Copythorne CofE Infant School

Inspection Report Copythorne CofE Infant School

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116282 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279782 Inspection number 31 January 2006 to 1 February 2006 Inspection dates Michael Pye AI Reporting inspector

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

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Romsey Road School address Infant Type of school Copythorne Voluntary controlled School category Southampton SO40 2PB 5 to 7 Age range of pupils 02380813340 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02380811631 Fax number 78 Number on roll Mr Stuart Smith Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Cathy Davies Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279782 31 January 2006 - 5 to 7 1 February 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 one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Located on an attractive rural site on the edge of the New Forest the school is smaller than most. The locality has an above average number of high social class households. One in five pupils commute from outside the immediate area. There are average levels of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and none have a statement of special educational need. The overwhelming majority of pupils are of white British background. The school has increasing links with the local diocese and the numbers on roll is increasing.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 2006

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Grade: 3

andquot;The school provides a very warm and supportive environment where my child is developing wellandquot;. The parent who wrote this accurately identifies the strengths in care, support and personal development in the school. The quality of the Foundation Stage is good and pupils get a good start to their school career. However the school recognises the need to raise the standards and achievement of pupils, particularly in writing. It is a satisfactory but improving school and gives sound value for money.Satisfactory standards and achievement reflect some strengths but also someshortcomings in the quality of teaching and learning. The work expected of pupils is, on occasions, insufficiently challenging, particularly for high ability pupils, and not all pupils are aware of how to improve their work. The satisfactory curriculum allows all pupils to succeed, but insufficiently promotes creative opportunities and cross

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Grade: 3

curricular links that would help reinforce pupils' learning.Evaluation procedures are fully embedded and support effective planning by the school. The recently appointed headteacher has swiftly identified the necessity to improve standards. She has a very clear view as to the way forward and has already brought about improvements in boys writing opportunities and the emphasis in the monitoring of teaching. Although improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory overall there has been an acceleration in the recent past regarding planning in the reception class and in mathematics and reading. Therefore there is a good capacity to improve further.The effective governing body is fully supportive of the moves to maintain the nurturing environment whilst addressing the areas needed for development.

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What the school should do to improve further

Focus on:* Improving the standards of writing across the school* Improving teaching through:o Developing planning that meets the needs of high attaining pupilso The use of assessment procedures that help inform pupils how to improve their work* Further developing the curriculum so as to provide greater creativity and cross-subject links

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Grade: 3

Pupils make satisfactory progress and achieve average standards in reading, science and mathematics.Children enter reception with levels of skills and knowledge that reflect national expectations. Significant numbers of the children have a weak understanding of the links between sounds and letters. Appropriate measures have now been introduced to aid children's progress in this area. Emotional and social development is good.Pupils' results at the end of Year 2 in 2005 show a recovery of standards from previous years. The improvement in reading resulted from a clear and effective focus on developing reading skills. Significant numbers of pupils make good progress in science, although pupils still do not make the progress that they should in writing. Standards and achievement in information and communication technology 2 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 2006

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Grade: 3

(ICT) are satisfactory.Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress towards their identified targets because of the effective support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' social and personal skills are very well developed. Pupils' confidence grows because of the good opportunities presented, from reception onwards, to develop their independence. Pupils feel they are valued and their opinions acknowledged. They are well motivated by the andquot;marbles jarandquot; which rewards good behaviour and work. Teamwork skills are then developed when the jar is full and the whole class have to decide how to treat themselves.Behaviour is good. Attendance is average but is improving. This reflects pupils' enjoyment of school and that they feel safe. They develop good attitudes to work but some pupils freely admit that they sometimes find the work too easy.Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and the school contributes very well to this. The pupils benefit from regular physical education and a good emphasis on activities during lunch and break times. The school is rightly proud of its Healthy

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Grade: 2

School Award.Moral and social development is very good. Spiritual development is satisfactory with some missed opportunities for reflection in lessons. In an overwhelmingly white ethnic school the opportunities to learn about the cultures of others are good, and pupils are sensitive to the views and lives of others. They are encouraged to celebrate different cultural events and to use other languages. The progress they make in literacy, numeracy, and ICT, together with their teamwork skills, satisfactorily help pupils towards independence in later life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching overall is satisfactory with good teaching in the Foundation Stage. Some very positive relationships underpin the good lessons, and pupils respond well to the praise given by their teachers. Pupils enjoy their learning and want to get involved. In the Foundation Stage, pupils benefit from a good range of challenging activities that their teacher plans for them. Pupils are well motivated by the use of interactive whiteboards in lessons. There are some good opportunities for pupils to give their views and ask questions. In history, the pupils were eager to ask and answer questions of their teacher who had dressed up and adopted the role of Florence Nightingale. Teachers plan the activities of the learning support assistants well and they are effective during group work. Consequently pupils with learning difficulties make good progress. Teachers' planning is satisfactory although the tasks set, particularly for the more able

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Grade: 3

pupils, often lack challenge and are not based on accurate assessment. A more consistent approach by teachers would help all pupils understand clearly what they are expected to learn and how they can further improve their work. 3 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum satisfactorily matches the needs of the pupils. School visits and special events such as the multi-cultural theme week help enrich the experiences of pupils. The curriculum for the youngest children is good with ample opportunities for the children to make decisions about what activities to pursue. There are some effective links between subjects which help to reinforce pupils' learning, and encourage them to apply their learning in different subjects. For example, healthy eating is successfully used as a theme for artwork and when the reception class cooked a Chinese meal. The school correctly recognises that there are insufficient of these creative, cross-subject links. In personal, health and social education lessons and circle time the pupils learn about the importance of relationships. The success of these strategies is evident in the pupils' obvious respect for others. There are missed opportunities to further develop

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Grade: 3

the pupils' awareness of the economic world outside the school.

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Grade: 2

Care and support are good. The school rightly recognises that pupils' well-being is vitally important if they are to learn effectively and they take a wide range of active steps to care for pupils. At the core of this high quality of care is the fact that the adults know the pupils very well and use this knowledge to effectively support the pupils, respecting them as individuals. Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe in the school and if any incidents occur then the school deals with them promptly. They feel happy at school and the pupils respect each other. Personal, social and health education and circle time are seen as essential to pupils care and guidance, and are woven well into the curriculum. There are robust child protection arrangements in place and staff have regular training about this aspect. Health and safety procedures are reviewed regularly and risk assessments conscientiously completed.As well as the

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Grade: 2

strong pastoral support that pupils receive, academic guidance and monitoring are satisfactory although pupils have an insufficient knowledge of targets.

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Grade: 2

The newly-appointed headteacher provides good leadership. The particular character of the school has been recognised and action already taken to address the legacy of some underachievement in the school's performance. Her successful and wide experience is having a positive impact on standards and the life of the school. Successful strategies have been introduced to encourage reluctant boys to write more. The teaching of reading is under review, and the school is taking measures that are improving pupils' progress in mathematics.The headteacher has a clear understanding of the school after introducing regular meetings with small groups of parents. They are overwhelmingly supportive and recognise the high quality of care and personal development within the school. The new leadership has initiated moves to develop 4 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 2006 the quality of external links to benefit pupils and staff, such as those with the church

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Grade: 2

and the local school cluster group. The latter is designed to ensure that teachers in this small school can share ideas and techniques more easily with other schools.Monitoring and evaluation is used well to identify areas for improvement which are clearly linked to improving standards. The quality of learning is now the focus of lesson observations. Actions by the new leadership have resulted in improved teamwork between teachers. The Foundation Stage is well led. Resources are well used with particularly good deployment of teaching assistants. Staff are learning the skills of others so that there is cover in case of prolonged absence.With more focused self-evaluation taking place the active governing body is now better placed to review the progress made towards clear and appropriate targets. 5 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 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. 6 Inspection Report: Copythorne CofE Infant School, 31 January 2006 to 1 February 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 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 3 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 2 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 3 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 NA 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 welcoming me to your school this week. I enjoyed talking to you and listened carefully to what you said.You told me that you enjoyed school and that the adults really cared for you well. I agree. You benefit from a good start in reception. I was also impressed by the way you grow in confidence, are able to talk clearly about your views and respect each other. You obviously enjoy school life, and more of you are now coming regularly to school than before. I liked the way that you are eating healthily and are making the most of the exciting things to play with in the playground. Many of you spoke about how you liked what your new headteacher is doing, and I feel that Mrs Davies has good plans for the future of the school. I have asked the school to work on some issues. The standard of your writing could be better. I have asked the school to make sure that your work is more challenging. You can help by telling

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the teacher when you are finding the work too easy. The school is going to do more to help you understand how to further improve your work. Your teachers are going to provide more opportunities for you to use your imagination.I wish you and the school every success.

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