Berrywood Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 15 Mar 2006

Inspection Report Berrywood Primary School

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116249 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279777 Inspection number 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Linda Kelsey Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Maunsell Way School address Primary Type of school Hedge End Community School category Southampton SO30 2TL 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01489780068 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01489788841 Fax number 656 Number on roll Mrs Pauline Hughes Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Noelle Wickens Headteacher 17 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279777 15 March 2006 - 4 to 11 15 March 2006 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 a team of one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and one Additional Inspector. In the course of the day visit, inspectors met with staff and pupils and observed the school at work. The school provided preparatory papers, including a self-evaluation document. Discussion with the Chair of Governors and the receipt of parents' questionnaires further assisted the writing of this report.

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Description of the school

Berrywood is the largest primary school in Hampshire. Most pupils are from white British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. When pupils start the school, they have few social disadvantages and most have attended pre-school provision.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Berrywood Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 1

This is a highly effective school where standards are high and achievement is outstanding. These high standards have been a characteristic of the school for several years and were noted in the last report. The school has evaluated itself accurately and incisively, although teaching and learning and standards and achievement are higher than the school thinks. The outstanding leadership by the headteacher, the high quality management by the staff team as well as the very good provision results in high standards. The school is working hard at improving pupils' basic skills, their independence as learners and their ability to think and reason better. The school knows what it needs to do to improve even more. Parents are right to be supportive and appreciative of all the school does. The pupils play an important part in contributing to the school's success through their input in the school council. Teaching is outstanding and lessons are very well planned, resourced and delivered

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Grade: 1

so that they match the needs of the pupils. Teachers engage pupils, set very high expectations and as a result pupils' attention and motivation are exemplary. The relationship between members of staff and pupils is very good and enhances the learning. The strong element of trust and respect permeates from the staff to the pupils ensuring they are confident and articulate when talking to adults. Pupils' personal development is outstanding; they are very well behaved at all times. They are very proud of the school and play an important part in contributing to its success. Behaviour in lessons and on the playground is excellent. Pupils value and respect friendship and as one child wrote, 'You have the right to friendship ... but the responsibility to look after your friends.'

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Grade: 1

Standards are well above average overall and pupils achieve very well during their time at the school. Over the last three years the school has seen a dramatic improvement in results in tests taken at the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils start the school with few social disadvantages and from a wide and varied range of pre-school provision. As a result, they are well prepared to start work usually designed for older pupils. Data about the pupils indicates that they are above expected levels when they start school and high targets are set for them. The challenging targets were exceeded in 2005, and the targets are equally challenging for 2006 and 2007. The school puts in place procedures and support so that pupils can reach their full potential and become independent thinkers and learners. This is a current focus for the school and is clearly laid out in the School Development Plan. All groups of pupils achieve well at the school because the systems in place to track their progress and

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Grade: 1

target support are so good. 2 Inspection Report: Berrywood Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 The school has analysed its results from previous years and has put in place structures to support and focus on the areas that pupils find difficult. English and mathematics are taught in groups which are set for ability. This means that pupils work in smaller groups with added support for the lower ability pupils. In English this support for lower achieving pupils has already had an impact and most pupils now reach expected levels by the end of Key Stage 2. The school recognises that it has work to do on ensuring that this is also the case for mathematics and science.

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well being of all pupils is supported by a strong personal social and health programme. Pupils learn within an ethos that values their contributions in every aspect of school life and prepares them well for future life and work. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very effective. The pupils respect other cultures and relish opportunities to learn about life in, for example, St Lucia. They also explore the work of authors and artists in a way that broadens their insight and awareness. The pupils know that eating healthily and taking exercise are vital to their future wellbeing. They say the playground is trouble free and that everyone gets on very well.

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Grade: 1

The enthusiasm of the teachers, the high level of consistency in delivery and planning of lessons, and the attention given to ensuring all pupils make rapid progress is why teaching is outstanding. Teachers are confident practitioners who make their lessons exciting and lively, and they are encouraged and supported to do this by colleagues. Year 2 pupils were absorbed in writing to Zorb from the planet Bezoo about what to see on his visit to Earth because their teachers had not only created an exciting scenario of a space capsule, but were also very clear about how the pupils had to improve their writing. Marking is very thorough and helps the pupils to improve their work. The teachers give them very clear guidance so they know exactly what to do to move to the next stage.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is rich, exciting and meets the pupils' needs because it is underpinned by very thoughtful and careful planning. The pupils' literacy, numeracy and ICT skills are practised and developed in a wide range of interesting contexts that makes using these skills very real and relevant. Pupils are encouraged to strive for constant improvement. The range of extra curricular activities is extensive and provides pupils with many sporting, musical and artistic opportunities. The organisation of resources, 3 Inspection Report: Berrywood Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 the care with which pupils' work is displayed and the interesting environment all promote high standards and high expectations. These factors create the conditions in which the pupils can thrive.

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Grade: 1

This area is outstanding because the school is meticulous in its implementation of all procedures which ensure the safety and well being of the pupils. For example, the teachers visit all places of interest to assess very carefully the risks they may encounter before they take the pupils. Child protection training is given a high priority and all members of staff receive frequent updates. Pupils are given clear guidance on how to improve their work. They are set individual targets which are used well in lessons to keep them clearly focused on what they need to achieve next.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher is highly effective and, in conjunction with her management team, has built an innovative structure to senior management. This structure motivates all staff because it is closely related to how children learn One of the aims states, 'We have a community where learners become literate, numerate and socially aware so that they can take their place in the world as happy, well- balanced and fulfilled individuals'. The high achievement and exemplary attitudes of pupils are testaments to this aims. Many teachers find this school a challenging place to work, offering a strong climate for personal growth and professional development. Members of staff spoke warmly of a school where there are always exciting and new opportunities created by a headteacher who values them. The plans to upgrade information and communication technology are another example of innovative management improving facilities to

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Grade: 1

maximise teachers' and pupils' access to better equipment. There are excellent and wide ranging monitoring and evaluation procedures which include all aspects of the school's work. The well qualified, enthusiastic and experienced teachers lead on a range of aspects, and use a range of different methods to collect and analyse information to plan work for pupils. Governors are equally challenging to the school and offer additional rigour in their monitoring of provision. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are highly effective. and the excellent practice found there is recognised locally and used as an exemplar in other local schools. 4 Inspection Report: Berrywood Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 .

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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: Berrywood Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 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 1 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 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 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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

Children You will recall that Mr Christopher Parker and I visited your school a few weeks ago to inspect the quality of the education you receive. We visited most of the classrooms in which you work and opened the questionnaires sent in by your parents.We would like to thank you for making us so very welcome, especially when you guided us to lunch and told us all about your school. We were very interested by what you have to say about your school and how you were able to tell us what makes it such a good place to be. During our day in the school, we were particularly impressed by:* the high achievements of many of you, especially in English, mathematics and science* how well behaved you are, polite and courteous to visitors, and how much you care for each other* how hard you work at making sure the school listens to your concerns and acts upon them* how well your teachers and learning support assistants help plan your work so that your lessons are interesting and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

challenging* the very good range of curriculum opportunities, clubs, trips and visits that you do while at the school* how very good your headteacher, governors and senior staff are so that you get the very best out of your time at school and that you enjoy the experience of achieving so highly. We know you are part of a very good school because you told us so and we could see the progress you make. You must be very proud of your achievements and we know you will continue to contribute to your school's further success. We wish you all the best for your future life and happiness. Yours sincerely Linda Kelsey HMI

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