Scantabout Primary School

Inspection Report Scantabout Primary School

p.1

116042 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279728 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 Inspection dates Hilary Bonser AI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Ionic Close School address Primary Type of school Chandler's Ford Community School category Eastleigh SO53 2NR 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 02380266892 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02380266892 Fax number 219 Number on roll Mr Andy Ray Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Veronica Shaw Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279728 16 May 2006 - 4 to 11 17 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

The school is similar in size to many primary schools. It draws its pupils from a wide area. Pupils come from varied economic backgrounds, although the majority are relatively advantaged. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average, but has risen in recent years. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average and very few are at an early stage of learning English. Standards on entry to the school are broadly average. The current headteacher joined the school in September 2005.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school in which pupils' personal development and the care and support given by staff are outstanding. Parents and pupils justifiably hold the school in high regard. The outstanding leadership of the headteacher has resulted in effective school action this year that has already reversed the recent decline in standards. It has also brought about significant improvements in pupils' progress and personal development so that pupils now achieve well overall. The quality of education is good in all year groups. Pupils are taught well and enjoy an interesting, relevant curriculum but there is still room to increase the expectations and challenge for all pupils and especially the more able in extending their literacy, numeracy and scientific skills. Children receive a good start to their education in the reception class and make good progress throughout the school, reaching above average standards by the end of Year 6. New,

p.4

Grade: 2

rigorous assessment procedures and tracking of pupils' progress have contributed to this. A particular strength is the way that teachers use this information to identify, then support or extend pupils who are not getting on as well as they should. Pupils behave exceptionally well and really enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in the above average rate of attendance. Strong links with parents, other schools and agencies reinforce the very high level of care. The school identifies its strengths, its areas for development and what is needed to remedy them very accurately. It provides good value for money and is well placed to make further improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Provide consistently high expectations and challenge in the tasks planned in English, mathematics and science to extend pupils fully, especially the more able.

p.4

Grade: 2

Children do well and most reach the learning goals expected by the end of their reception year and some exceed them. A good balance of well-planned stimulating activities contributes to this. This year, the rigorous tracking of pupils' progress towards appropriately challenging individual National Curriculum targets has been introduced. This has helped teachers to intervene to provide carefully tailored support or challenge for pupils not doing as well as expected. As a result, the rate of progress has improved in all year groups and boys and girls of all abilities now achieve well. This is particularly marked in writing and science which have been a focus of school improvement. In Year 2, standards have risen from average in 2005 to above average, with particular strengths in English and science, where more pupils are reaching a higher level of attainment. In Year 6, where pupils have made particularly good progress from their starting points

p.4

Grade: 2

in September, standards remain above average, with some increase in the numbers working at higher levels. This is starting to show the impact of the school's effort to extend higher attaining pupils more effectively, although some of the work set in the core subjects could still be more challenging. 2 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

p.4

Grade: 1

The personal development of the pupils is outstanding. The pupils feel very safe and very well cared for in school. One group of pupils said, 'This school is fun, we are well behaved and the rules are easy to follow'. They enjoy all aspects of school life and share outstanding relationships with all members of staff and each other. Pupils' attendance is above average. The behaviour of the pupils is outstanding both in lessons and in the playground. The children are polite, well mannered and a credit to the school. The pupils perform tasks in lessons and around school in a sensible and safe manner. Pupils' social, moral and spiritual development is outstanding and their awareness of cultural diversity is good. They are very aware of the importance of healthy living and exercise. Pupils contribute very actively to the life of the school and feel staff listen to their views. The school council has been fully involved in many aspects of school life and

p.5

Grade: 1

helped to devise guidelines on behaviour. Pupils appreciate the wide range of responsibilities they are given. In Year 6, they act as mentors to Reception children, do office duty and are librarians. They also monitor pupils during wet playtimes and mentioned that, 'This enables most teachers to have a well earned cup of tea'.

p.5

Grade: 2

Good teaching helps pupils to achieve well and enjoy learning. In the best lessons, varied and lively approaches capture and hold pupils' attention. Teachers make the purpose of the lesson very clear so that pupils know exactly what they are expected to learn. This, together with the brisk pace of work and very good relationships in every class, helps pupils to concentrate and learn well. Teachers plan and work closely with the skilled teaching assistants, enabling them to provide effective support. Teachers make good use of recent initiatives and staff training to improve learning. They use discussion and drama well to help pupils to shape and express their ideas. This, in turn, has increased pupils' confidence and skills in writing. Teachers also use well-planned links between subjects to provide exciting contexts for learning. In Year 6, the teacher used pupils' interest in evacuees to successfully extend their emotive

p.5

Grade: 2

writing skills. The rigorous assessment procedures introduced this year have helped teachers to improve the rate of progress by raising their expectations of pupils and matching tasks more accurately to their differing needs. However, in English, mathematics and science, teachers do not always challenge pupils enough in the tasks they set or in their questioning. 3 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

p.5

Grade: 2

The curriculum was reviewed by all staff after the arrival of the new headteacher. It was then adjusted in the light of identified weaknesses in, for example, pupils' overall progress and the development of writing and scientific skills. The changes made have already had a positive impact on pupils' learning. However, the school acknowledges that there is a need to challenge pupils further, especially the higher attainers, with an extended curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and guided. All staff are aware of the targets for these pupils from their detailed individual education plans. The school has introduced a very effective range of activities that promotes personal development, safety and healthy living, with good links to pupils' science and physical education lessons. All statutory requirements are fully met. Good and improving provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology helps

p.6

Grade: 2

to prepare pupils well for later life. There is a wide range of enrichment activities available to all pupils and these are well supported. The many sporting activities and music are a particular strength.

p.6

Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support given to the pupils by the very committed staff are outstanding and make a substantial contribution to pupils' good achievement and very positive attitudes to learning. All members of staff know the pupils very well and keep detailed and accurate records of individual pupil's learning needs and targets. Well focused group and individual targets and good marking help pupils to know what to do to improve their work. In discussions with pupils, they all agreed that any staff member would help them if they had a problem or concern. The school places great importance on pupils' safety. There is a very robust system for child protection and all staff are aware of these arrangements. Governors have a separate sub-committee that reviews all aspects of health and safety as well as risk assessments both in school and on visits. A few children and parents mentioned some isolated minor incidents of bullying but the school deals

p.6

Grade: 1

these with rapidly and effectively. The school has good relationships with the parents, some of whom assist teachers in lessons on a voluntary basis. The overwhelming majority of parents were very positive about all aspects of the school in their questionnaires. The school appreciates the high level of support from a wide range of local authority agencies.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership. She has a very clear sense of direction that is fully focused on raising 4 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 achievement and standards in all areas of pupils' learning. She has motivated and enabled all staff to contribute effectively to this through a strong emphasis on supportive teamwork that is underpinned by comprehensive and rigorous monitoring, evaluation and individual target setting. This has already resulted in significant improvements in the progress pupils make and reversed the recent fall in standards. It also shows good capacity for further improvement and has effectively tackled the issues from the previous inspection. The headteacher is assisted well by the deputy headteacher and key stage leaders who form the leadership team. They, with the subject managers are becoming fully involved

p.6

Grade: 2

in the detailed monitoring of pupils' learning and progress. Through this, the attention to individual needs together with the very strong emphasis on personal development is having a considerable impact on pupils' achievement. However, more work is needed to ensure that teachers consistently plan work that extends pupils fully. There is a rigorous and accurate process of self evaluation on which the school improvement plan and priorities for development are based. The views of staff and governors are fully taken into account. Performance management is used well to support current priorities. Governors are very supportive of the school. They are well informed through their monitoring activities and are starting to use these to ask challenging questions to hold the school to account. The school works successfully to maintain a good partnership with parents, who hold the school in high esteem. 5 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

p.7

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Scantabout Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

p.8

Overall

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

p.9

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

p.9

Achievement and standards

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

p.9

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

p.9

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 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

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

p.9

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.

p.9

and supporting all learners?

NA 1 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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils 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 really enjoyed seeing you at work and at playtimes and liked talking to you. There are lots of things we like about your school. We liked these things the most:* You behave extremely well, work hard and enjoy your lessons and playtimes.* Your headteacher runs the school very well indeed.* The school makes sure that you each have the kind of help you need to help you do well. * The school provides interesting and exciting things for you to do and looks after you really well.* You understand the importance of eating the right things and taking plenty of exercise.* The school listens to you when you suggest how things could get even better.* Your teachers are good at helping you to learn new things and making sure you are getting on well.* We agree with your parents that you go to a good school.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked your teachers to:* Always give you work that really makes you think hard.Thank you again. Yours sincerely, Hilary Bonser Lead Inspector

p.11