Winklebury Infant School

Winklebury Infant School Inspection report

p.1

115971 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 326301 Inspection number 25 June 2009 Inspection date Elisabeth Linley HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

p.1

Infant Type of school Community School category 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 122 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Pat Alexander Chair Mrs Diane Toyne (Acting) Headteacher 11 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Willoughby Way School address Basingstoke RG23 8AF 01256 325303 Telephone number 01256 325303 Fax number

p.1

4–7 Age group 25 June 2009 Inspection date 326301 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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's inspectors and an Additional Inspector. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

p.3

Introduction

■ the school's work to improve attendance, and its impact

p.3

Introduction

■ the use of assessment information and planning to meet the needs of more-able pupils

p.3

Introduction

■ the use of challenging targets to aid the raising of standards.

p.3

Introduction

Evidence was gathered from the analysis of attendance data; a scrutiny of management policies and related documentation; a scrutiny of pupils' work and of records on their progress; observations in lessons; parents' questionnaires; and from discussions with pupils, the acting headteacher, consultant headteacher, staff and the chair of governors. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

p.3

Description of the school

This infant school is smaller than average. Most pupils who attend are from a White British heritage, and a few are from minority ethnic backgrounds of Indian, Asian or Caribbean heritage. A larger than average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for free school meals. An above average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities; these relate mainly to specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and behavioural, emotional and social issues. There is a privately run pre-school in the school building. The majority of children who attend this provision transfer to the Reception class in the school, which provides for children in the school's Early Years Foundation Stage. The school has been subject to change with the retirement of its headteacher in April 2008, and has not been able to appoint a substantive headteacher since that time. The acting headteacher has received support from different consultant headteachers, with the current

p.3

Description of the school

consultant headteacher providing two days' support per week. In recent years pupil numbers have dropped. This has made an impact on the number of classes in the school, which has fluctuated from six to four, and back to five in September 2008. A public consultation is currently being held to consider the possibility of the school being federated with the junior school which shares the same site.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.3

Grade: 3

Winklebury Infant School is a satisfactory school which provides a welcoming community that is appreciated by parents whose children attend. The vast majority of parents are hugely supportive of the school. This reflects the positive work completed by the staff since the last inspection to engage parents and carers in the education of their children. The following comment written by one parent represents the views of many: 'The school do a fantastic job of keeping parents informed and involved in every aspect of school life. As a parent I feel valued, and my children are also valued.' Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. However, there have been recent substantial changes within the school in terms of class organisation and in the school's leadership and management. Although this has caused instability for the school, the acting headteacher has taken sound actions to ensure that the school runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. All those

p.4

Grade: 3

in leadership and management roles are relatively new to their positions and to the ensuing demands and responsibilities that this brings. Consequently, managers are still in the process of developing a more rigorous and effective approach to monitoring and evaluation. This includes the need to review policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and health and safety in a more timely manner, throughout school, including, in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The small staff team have concentrated on improving teaching and the progress that pupils make. Currently, pupils in the mixed Year 1 and 2 classes benefit from smaller teaching groups for literacy and numeracy lessons, which have been organised to meet the needs of pupils of similar abilities. As a result, pupils who are more able have been challenged more effectively in lessons, with the result that the progress that they make has improved. In addition, all pupils

p.4

Grade: 3

have benefited from the daily teaching of phonics, where pupils learn about the use of letters and their sounds, and from good teaching overall. There is more scope, however, for teachers to ensure that skills learned, for example in phonics lessons, are applied across the curriculum to aid pupils' writing, and for pupils to have more regular access to information and communication technology in lessons. The acting headteacher has been mindful of the need to raise standards, and, with the aid of consultant headteacher support, has set challenging targets to do so. As a result, school assessment information for the current Year 2 pupils shows that standards in mathematics have improved since 2008, particularly at the higher levels, and are above average. A similar picture of above average standards in reading is also evident, while standards in writing remain average. Pupils' progress in their writing has lagged behind for some years and, as a result, rightly remains

p.4

Grade: 3

a focus for the school's work. The school's work to improve pupils' attitudes to learning and their behaviour has paid dividends, and has clearly had a positive impact on their achievement. Staff have received training to aid pupils who have emotional or behavioural difficulties, and pupils receive focused support as appropriate. Similarly, the school has engaged well with others and with parents to improve pupils' attendance. Through the implementation of improved procedures to combat attendance problems, persistent absenteeism has declined. In addition, other aspects of the school's work, for example providing certificates for good attendance, have also met with success. Consequently, attendance has improved from below average to average. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009 It is clear to see that pupils enjoy school and that they behave well. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep fit and healthy; it is no surprise to learn, therefore, that the

p.4

Grade: 3

school has been awarded Enhanced Healthy School Status and the Activemark. The pupils' contribution to their own community is just developing through the newly formed school council, and they are proud to have the opportunity to take on responsibilities as they get older. The school's work to promote community cohesion, however, is in its early stages. Although the school is addressing this issue within the school community and is reaching out to other communities, there is only limited evidence of its impact in terms of the school's focus on faith, ethnicity and culture. Partnerships with parents and others to aid pupils' development are good, and the guidance offered for pupils based on assessment information is well focused. School leaders, managers and governors are committed to the school's improvement and demonstrate satisfactory capacity to improve further.

p.5

Grade: 3

Children's skills on entry to school have risen over the last three years owing to the positive links with the pre-school group which meets on the school's premises. On joining Reception, most children have skills and understanding that are below those expected for their age, and many have particular difficulties in linking sounds and letters. However, the skills of the current Reception age children have improved in writing and reading because of the effective teaching of phonics in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, children make good progress towards achieving the Early Learning Goals by the time they leave Reception and join Year 1. Staff work well with parents to help their children settle into school quickly. The curriculum is planned appropriately to interest and motivate the children, and to meet their different needs. The outside area is used well to provide a good range of learning activities. However, there are

p.5

Grade: 3

no opportunities for children to climb, and the school lacks an area that can be used by the children in wet weather and that provides shade from the sun. Teaching is effective overall, and teaching assistants contribute well to the staff team in providing a good balance of directed and child- initiated activities. However, on occasions whole-class teaching goes on for too long, and opportunities are sometimes missed for children to apply their skills to new situations and develop further in their independence. Nonetheless, children enjoy school; they develop good attitudes and behaviour, and they become confident in choosing activities that sustain their interest. Despite disruptions through staff changes within the Early Years Foundation Stage, managers are working effectively and leadership and management are satisfactory.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that pupils' skills in writing are improved and standards raised, by systematically applying, across the curriculum, new skills learned. ■ Ensure that leaders and managers at all levels develop the expertise to fulfil their roles effectively and that, with the governors, they monitor and evaluate the work of the school with rigour. ■ Ensure that policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and health and safety are reviewed in a timely manner. 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. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009 .

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.6

Inspection judgements

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

p.7

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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.7

EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

p.7

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/or disabilities make progress

p.7

Achievement and standards

1 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.7

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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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.8

learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.8

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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.8

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Winklebury Infant School,Basingstoke,RG23 8AF I recently visited your school with my colleague; thank you for making us so welcome. We enjoyed meeting you and being able to talk with you and look at your work. We were soon able to see that you get on well together and that you behave well. You enjoy school, and it is good to hear that those of you who have not attended regularly in the past are now coming to school and on time - keep it up! You enjoy taking responsibilities in school, such as helping younger children, and particularly enjoy your involvement with the new school council. You know about the importance of keeping fit and healthy; I see that your school was awarded Enhanced Healthy School Status and the Activemark, which show your achievements - well done! There have been quite a lot of changes at school recently and your teachers are taking on new responsibilities. They are certainly working hard to make your lessons interesting and fun, and

p.9

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

because of this you are doing well at school, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school now provides you with a satisfactory education, and there are some things that your teachers are going to improve. They will need you to help them by continuing to attend regularly and by continuing to try your best. They are going to make sure that you have lots of opportunities to develop your writing so that it gets even better than it is at the moment. Also, the teachers in charge of different parts of the school's work, and the school's governors, are going to check up carefully and regularly to make sure that things they have done are helping you to achieve your best. Mr Milton and I wish you well for the future. Yours faithfully Elisabeth Linley Her Majesty's Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Winklebury Infant School, 25 June 2009

p.9