well as their consistent progress in literacy and numeracy, prepare them well for their future lives.Pupils' behaviour is good. They get on very well with each other and thoroughly enjoy school. They work hard in lessons and take a pride in their success. By the time they are in Year 2, they show mature and responsible attitudes to learning and to each other. These older pupils show a particularly strong sense of responsibility

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Grade: 1

towards the younger children, and try to help and look after them when then can, taking a pride in staffing the friendship stop to do this. Attendance has improved recently, and is now in line with the national average. Pupils have a very good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They know the importance of exercise and a good diet. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and show concern for the safety of other children. They enjoy being a part of the school community and contribute effectively to school life by voicing their opinions through the school council.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good throughout the school. Teachers have clear expectations of work and behaviour, form very good relationships with pupils and treat them with respect and kindness. Pupils, in return, try to please their teachers by working hard and behaving well. This mutual respect underpins the high standards of discipline and good progress that characterise lessons.Teachers provide pupils with interesting work that is firmly rooted in practical experiences. Good use is made of the interactive whiteboards to provide clearer explanations and to enhance pupils' learning and enjoyment. Strong encouragement is given to pupils to be independent and to work collaboratively; this supports their learning well.Assessment is good and is used well to plan work that is matched to pupils' individual needs. Teachers make very effective use of the skilled teaching assistants, as well as a variety of students

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Grade: 2

and volunteers, to help their pupils to learn. This is particularly effective in supporting pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. 3 Inspection Report: Pennington Infant School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 1

The school provides a wide-ranging and exciting curriculum that strongly supports pupils' enjoyment and progress. It is firmly practically based so pupils have lots of opportunities for hands-on experiences that support their learning well. The effective use of interactive white boards, by both staff and pupils, enhances learning. There is an outstanding range of enrichment activities, including a good number of after school clubs. A wide variety of visits and visitors, and frequent special events, such as concerts and art days, also contribute to the breadth of pupils' understanding and knowledge. All pupils have the opportunity to learn the recorder, and almost half of the older pupils are learning the guitar. The provision for personal, social and health education is outstanding.

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Grade: 1

The school has excellent arrangements to track the achievement of individual pupils as they move through the school. Any pupils who have difficulties or who are not making the expected progress are identified and are given extra help, tailored to their particular needs. This is especially effective in supporting the progress of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. A similarly careful watch is kept on pupils' personal development, which enables the school to intervene to help any who need extra support. A very close check is kept on potentially vulnerable children, and they are given very good support to help them thrive socially and academically. The work of the specialist teaching assistant (the ELSA), who helps pupils develop emotional literacy, plays a major part in this. Very good relationships with parents also contribute to the effectiveness of the outstanding care provided to all pupils. Procedures for

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Grade: 1

child protection are securely established and effective. Arrangements to promote pupils' health and safety are of high quality.

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Grade: 2

The school's many strengths are underpinned by good leadership and management. These are based on good teamwork within a strong, shared ethos. This has led to good improvement since the last inspection, and means the school is well placed to improve further. Governors have a secure understanding of the school and ensure that statutory requirements are met.The school's self-evaluation is of good quality. The views of parents, governors and pupils are taken into account effectively. The tracking of pupils' progress is outstanding and enables issues to be identified and addressed effectively. This is a major factor in the consistent progress pupils make. There are good arrangements for staff to monitor standards and teaching in different subjects by looking at pupils' work and by observing lessons on a regular basis. However, the way such monitoring is recorded needs to be sharper. It does not always provide a clear

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Grade: 2

enough view of strengths and weaknesses, to help teachers improve even further. 4 Inspection Report: Pennington Infant School, 6 December 2005 to 7 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. 5 Inspection Report: Pennington Infant School, 6 December 2005 to 7 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA 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 3 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 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 all your help when I inspected your school this week. I enjoyed chatting to you and watching you at work. This is what I found out. * Pennington is a good school and you enjoy being there. * Teachers are good at helping you to learn. They keep a careful eye on how you are getting on, and they make sure that you are all making good progress. * You are well-behaved, independent, work hard and get on well with each other. * Your parents are pleased with the school and they are always welcome to visit.* You get lots of interesting things to do in class and in clubs.* The adults in school look after you very well and keep you safe. * The headteacher is good at organising the school and she gets lots of help from the other adults in school, and from the school council. * The teachers enjoy visiting each other's lessons to get ideas and to give each other tips. To make the school even better:-* It would be good if more of your parents came to the special

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

events that the school holds to give them tips about helping you to learn.* Teachers need to keep more careful notes when they watch each other's lessons, so they can help each other more.

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