Ampfield Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ attainment and rates of progress further by:
  • embedding recent improvements to assessment and tracking to ensure that pupils have learning tasks that are precisely matched to their needs, particularly in mathematics
  • ensuring that pupils understand what they need to do to make the progress that will enable them to reach the standard that is expected of them
  • developing pupils’ independence and resilience when they meet challenge in their work
  • giving pupils further opportunities to deepen their learning across a wide range of curriculum subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Following the previous inspection, there were many changes to the staff team. This resulted in a period of instability for the school that slowed the rate of improvement for a period of time. The current executive headteacher is relentless in driving forward the school’s development. Supported by a committed head of school and leaders across the two federated schools, this combined expertise is now having a rapid impact on pupils’ rising standards of achievement.
• Leaders promote an ethos that is calm but purposeful in spite of a very high proportion of cohort turbulence, especially among the key stage 2 pupil group.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school because teachers go to great lengths to support their children. One parent, typical of many, explained, ‘my child was really struggling at the last school but since starting at Ampfield, confidence has increased dramatically and my child has come on educationally’. Parents and pupils say that the school is ‘like belonging to a family’.
• Senior leaders rigorously benchmark the school with all schools nationally. This helps them to recognise the school’s strengths and maintain high aspirations for pupils. Following the most recent evaluation of the school’s outcomes, leaders strengthened their analysis of individual pupil performance information. The details of their analysis now inform precise strategies that improve teaching and learning.
• Judgements about the quality of teaching are used to identify professional development needs. For example, recent support given by middle leaders from the federated school has helped teachers to improve pupils’ writing, as well as to develop children’s learning through play in the Reception class.
• The inclusion team maintains an effective overview of the progress of all pupils who are working below the school’s expectations for their age. The team works directly with pupils and gives class teachers advice about effective ways to support clear next steps in progress both in English and mathematics.
• Leaders use additional funding very well to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Similarly, funding for special educational needs (SEN) provides effectively for pupils who require additional support, including for social, emotional and mental health needs. As a result, the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are met well. Many of them make rapid progress from their starting point in the school.
• The curriculum is delivered through interesting topics that make helpful links with reading and writing. There is broad coverage of all subjects and some, such as physical education, are well developed. Pupils like the different subjects and enjoy the visits and events that are associated with them, such as the recent visit to Milestones Museum. Pupils’ work across the curriculum does not give them enough opportunities to excel in a wide range of subjects. Within their topics, pupils have few opportunities to find things out for themselves or to work in depth to pursue their own interests.
• Pupils talk enthusiastically about the extra-curricular opportunities that are available. They appreciate the variety of sporting clubs the school offers, keenly describing Ampfield as an ‘athletic school’. Funding for physical education and sport has secured high-quality coaching to train teachers, and active lessons that pupils enjoy. It also provides access to adventurous pursuits, such as rock-climbing and sailing.
• Leaders skilfully promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are close links with the village church and the local community, as well as opportunities to visit places of interest much further afield. Pupils meet inspirational visitors, such as a Paralympian who helped pupils to think about how it is possible to overcome barriers. Pupils learn about the work of artists and they enjoy singing together, impressively filling the school hall with the sound of their voices.
• Leaders readily acknowledge that recent actions to improve the school require further implementation. Within the context of a well-established federation, the school benefits from a wide range of subject and leadership expertise to develop still further the provision for pupils. Leaders welcome the local authority’s effective support and challenge so that the recent pace of improvement does not falter.

Governance of the school

• In spite of recent changes within the governing body, governors understand their role and responsibilities well. They diligently use the information that the headteacher provides in reports. Consequently, governors are able to question leaders and to hold them sharply to account for pupils’ outcomes.
• Governors welcome opportunities to find out about the school and they understand its strengths and areas for ongoing development. They regularly spend time in school, either supporting events or finding out more about their specific area of responsibility. Governors take an interest in pupils’ achievement, the quality of teaching, pupils’ behaviour, and their safety and safeguarding. Both individually and collectively, governors are not afraid to express their views and to set challenging goals for themselves and the leaders to achieve.
• The governing body maintains an effective oversight of how funding is used to make a difference to pupils’ learning and outcomes, including the additional monies provided for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors prioritise the need to keep pupils safe from harm. They ensure that recruitment checks to help keep children safe are carried out thoroughly and check that the site is secure. The designated lead for safeguarding trains staff to understand the school’s policy and procedures. Staff have regular updates to make them aware of any risks to pupils in their care.
• Staff know each pupil as an individual and carefully record any concerns. The designated safeguarding lead works closely with parents, and with external agencies to ensure that they provide timely support where a pupil or family might need it.
• The school’s newsletters regularly give information that helps parents to understand about keeping children safe, for example by recognising the potential dangers of internet gaming. Pupils understand why this activity can be unsafe and they know how to keep themselves safe when they are online. Parents say that their children look out for each other, which helps establish safe behaviour. Pupils say that they are able to talk to an adult easily if they have any concerns and they trust that these will be dealt with successfully.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers assess pupils’ learning when they start at the school, irrespective of their year group. This enables teachers to plan learning effectively from individual starting points. All of the adults in school know each pupil extremely well, which helps them to offer a high level of support in the classroom. Teachers’ questioning supports pupils to understand their learning and it encourages confident and articulate responses.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge is stronger in reading and writing than it is in mathematics. In English, high-quality literature helps pupils to develop, both as readers and writers. Pupils’ workbooks show that they are becoming increasingly fluent to write at greater length. They use complex grammar and interesting vocabulary with improving accuracy. Pupils plan their writing carefully and consider its purpose so that it is engaging to a reader. Although editing to improve writing content is not fully developed across the school, pupils in the older class are beginning to develop their skills.
• Pupils are becoming fluent in mathematics and they use apparatus confidently to develop understanding. Pupils work hard to practise methods and procedures but, on occasions, they practise too many of the same sorts of calculations without increasing challenge. Teachers encourage pupils to reason and solve problems, but pupils do not have enough opportunity to apply their learning to different types of problems. On occasion, they miss out on opportunities to learn from the mistakes they make.
• Phonics teaching supports pupils to develop fluency from an early age. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading and many of them chose to read with a friend during breaktime. Those who are below the school’s expectations are skilfully supported to catch up. Teaching opportunities support pupils to develop a wide range of reading comprehension skills.
• Pupils are generally vigilant about completing the homework tasks they are given, such as reading, and learning multiplication tables. A few parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey said that they would like more homework to be given.
• Leaders have prioritised the need to tackle some identified inconsistencies in teaching and learning, both across classes and subjects. They have not yet given all teachers as much opportunity to develop classroom provision for mathematics as they have done for English.
• Pupils throughout the school do not develop enough independence and they are not consistently clear about what would make them more successful as readers, writers or mathematicians. Pupils happily complete the learning tasks that teachers set, but pupils’ workbooks show that they do not have enough opportunities when they are challenged to think deeply so as to extend their knowledge and understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils encourage each other and are respectful towards the adults in school.
• Pupils learn how to keep safe and healthy. They have been taught how to snack healthily, and how to keep safe on the roads and when they are in the community. They understand about different sorts of bullying, knowing how hurtful it can be. Pupils insisted that ‘there are no bullies in the school’. Sensibly, they understand that, when friends fall out with each other, this is not the same as bullying and with a little support they can sort it out.
• There are many transitions in and out of the school and for different reasons. When pupils arrive new to the school, they are skilfully supported, both socially and emotionally, so they can quickly settle and find new friends. The improving academic outcomes of pupils as they move through key stage 2 mean that they are prepared well for secondary transfer.
• The Christian values of love, forgiveness, trust and hope underpin the school’s daily routines and life. They support pupils’ understanding of British values, such as mutual respect and tolerance. For example, pupils understand the ways in which people are similar, but that they are also different and diverse, including through disability, religion and race. Pupils readily say that ‘everyone is welcome at our school’.
• Pupils are prepared to work hard in lessons and they are rightly proud of their achievements and the certificates they earn. Adults sometimes help pupils too much in class and give them too little choice within their tasks. This means that pupils do not habitually take enough responsibility to think for themselves.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school because they like their lessons, teachers and friends. They understand the school’s rules and the expected attitudes to learning, which the head of school regularly promotes. These expectations help pupils to behave well in class and around the school.
• At playtimes, there are plenty of things to do to keep pupils occupied and engaged. Pupils of all ages play collaboratively, especially at morning break when teachers are on hand to support their activities.
• A recent decline in attendance has been halted. Attendance is now much improved as a result of rigorous procedures to follow up all absence.
• A few pupils present high levels of challenge. The school works impressively to support these pupils to learn how to manage their negative behaviours. Adults are well trained to help pupils to adapt their behaviour by communicating their needs more appropriately. Teachers work collaboratively with families and other professionals to support change so that pupils develop positive attitudes towards school.
• Some inattentive behaviour results in class on the occasions when pupils do not have work that is well matched to their needs.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Many cohorts are very small, and especially in key stage 2. For instance, in 2017, there were just two pupils in Year 6. Moreover, many pupils arrive new to the school having transferred from a school where they were unhappy or unsettled. In the past, this has contributed towards some pupils’ outcomes that were disappointingly low.
• In recent years, the very few key stage 2 pupils made below-average progress in writing by the end Year 6 and none reached the expected standard. Pupils’ attainment in grammar, punctuation and spelling shows that these aspects of writing have not been a barrier. Progress rates in reading and mathematics have more variable. Key stage 1 pupils’ outcomes in reading and writing declined in 2017 to be below the national average. All of the small number of Year 1 pupils successfully met the phonics check threshold.
• Pupils’ workbooks and the school’s own analysis of current attainment and progress point to improving rates of progress for current pupils. Across the school, almost all pupils are making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The more stable Year 1 cohort have made good progress in all subjects and particularly in reading. In key stage 1, almost all Year 2 pupils have made effective progress from low starting points, although in writing and mathematics, half of them are working below the expected standard for their age group. Current assessments and work seen in books show that Year 4 and Year 5 pupils are making good progress to reach the standard expected by the end of Year 6.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils from their starting points, and often better. This is due to the very precise catch-up learning that a dedicated teacher puts into place, working alongside the class teacher. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are carefully tracked by the coordinator. As a result, their learning needs are precisely understood, which means that they too are making strong progress.
• Leaders have supported teachers to prepare individual plans for all pupils who are not achieving as well as the school expects for their age. These plans, introduced at the beginning of the academic year, are supporting many pupils to catch up. The school’s work to target individual achievement in this way is not yet fully implemented. Progress information shows that few current pupils are making and sustaining better than expected progress.

Early years provision Good

• The Reception teacher has a secure understanding of the curriculum. Adults know all children well and make use of thorough assessments to plan their next steps in learning across each of the early learning goals. Working closely with the federation’s early years leader, the teacher has increased the range of opportunities for children to make their own choices when they are learning through play.
• Parents are pleased with their children’s achievement in Reception because the children enjoy learning and make good progress. Parents are able to share their child’s achievement through the school’s electronic communication that regularly celebrates what children have learned and can do.
• Teaching nurtures children and engages them well by taking their individual interests into account, such as their involvement in a recent gardening topic. Children of all abilities develop effective communication skills and firm relationships. They are self-assured when talking to adults and are articulate when responding to the teacher’s challenging questions.
• Current Reception children entered the school with achievement that is broadly typical for their age, and almost all are on track to reach at least a good level of development. Their successful learning is due to a consistent adult-led focus on developing children’s skills within reading, writing and mathematics. Where children are not on track to achieve a good level of development, they are making strong progress from their starting points.
• Teaching staff go out their way to ensure that disadvantaged children have extra teaching and support to make rapid progress to overcome barriers to learning, such as in communication, literacy and language.
• Safeguarding is effective and all adults have a good understanding of the particular requirements for the safety of young children, for example by helping them to recognise when they need to wash their hands. Children understand the school’s rules and keep to them.
• As children will stay in the same class for two years, the teacher sensitively manages the differences between the year groups. Reception children enjoy discovery and play to support their learning, with ready access to the outside area. Teaching is carefully adapted across the year so that children are well prepared for the higher expectations of the Year 1 curriculum.
• Leaders have identified that the outdoor environment is not offering enough challenge for children.

School details

Unique reference number 116268 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10045770 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 54 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Mason Headteacher Marcus Roe (Executive Headteacher) Telephone number 01794 368219 Website www.ajkfed.com Email address adminoffice@ampfield.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 March 2014

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school, with three mixed-age classes. There are very small cohorts. For example, at the time of the inspection, there were seven children in Reception and just one pupil in Year 6.
• Since September 2013, the school has been federated with John Keble Church of England Primary School under one governing body and an executive headteacher.
• Since the previous inspection, there has been almost a complete change of leadership and staff.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than is seen nationally. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is higher than in most primary schools.
• The majority of pupils who attend the school are of White British background. A few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• There is much less cohort stability than in most primary schools. Almost all pupils on roll travel from outside the village in which the school is situated. Many pupils join the school for a relatively short time during their primary education. Pupil stability is higher for children in Reception and pupils in key stage 1 than it is in key stage 2.
• In 2016 and 2017, there were too few pupils in Year 6 to judge whether the school met the government’s floor standards.
• The school provides a pre-booked after-school club that is run by the governing body.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector visited seven part-lessons to look at teaching and learning, jointly with school leaders.
• She reviewed a range of pupils’ work in English, mathematics and other subjects. She discussed pupils’ work and progress with leaders, and heard pupils reading in Reception, and Years 2 and 5.
• The inspector spoke with pupils formally in meetings and informally at break- and lunchtime.
• The inspection took account of the views of 15 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, which included 12 free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke with 13 parents as they brought their children to school.
• Observations of pupils’ behaviour took place during lessons, in assembly, at playtime and lunchtime, and when pupils were moving around the school.
• Meetings were held with governors, senior leaders and staff from the school and the wider federation. The inspector also talked to a representative from the local authority.
• The inspector considered a range of school documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance and their improvement plan. She discussed with leaders their analysis of pupils’ performance information, and checked minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s website and its policies, the school’s record of recruitment checks, and leaders’ monitoring information.
• The inspector looked at attendance and behaviour records and reviewed safeguarding documentation, considering how procedures have worked in practice for some recent pupils at the school. She spoke with staff and pupils about keeping safe.

Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector