Manor Infant and Nursery School

116226 Unique Reference Number Portsmouth Local Authority 290461 Inspection number 8 °9 January 2007 Inspection dates Michael Pye 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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Inverness Road School address Infant Type of school Portsmouth Community School category PO1 5QR 4 °7 Age range of pupils 023 9282 0548 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 023 9275 6579 Fax number 200 Number on roll (school) Canon Robert White Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janet Christie Headteacher 25 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290461 8 °9 January 2007 4°7 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

Of average size, this city centre school has double the expected number of pupils entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school other than in Year 1 is rising and reflects the changing nature of the local area. Predominantly White British, it has an above average number of pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is average. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well above average, and there are three pupils with a statement of special educational need. The school has a number of national awards including the Artmark and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Parents are correct in believing that this school provides a good standard of education. The highly experienced headteacher and her staff have established an environment in which pupils' personal development and well-being are good and the care provided is of a high quality. The school makes excellent use of a very wide range of partners to support the pupils in their academic and personal lives. It has a long-standing commitment to promoting the health of pupils, and they benefit well from the wide-ranging and consistent reinforcement of messages regarding the value of exercise and healthy diet. Children enter the good Reception classes with standards well below those expected. They progress well, particularly in their emotional and social development, as a consequence of good management and teaching. Year 2 pupils leave with standards just below the national average. This represents good achievement for the majority

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Grade: 2

of pupils, given their starting points. However a few more able girls did not make the progress expected of them in mathematics by the end of Year 2 in the 2006 assessments. The good achievement levels also reflect the pupils' good behaviour and their overwhelming enjoyment of school life. One pupil said about her work, 'I like this, can I finish it at home?' The pupils work well because they feel secure and relationships are very positive. The quality of teaching ranges from outstanding to satisfactory and is good overall. The curriculum provides some good opportunities for pupils to learn in a practical way. Pupils value the theme weeks, such as the recent inter-cultural week and the various 'extra' activities such as the French club. The school reviews the curriculum regularly, and is aware of the need to further emphasise the links between subjects and to provide more investigative and problem-solving approaches to learning. This would be of

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Grade: 2

particular benefit to those pupils who are gifted and talented. The school is very well led by the headteacher, her deputy and governors. They effectively share the aim of improving achievement and standards whilst maintaining the high quality of care and personal development of pupils. Team work is very effective and all are involved in monitoring, evaluating and developing relevant action plans. The good improvement since the last inspection in curriculum planning, and in teachers' planning of work for pupils of different abilities, bears testimony to a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good so that standards improve and that all pupils progress as well as they can. • Develop more opportunities for cross-curricular, investigative and problem-solving approaches, particularly with regard to opportunities for pupils who are gifted and talented. 2 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good given the starting point of these pupils. Most children enter Reception with skills and knowledge well below expectations. This applies to areas such as reading, writing and calculation, but also to their emotional, personal and social development. They make good progress in Reception as a consequence of good organisation, management and teaching. As one parent wrote, 'My son is happy, eager to learn and has progressed immensely in such a short time'. Standards in reading and mathematics were below average in the 2006 national assessments at the end of Year 2. This reflects good progress for the majority of pupils. A few more able girls did not achieve as well as expected in mathematics, and more learning support assistants are now working with pupils in this subject. Writing standards have improved as a consequence of a whole school focus and are bordering on average. The school closely monitors pupils' writing and has introduced a wider

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Grade: 2

range of books to help motivate boys and improve their progress in reading and writing. The majority of pupils with learning difficulties and those at an early stage of learning English, make good progress towards their personal targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. By the time they leave the school the pupils are polite, well-behaved and confident. They thoroughly enjoy the varied opportunities on offer and speak enthusiastically about school. In one physical education lesson, pupils laughed aloud as they developed a dance based on Jack and the Beanstalk, while in an English lesson pupils could hardly contain themselves as they answered questions about a story portrayed on the interactive white board. They feel safe and know that they can call on adults when needed. The school's outstanding provision enables pupils to have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy. The school does everything it can to make sure pupils come to school and arrive on time. Sadly there are a few families who continue to thwart the school's best efforts and attendance remains below the national average. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and

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Grade: 2

cultural development is good. They are keen to take responsibility in class and by taking on school roles, like becoming members of the school council. Pupils participate in a good range of activities that help them to understand about the lives of people from different cultures. They contribute well to the community, fund-raising for charity and having strong links with local senior citizens. Pupils are satisfactorily developing the necessary basic skills that will enable them to settle in well in the next stage of their education. 3 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall, though the quality varies from class to class. The strengths are in the use of a good variety of strategies and resources that help pupils to achieve well, high quality relationships which encourage pupils, and secure subject knowledge that contributes to effective lesson planning. All teachers have clear lesson aims and make good use of on-going assessment to check how much pupils know and understand. Pupils respond very promptly to teachers' instructions and concentrate well when asked to work on their own or with others. Teachers communicate well with support staff and this makes a good contribution to the way pupils with learning difficulties make progress. However, these strengths vary across the school and in a few lessons time is not used as well, and teachers are not consistent in their expectations of work and behaviour. There are missed opportunities to make

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Grade: 2

learning more meaningful through emphasising links between subjects. In Reception, children's needs are identified at an early stage. This guides lesson planning very well and strong teaching is seen.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and pupils benefit from well-established literacy and numeracy lessons and a topic approach. It is regularly reviewed and the school has correctly identified the need for further reform. Pupils, particularly those with special gifts and talents do not have consistent opportunities to follow a more investigative and problem-solving approach. However the curriculum includes a wide range of interesting activities for pupils. Particularly effective are the specialist theme days and weeks. These successfully motivate pupils and extend their learning in areas such as art, history and keeping healthy, and the police and coastguard explain how to stay safe. These complement a good range of additional activities such as sports and dance, and a challenge club for the gifted and talented. The long-standing link with the local parks and garden service has resulted in a very effective gardening club where pupils

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Grade: 3

grow vegetables and participate successfully in local floral competitions. Parents are encouraged to be involved through curriculum meetings and as one wrote, 'I am extremely impressed in the way that parents and grandparents are actively encouraged to participate in the education of the children'.

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are overall good. However the commitment of the school to caring for the pupils is outstanding. This is partly because the adults know the pupils very well, but additionally the school is very active in seeking out a wide range of partners, who contribute so effectively to the pupils' care and well-being. Care and 4 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007 support does not stop at the school gates. Family learning courses take place, such as in numeracy, and there are various counselling services to support parents. There are effective measures in place to help ensure child protection and the health and safety of those in the school. Pupils benefit from having targets in literacy and numeracy, although not all know them, or how to use them to further improve their learning.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors support the school's evaluation that these elements are good. The headteacher provides strong and effective leadership and has good support from the deputy head, staff and governors. Teamwork is of the highest quality and all staff play a valuable part in moving the school forward. Teaching assistants, the administrative team and caretaker are considerable assets to the school, contributing effectively to the care, support and guidance of pupils. The school's self-evaluation is accurate and effective. Development planning provides detailed guidance on relevant issues which contribute effectively to raising standards. Monitoring systems now ensure that pupils' progress is consistently tracked, and good strategies have been developed for those pupils in need of additional support, including boys in writing. Governors are fully involved, and they know the school well. They bring a wide range of experience and skills that allow them to support the school

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Grade: 2

effectively. The opinions of parents and pupils are valued and have been well acted upon. The school is a considerable asset to the community. It has excellent links with other schools and organisations to provide a very good range of support and additional activities for both staff and pupils. Management at all levels is good. Co-ordinators are increasingly monitoring their areas of responsibility and this is influencing standards, but not all have yet observed lessons. Within the school there is a high commitment to include all pupils in all activities. Parents value this and see it as an important feature of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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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? 2 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

2 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 behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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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: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You will probably remember when we visited your school. We listened carefully to your views and agree with you that your school is good. There are some things which we particularly liked: • We think, like you, that the adults care very well for you. The school uses a very good range of people from outside the school to help you. • That you enjoy the various opportunities given to you by the school. • Your lessons are usually good and you learn more quickly than many other pupils. • The school is well led, and all the adults work so well together on your behalf. • You are polite and well behaved. • Children in Reception get a good start to their education. • The way you know about staying healthy and safe. The school helps you to learn well but many of you can help by coming to school regularly and by arriving on time in the mornings. We have asked your school to make sure that you get good teaching all of the time. The school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is also going to look at giving you more opportunities to solve problems and act as detectives when investigating topics. The gardening work you are doing really makes a difference - well done! We wish you all the best for the future. Yours sincerely, Michael Pye Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Manor Infant School, 8 °9 January 2007

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