Redlands Primary School

Redlands Primary School Inspection report

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115892 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 312094 Inspection number 11 °12 September 2007 Inspection dates Olson Davis 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 287 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Wilfred Phillips Chair Mr Kevin Harcombe Headteacher 2 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Redlands Lane School address Fareham PO16 0UD 01329 234012 Telephone number 01329 829050 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 11 °12 September 2007 Inspection dates 312094 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves pupils from a diverse range of social backgrounds. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above the national average.

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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: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007

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Grade: 2

Redlands Primary School is a good school with outstanding features. Provision in the Foundation Stage is outstanding. Central to the school's growing success is good leadership and management. The inspirational headteacher provides effective and determined leadership with a strong focus on raising standards and promoting high standards of care. He is ably supported by a skilled senior management team. School leaders provide excellent direction to the work of the school, ensuring that all adults work closely as a team to do their best for the pupils. As a result, the school is an inclusive community where children achieve well. All pupils, including those from minority ethnic groups, those newly arrived and those of different abilities feel welcomed and want to learn. Parents rightly hold the school in high regard. Those who responded to the questionnaire were unanimous in their praise. One parent wrote, 'I am extremely pleased

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Grade: 2

with the standards of teaching, communication from the teachers and all the social activities in and out of school'. Good provision for care, guidance and support has established a strong ethos of care and respect for others. As a result, pupils' personal development is good. 'Pupil Voice' has enabled children to contribute positively to school development, initially through improvements to playground equipment, and more recently in developments to the curriculum and classroom organisation. Pupils show a good understanding of healthy living through participation in the physical education and games sessions, and in the excellent range of after-school sports activities. Pupils enjoy the healthy food choices available for school lunches, and younger pupils take part in the free fruit and vegetables scheme. Pupils are well motivated by interesting activities provided by teachers. They enjoy learning and are keen to do well in their work.

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Grade: 2

However, attendance is only satisfactory because of the prolonged absence of some pupils. Children get off to a flying start in the Foundation Stage because of excellent provision. They continue to achieve well and attain above average standards by Year 6. This is the result of good teaching, good provision for vulnerable pupils, and a good curriculum. Standards in writing at Year 2 are not as high as in reading and mathematics. The school has identified that some pupils have not had sufficient opportunities to develop their writing skills within different types of writing and have included this in its school improvement planning. Nonetheless, pupils' good basic skills and social skills prepare them well for the next stage of their education. Purposeful action by school leaders and governors has led to improvements in achievement, provision, leadership and management since the last inspection. This shows the school's good

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Grade: 1

Provision for the youngest children is outstanding because it is very well organised by knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers. Staff are responsive to parents' comments. They have improved the arrangements for children starting school and strengthened links with parents. Children are very well cared for and happy. Parents say that the staff are friendly and approachable. The quality of teaching is consistently excellent from dedicated teachers and classroom assistants and, consequently, children make at least good and often outstanding progress in all areas of learning. Their starting points vary from year to year but range from below average to average. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007 Children make very good progress so that their attainment is in line with, and often above, national expectations by the end of Reception. The indoor and outdoor areas provide an interesting and stimulating environment that motivates

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Grade: 1

the children to want to learn. Both classes work together on a regular basis so that all children have opportunities to learn and play in many situations. There is a strong emphasis placed on developing children's language skills. Expectations for behaviour and routines are made clear and reinforced positively and consistently. As a result, children learn very quickly what is expected of them. Very good use is made of information and communication technology to make learning stimulating and fun.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve standards in writing at Key Stage 1 by providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills within different types of writing. ■ Improve attendance.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Children make outstanding progress in the Foundation Stage because of excellent teaching and provision in the Reception class. As a result, most children reach the learning goals expected by the start of Year 1. Pupils continue to make good progress and attain above average standards at the end of Year 6. Since the last inspection, standards at Year 6 have improved more rapidly than the national trend with an above average proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 5. Standards in writing at the end of Year 2 have dipped recently. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 3 in writing is below average. This is because pupils have not been given sufficient opportunities to develop higher order writing skills within different areas of writing. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds make the same good progress as their classmates. Pupils with learning difficulties also make good progress

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Grade: 2

because of the effective support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' behaviour is good. They pay good attention to teachers and to one another, and concentrate well. Pupils set great store by the excellent relationships they have with their teachers and other school staff, and this is an important factor in their enjoyment of school. Attendance is only satisfactory because too many pupils are taken out of school during term-time for family holidays. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Good moral and social development is evident in pupils' personal confidence and maturity, and in the way that pupils support one another. As one parent wrote, 'The way that the school fosters friendship and community between age groups is fantastic.' Cultural development, for example through the take-up of opportunities for instrumental music tuition, is also good.

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Grade: 2

Teachers and classroom assistants work together effectively. They have high expectations and plan work that matches pupils' individual needs and capabilities well. As a result, pupils make 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007 good progress. However, some writing tasks in Year 1 and Year 2 have not been sufficiently challenging for some more able pupils. Classroom assistants' work, in supporting homework arrangements, helps to make them successful in extending pupils' opportunities to learn. Pupils learn in a happy environment and engage with their learning well. For example, pupils really enjoy the role-play opportunities in the lower years, which help them to transfer successfully to the next stage of learning and to develop their speaking and listening skills. Staff regularly and rigorously assess pupils' work so that they know their pupils' needs well and are working

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Grade: 2

on involving pupils more actively in assessing their own progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy the many interesting opportunities that the school provides for them, including the well-attended clubs. The school encourages pupils to evaluate the curriculum and is responsive to their needs. Residential visits in Years 2, 4 and 6 provide very good opportunities for pupils to develop socially as well as being able to develop new skills. Pupils have frequent, excellent opportunities for visits to support their learning across the curriculum and raise their awareness. Many visitors, including the Children's Poet Laureate, mean that pupils benefit from first-hand knowledge. Good links with outside agencies and local secondary schools enrich the curriculum and provide benefits for pupils' learning. The personal, social and health education curriculum is having a positive impact so that pupils are developing well personally. Teachers make exciting links between subjects so that learning is meaningful for pupils. However, there

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Grade: 2

are insufficient opportunities for more able pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 to write at length in a wide range of different writing styles.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support is good. Parents value the high level of care given to their children. One parent commented, 'I can happily get on with my day in the knowledge that my children are being well cared for, valued and enjoying themselves.' Excellent relationships between adults and pupils foster confidence, self-esteem and trust. As a result, pupils feel safe at school and say any unkind behaviour is dealt with promptly and effectively by adults. The school has robust systems for ensuring pupils' welfare and for minimising risks. The steps taken by the school to promote good attendance are beginning to have a positive impact but more needs to be done to dissuade parents from taking their children out of school during term-time. Pupils benefit from good academic guidance to improve their work and to reach their challenging targets. There are good tracking procedures to monitor pupils' progress and to identify those

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Grade: 2

School self-evaluation is good although the school has over-estimated some aspects of its performance. The school's improvement plan shows that school leaders and governors have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses, and of what they need to do to bring about improvements. Subject leaders play their full part in improving standards and provide good support for staff. Highly effective leadership of the Foundation Stage contributes to the excellent start made by the youngest children. The well-organised provision for pupils 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007 with learning difficulties and disabilities means that these pupils achieve well. School leaders ensure that the impact of teaching on learning is evaluated rigorously, leading to improvements in performance. They analyse assessment data effectively to set challenging targets for the

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Grade: 2

school and for individual pupils. This information is used to check that different groups of pupils are making the expected progress and swift action is taken to remedy dips in performance. This has resulted in raised standards at Year 6. Governors are supportive and know the school well through their own effective monitoring. This allows them to participate fully in managing the school's strategic development. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 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? 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 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 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 September 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Redlands Primary School,Fareham,PO16 0UD Thank you for the friendly way you welcomed us when we inspected your school. We enjoyed talking to you and took careful note of what you and your parents had to say about the school. Your school gives you a good standard of education. Here are a few of the many good things about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The Foundation Stage is outstanding and gives the youngest children an excellent start in your school. ■ You do well in your work. You learn a lot in your lessons because the teaching is good and you want to do your best. ■ You enjoy school and behave well in lessons and around the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are well cared for by the adults in school and this helps you to feel safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You take lots of exercise and know about healthy eating.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all benefit from the many interesting activities and experiences that the school provides for you. ■ The headteacher, senior staff and governors run the school well. They are clear about what needs to be done to improve the school. We have asked the staff and governors to carry on working on those areas that they have started. These include trying to get some children to come to school more often. You can help with this by making sure that you come to school when you should. Some of you need more help to do really well in your writing. We have asked the teachers in Years 1 and 2 to give you more opportunities to use the writing skills they teach you. We hope that you will continue to enjoy your school. We also hope that you will help your teachers as they try to make your school even better for you. Yours sincerely Olson DavisLead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Redlands Primary School, 11 °12 September 2007

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