Wickham Church of England Primary School

Wickham Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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116325 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290503 Inspection number 2 °3 May 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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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 181 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Roger-Jones Chair Mrs C Burton Headteacher 16 September 2002 Date of previous school inspection Buddens Road School address Wickham Fareham PO17 5HU

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01329 833065 Telephone number 01329 834969 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 2 °3 May 2007 Inspection dates 290503 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This single-form entry primary school draws its pupils from the local village, and the surrounding area which have a mix of private and social housing. The numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. The pupils come predominantly from a White British background; there is one pupil for whom English is an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) is above average. There are above average numbers of pupils who enter the school other than in Year 1, and this is increasing. The school has the Enhanced Status Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school that it provides a satisfactory education for pupils. The very experienced headteacher has set a clear direction for the school, focusing upon raising standards whilst providing pupils with a wide range of learning experiences. Consequently pupils benefit from a good, broad curriculum which provides a very wide range of visits, for example to France, and to various museums. These valuable opportunities allow pupils to develop socially and increase their cultural awareness. Spiritual, social, moral and cultural education is good. Academic standards have varied in recent years, reflecting the widely different numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities in each year, as well as the impact of high level of pupil mobility. Children enter Reception with below the expected levels of skills and knowledge. Good teaching, and a curriculum that promotes a strong mix of self-choice and

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Grade: 3

directed learning, contributes to their good progress. In the current Years 2 and 6 standards are broadly average, and this reflects satisfactory progress for the majority of pupils. There is insufficient reinforcement of the basic skills of pupils in subjects other than literacy and numeracy lessons, particularly in Years 1 to 3. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Older pupils benefit from consistently good teaching where expectations of learning are high. Progress slows where teachers have inconsistent levels of expectations of pupils' behaviour and work, such as when younger pupils take time to settle and concentrate in lessons. The pastoral care, support and guidance for pupils is good. The pupils know that they are well-looked after and relationships are secure. Whilst literacy and numeracy targets are set, they are not made clear enough to pupils or reinforced in lessons. Consequently there are

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Grade: 3

missed opportunities for pupils to check how well they are learning and to become more independent learners. Personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Pupils enjoy their schooling and have a good knowledge of how to stay safe. Their contribution to the community, including activities such as dancing in the local festival, is good. The school provides detailed information to pupils about healthy lifestyles, although the contents of their lunchboxes do not reflect this. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Appropriate areas for development are identified and monitoring and self-evaluation procedures are in place. On occasions, such as in the monitoring of learning and teaching, these could be more rigorous and challenging. Effective use is made of a good range of external bodies to benefit learners. The Governors are increasing their knowledge of the school through regular visits, but their inexperience means that they

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Grade: 3

miss opportunities to act as a critical friend to the school. 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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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that all teachers have high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour and learning. • Ensure that the basic literacy and numeracy skills are reinforced in all subjects. • Refine assessment procedures so that targets for pupils are clearer and that they have more opportunities to assess and evaluate their own and other's learning. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007

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Grade: 3

Children enter Reception with skills and knowledge below those expected for their age; in some areas, such as speaking and listening, levels are well below expectations. They make good progress and by the end of Reception most have reached the early learning goals, although weaknesses in language and literacy remain. Results of national tests vary and reflect the very different nature of the cohorts. In 2006, in the national assessments for seven year olds, standards were average in reading and writing with mathematics slightly below average. Standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 were below average, demonstrating the impact of high numbers of pupils with learning difficulties, and that almost half the class joined later than Year 1. Current Year 2 pupils are on target to reach broadly average standards, with reading being the comparatively weaker area. Standards in mathematics are expected to meet the national average,

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Grade: 3

showing the impact of the recent whole-school focus. Year 6 pupils are similarly making satisfactory progress and are on course to reach broadly average standards. LDD pupils make satisfactory progress towards their personal goals. A number make good progress as a result of some well-focused work conducted by the learning support assistants.

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Grade: 3

The personal development of pupils is satisfactory. The school's strong Christian ethos ensures that spiritual and moral development is good, and pupils show this in their support for charities and awareness of environmental issues. Work in art, music and poetry illustrates the pupils' good cultural development and awareness of other cultures and religions. Attendance is close to the national average. Pupils say they enjoy their education, participating in a good range of extra curricular activities, and understand about healthy lifestyles and why exercise is important. Some parents believe that behaviour is not consistently good and inspection findings support this view. Too many younger pupils are slow to settle in class and fail to listen or concentrate. Pupils feel safe because issues like bullying and water safety are dealt with effectively. The school council and pupils in Year 6 make an important contribution to school life, for example by choosing play

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Grade: 3

equipment and running a healthy snack shop. Pupils' basic skills are satisfactory and by Years 5 and 6 they work effectively in teams developing essential skills for future life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, but there are inconsistencies in quality across the school. There is no inadequate teaching, but there is evidence of older pupils receiving consistently stronger teaching, where expectations are high of both work and behaviour. Teachers generally handle the management of pupils well, although some younger pupils take time to settle and concentrate. Some well focused questioning results from teachers' secure subject knowledge. Planning of work for pupils of different abilities is satisfactory, but some teachers fail to identify clearly enough what they are expecting the pupils to learn rather than do. In literacy and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007 numeracy lessons the basic skills of pupils are reinforced, for example, through teacher's marking. In other subjects there are missed opportunities to ensure that literacy skills, such as

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Grade: 3

pupils' spellings, are corrected. Learning support assistants are increasingly having a positive impact on pupils' learning. In Reception, for example, good teaching and the work of the assistant help to ensure that children are consistently challenged. Lessons have good pace as a result of time targets being set for pupils, and the regular use of interactive whiteboards.

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Grade: 2

This good curriculum meets the academic and social needs of pupils well. The foundation subjects are increasingly providing good opportunities to develop the pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils' work in Years 5 and 6 illustrates the effective and varied approaches to work in science and the humanities. Information and communication technology (ICT) is well used by pupils, for example, to illustrate and write articles for the interesting Victorian museum. More effective use could be made of ICT for interactive and independent learning. The curriculum in Reception is well planned, and the children show enthusiasm and excitement when role-playing, such as in the post office. There is a good range of extra curricular opportunities, for example the French Club and sports, but there are fewer opportunities for younger pupils. Well-planned visits make a major contribution to pupils' enjoyment of learning and the

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Grade: 2

development of social skills. Pupils learning difficulties are supported well and there is an appropriate focus on extension work and challenge for more able pupils. Pupils benefit from good guidance on healthy living and keeping safe and have ample opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. The pastoral care of pupils is good. Parents are supportive of the school, giving examples of where the school has met their family's particular needs. The school makes successful efforts to know the pupils and their families. Pupils state that they feel safe and that they know that the adults are there to support them. A good range of external agencies are used effectively to support pupils who face difficulties. Effective transition arrangements help prepare pupils well, for example, Reception children settle quickly. Risk assessments, health and safety arrangements, and child protection procedures are secure. The school ensures that all adults are cleared to work with children. Academic guidance and support are satisfactory and aspects are in need of further development. There is an insufficient emphasis on providing pupils with opportunities to evaluate their own

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Grade: 3

and others' work. Also there are inconsistent approaches to promoting pupil independence through the use of learning targets and in pupils' knowledge of how to use them to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher has given a clear direction to the school. Staff share the aims of raising standards coupled with a commitment to ensuring 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007 that pupils have a wide range of educational experiences, such as classical music concerts. The school improvement plan gives a high priority to improving the basic skills of pupils. The impact of the whole school focus on mathematics and writing in recent times is demonstrated in improving standards, and reflects a satisfactory capacity to improve. There are some effective systems for monitoring school performance, and most aspects of school performance are evaluated satisfactorily. However the monitoring of learning is not sufficiently rigorous and some middle managers have an insufficient focus on standards and achievement. The school has recently introduced new systems for tracking pupil progress, but

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Grade: 3

their use has yet to be maximised. The school identified that more learning support assistants were required. Through careful financial management a very good level of support is now in place and is making a positive contribution to improving standards. Similarly efforts have been made to improve the learning environment which is attractive and exciting for pupils. The school actively seeks the views of pupils and parents and questionnaires show their support for the school. More experienced governors visit the school and have a good understanding of the school. The new governors are growing in experience, and are aware of the need to increasingly challenge the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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 3 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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wickham Church of England Primary School,Fareham,PO17 5HU Thank you for talking to us during our recent visit; we listened carefully to what you had to say. We believe that your school gives you a satisfactory standard of education. We particularly liked the way that your school invites people from the local community to add to your learning experiences. We also believe that your involvement in school life and the local area is good. The school council take an active part in making decisions, and the Year 6 presentation to the local community about life in school was very good. Well done! Whilst you told us about how to stay healthy we feel you could help the school and yourselves, by talking to your parents about the healthy food you would like in your lunch boxes. We were very pleased when you told us you feel safe and secure and that you enjoy school. One pupil

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

told me, 'I get really excited about things we are given to do, I really liked Normandy'. We agree that you benefit well from the visits, the clubs, particularly sport, and the visitors you get. We also liked the work you are given in class, for example, your local town survey that included letters to the Prime Minister. We have asked that teachers look at how your work in all subjects might help you make better progress in literacy for example. You get satisfactory teaching and some is good. We have asked that your school tries to make sure that you are all expected to do your best and behave well in all classes. Many of you do not know your work targets and how to use them to improve your work. Your school is going to look at giving you more opportunity to look at your work and judge for yourself whether you are learning well and where you need help. I wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Michael Pye Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Wickham Church of England Primary School, 2 °3 May 2007

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