Stanmore Primary School

Stanmore Primary School Inspection report

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115962 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290379 Inspection number 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates Elisabeth Linley HMI 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 296 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Patrick Davies Chair Mrs Amanda Jones Headteacher 20 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Stanmore Lane School address Winchester SO22 4AJ 01962 852941 Telephone number 01962 870387 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates 290379 Inspection number .

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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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Stanmore Primary School is larger than most primary schools. Most of the pupils who attend are White British and live nearby. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is high and the percentage of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well above average. However, the percentage of pupils with specific or complex needs who have a statement of special educational need is slightly below the national average. There have been some staff changes in the school since the last inspection most notably with the recent appointment of a new headteacher. Other staff have left or joined the school. One teacher is on a temporary contract covering maternity leave and one is new to teaching.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 3

Stanmore Primary School provides a satisfactory quality of education. A strength of the school's work is the high quality care that pupils receive. Parents are clear that they value the care and support provided for their children and endorse the pupils' views that they enjoy attending. Pupils say they really enjoy the good opportunities that the integrated curriculum has introduced and the outstanding range of activities that they can join in with after school. Pupils' enjoyment is seen in their improved attendance and their good personal development. Things are certainly changing at the school and the staff are taking on new and challenging roles. Although leadership and management are satisfactory overall, the headteacher provides a strong lead for the school's development and the raising of standards. Over recent years, standards overall have been, and remain below average and pupils make satisfactory progress. National test results have highlighted that mathematics is of particular

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Grade: 3

concern for all pupils because standards in mathematics are too low. Also, pupils' literacy skills, whilst beginning to improve in Key Stage 2, are in need of further development throughout school. One of the reasons for this is that assessment information is not always used as well as it could be to ensure that all pupils are challenged to do their best in lessons. The headteacher, staff and governors are dedicated to the school. They have worked hard, and successfully, to eradicate inadequate teaching and have put learning at the heart of all their work. Improved procedures to track pupils' progress have been put in place and more changes are planned to aid teachers in the analysis of data and the use of targets in all classes. However, the changes have not yet made a consistent difference throughout school in the quality of teaching and learning which are satisfactory. Although the school provides satisfactory value

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Grade: 3

for money, it has many positive features. Stanmore Primary School rightly celebrates its strengths but knows that more remains to be done to make sure that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

When children start school in the reception classes they join with a wide range of skills and abilities that are below those expected for their age. In particular, many have significant difficulties with the skills of writing and calculation. In some lessons when children are learning letters and sounds, work is not always matched well enough to children's needs. Nonetheless, most children in the foundation stage make good progress in their first year in school. This is because of the good quality of the curriculum provided and the good teaching and learning overall in the reception classes. The staff work hard to establish strong links and positive relationships with pre-school providers and with parents. This helps the children to settle well and develop in confidence as they learn new routines.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in English, mathematics and science.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the analysis of data and use of information gathered to aid the guidance of all pupils in their academic development. ■ Ensure that the needs of all pupils are well met in all lessons so that they consistently achieve their best. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008 A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Although standards are below average, there are signs that this picture is beginning to improve. In 2007, the national tests for pupils in Year 6 showed that standards were below average in science and significantly low in mathematics. However, in English, although standards were broadly average they were well above average at the higher levels. The overall outcome represented an improvement on the results of 2006, particularly in English where Year 6 pupils made good progress. This picture of improvement was not the same for pupils in Year 2. In their 2007 national tests a decline was seen in reading, writing and mathematics and standards overall were significantly lower than the national average. However, school data shows that the percentage of pupils in this year group who had learning difficulties was much higher than average. Furthermore, the Year 2 and Year 6 2007 results showed that those pupils in school

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Grade: 3

with specific and complex learning difficulties who had received focussed support, achieved well. The headteacher's analysis has identified that certain groups of pupils in the recent past have not achieved as well as they should. This underachievement is now being reversed as a result of the school's work to improve the curriculum and the quality of teaching. Pupils are now motivated and many are beginning to make better progress in lessons. However, the impact of new initiatives has yet to be realised for all pupils and their achievement overall is satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

Through the enriched curriculum, pupils develop well in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. They learn to value the beliefs, customs and cultures of others. Pupils form positive relationships with their peers and they enjoy teamwork. During the inspection, a Year 6 pupil commented on the science challenge afternoon, enthusiastically stating, 'We have been waiting for this day for weeks. It is so exciting'. Pupils develop other workplace skills through business and enterprise activities, such as running a recyclable stationery shop. The school is also focussing on the need to improve pupils' skills in literacy and numeracy. Pupils are courteous, considerate and well behaved. They enjoy school as shown in their improved attendance which is now satisfactory. Through participating in the Healthy Schools Award and Active Mark, pupils have developed a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They make a

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Grade: 2

positive contribution to the school and the community through the school council and by taking part in community events.

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Grade: 3

All teachers promote good relationships with pupils and they deploy teaching assistants well to provide focussed support for those pupils who have significant learning needs. However, inconsistencies in the quality of teaching sometimes have a negative impact on pupils' learning. As a result, teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Some teachers do not always cater effectively for the wide age groups and abilities of pupils in classes, which is something that 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008 several parents expressed concerns about through the parent questionnaires. This places great pressure on Years 5 and 6 where there is more effective teaching and accelerated progress. A focus for the school is to improve the use of assessment in planning and target setting. This strategy, called 'Assessment for learning', is beginning to make a difference but is in the early

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has improved since the school's last inspection. The re-designed integrated curriculum is more interesting and relevant and helping pupils to become motivated to learn. This improvement is reflected by the views of a pupil who said, 'We are excited and more interested in our work now'. Curriculum strengths include music and the good provision for pupils' personal, social and health education. The curriculum's enrichment is of high quality. Pupils enjoy visits from a wide range of community members and pupils make frequent educational trips. The school provides an outstanding range of extra-curricular activities. Clubs for sports, music and general interest are greatly enjoyed and attended by the large majority of pupils.

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Grade: 2

The school has robust procedures for promoting pupils' good behaviour, their good attendance, their health and safety and protect them from harm. Similarly, there are effective systems in place to help identify and provide support for those in need, for example, through the emotional literacy support assistants and working well with external agencies. The guidance provided for pupils' academic development is satisfactory. Work is ongoing, for example, using improved procedures for tracking pupils' progress, for target setting and the marking of pupils' work. In a few classes, where new procedures are being trialled, good practice has begun. The school rightly plans to extend this practice across the school.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher offers a strong lead for the school. She has worked very well with the staff and empowered them to take on new roles. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders who provide good leadership; however, while they set clear direction some other aspects of their management roles have yet to be fully developed. The school's self-evaluation is effective in determining what the strengths of the school are and what needs to be done to raise standards; for example, challenging targets for all pupils have been set by the headteacher. The headteacher takes the lead in analysing data and using the information to ascertain if pupils are on track to meet the targets set for them. Other staff are developing their expertise in this respect. Governors are very supportive of the school. They are self-evaluative and recognise where their own development lies, for example, in better evaluating the work of the school. The school is

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Grade: 3

committed to equality of opportunity for all pupils, however, not all have the opportunity to achieve as well as they can. However, given the improvements made since the last inspection, the school demonstrates good capacity to improve further. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 2 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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?

2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

03 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Stanmore Primary School,Winchester,SO22 4AJ Thank you for welcoming us when we visited your school. We wanted to find out what your school is doing well and to find out where school could be even better. What impressed us during our time with you was how welcoming everyone was. You were very helpful, polite and well behaved. We were also pleased that you were keen to talk to the inspectors about the things you enjoyed. We can understand why you like the opportunities you have in music and the other new activities you have such as your science afternoon that you shared with your families. What is evident is that you try hard with your work right from the moment you start school in the reception classes. We want you to keep up your good efforts and always try to do as well as you can. We also want your teachers to keep working really hard to make their lessons just right for you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

so that you find the work interesting and not too easy or too hard. Several of your parents let us know through their questionnaires of their concerns that you are not always challenged to do your best in lessons. This is something that the teachers are going to make sure doesn't happen so that everyone can achieve as well as they can. However, your parents also told us through their questionnaires that they appreciate the good care you receive at school and that you enjoy school. You told us that too and your attendance is better than it was. Well done - keep this up! Your headteacher is doing a really good job with all the staff and governors to make some important changes. We want this to continue and in particular, we want your teachers to make sure that you all have the right activities to do in lessons so that everyone can do really well, particularly in English, mathematics and science. We would like you to work hard with your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

teachers to help them. I wish you all the best for the future. Yours sincerely Elisabeth Linley Her Majesty's Inspector. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Stanmore Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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