Long Sutton Church of England Primary School

Long Sutton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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116298 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 326359 Inspection number 18–19 March 2009 Inspection dates Stephen McShane HMI Reporting inspector

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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.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 127 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 Ms Julia Burton Chair Mrs Angie Harding Headteacher 6 December 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Hyde Road School address Long Sutton Hook RG29 1ST 01256 862238 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 18–19 March 2009 Inspection dates 326359 Inspection number 01256 862136 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 18–19 March 2009 Inspection dates 326359 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Long Sutton is a smaller-than-average school situated in a rural community. It is usually oversubscribed. Many pupils leave and join the school throughout the year. The majority of pupils are from White British heritage. Compared with the national picture, the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than average, although this is increasing. Those with the greatest needs have speech, language and communication difficulties, or moderate or specific learning difficulties. A small proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The headteacher took up post in September 2008. There is Early Years Foundation Stage provision in the Reception class.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Parents are overwhelmingly and rightly satisfied with the happy, community atmosphere, the good care, the wide range of opportunities, and the strong commitment of the staff. The results of these can be seen in the very confident, articulate young people who demonstrate very strong social, moral, cultural and spiritual development and, on the whole, are making good progress. Pupils at Long Sutton are cared for very well. All the adults take an interest in their development and well-being, and any additional support that is needed is sensitively provided. This good care begins even before the children join the Early Years Foundation Stage. A 'buddy' system of Year 6 pupils supports the transition of young children to the Reception class by writing letters to the new children, joining them on teddy bear picnics and looking after them during different activities. This means that the young children have an older child to care for them in

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Grade: 2

these early days. This relationship is often ongoing and remains very special. It also has the effect of developing the responsibility of the older pupils in the school and setting the tone for the overall caring and welcoming approach of the whole school community. The large proportion of pupils eating a variety of fruits in the playground, and asking for more through the school council, is just one demonstration of the healthy lifestyles that these pupils adopt. From the earliest age they talk knowledgeably about the need for diet and exercise, and they play energetically with the wide variety of equipment on the playground; their participation in classroom 'Activate' sessions and sporting activities inside and out of school is high. Standards at the school are above average. Many pupils leave the school with the highest levels in their National Curriculum tests in Year 6. Overall progress is good. The recently introduced

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Grade: 2

and more rigorous tracking system is already having an impact in highlighting pupils who are not meeting the challenging targets that the school sets, and adjusting any additional provision that may be needed to help pupils further. These targets, however, are not yet consistently informing all classroom practice so as to make sure that all pupils are making good or better progress all of the time. Teaching is good overall. Classrooms are well managed and there is a wide variety of interesting activities, based on a carefully thought out curriculum. All lessons are well structured and based on strong subject knowledge, and good pace is maintained. Sensitive questioning shows that teachers know pupils well and challenge them appropriately. The school's own monitoring of teaching shows that sometimes lessons are outstanding but, sometimes, satisfactory. The inspection confirmed this view. Outstanding practice was seen when the level of challenge was

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Grade: 2

high for all pupils and it asked them to make new links in their new learning. It was satisfactory when the learning objectives or activities were too general to ensure good progress for all. A well-informed governing body and an effective senior and middle leadership team have successfully steered the school through a time of acting headships and a successful recruitment and appointment process. There is a clear aspiration, shared by all, to make Long Sutton an outstanding school. The new headteacher is already rightly viewed by parents as a valuable asset to the school, particularly for her calm and welcoming manner. She has made a good start in identifying with her team the strengths and areas for development. She has set to work monitoring pupils' progress more rigorously and introducing new initiatives that are making a difference, for example, introducing the 'You're a Star' competition that rewards good behaviour,

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Grade: 2

and to which pupils have responded to very enthusiastically. The school has very good, ongoing 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009 links with its local community, the RAF and local schools, and it raises money for a charity in Uganda. It recognises, however, that it has yet to strategically address community cohesion beyond its initial audit and plan.

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Grade: 2

Children receive a good start to their education. They make good progress and by the end of the year the majority attain, and some exceed, the early learning goals expected for their age. A carefully thought-out transition involving parents and pre-schools means that children are well known before they enter, which helps them to settle well. This good care and support continues throughout the Reception Year. The clarity of routines and expectations that have been established results in the children forming secure relationships with the adults and with one another, and developing good independence skills. The children are happy and outgoing, and they play very well together. They share, take turns and build on each other's ideas. Curriculum planning ensures that a wide range of activities is available which captures the children's interest, and allows them to experience different challenges and try new things in

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Grade: 2

play or working in small groups with the adults. The outdoor area is restrictive, but staff are creative and offer additional opportunities to ensure the good development of gross motor skills. Teaching by all the adults in the room is sensitive and of good quality. Careful prompting means that the level of challenge is appropriate. This leads to good learning. Tracking of children's progress, incorporating information from pre-schools, is rigorous and detailed. Any additional support is tailored on the basis of knowing children very well. Transition to Key Stage 1 is successful for the children because of strong links, and the carefully planned opportunities for the children throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage to play and work with older children throughout the year. Leadership and management are good. Leaders and managers take particularly good steps to ensure that they remain informed, continue

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Grade: 2

to learn and question their own practice, by visiting other institutions. There are clear and appropriate improvement priorities in place, based on detailed analysis of data and the need to formalise the role of the key worker. Governors are well informed and closely monitor the work of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that pupils' challenging targets are consistently informing teaching, to secure ongoing good and better progress. ■ Ensure that the quality of teaching is as high as the best practice in the school, in order to raise standards and achievement further. ■ Implement and evaluate the impact of the school's community cohesion plan.

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Grade: 2

At the end of Key Stage 2, standards are above the national average. Work is very well presented, and the pupils speak very knowledgeable and articulately on a range of different subjects. At Key Stage 1, standards in recent years have reflected the nature of the different cohorts and have ranged from broadly average to considerably above average. Overall during their school career, pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points. The school's analysis of the 2008 results shows that all the pupils met their challenging targets, 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009 and some exceeded them. Current detailed tracking shows that pupils are making good progress. No group underachieves, and pupils who join the school at different times do well. The work seen in lessons and in pupils' books confirms overall good progress. One of the ways the school

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Grade: 2

has maintained this good progress is by detailed analysis of each cohort's results and immediate improvement strategies for example; in writing, following the 2007 results, and a continual focus on the improvement of teaching of mathematics. Both these initiatives have led to improvements in the Year 6 results. Pupils with speech and language, literacy, learning or behavioural difficulties are making good progress, as they have very challenging targets that are closely monitored. Additional, specific intervention is targeted precisely to support progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy their education, particularly the wide range of opportunities on the playground and the recent trips and visits they have experienced. Their behaviour is good. They play well together. They listen intently to and are respectful of each other. They care for each other very well. They are very thoughtful and very reflective. Pupils have a very strong awareness of the need to be healthy. They are proud of their Healthy School status, and the recent successes in local and regional competitions in netball and swimming. Pupils feel very safe. They describe little bullying at the school and are very confident that any would be sorted out, either by telling the teacher or by putting something confidentially in the suggestions box. Attendance is above the national average. Pupils contribute to their community by participating in a range of activities. The school council and the house captains make an effective contribution to the

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Grade: 2

running of aspects of the school, such as the behaviour rewards system and raising money for different charities. The system through which all Year 6 pupils apply for and carry out jobs in the school, such as librarian and house captains, means that these pupils, in particular, act in a responsible and mature way.

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Grade: 2

The school's own monitoring shows that teaching is good, and at times outstanding, at times satisfactory. All lessons are well structured and based on strong subject knowledge. They all form part of a sequence of lessons that builds upon prior learning or learning in other areas. The pupils' attitudes to learning are good, as are the relationships between pupils and adults in the classroom. Outstanding practice was observed in one lesson, when the pupils were discussing the impacts of tourism and were being introduced to the process of critical thinking. It was observed in another, when pupils developed their knowledge of ratio and proportion to explore the world's distribution of wealth. On both occasions, pupils made good progress in their acquisition of skills in core subjects and were challenged to use these skills to consider real life and complex issues. Pupils perceptively challenged their own thinking and each other's,

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Grade: 2

and made new links in their learning. In some lessons, the objectives and activities provided were too wide for the mixed-age groups and for pupils with different needs, and the resources, including the additional adults, were not well used. This resulted in some inattention from a few of the pupils, and learning was not challenging enough for some who made only satisfactory progress. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well planned for mixed-year groups. The overview ensures good coverage of the core and foundation subjects; personal, social and health education; religious education; and collective worship. Links between subjects are planned, and these are improving further as a result of the school's focus on developing a creative curriculum. The benefit of these developments is already evident in deepening the pupils' knowledge of a particular subject - for example, in a study of India by Years 5 and 6 that included dance, music, art, literacy and mathematics, and opportunities to develop pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills. This was then celebrated in an outstanding assembly that the whole school and parents could share. There is a range of clubs for pupils to attend, including sports clubs and French and German clubs. There is a school orchestra, where the enjoyment and application of the pupils

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Grade: 2

is evident for all to see. Trips and outings are a regular feature, and the pupils speak positively about their learning on recent outings, for example those to the Tate Gallery and the Globe Theatre.

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Grade: 2

From the moment that the pupils come into the school and are welcomed individually every day by the headteacher, the very good care and support at Long Sutton begins. There are very clear routines. Clear strategies for behaviour management and reward systems are in place that pupils respond to very well. Pupils are proud of badges that demonstrate that they have been working hard, or that they have contributed to the community. Arrangements for safeguarding are appropriate and meet statutory requirements. Pupils who find it more difficult to learn receive sensitive, creative and flexible support, when necessary in conjunction with outside agencies - for example, with the behaviour support team or Education Welfare Officer. The support is well targeted and monitored. Whole-school academic tracking of progress is good. The pupil progress meetings that the new headteacher has introduced have made this more

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Grade: 2

rigorous. The discussions lead to a clear focus on challenging targets and any changes in provision. The targets do not, however, consistently inform day-to-day teaching. Marking is regular and some of the feedback is very helpful in guiding pupils what to do next. It is, however, inconsistent.

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Grade: 2

The new headteacher's calm and purposeful style ensures that Long Sutton is well managed. She is well supported by a senior leadership team, whose members have a detailed knowledge of the community, of its specialist responsibilities, and of individual pupils. This means that they lead timely improvement strategies as a result of self-evaluation, and monitor these. The committed governors are very knowledgeable about the school, and share a common vision with the staff to make Long Sutton an outstanding school through raising standards further. Now that the leadership team is more stable, it has a strong capacity to improve. Parents are extremely positive about the school. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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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 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 April 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Long Sutton Church of England Primary School,Hook,RG29 1ST Thank you making me so welcome when I visited your school. Thank you for talking with me about your school and all the things you do. I really enjoyed meeting you, seeing you work and play, and watching your orchestra and your assembly on India. You and your parents told me Long Sutton is a good school, and I agree. Here is a list of some of the good things I found out:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The adults care for you well and give you extra help if you need it.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well and look after each other very well, so that you feel safe at school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your 'buddy' system helps the young children to settle well, and all the jobs that Year 6 do help them to become mature and responsible. ■ You are very healthy because you take lots of exercise and eat lots of fruit.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teaching is good, and you usually make good progress in your learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The adults, the headteacher, teachers and governors make sure that the school is well run and organised. There are a few things that could be even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all have targets. I have asked the teachers to make sure that your work is planned keeping these targets in mind, to make sure that you are always making the best progress that you can. ■ Sometimes teaching at Long Sutton is very good and outstanding, and more of the teaching could be like this. ■ Finally, you learn a lot about different cultures and you do lots of good things in your local village, but the school needs to make sure it has good plans to make sure you understand about life locally, in the UK and internationally. Many of the adults told me they want Long Sutton to be an outstanding school. If this is to happen you will need to continue to work and play hard, but you may also have some ideas of your own how this might happen. Share these with your teachers and take some responsibility for carrying these out. Thank you again for being so friendly and helpful. I wish you all the very best for your future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours faithfully Stephen McShane Her Majesty's Inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, 18–19 March 2009

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