Red Barn Community Primary School

Red Barn Community Primary School Inspection report

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116079 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 312172 Inspection number 12 °13 March 2008 Inspection dates Margaret Dickinson HMI 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 181 School The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Joy Preston Chair Mr Richard Hales Headteacher 26 April 2004 Date of previous school inspection Linden Lea School address Portchester Fareham PO16 8HJ 01329 288011 Telephone number 01329 822486 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 °13 March 2008 Inspection dates 312172 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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Red Barn is a smaller than average primary school. The school draws pupils from both Hampshire and Portsmouth. Pupils come from a range of backgrounds, including private and social housing, and a few pupils come from service families. Far more pupils join and leave the school during the year than is normally found. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Children enter Reception with skills that are lower than the expectations for this age. The school has an Activemark and is working towards a Healthy Schools Award. Since January 2008, the school has been part of an intensive support programme, led by the local authority, to improve pupils' achievement.

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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: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Grade: 4

Red Barn provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils but the school's overall effectiveness is inadequate. The headteacher and senior leadership team promote pupils' personal development and well-being successfully. It is a very caring school. Pupils receive good support and enjoy coming to school. Those who join during the school year settle quickly and feel welcome. The pupils also play a part in this through their friendliness and willingness to work happily together. As a result, pupils' personal development is good. The school's weaknesses lie in pupils' inadequate achievement. Standards have been exceptionally low at Year 2 and Year 6 for several years and pupils have not made enough progress. Standards are improving, particularly in Key Stage 1. Achievement in Key Stage 2 is better than it has been in the past but is not yet adequate in writing and especially mathematics. The headteacher and senior leadership team have not ensured that pupils' progress is monitored

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Grade: 4

effectively. They have not checked whether pupils are on course to meet their individual targets. Pupils' progress has been tracked for several years. However, it is only this year that the school has used this tracking information effectively to monitor pupils' progress each term and to decide when additional intervention is required. The information is now used increasingly to identify pupils who are unlikely to attain the national expectations and to highlight those who have not made enough progress over the previous year. This has had some impact, for example by helping to improve reading in Year 3, but has not yet led to consistent progress in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2. The targets set for each pupil in reading, writing and mathematics are geared towards pupils making satisfactory progress. They are not reviewed and raised when a pupil makes better progress than this during the key stage. The weaknesses

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Grade: 4

in tracking progress and setting targets mean few pupils make good progress during Key Stage 2. Progress is better lower down the school where there has been more success in addressing weaknesses. Pupils who were assessed at the end of Year 2 last year did not make enough progress in mathematics in Years 1 and 2. Senior leaders identified that their progress had been insecure and provided additional support to improve the teaching and learning for pupils. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are now making satisfactory progress in reading, writing and mathematics and the school's recent assessments show standards are predicted to improve this year. The school recognises that weaknesses in teaching in the past have affected achievement. Appropriate support has been provided and teaching is now satisfactory with some good features. However, it is not yet consistently good enough to accelerate pupils' progress and

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Grade: 4

raise standards further. Teachers have good relationships with pupils. They are well organised and manage the pupils well. Some of the guided work, when teachers or teaching assistants work with small groups of pupils, is effective. What often prevents teaching from being good is a lack of pace and challenge. Consequently, pupils do not make up lost ground quickly enough in order to reach their potential. The school's self-evaluation is satisfactory. Senior leaders know the school's strengths and weaknesses and acknowledge that more work needs to be done before achievement is satisfactory. With help from the local authority, systems and processes have been put in place that are starting to have an impact on pupils' progress. Teachers are now much more aware of the pupils who need particular support and guidance, and careful monitoring, to help them 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Grade: 4

reach their targets. The key stage leaders are developing their role in monitoring pupils' progress. This is more successful in Key Stage 1 than Key Stage 2. The appointment of an experienced chair of governors has strengthened the leadership of the governing body. Governors provide satisfactory challenge for the school. This, together with the successful steps already taken to improve pupils' achievement, shows the school has the capacity to improve. In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to the pupils' achievement in writing and mathematics, the quality of teaching, the tracking

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Grade: 4

and monitoring of pupils' progress and the impact of leadership on pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 2

Children enter Reception with skills below the expectations for children of this age in all areas of learning. Pupils in Year 1 made satisfactory progress during their Reception year. Their standards remained below average when they entered Year 1. Improvements in provision have led to children making good progress this year. The curriculum is planned well to cater for learning across all areas. The school recognises that outdoor learning is less developed and plans are in place to improve this. The teacher provides learning support assistants and helpers with clear guidance on what to do when supporting groups, together with very helpful key questions to promote learning in various ways. There is good attention to giving children a degree of choice, and they respond very well to these opportunities. This develops their social skills, confidence and independence. Staff keep appropriate ongoing records to note the small

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Grade: 2

steps that children make across all six areas of learning. The provision for children in Reception is well led and managed. There are close links with the on-site pre-school to help children make a smooth transition. These strengths in provision mean children get a good start in their first year of school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve achievement in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the use of tracking and target setting to make sure that all pupils make at least satisfactory progress. ■ Ensure that teaching takes greater account of pupils' prior learning and assessments, to promote good learning and achievement. ■ Strengthen the effectiveness of the leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders so that they have a greater impact on pupils' achievement and standards.

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Grade: 4

The headteacher's analysis of test results has rightly identified that pupils have not reached high enough standards over recent years by Year 2 and Year 6. Standards at Year 2 are likely to improve this year although no pupils are predicted to reach the higher Level 3 in reading, writing or mathematics. Pupils have not made enough progress between Years 1 to 6 in the past. This includes pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The Year 6 test results 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008 improved in 2007 and the trend in improvement is likely to continue this year. However, with the relatively small year groups, and the school's high levels of pupil-mobility, it is important to assess the progress pupils make during their time in school. Too many pupils currently in Year 6, who have been in the school throughout Key Stage 2, are not on track to make the

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Grade: 4

expected progress in writing and mathematics. In many cases, their underachievement dates from earlier in the key stage. Although they made better progress in Year 5, the school's recent assessments show few of these pupils have made good progress overall during Key Stage 2.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well behaved, polite and considerate. They feel safe and know that adults will support them if they need help. They like the fact that the school is friendly and say, 'We know everyone'. They report any incidents of bullying are dealt with promptly. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also good. They take responsibility for themselves and others. Pupils form positive relationships with each other and with adults in the school. The pupils are aware of the importance of healthy eating, but do not always follow this. They make a positive contribution through the school council, developing playground activities, for example, and supporting recycling. The also care about others and contribute to a range of charities. Pupils develop good social and collaborative skills, which help to prepare them for their future lives, but literacy and numeracy skills are not secure enough by the time they leave. Several pupils

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Grade: 2

stated they would like more homework so that they felt ready for secondary school.

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Grade: 3

Teachers establish a purposeful learning atmosphere and have good relationships with pupils. They demonstrate and explain things well, often using the interactive whiteboard to good effect. This means pupils are clear what they have to do and they work hard. They concentrate well when working independently and help each other out when they get stuck. Teachers give pupils targets to help them improve their writing and pupils are clear about these and how they can help them. Teaching is promoting satisfactory achievement in Key Stage 1. In both key stages, the pace and challenge tends to slacken when the class is taught as a whole. This leads to some pupils losing concentration. Teaching assistants have more impact on pupils' learning when working in small groups on focused tasks than they do during whole class teaching. Work in books shows more could be expected of pupils, especially in Key Stage 2. In mathematics

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Grade: 3

and writing, planned work does not take enough account of the standards they have already reached to promote good progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad and balanced. It is increasingly well matched to pupils' needs, particularly for pupils who have fallen behind or who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The Dragon Club is effective in supporting pupils who are having particular difficulties. Work here supports reading, writing and spelling skills effectively, as well as these pupils' confidence and self-esteem. The curriculum does not promote achievement in writing and mathematics sufficiently in Key Stage 2. It is extended satisfactorily through, for example, French lessons, 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008 sports coaching and instrumental music lessons. The school also provides a range of extra-curricular clubs, which contribute to pupils' social and cultural development. Whilst pupils learn to word-process and develop research skills using the internet, information and

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Grade: 3

communication technology is not used well across the curriculum. Pupils say they would like more opportunities to use computers in subjects such as mathematics and science.

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Grade: 3

The school works well with other agencies to promote pupils' health and safety and their attendance. Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust and reviewed regularly. New pupils frequently join the school during the year and the headteacher and staff work hard to ensure that these pupils and their parents feel welcome and valued. The school has improved pupils' behaviour and eliminated exclusions. Pupils who may be particularly vulnerable, or who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, receive good support. Whilst the care, guidance and support provided by the school safeguards pupils' welfare and promotes good personal development, it does not enable pupils to achieve high standards. Pupils know how to improve their work but do not know their current National Curriculum levels of attainment or the levels that teachers are expecting them to reach. Procedures for tracking pupils' progress are in place

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Grade: 3

but are not yet robust or sophisticated enough to enable the school to identify underachievement quickly.

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Grade: 3

The enjoyment and welfare of pupils is central to the work of the senior leadership team and this is where the impact of leadership is greatest. The school's judgements about its effectiveness are generally accurate. Senior leaders identified that standards should be higher. These have declined since the last inspection but are now improving at both key stages. There has been too little emphasis on pupils' progress and this has been a factor in pupils' underachievement. The senior leadership team and teachers welcome the support programme that the local authority has introduced. Teachers recognise that the new procedures, such as the regular progress reviews, are helping to improve achievement. These have not yet had time to have a full impact on achievement in Key Stage 2. The deputy headteacher is providing helpful support to teachers to improve teaching and learning. Senior leaders acknowledge that they have not evaluated

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Grade: 3

the impact of their actions in order to judge whether they are having a beneficial effect on pupils' achievement and standards. Senior leaders acknowledge some teaching has been inadequate over recent years and they have taken successful steps to improve teaching to consistently satisfactory. Most senior leaders monitor teaching but this is not diagnostic and evaluative enough to improve teaching and learning further, from satisfactory to good. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008 .

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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: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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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? No 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 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

4 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 4 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 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?

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: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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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 4 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 April 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Red Barn Community Primary School,Fareham,PO16 8HJ Thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave to Mrs Frater and me when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and hearing about your school and all the things you do. First of all, we were very impressed by your behaviour and how well you get on with your work in lessons. You are good at helping one another and taking responsibility. This helps to make the school an enjoyable and friendly place in which to learn and also means that any new pupils settle in quickly and feel welcome. Your headteacher and staff work hard to care for you and make sure you feel safe. The Dragon Club is very successful in supporting those of you who need extra special help. We found that your school is giving you a satisfactory education but that it needs to improve. Some of you do not make enough progress, particularly in writing and mathematics. You should be reaching

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

higher standards by the time you leave the school. The school had already spotted this before our visit and has asked for help from the local authority. The teachers have worked hard to bring in some new ideas and there are signs that things are improving but there is still quite a lot more to do. You can help in this by doing your very best in writing and mathematics and letting your teachers know if you think you could manage harder work. We have asked the school to make lessons more interesting and challenging to help you learn well and make good progress. We would like your headteacher and teachers to check carefully that each of you makes enough progress from term to term. The headteacher and senior staff are going to keep an extra careful eye on this so that none of you slip behind in your work and that you are all prepared well for the next stage of your education. Mrs Frater and I would like to wish you well in the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

With best wishes Margaret Dickinson Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Red Barn Community Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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