Kimpton, Thruxton and Fyfield Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further accelerate the progress of all groups of pupils, including the most able and disadvantaged, by:
  • developing a tracking system that will enable leaders to focus clearly on the progress as well as the attainment of groups of pupils in all year groups
  • setting targets that include pupils reaching the higher standards in each subject in each year group
  • establishing arrangements for benchmarking children who arrive in Reception accurately so that their progress can be assessed and tracked more rigorously.
• Ensure that in all lessons teaching takes into account the needs and abilities of the most able pupils, so that they are challenged fully and helped to achieve the highest standards of which they are capable.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has provided excellent leadership for the school since she arrived in January of this year. Following a time of considerable turbulence, when the school had no permanent headteacher, she has focused clearly on uniting the school community in a drive to raise standards through improving the quality of teaching. She has not flinched from making difficult decisions to secure improvements in teaching and learning across the school. As a result, attainment at the end of key stage 2 rose sharply in 2016, especially in mathematics. The deputy headteacher has also played a considerable role in this unwavering drive for improvement.
• Staff, pupils, governors and parents have responded to the leadership of the headteacher and new deputy headteacher with great enthusiasm and share their vision entirely. They are all eager to be the best that they possibly can be.
• Senior leaders check carefully on the quality of work of teachers and support staff and offer not only advice on how to improve, but also training opportunities to enable them to do so. Staff working in classrooms are highly motivated and seek out feedback and training to help them be even more effective. Performance management of teachers is used to good effect. Teaching across the school is improving as a result.
• Senior leaders know the school well. They focus on tracking the achievements and identifying the developing needs of each pupil, making sure that teaching is helping each to achieve well. However, they do not yet focus on particular groups of pupils in each year group and the progress that they are making in each subject. This would enable them to plan further improvements even more precisely.
• High-quality relationships based on respect and tolerance of all are a hallmark of the school. These have created a united, cohesive, ambitious school community with the best interests of pupils at its heart.
• The pupil premium is used effectively to ensure that the few disadvantaged pupils in the school do at least as well as other pupils nationally.
• The physical education and sports premium is also used effectively to enable more pupils to be involved in competitions outside of school hours and for all pupils to take more exercise.
• Good use is made of the extra funding for pupils of families serving in the armed forces. In particular, well-trained support staff help to make sure that these pupils are well looked after and fully involved in the life of the school.
• The school promotes fundamental British values well. Pupils show excellent respect and tolerance for each other and for people from different backgrounds, cultures and circumstances. For example, Year 6 pupils were able to talk about work that they had done on understanding the plight of migrants.
• The school teaches pupils how to stay safe and take measured risks. The recent introduction of ‘forest school’ lessons, where pupils play and learn in a woodland area of the school grounds, helps pupils to recognise risk and deal with it sensibly. Children in the reception class enjoyed learning about number using real house bricks without putting themselves in harm’s way.
• The curriculum meets the requirements of the national curriculum and provides a broad and balanced education. Pupils say that the learning is even more interesting since the new headteacher arrived.
• The local authority has offered the school considerable support. It knows the school in detail, is clear about how much it has improved and has plans in place to help it become even better.

Governance of the school

• Governance in the school is effective.
• Governors have helped to guide the school through a difficult period. They have shown courage and determination and will only accept the best for the pupils. In particular, they showed patience and clarity of purpose when recruiting a headteacher. They re-advertised the post until a candidate that they were confident would be the right one for the school applied for the job.
• Governors have a good knowledge of the school. They gain information from a range of sources, including visits to the school, reports from the headteacher and the views of the local authority. As a result, they are able to challenge the school in detail, in particular checking on the achievements of groups of pupils. They monitor the spending of the pupil premium and the impact it has on the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors have clear roles and responsibilities for checking on aspects of the school’s performance. They carry these out diligently and provide written reports when they visit the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has an effective safeguarding culture, backed up by regular training for all staff. As a result, all adults are vigilant to any risks to pupils and are clear about what to do if they are concerned about the well-being of a child. Senior leaders follow up any recorded concerns thoroughly and involve other agencies where they need additional advice or support.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe in different situations, including when online. They also have a good understanding of the dangers presented by radicalisation and are taught how to avoid these.
• All visitors to the school receive safeguarding information when they arrive. Notices throughout the building are a constant reminder to all of what they need to do if they have any worries about a pupil.
• Although the school puts safeguarding pupils at the heart of its work, occasionally minor lapses in administrative matters creep in. These do not represent any risk to children. The school is aware of these and has implemented measures to ensure that they will not recur.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Since the arrival of the new headteacher, the quality of teaching has improved in the school. There are greater expectations of what pupils are able to achieve and teachers plan more carefully to make sure that pupils are able to achieve as well as they can.
• Teachers plan lessons so that almost no time is wasted. While the teacher teaches one group in a short, focused session, other pupils work on activities designed to support, practise and extend their learning. Well-trained learning support assistants check on these pupils, offering advice, help and challenge as appropriate. They ask thoughtful questions to check on pupils’ understanding and deepen it further. At other times in the lesson, the teacher also makes sure that pupils are learning well and often steps in to adjust the task if pupils are finding it too easy or too difficult.
• Pupils enjoy the responsibility of working independently and mostly they work hard and sustain concentration. Just occasionally, when their interest lapses or they find the task too easy, their attention slips and they daydream or chat to others. This is particularly the case for most-able pupils.
• Where teaching is most effective, pupils sustain their concentration, take time to think about how to make their work as good as it can be, and show resilience, keeping going when things are difficult.
• Although the great majority of teaching challenges most pupils, some of the most able feel that that, at times, work is too easy and that they would like even greater challenge, especially when working in mathematics.
• The improvements in teaching have been driven by a programme of individualised professional development opportunities for teachers and learning support assistants. Teachers appreciate the positive impact that this has had on their teaching and are ambitious to improve further.
• The new feedback and marking policy is consistently applied across the school. Teachers assess pupils’ understanding, both in lessons and after, making appropriate adjustments to learning. Consequently, pupils make rapid progress.
• Teachers and other adults offer effective guidance and support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They plan carefully tailored activities and programmes to help them make good progress from their starting points.
• Homework, including reading, plays an important part in helping pupils to practise skills and learn spellings and times tables. Regular opportunities for reading at home enable most to become fluent readers who enjoy books. Pupils say that homework helps them to take learning further and they enjoy being able to do this.
• Parents appreciate the information that they receive about their child’s progress. They also value the opportunities that the school provides to learn about how to help their children’s learning at home.
• Teaching fosters an appreciation of other religions and gives children opportunities to become tolerant and respectful of people from different backgrounds.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• There is a strongly caring culture in the school. The school knows its pupils and their needs well and puts in support and help quickly, anticipating sometimes even before it is needed.
• Pupils feel safe in school. Those who completed the pupil questionnaire were unanimous in this. They are clear that there is always someone that they can go to for help if they are worried about anything.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe in a range of situations. They are aware of the potential dangers when online and of what to do if something happens that worries them.
• Pupils have a good understanding of bullying in all its forms. Bullying is extremely rare in school. When it does happen it is tackled robustly and quickly nipped in the bud.
• The school promotes strong support for pupils of service families and vulnerable pupils, so that their social and emotional needs are well met and they feel fully included in the school community.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in lessons. They are engaged by the learning activities and have consistently positive attitudes. They are always ready and eager to learn. Only occasionally, when the work is too easy, do they lose concentration and become distracted.
• Pupils’ behaviour around the school is consistently good. They are well behaved even when they need to wait at busy times, such as lunchtime. As a result, the school is calm and orderly at all times. Children follow adults’ instructions quickly and without fuss.
• Adults present an excellent role model for pupils, showing courtesy and respect at all times. Adults listen to children carefully and thoughtfully and, in turn, pupils learn to show the same respect for each other.
• Pupils cooperate well. They feel free to question and challenge each other and offer suggestions to help others if their peers are stuck or looking for someone with whom to exchange ideas.
• Older pupils are excellent role models for younger pupils and take good care of them. One pupil in Year 1 said that she knew that older pupils would always look after her. Another boy in Year 6 said that pupils behave well in the school, except one or two of the very youngest at times. He explained that these children in Reception class had not learned how to behave well yet and he regarded it as his job to help them to achieve this.
• Rates of absence in the school were close to the national average last year. This academic year, absence is lower than the same period last year. Leaders are taking sensible steps to improve attendance further.
• Assemblies and lessons, including religious education, help pupils to become reflective and thoughtful. Pupils are able to develop their own set of beliefs while understanding and appreciating those of others. Pupils have a clear understanding of such values as respect and tolerance and put these into practice routinely in school.
• While pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is strong, there are fewer opportunities provided for their cultural development. Leaders have recognised this and have plans in place for this to be improved.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Attainment at the end of Year 6 improved sharply in 2016. Percentages of pupils achieving at both the expected level and at the high level were above the national figures.
• As a result of significant improvement in the quality of teaching in Year 6 in 2016, pupils made rapid progress, and above-average proportions achieved the expected standard. In particular, attainment and progress in mathematics improved sharply, as well as in English grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Children join the school at starting points typically expected for their age. A few begin from higher starting points. The percentage of children achieving a good level of development is similar to children nationally and a number of children achieve above the expected level by the end of the year. Nearly half of the children in early years last year achieved beyond the expected level in mathematics.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 was above the national average in 2016 and represents good progress.
• Pupils mostly enter Year 2 with strong phonics skills and those that have not yet achieved the expected standard in phonics are given carefully planned teaching so that they catch up.
• Most-able pupils, including most-able disadvantaged pupils, achieve well and make good progress in almost all classes.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support from adults in class and make good progress from their starting points. Although the role of inclusion manager is still developing, this does not prevent these pupils from achieving well, as teachers and learning support assistants meet their needs effectively.
• The few disadvantaged pupils mostly achieve as well as other pupils nationally. Evidence in their books shows that they are making good progress as a result of effective teaching.
• Work in pupils’ books show that pupils in almost all year groups make strong progress in all subjects. There is evidence of writing across the curriculum, including in science. However, teachers in some classes do not always present pupils with enough opportunities for extended writing, which limits pupils’ ability to produce high-quality writing.

Early years provision Good

• Provision in the early years is good. Adults get to know children very quickly and have a strong understanding of their needs and how they learn best. As a result, adults provide a wide range of learning activities that spark children’s interest and help them to sustain concentration and develop resilience.
• Teachers in Reception have high expectations, especially in phonics, so children make good progress and are ready for Year 1 by the end of the year. A richly resourced environment is well used to provide many opportunities for children to learn, both with adults and independently. The outdoor environment is a treasure chest of activities, with many real-life objects that appeal especially to boys.
• In one activity, the teacher was leading a group of exuberant children in a lively retelling of the story of Rama and Sita. Children thrived at this and begged for the story to be retold, so that they could take on different roles. The teacher’s excellent use of language ensured that this was a valuable learning opportunity.
• The many carefully planned activities help even very young children to begin to appreciate other cultures and beliefs. In other learning opportunities around the theme of Diwali, children were making pottery lamps, intricately decorated with coloured beads. This helped to develop their fine motor skills and also their spoken language, as the adult with them talked them through the process skilfully.
• Teachers create many opportunities for children to write using activities to capture their interest. Boys as well as girls seize on these and use whiteboards, clipboards and other resources to include in their play.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years is strong. Teachers are ambitious and set high expectations. As a result, children enter key stage 1 well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Safeguarding is effective and children behave in ways that are safe, even in potentially risky situations. Adults are well trained and have the necessary qualifications in first aid.
• Although children achieve well and make good progress, leaders have not yet put in place systems for assessing their abilities accurately when they arrive in school, nor for measuring the progress of groups of children throughout the year.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116375 Hampshire 10019876 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Voluntary aided 5 to 11 Mixed 179 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Margaret Rome Zoe Newton 01264 772297 www.kimpton.hants.sch.uk adminoffice@kimpton.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 October 2014

Information about this school

• Kimpton, Thruxton and Fyfield Church of England School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of white British heritage. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language are below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have an education, health and care plan, is below average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is below average.
• The school has a high proportion of pupils from families serving in the armed forces.
• There has been considerable turbulence in leadership since the last inspection. The previous headteacher retired in December 2014 and the school was led for two terms by an executive headteacher. In September 2015 another temporary headteacher led the school until January 2016, when the current headteacher started on a permanent basis. The deputy headteacher joined the school as a teacher and senior leader at the same time. She took up her present role in September 2016. There have also been many changes in the teaching staff since the previous inspection.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards for 2015, which are the minimum expectations for progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors saw teaching and learning in all classes, including visits made jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to see particular aspects, such as the teaching of mathematics. A range of other school activities including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly were observed.
• Inspectors heard some pupils read and, together with school leaders, scrutinised both current and past work of pupils of different abilities in all year groups.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, with members of the school staff, with three members of the governing body and with a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local diocese by telephone.
• Inspectors read a range of documentation, including minutes of governors’ meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and development plan, monitoring and assessment information, external reports and performance management information.
• Inspectors took into account the 29 responses to Parent View, the online Ofsted survey. Inspectors also met with parents informally at the end of the first day of the inspection.

Inspection team

Bruce Waelend, lead inspector Margaret Wolf Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector