Long Sutton Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Long Sutton Church of England Primary School

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116298 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279786 Inspection number 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 Inspection dates John Earish AI Reporting inspector

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

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Hyde Road School address Primary Type of school Long Sutton Voluntary controlled School category Hook, Hampshire RG29 1ST 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01256862238 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01256862238 Fax number 132 Number on roll Mrs Penny Hampson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynn Martin Headteacher 13 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279786 6 December 2005 - 4 to 11 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 one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Long Sutton Church of England Primary is much smaller than most schools, and serves a rural community. The pupils come from comparatively advantaged homes. Attainment on entry to the school is generally above the expected levels for the age group, with a small but significant number who are below the expectations. Most children are well prepared for school because they have attended pre-school education. Very few take free school meals and almost all are of white British heritage.Just under half of the pupils come from the village, the rest from further afield. The proportion of pupils joining the school after the reception year is higher than usual. Last year, over half of the pupils in Year 6 joined the school after Year 2. Fewer pupils than usual have learning difficulties and disabilities. There is one pupil with a statement of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good and the inspector agrees. Standards and achievement are good because the pupils are well taught. The curriculum is interesting and pupils enjoy lessons. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a good start to their education and achieve well because of the good support they are given and the exciting activities that are organised for them.The pupils' personal development is outstanding. They are confident and considerate to one another and behave very well. Care and welfare are good. Pupils are successfully guided and helped to meet the challenging targets set for them. Older pupils are given many responsibilities and are set targets to improve their work.The headteacher leads the school effectively. It is well managed and runs very smoothly. The school carefully monitors its performance, but judgements about success and effectiveness are not sharp enough.The school has successfully maintained its many strong features and

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Grade: 2

improved them. It has the capacity to make further improvements and provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that initiatives in the school improvement plan are linked more closely to the expected improvements in pupils' progress and attainment.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Standards fluctuate from year to year because the number of pupils in most year groups is small. Most children enter Reception with standards that are above what is expected for their age, with a few who are below this. These children make good progress and achieve well.By the age of 7 years, standards are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. The numbers of more able pupils achieving the higher levels are also very good, and better in reading and writing.The results for eleven year olds are also well above the national average. In 2005, very good numbers of more able pupils achieved the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. However, there was a dip in the numbers achieving the expected levels in science and mathematics. This was anticipated by the school and was caused by the unusually high number of pupils joining the class since Year 2 who had been identified as having

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties. However, the school's own tracking of individual pupils' performance shows that pupils are making good progress and achieving well, based on their prior attainment. This careful tracking of the progress of all pupils helps them reach their challenging targets, which ensures that no groups of pupils underachieve. The pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress towards their targets because they are well supported. 2 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils' relationships with each other and staff are excellent, reflecting the school's very strong emphasis on pupils' personal development. Attendance figures are very good. Pupils enjoy being at school and have very positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is excellent, which is further evidence that they are very happy at school. The school council represents the views of pupils very well and has suggested changes which have been taken up by the school. For example, they have written to parents about developing the school grounds and add that, 'Just because it's going on in school doesn't mean you can't join in!' This is equipping them with the skills and qualities for roles in later life.Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good and is underpinned by a strong Christian focus. Pupils have a well developed sense of right and wrong, and show

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Grade: 1

respect for their own and others' cultural traditions, values and beliefs. They eagerly explain the need to eat healthily, take exercise and avoid harmful substances. Pupils contribute to the wider community by raising money for charities and earn 'Heart of the Community Awards' for offering voluntary services that make a difference to others' lives.

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Grade: 2

The teaching and learning are of consistently good quality with very good features. In the Foundation Stage, children learn well because they have many opportunities to find out for themselves through imaginative or creative play, and best use is made of the small outside learning area. In other classes, teachers are good at challenging the more able pupils with extra work, and providing additional support for those who need extra help with their learning. The marking of the pupils' work is good and helps pupils improve.One of the most striking features is way teachers make clear their high expectation of what pupils can do and modify the tasks to take account of their different ages and abilities, which enables all pupils to fulfil their potential. In addition, independent activities are well planned and cater well for the different ways that pupils learn. Learning support assistants give good help to those who have particular needs

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Grade: 2

and make a significant contribution to their good progress.The school is constantly looking at different ways to check on pupils' progress and to set targets for them, which are used well to promote good attainment. It is good at identifying pupils who are in need of extra help and deciding how to provide this. The involvement of pupils in self-assessment is successful in helping them to understand how well they are doing 3 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality. It covers a wide range of interesting activities and experiences, which help the pupils achieve well. Detailed and regular monitoring has lead to adjustments to the opportunities for pupils to plan and carry out their own investigations in science. The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has also improved and this means that teachers and pupils have far greater opportunities to use computers to enhance learning than at the time of the last inspection. For example, older pupils used a spreadsheet enthusiastically to record the results of a mathematical investigation. They were able to present the information in [i2]a variety of ways, including graph and pie charts, to help them draw simple conclusions. Pupils are taught how to stay safe and healthy during science, physical education, personal, social and health education and other lessons. The school provides

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Grade: 2

a good range of after-school activities and visits, which add to pupils' enjoyment and learning during their time at the school.

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Grade: 2

The school judges these aspects as good and the inspector[i3]s agree. Pupils feel safe and secure in school, and enjoy all that it has to offer. Staff start the day by meeting and greeting each pupil and spending time talking about feelings and thoughts. As a result, pupils are given the confidence to share their personal concerns in a positive and supportive atmosphere. Pupils confirm parents' view that very little bullying takes place and when it does occur it is dealt with quickly and sensitively. Child protection procedures are clearly understood by all adults and there are effective links with local agencies involved in promoting pupils' health, safety and welfare.Teachers provide pupils with clear and effective guidance about their performance and how they can improve. They are also successfully helping pupils to assess their own performance in school. Pupils say that teachers are good at helping them improve their work, explaining

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Grade: 2

new ideas and encouraging them to work harder. This is a good example of the impact of the school's care and support on increasing pupils' independence and good progress.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are effective because the new headteacher places a high priority on meeting the needs of each pupil through enjoyable and challenging learning activities. A significant feature of the school is the very good team work between members of the school community. As a result, the pupils achieve well. The school monitors its own work well and reports on the school's provision to the governing body. Test results and assessments are analysed and the quality of teaching is regularly checked, so that managers are assured of the consistently good quality of education that pupils receive. There is good capacity to improve.Governors have a good understanding of strategic management and provide considerable help and support. 4 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 All staff and governors have been involved in writing a school development plan which

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Grade: 2

accurately identifies areas for improvement. This is a useful tool for guiding school development. However, it would be easier to measure the effectiveness of initiatives if the criteria for judging success were more closely linked to pupils' progress and attainment. This would also help the governors to hold the school to account for its performance.The school works hard to involve parents in school life and in their children's learning. Parents' views are sought and acted upon and they are overwhelmingly supportive of the staff and all they do. Good use is made of the accommodation, which has been enlarged and improved significantly in recent years. 5 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary 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. 6 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary 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 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 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 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 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 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 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

Following my visit to inspect your school I would like to tell you what I think about how well you are getting on and how well your school is helping you to learn. I enjoyed seeing you at work and at playtimes, and was pleased to be able to talk to you.There are lots of things that I like about your school. Some of them are: * You are able to learn in a very friendly and caring school. You behave really well and get on very well with each other.* You listen carefully to what your teachers have to say and try very hard in your lessons.* The new classrooms are bright and cheerful and there are plenty of exciting activities for you to take part in.* You are given responsibilities which you enjoy and carry out very well.* Your teachers spend a lot of time looking at what you have done in class and working out how to help you to make your work even better.* The school council represents your views well and the older children help in the smooth running of the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher, and all of the other people who help run your school, are working very hard at making sure that you get the very best education. They are always trying to make improvements. I have asked the headteacher to make slight changes to the methods she has of checking on the success of the school's work. I enjoyed being in your school. I hope that in the future it is even more successful in helping you to do as well as you possibly can.

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