Eling Infant School and Nursery

115955 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 312121 Inspection number 17 °18 June 2008 Inspection dates Janet Sinclair Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Infant Type of school Community School category 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 87 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Banks Chair Mrs R Linsley Headteacher 1 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection School Road School address Totton Southampton SO40 9HX 02380 862267 Telephone number 02380 663436 Fax number

p.1

4-7 Age group 17 °18 June 2008 Inspection dates 312121 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Because of the school's small size, some year groups are combined in mixed-age classes. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above that of most schools. These relate predominantly to moderate learning, emotional, and behavioural difficulties. There has been a change of headteacher since the last inspection. Two members of staff, one of whom was the deputy headteacher, have recently returned to work after maternity leave and now work part-time. A new Children's Centre, attached to the school is due to open shortly. The school has Healthy Schools status, Basic Skills and Activemarks.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features. Pupils receive exceptional care and a stimulating curriculum. As a result, their personal development is outstanding and this is evident in their excellent behaviour and very good attitudes to work. The headteacher, who provides outstanding leadership, is passionate about providing pupils with a high quality learning environment that will give them the very best start to their education. Parents know this and fully appreciate what the school does. This comment sums up the views of most parents, 'My son has had the very best start to his education. The staff are dedicated, friendly and approachable at all times'. All staff and governors work well as a team to promote the best interests of pupils, their families and increasingly, with the new Children's Centre soon to be opened, the wider community. The school rightly deserves its high standing in the community

p.4

Grade: 2

and this is clearly reflected in the rising roll. Children join the school with a wide range of skills and abilities that are below average overall. They get off to a good start in Reception where there is good attention to their needs within the mixed age classes so that they become confident, motivated learners. Pupils reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. They achieve well and occasionally very well given their starting points and capabilities. This is due to good teaching and an exciting curriculum, which fully engages them in their learning. Teachers plan and organise lessons well and give good attention to pupils' differing learning needs so that pupils are motivated and keen to learn. However, teachers do not always use questioning effectively to develop and extend pupils' ideas and this limits their progress. There is a wide range of topics, visitors and special events as well as regular opportunities for

p.4

Grade: 2

pupils to be fully involved in planning their own learning. This enhances the curricular provision and makes an outstanding contribution to pupils' personal development, through the strong emphasis on using their initiative and collaborating with others. Pupils make a very good contribution to the community through their work as school councillors, buddies and friends. Their impact, over time, can be clearly seen in the landscaping of the playground, which has hugely increased pupils' enjoyment and access to physical activity. The school is fully inclusive. Pupils know that they are valued and thrive within the very caring and supportive environment provided. Pupils with behaviour and emotional difficulties are particularly well catered for. The school tracks pupils' progress systematically ensuring that they get effective support if needed. Pupils know their targets and work well towards achieving them.

p.4

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The school development plan is a detailed, well thought through document, which clearly guides school improvement. Effective monitoring of teaching and learning, mainly by the headteacher, has resulted in good quality. However, the guidance for teachers on how to raise the level of their teaching further is not precise enough. Additionally, senior staff and subject leaders are not involved in this aspect of monitoring of provision and this limits their overall contribution to raising achievement further. There has been significant improvement since the last inspection. Some of the good features noted then are now outstanding and communication with parents has improved significantly. With the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, the rapid improvements the school has made on many fronts ensuring rich experiences for pupils, and stability in staffing at senior

p.4

Grade: 2

level, there is a good capacity to improve further. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.4

Grade: 2

All staff provide a caring learning environment enabling children to settle well to school routines and develop positive relationships with each other and all adults. Good teaching and learning ensure that children enjoy school and make good progress across the areas of learning so that they are working within the standards expected on entry to Year 1. However, occasionally tasks are not very demanding and questioning does not offer sufficient challenge for them to make the progress of which they are capable. Through their topic work, they have good opportunities to plan what they want to learn, discuss what they need to do and choose the activities that will help them achieve this. They thoroughly enjoy this and thrive on the high levels of independence it generates.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring questioning is used more effectively to extend pupils' knowledge and understanding. ■ Improve monitoring so that teachers are given clear feedback about how to raise the level of their teaching further and involve all senior staff more fully in this process.

p.5

Grade: 2

Standards are broadly average. Achievement is good across the school. Over time, standards in Year 2 have been slightly above average. They dropped to average in 2007 and again in 2008 due to the high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties within these year groups. However, pupils make good and sometimes very good progress given their capabilities and starting points. Writing has been the weakest area in the past, and the school has worked hard to improve this through a variety of strategies, including regular analysis of writing and the setting of targets for improvement. As a result, this is now the area where pupils are showing greatest progress. Pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties make good progress towards the targets set for them in their individual education plans due to early identification of their needs and effective and well-targeted support.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils take part in lessons enthusiastically and this, coupled with excellent relationships, ensures they fully enjoy school. Pupils are clear about what makes a healthy lifestyle, for example, 'Fruit and vegetables, running around in the playground and drinking lots of water to keep our brains healthy'. Right from their start in Reception, pupils learn to use their initiative, make decisions about their learning and work together effectively. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils are kind and thoughtful, collaborate extremely well with each other and develop their knowledge of other cultures through discussing religious festivals such as Eid. Pupils' good progress in acquiring basic skills and the many opportunities they have to be active and independent learners prepares them well for their future lives. Although attendance is satisfactory overall, this is due to the poor attendance of a small number of pupils. Most

p.5

Grade: 1

pupils attend school regularly and thoroughly enjoy what it offers. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching is good because teachers plan work that is well matched to pupils' different needs and make good use of resources to engage them in their learning. Good management ensures a calm and purposeful learning environment, which particularly supports pupils with emotional and behavioural problems. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils' learning through working with small groups and individuals, including those with specific learning and behavioural difficulties. In all classes, excellent relationships ensure pupils are keen to do well. Teachers make particularly good use of paired work and discussion. However, sometimes questioning is not challenging enough and occasionally there is a lack of clarity in teachers' explanations and this affects pupils' progress.

p.6

Grade: 1

The curriculum is very effectively planned to ensure continuity in pupils' learning. The school is already using the new literacy, numeracy and Early Years frameworks to provide good quality learning experiences. Good provision for information and communication technology is ensuring pupils develop their skills effectively and exposes them to its wide range of uses. This includes the use of a mini cam to record their skills in reading poetry, to help them improve their performance. Teaching through topics ensures very good cross-curricular links and relevant visits, for example, the history topic on Knights and Castles, which included a visit to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. Activities, such as 'Trailblazers,' which focuses on exploring the local area, enriches the curriculum further. Pupils develop a very good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy through, for example, their involvement in the Healthy Schools award,

p.6

Grade: 1

tennis lessons and personal social and health education.

p.6

Grade: 1

The school's very caring ethos enables pupils to develop a positive view of themselves and others. Teachers know their pupils extremely well and pupils in turn are confident of adult support should they have any worries or concerns. Incidents of bullying are rare and pupils are confident that staff will sort them out should any occur. Arrangements for ensuring pupils' welfare and safety are robust. The school's care of its vulnerable pupils, including those with learning difficulties, is exemplary. Pupils are identified quickly and strategies put in place to provide effective support through, for example, the nurture group, emotional literacy support, staff training, specific learning programmes and effective use of outside agencies. Good involvement of parents ensures an all round approach. Accurate and thorough assessments, accompanied by effective tracking of individuals' attainment, enable the school to monitor pupils' progress carefully. A particularly effective

p.6

Grade: 1

strategy has been the, 'Once a Month' books for writing. Most pupils are clear about their targets and use them well to help them improve their learning. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.6

Grade: 2

The headteacher is dynamic, pro-active and quick to harness staff's strengths through a caring and supportive framework. Self-evaluation is built into all aspects of the school's work. It is rigorous and ensures that identified areas for improvement have clear and detailed action plans. These are regularly evaluated to ensure that improvement takes place. The senior leadership team, although new to their roles, are already contributing to the work of the school through developing special educational needs and Early Years provision. However, it is too early to judge the overall impact of the new arrangements on the work of the school. Governors are a very able group who bring a range of highly relevant skills to their role. They are supportive of the work of the school and have been proactive in the Children's Centre development. Governors have a secure grasp of financial matters and carefully evaluate the

p.7

Grade: 2

cost effectiveness of large scale projects. However, they need to fine tune this in relation to school improvement initiatives. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008 .

p.7

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: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.9

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: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Eling Infant School,Southampton,SO40 9HX I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed my visit to your school. Thank you for being so friendly and helping me with the inspection. I enjoyed meeting the school council members and was delighted to learn how much you enjoy school, especially your school trips. I agree with your parents that your school is a good school. Here are some other things I particularly liked about your school.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have an outstanding headteacher who is ensuring your school is a happy, safe place where you can work hard and do well. ■ You make good progress because you are taught well.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy school, especially all the fun activities, visits, visitors and special events you have.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your caring and thoughtful relationships and outstanding behaviour show how keen you are to learn and reflects the excellent care you receive from all adults. ■ You make an excellent contribution to the school as school councillors and playground friends who want to make the school a better place for everyone. Every school has something it could do better, so this is what I have asked your school to do to help you learn even more.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that the teachers ask you questions that really get you to think.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Get all the teachers to watch each other's lessons, so they can give each other clear ideas about how to help you make even better progress. Yours sincerely Janet Sinclair Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Eling Infant School, 17 °18 June 2008

p.11