Titchfield Primary School

Inspection Report Titchfield Primary School

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115953 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290375 Inspection number 7 °8 December 2006 Inspection dates Lily Evans Reporting inspector

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

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Southampton Road School address Primary Type of school Titchfield Community School category Fareham PO14 4AU 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01329843322 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01329842638 Fax number 155 Number on roll (school) Mr Bill Day Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Michael Bainbridge Headteacher 24 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290375 7 °8 December 2006 4°11 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage and come from diverse social backgrounds. There are above average numbers of pupils who move in and out of the school, including a few pupils who are from travellers' families and a small proportion of pupils from naval families. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is lower than average. The school appointed a new head teacher in January 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education for its pupils and this enables them to achieve satisfactorily. Parents are supportive, one commenting, 'The aims and values of the school are part of my child's language: he fully understands the three Rs (rights, respect and responsibility) and feels very secure and confident'. Pupils' personal development is good. They behave well, act responsibly, enjoy learning and make valuable contributions to the school and wider community. The school has good links with the local church, educational establishments and other professionals. The Friends of Titchfield School make valuable social and financial contributions and parents organise popular summer holiday activities. Pupils have good opportunities and successes in music and have, unusually, steel pan groups who are in demand to play at local events. Pupils know how to be healthy and understand the importance

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Grade: 3

of exercise. The school is keenly aware of health and safety issues and monitors absences carefully. The successful strategies to reward and encourage good behaviour are having a good impact on standards. They are now average by the end of Year 6, having been below average in the previous three years. Pupils are now reaching expected levels compared with their performance when they were in Year 2. By using a range of strategies, such as booster groups, in English and science they reached their challenging targets, but just missed them in mathematics. The school is now rightly focused on raising standards in mathematics across the school. In addition, they have identified investigative science as an area for development and have changed planning to ensure pupils have practical challenges which they enjoy. Standards on entry to Foundation Stage are average but this varies among the small cohorts. The sound provision enables them to make satisfactory progress in their

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Grade: 3

acquisition of language, literacy and number skills and good progress in other areas of learning. As a result, they enter Year 1 at average levels. By the end of Year 2, standards fluctuate but remain broadly average. The school is aware of areas for development in teaching and learning. Pupils have opportunities to be active in their learning, for example, through visits, workshops and successful themed weeks such as 'Christmas Mathematics'. Teachers are working to improve their use of assessment information to plan work at the right levels and to help pupils to be aware of what they have learned. When teachers use assessment effectively in their planning, pupils have work that is well matched to their needs, but this is not yet consistent across the school. In the best examples, pupils are beginning to evaluate their own learning alongside the teacher. The headteacher and his leadership team are determined to improve the school, taking

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Grade: 3

good account of the views of pupils and parents. They are developing their monitoring roles and have made a promising start in improving the planning and use of skills within subjects but this is not yet in place for information and communication technology (ICT). There are increased opportunities for creativity including after school clubs and music lessons. The governors are well-informed, committed to and supportive 2 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006 of the school. The school is now in a good position to make the necessary changes required by the last inspection. Recent work shows improvement is now satisfactory because unresolved issues are now being tackled with rigour.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards and achievement in mathematics • Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and learning and the use of assessment information to plan what all pupils need to learn next. • Ensure the new curriculum, including ICT, enables pupils to use and apply different skills at appropriate levels.

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Grade: 3

National test results for pupils in Year 6 improved in 2006 and standards are rising throughout the school. Although progress is satisfactory overall, an increasing number of pupils are making good progress. In Year 2, standards are broadly average as reflected in the results in 2006. In Year 6 standards are average and rising to meet the challenging targets for 2007. More effective monitoring of progress and use of assessment information to target learners has contributed to the rising standards. Tracking information shows that the school is setting challenging targets in the core subjects for each year group. In reading and writing, pupils who are making less than expected progress have well directed support that is ensuring they catch up. The school is working to improve tracking and recording progress in mathematics and science. Assessment of pupils' learning and planning work to match their individual levels is

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Grade: 3

not yet in place in ICT. The achievement of higher attainers is now satisfactory, as they are reaching expected levels in the core subjects. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make the same progress as others.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. A good range of sports activity, employing the use of popular sports coaches including those from Portsmouth Football Club, encourages pupils to be physically active; an emphasis on healthy eating encourages them to adopt good eating habits. Pupils feel safe at school. They say that staff deal with any problems quickly and fairly. Pupils behave well and cooperate with one another. The majority of pupils say they enjoy school, all agreeing 'that school is a great place where we are all known as individuals'. Attendance has improved and is now broadly average, due to the school's concerted actions to follow up absences quickly. Pupils make a good contribution to the life of the school. Older pupils enjoy supervising and playing with younger ones and the influential Young Governors have improved the storage of play equipment and created a playground friendship stop.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a growing understanding of people who lead different lives, for example when studying traveller 3 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006 life. Assemblies are truly special occasions, which celebrate achievement and provide quiet moments of reflection. Pupils' sound competence in literacy and numeracy satisfactorily prepare them for their future life and learning.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with strengths. Teachers and pupils have good relationships and most pupils enjoy their lessons. Pupils know what they are expected to learn. Teachers question well and pupils are confident when they are explaining points or discussing ideas in pairs and groups. Where staff use assessment data and evaluate learning to plan the next step, progress is good. At present the work is not always well matched to pupils' needs. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities have good support to help them achieve as well as others, but often the work is too challenging for them to work independently. Provision for more able pupils has improved, but they do not always have enough challenge. When pupils are writing, opportunities are missed to give them sufficient practice on the individual skills needed before they can move to the next stage in their learning. When work is well matched,

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Grade: 3

pupils make good progress and work independently with confidence.

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Grade: 3

The school's curriculum is satisfactory. There has been a comprehensive review which shows how relevant, purposeful links are to be made between different subjects so that learning becomes more creative and enjoyable. This is gradually being introduced, but mathematics, science and computer skills are not yet consistently planned at appropriate and challenging levels for all pupils. There is good range of clubs, visits and visitors that add interest and extend pupils' learning. The programme for pupils' personal development is well planned and has resulted in pupils understanding and adopting healthy lifestyles, knowing how to stay safe and developing better self-esteem and more positive attitudes to learning.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall. The school places a good emphasis on pupils' well-being and safety. The school undertakes comprehensive risk assessments and procedures for child protection are securely established. Staff know pupils well and work hard to build up their confidence and self-esteem. An induction programme for children starting in Reception is greatly appreciated. One parent commented that, 'after five sessions, children really are excited and enthusiastic about joining school'. Satisfactory support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities enables them to make similar progress to their classmates. The school monitors the progress that 4 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006 pupils make in their learning. This is now helping it to focus support and to identify and plan more effectively for the range of ability within different years. Pupils are not

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Grade: 3

always sufficiently aware of their targets and how to improve their work. Good practice exists. In Year 1, for example, pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own learning and Year 6 pupils are clear about their targets. This encourages them in their learning.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The head teacher is leading the school's improvement with passion and energy. He and his team are determined to make the school 'a place of excellence'. The leadership team have recently had a change of responsibilities. In a short space of time they have been successful in improving pupils' achievement, behaviour and enjoyment and enhancing the school environment. Parents and pupils value being listened to and having changes made after giving their views. The school evaluates its strengths and weaknesses accurately and has a detailed and challenging improvement plan. The support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and the provision for gifted and talented pupils have recently been reviewed and improved. Governors are well informed and are beginning to challenge the information they receive. The monitoring of teaching and learning has been effective

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Grade: 3

in celebrating success and identifying areas for improvement and the sharing of good practice has begun. The leadership team are keen to further develop their roles in this process. 5 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school recently. We agree with you and your parents that this is a safe and happy place to be. We enjoyed seeing how you work and talking to you. It was pleasing to see how well you carry out your responsibilities around school. It was special for us to share your assembly and to hear you play so beautifully on the steel pans. We agree with you and your parents that you go to a school that is satisfactory and is getting better all the time. We were especially pleased to see that your behaviour is good and you work hard in lessons. We saw that more and more of you are reaching good standards in your work and making the right progress. Just like you, there are things the school does well and things the school could improve. We have asked your teachers to help you improve your learning in mathematics. When they are planning lessons, we have asked them all to try to match the difficulty of the work to each one

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of you to help you to reach the next step in your learning. You are learning new skills every day and we would like your teachers to track those skills in more subjects, to help you to understand what you need to do to improve. Best wishes Lily Evans Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Titchfield Primary School, 7 °8 December 2006

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