Elvetham Heath Primary School

Inspection Report Elvetham Heath Primary School

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132801 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 294029 Inspection number 5 February 2007 Inspection date Nicola Davies 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 Key School address Primary Type of school Elvetham Heath Community School category Fleet GU51 1DP 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01252622205 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01252622208 Fax number 428 Number on roll (school) Mrs Linda Montgomery Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jean Leigh Headteacher 3 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 294029 5 February 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

Elvetham Heath is a large primary school which was opened in 2001 to serve a new housing development on the outskirts of Fleet. It has trebled in size since its last inspection in 2003. This rapid growth has meant that the percentage of pupils who join the school other than at usual time has been much higher than average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A small minority joins the school from overseas but only a very few of these pupils are at early stages of learning English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is well below the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Elvetham Heath Primary is a good school with some outstanding features. In the three years since its previous inspection, the school has grown from a small primary school in temporary accommodation to a large and well established school housed in very attractive permanent buildings. The school's new home provides its very well behaved pupils with a good environment in which to learn. Good teaching across the school and an outstanding curriculum enhances pupils' enthusiasm and motivation. As a result, pupils give their best and do well. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average and progress and attainment are good. Children flourish and make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Their already above average skills are further developed through a well judged mix of structured teaching and stimulating play activities. Across the school, teachers also display good judgement in providing the right balance of support and challenge for pupils in their classes.

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Grade: 2

However, the school has correctly identified that they need to provide consistent opportunities for all pupils to undertake tasks and investigations independently to enhance their education and progress further. Leadership and management of the school are good. Despite its rapid growth, the school has successfully maintained its focus on supporting each individual pupil to do well academically, personally and socially. It has achieved this through very good systems for assessing and monitoring the progress of all its pupils from their various starting points. This contributes well to the outstanding care, support and guidance it provides. Alongside this, the school has very effective procedures to ensure that the many children who join the school partway through their school careers settle in quickly and take a full part in the school community. As one parent wrote, ' Moving to a school with over 400 pupils where she knew no-one was quite daunting for my child, yet

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Grade: 2

everyone was so welcoming, warm and caring, she was settled happily within a few days.' The very effective headteacher has created good opportunities for staff and pupils to contribute effectively to the further development of the school. For example, a successful whole school focus on providing good opportunities for pupils to talk and discuss before they write has ensured that younger pupils are now doing as well in writing as they do in reading. Pupils are also fully involved in improving the school through the excellent work of the school council, buddies, and peer mentors. Pupils' outstanding personal development and well being has recently been enhanced by a new school citizenship award which provides formal opportunities for pupils to display how they help to build a healthy, safe, caring, responsible and financially aware school community. This effective involvement of both staff and pupils contributes to the

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Grade: 2

school's good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils have consistently good opportunities to work independently 2 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress throughout the school, whatever their age, ability or prior experience on entry. Standards across the school are consistently higher than average. For example, in 2006 over half the pupils achieved higher levels in English, mathematics and science in national tests at the end of Year 6. Although as yet no pupils have completed their full education at the school, lesson observations and information about pupils' progress show that they make good progress from their various entry points, particularly in English and mathematics. Progress in science was a relatively weaker area in 2006 and, as a result, the school has improved opportunities for pupils to undertake investigations.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well being, including their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, are outstanding. Pupils enjoy school enormously and attendance is well above average, which is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Pupils are very well aware of the need to live healthily and the school has an Enhanced Healthy Schools Award. One example of their awareness is the successful and very popular scheme run by older pupils that encourages boys and girls to borrow small equipment over the lunchtimes to further promote exercise and healthy lifestyles. Pupils have a good awareness of safety issues. Pupils demonstrate an outstanding regard for the well being of others. For example, one pupil explained that one of the best things about the school was that the building was 'perfectly shaped for children with disabilities'. Similarly, older pupils relish helping the school and younger pupils. Pupils confidently express their opinions and make the

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Grade: 1

most of very good opportunities to get involved in the life of the school. For example, the school council undertakes surveys of pupils' opinions, analyses responses and circulates the results through their regular newsletter. Such activities mean pupils have a very good understanding of citizenship, which prepares them well for their future lives.

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Grade: 2

Enthusiastic and well informed teaching, together with pupils' attitudes to learning, ensures that all pupils make good progress across the school. Their excellent attitudes are a result of the imaginative ways in which teachers engage and inform pupils. For example, during the inspection older pupils drew on information from a variety of eye witness sources to create a role play about life during the Blitz, complete with black-outs and air raid sirens. Teachers plan well to cater for the different needs and 3 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007 abilities of pupils in their classes and to develop their communication and thinking skills alongside their skills in different subjects. However, there is more work to be done to ensure that pupils have consistently good opportunities to become more independent in their learning through more open or investigative activities. Pupils

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Grade: 2

benefit from good opportunities to discuss their learning and progress with teachers that help them to improve further.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding curriculum enthuses and informs pupils. There is a strong emphasis on linking learning to themes so that pupils develop their skills in different subject areas together. There are very good opportunities for all pupils to use information and communication technology (ICT) in their work. For example pupils in Year 3 used their knowledge of fables and medieval life to create an interactive map of a medieval village. English and mathematics lessons are well planned to develop further the speaking, listening and thinking skills of pupils. The school provides a wide variety of clubs and regular trips and visitors which adds to the richness of pupils' experiences and develops their skills and interests very well. The school has identified a need to extend the opportunities that pupils have to enhance their learning outdoors, particularly for the youngest children.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support of pupils are outstanding. Although Elvetham Heath is now a large school, care and concern for each individual pupil is still top of its agenda. The school caters very well for the wide range of needs of its pupils. These not only encompass pupils who are more vulnerable and those with particular learning difficulties or disabilities but also pupils who are particularly gifted or talented. The excellent working relationships between teachers and other highly skilled adults, who provide support for particular groups of pupils, ensure that the needs of pupils are very well met, both within classes and through extra programmes. Pupils maturely appreciate the opportunities they have for extra support and for extra challenge. Academic guidance is very good. Very effective procedures are in place for quickly assessing the strengths and needs of pupils in this rapidly growing school to establish individual

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Grade: 1

targets which pupils understand and are fully involved in working towards.

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Grade: 2

The outstanding headteacher has managed a period of rapid growth very effectively and has put in place clear structures to enable the school to go from strength to strength. With the able support of the two assistant headteachers and senior staff, she has developed systems for teachers to take responsibility for particular areas and to identify further improvements required. Staff at all levels are beginning to be 4 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007 involved well in charting the progress of initiatives to improve the school, although not all of these have yet been fully implemented, such as plans to give pupils more opportunities to learn outdoors. Governors carry out their statutory duties well and are there are robust systems in place for them monitor the daily life of the school. However, they are not involved closely enough in self evaluation to always challenge the school to perform even better.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 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: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 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? 2 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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 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: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 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: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I really enjoyed meeting and talking to some of you when I visited your school. You will be pleased to know that everyone I talked to was very proud of the school and proud of all the things that you have achieved together. I saw some very interesting work happening in the lessons I visited. This exciting curriculum, along with the way your teachers and the other adults at the school challenge and support you, are part of the reason why you enjoy school so much and do well. Another reason is that you all work together very well to take responsibility for making sure that everyone is happy, including taking very good care of pupils who are new to your school. So well done. You won't be surprised that everyone I talked to had lots of interesting ideas about how things could be even better. I am pleased that your school council does such a good job of finding out what you think and taking action. In the same way, your headteacher does a very good job

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in getting all the adults involved in making improvements to the school. I agree with your teachers that some of your lessons could be even better if you all had opportunities to work more independently sometimes. The school is already working on this so you will notice these changes more and more. Best wishes Nicola DaviesLead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Elvetham Heath Primary School, 5 February 2007

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