Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School

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116270 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290479 Inspection number 29 °30 January 2007 Inspection dates Anthony Green 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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The Green School address Primary Type of school Roberts Road, Barton Stacey Voluntary controlled School category

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Winchester SO21 3RY 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01962760340 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01962760340 Fax number 89 Number on roll (school) Mr Roger Oliver Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jan Sylvester Headteacher 7 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290479 29 °30 January 2007 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school serving the village of Barton Stacey and its neighbouring villages. The school admits pupils from a wide range of social backgrounds. Most are of White British heritage. Few speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Pupil mobility is much higher than average and the number of pupils in each year group can vary significantly from year to year. The school is organised into three classes, one for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and two classes for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 1

'Every single child is catered for, looked after and nurtured, to be the best that he or she can be.' This is how one parent perceptively summed up this outstanding school. The headteacher provides excellent leadership and has been extremely effective in creating a very caring environment, where all pupils thrive and thoroughly enjoy school. She is very well supported by her senior teacher and all other leaders and managers. A real strength of the school is the very high quality of teamwork and commitment which ensures everyone plays an integral part in moving the school forward. However, subject leaders do not have opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in classes. Children start school with skills and knowledge that are broadly in line with those seen nationally. The very safe, caring environment in the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class enables them to settle quickly into school routines and flourish. Reception pupils are

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Grade: 1

well prepared for Year 1. The care for pupils is outstanding and, as a result, their personal development and achievement is also outstanding. This enables them to achieve high standards by Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make very good progress. Gifted and talented pupils are occasionally accelerated through the school and move on to secondary school sooner than is usual. Pupils behave very well and play together happily. They willingly respond to opportunities to accept responsibility. Their social skills are excellent and they are very articulate and confident when talking to adults. They have an excellent understanding of how to lead safe and healthy lives and show great enthusiasm for sports and eating healthily. Many cycle to school. Pupils arrive promptly and are eager to start lessons. One said 'I think it's a really good, fun, friendly school.' The very high mobility of

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Grade: 1

pupils means that many join the school at different stages of their school life. For example, only one fifth of the present Year 6 pupils attended the school prior to Year 2. They are made welcome by all and quickly settle. As a result, all pupils feel secure and quickly become confident and independent learners. Prior to 2003 the school went through a period of high staff turbulence which affected the quality of teaching and learning. More recently, staffing has remained stable and there has been an improvement in teaching and learning resulting in a year-on-year rise in standards. The very high standards and outstanding achievement of pupils is rooted in the excellent quality of teaching and the very rich and varied curriculum that interests them and spurs them on to learn. Teachers, especially in Years 5 and 6, convey enthusiasm in the pupils' capacity to learn. This has a very positive effect on pupils'

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Grade: 1

behaviour, motivation and achievement. Pupils are very clear about what they are learning and settle quickly to individual and cooperative tasks as the occasion demands. However, not all pupils are always fully clear about their day-to-day targets which will help them to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Involve pupils more in their day-to-day target setting and evaluation of their work. 2 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007 • Ensure subject leaders have time to monitor their subjects in class.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' achievement is outstanding. By the end of Year 6 they attain high standards in their work. Children start school with skills that are similar to those expected for four year olds. They make good progress in all areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum and are well prepared for entry into Year 1. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and attain standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In Years 3-6 pupils achieve extremely well. The very high mobility means that pupils arrive and leave during each school year. Some arrive without records from previous schools. This makes assessment and tracking of pupils all the more important to ensure that work gives them suitable challenge and they achieve as well as they can. The school's systems for ensuring this are exemplary. As a result, the proportion attaining the higher Level 5 in national tests in 2006 was significantly above average. The school

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Grade: 1

continues to set very challenging targets and data shows that outstanding achievement is being maintained.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. Pupils behave very well and show remarkable care and courtesy. Attendance is excellent. Foundation Stage children learn to cooperate with each other and can be trusted to complete personal and;quot;Challengeand;quot; tasks on their own because they have a strong sense of personal responsibility. This develops throughout the school. Pupils greatly value having extra responsibilities and they enjoy helping each other. For example, older pupils act as playground buddies and encourage and;quot;Positive Playand;quot; at lunch times. This results in a calm and harmonious playground. The school council plays an active part in the life of the school. Pupils are able to participate in an excellent range of lunchtime and after school clubs. They are very well informed about the importance of healthy lifestyles and

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Grade: 1

staying safe. One pupil said 'It's good to eat good food. It makes us fit and makes us think.' Pupils achieve very good literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT) and social skills that will equip them very well for later life and learning. 3 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 1

The high achievement of pupils reflects the excellent quality of teaching and learning in the school. Teachers have a very strong commitment to their pupils. They manage behaviour well in an atmosphere of mutual respect. They have very high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Teachers plan work that is closely matched to pupils' individual abilities to ensure the maximum progress during a lesson. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported by both teachers and very well informed teaching assistants. The youngest pupils are taught well through a range of guided activities, involving both play and more formal approaches.

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding curriculum that motivates pupils and promotes their enjoyment of learning. Very good links are made between subjects and planning ensures that they do not repeat the same work over a two year period in mixed aged classes. There is a very good emphasis on literacy and numeracy resulting in well above average standards. Themed days and themed weeks, such as and;quot;World Book Dayand;quot; and a and;quot;Performing Arts Weekand;quot; enhance pupils' enjoyment of learning. Education for safe and healthy lifestyles is prominent and the school is working towards and;quot;Healthy Schoolsand;quot; status. The school has an excellent range of visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum. Extra-curricular activities are outstanding and support pupils' personal and social development very well. Arts, French, music and sports activities are exciting elements. Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to take part in a residential visit, which further

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Grade: 1

The school's very caring ethos means that pupils are valued as individuals and thrive and grow in confidence. Teachers know their pupils well and the overwhelming majority of parents and carers are confident that their children are well cared for and that the school will deal effectively with any worries or concerns. Procedures for ensuring the protection, safety and well-being of pupils fully meet government guidance. One pupil said 'We have a high policy of no tolerance of bullying.' Assessment procedures are very good. The school's comprehensive assessment data ensures that pupils, including those who arrive at a later time, make excellent progress and attain well above average standards. However, not all pupils are fully aware of their day-to-day targets for improvement. The school recognises that this is an area for development. Information to parents is very good but, despite the very best efforts of the school, a small minority

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Grade: 1

feel that they are not always kept fully informed. 4 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 1

The headteacher's outstanding leadership and management have contributed greatly to pupils' excellent personal development and academic achievement. The effect of her exceptional leadership is that all staff and pupils feel valued and strive to do as well as they can. Team work is a very strong feature of the school and a small and dedicated staff are fully committed to playing their part in raising standards and achievement. The school's self evaluation is of very good quality, although it modestly judges its effectiveness to be good. It has maintained the strong features identified at the time of the last inspection and has continued to seek improvement. For example, recent improvements in the provision for ICT and science have been successful. Curriculum leaders manage their subjects well. However, the school recognises that they need more opportunities to monitor their subjects, especially in mathematics,

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Grade: 1

science and ICT. Governors give the headteacher and staff their full support and take a very active interest in the school. They hold the school to account well. Effective evaluation of the school's performance determines what needs to be improved. This has resulted in very good progress since the last inspection and ensures that the school has an excellent capacity to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

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

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learners?

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

1 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: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 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: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your very friendly welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed talking to you and hearing about how much you liked your school. Many of you told me you thought the school was very good and a fun place to attend. I agree with you and even think that you go to an outstanding school. That means it is excellent and does everything it can to help you develop into mature young people. I was very impressed by many things. These are just a few of them: • You learn quickly and Year 6 pupils do very well in the national (SATs) tests. • Your behaviour is excellent. • Teaching in the school is outstanding, which is why you do so well. • Your teaching assistants also give you excellent support. • You know how to keep safe and how important it is to stay healthy by eating sensibly and by taking the opportunities to take part in sports and games. • You are given lots of interesting work, including activities outside the school day.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your headteacher, other staff and your governors are excellent in how they lead your school. Even in an outstanding school there are things that can be even better. I have asked your teachers to make sure you know more clearly what you need to do to improve your work. I have also asked your very hard working teachers to find the time to manage all the subjects that they look after and to see how they are taught throughout the school. I wish you all the best for the future and thank you again for making my visit such an enjoyable one. Anthony Green Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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