Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 14 Oct 2005

Inspection Report Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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116336 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279794 Inspection number 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005 Inspection dates James Crompton AI Reporting inspector

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

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Queen's Road School address Primary Type of school Gosport Foundation School category Hampshire PO12 1JD 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 02392584048 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02392587822 Fax number 383 Number on roll Ms Jane Wallington Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr M Prince Headteacher 10 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279794 13 October 2005 - 4 to 11 14 October 2005 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005

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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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large school serves the north of Gosport. The neighbourhood is mixed, with some affluent areas, but the degree of deprivation locally is high. The vast majority of pupils are white with a United Kingdom heritage. As they start in reception, children's early language and numeracy skills are poor. Across the school, a large number of pupils have special educational needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school providing high quality care and support for its pupils. Consistently good teaching means that children make very good progress from a low start. Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher and deputy, all staff share a common sense of purpose. They work extremely hard to ensure all pupils do as well as they can. Every opportunity is taken to promote children's self-esteem and love of learning. As a result, they develop mature attitudes; they are enthusiastic, kind and considerate. Excellent self-evaluation procedures mean that the school has an accurate view of itself. For example, among its considerable strengths, the school is aware that pupils are not making quite the same progress in mathematics as in other subjects. There is no complacency, but a constant drive for improvement. All involved pull together, which has led to significant improvements since the last inspection. There

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Grade: 1

is an excellent partnership with parents and they hold the school in high regard; as one wrote, 'This school is amazing' and another, 'I wish all schools were like this'. Several similar comments reflected the inspectors' view that the school provides very good value for money. Its capacity to improve is excellent.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the progress that more able pupils make in mathematics

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve very well through the school. In the reception classes they soon adapt to school life and develop good social skills. They do well in practical areas, such as creative and physical development. Although they make good progress in language and mathematics, many children do not reach the expected standards by the end of reception because of their very low starting point.Learning progresses at a good rate in years 1 and 2 and by the end of year 2 standards match those achieved nationally. Children's reading moves on especially rapidly and their attainment compares very well with national averages. Their confidence in reading provides a very good base for work in other subjects as pupils move from Year 3 to Year 6. This is evident in pupils' performance at the end of Year 6 where they reach at least average standards in English, mathematics and science and do better than those in similar schools. Pupils'

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Grade: 2

progress in writing is particularly significant. Good work was seen also in information and communication technology (ICT), and art and design.Due to the high quality of support they receive, many children with special educational needs achieve the expected levels by the end of Year 6. More able pupils also do well, particularly in English and science where a large number achieve very good standards. Although the proportion of these pupils reaching the higher levels in mathematics is average, they do not achieve as well as in English and science. The school is looking closely at teaching and learning in this subject in order to address this issue. 2 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005

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Grade: 1

'Newtown is such a fun place to be!' This comment by a pupil reflects the views of the inspectors. Children really enjoy school; they are friendly, polite and helpful and show a willingness to learn. This is the result of the school's excellent strategies for promoting good behaviour and positive attitudes.Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is very good, although their awareness of cultural diversity in Britain could be better. Pupils get on very well with one another; they behave well in lessons and around the school. They willingly take on a wide range of responsibilities and contribute much to the life of the school. This is due to the exemplary way in which self-esteem and pride in the school are promoted. Inspectors saw this first-hand during the end-of-week assembly where all members of the school community, including parents, joined in to celebrate children's achievements. The school enables pupils to understand and adopt

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Grade: 1

healthy lifestyles by providing water, daily fruit and healthy lunches and by promoting active participation in games at break times. By the time the pupils leave school their good communication skills and social skills, together with competency in literacy, numeracy and ICT skills have prepared them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

The reason that pupils make very good progress through the school is the consistently good quality of the teaching. From the start, in the reception classes, children respond very positively to teachers' high expectations. Across the school, teachers are especially good at sustaining children's attention and motivating them to work hard. Many pupils are lively and demanding but teachers successfully channel their energies by providing interesting practical activities and using their considerable skills in managing behaviour. Assessment procedures are excellent and because work is carefully matched to pupils' abilities; they experience success and this adds to their self-esteem and confidence. Consequently, teachers set ever more challenging tasks in the knowledge that pupils will tackle them willingly. The excellent relationships which underpin classroom activities mean that pupils are confident enough to ask questions when they are uncertain about

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Grade: 2

something. Teaching assistants work in close partnership with teachers. They are well trained and this enables them to make a very valuable contribution to children's learning and personal development.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a wide range of interesting activities for its pupils. The curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that the personal and academic needs of all pupils are met. Many enrichment activities add further interest and enjoyment to pupils' learning. Good use is made of visits to broaden their experiences and a wide range of clubs 3 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005 extends their learning. Children learn about different cultures in geography and religious education lessons but opportunities to learn about cultural diversity in Britain are limited. The school's sporting traditions fully encourage co-operation and physical exercise, and teaching about health and safety is very strong. The school is making links between subjects to draw on different skills and make learning more purposeful. For example, historical studies on World War ll draw well on pupils' literacy, research,

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Grade: 1

'I cannot praise the school enough for what they have done for him.' This comment by a parent sums up the exemplary care the school provides for its pupils. Children know that adults care for them and have their well-being at heart. All staff provide excellent role models and children's confidence and growth of self esteem is nurtured through out the school. The school monitors pupils' academic and personal development rigorously and there is excellent liaison with other agencies when necessary. Pupils' records of achievement which they compile with their teachers are exemplary and show how each individual child is valued. Support for vulnerable pupils is outstanding. The school provides assistance for children and their families at various levels; an example of the exemplarily way the school has built up an extremely close partnership with parents. This was a common theme of the parental comments, summed up by,

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Grade: 1

'Everyone at the school from headteacher to dinner staff work together with parents to provide a happy, caring environment'.

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Grade: 1

The head teacher and deputy head teacher provide outstanding leadership and management for the school. One parent commented that 'their professional care and support is a credit to them and the school'. They are very ably supported by other managers. The school's vision is extremely well focused on promoting both personal and academic development. It has very successfully tackled the issues of negative attitudes and behaviour reported at the last inspection. Pupils now behave well, make good progress and are rightly proud of their achievements. The daily management of the school runs so smoothly that it leaves time for senior managers to work on maintaining the sort of happy learning community they want. Staff morale is extremely high; all feel valued and supported in their work. The school's self-evaluation is very accurate and clearly identifies strengths and areas for further development. For example, recent improvements in writing were the result of careful analysis of

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Grade: 1

achievement and subsequent support for teachers in building on pupils' existing attainment. Monitoring systems are first class. They lead to improvements in teaching and learning and ensure that all pupils have full and equal access to the curriculum. The progress made by pupils is very carefully checked. Where underachievement is identified, it is strongly supported. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is extremely well managed.Links with parents are very strong. The school actively 4 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 2005 promotes their involvement in the life of the school and their children's learning. The governing body gives its whole-hearted support to the school. Governors recognise the school's particular strengths; they contribute to improvement planning and ensure that statutory requirements are fully met. Finance is very carefully controlled. The

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Grade: 1

school uses its accommodation and deploys its resources very well to support all pupils in their learning. 5 Inspection Report: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 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: Newtown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 13 October 2005 to 14 October 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 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

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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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 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 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

It was a real pleasure to visit your school last week. Thank you for making the inspection team so welcome. You told us how good you think the school is and we agree with you but we think that it is outstanding. We especially like the way everyone gets on with one another, for example, when all the school gathers for the Friday assembly. You obviously enjoy most lessons and we saw that teachers try to make them as interesting as possible. It's good that you pay attention and work hard because this means that you learn more and more as you move through the school. Your reading and writing are particularly good but we know that some children find mathematics a bit harder. If you continue to try hard in numeracy lessons, we are sure that you will improve. It was good to see displays of your work in other subjects, such as those in the computer room. Photographs around the school show that you take part in lots of fun activities outside lessons. It's no wonder that you like coming

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to school! Mr Prince and Mr Nicholls showed us some of your records of achievement. We loved seeing examples of your work right through the school and we're in no doubt that you and your parents will treasure them when you leave.

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