Kingsclere Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning and assessment by:
  • supporting easily distracted boys to make the progress of which they are capable.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes by ensuring that greater proportions attain at a higher standard in mathematics by:
  • ensuring that pupils in Years 5 and 6, including those who are from a disadvantaged background, have more opportunities to extend and deepen their learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders are ambitious for the school and its pupils. Despite the very recent temporary appointment of the acting headteacher and deputy headteacher, they know the school well and have provided strong leadership during a time of changes in staffing. Parents agree that the transition to the current leadership structure has been dealt with very well and have every confidence in their ability to lead the school.
• The majority of parents are very positive about the school and its leaders. They report that the school is well led and managed, and that their children make good progress. Several parents were very positive about the additional opportunities that pupils receive through extra-curricular clubs and school trips. ‘My daughter is flourishing at the school. She has a thirst for learning which is all down to the teaching and encouragement that the school gives.’
• The diocese and local authority provide valuable support to this school. High-quality training has improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the early years and in the teaching of reading.
• Staff, including those who are newly qualified, benefit from through a clearly planned professional development programme that includes coaching by the senior leadership team.
• The special educational needs coordinator understands the needs of pupils well. She works closely with teachers to identify those pupils who need additional support. Training for staff, through close links with external agencies, ensures that the support these pupils receive meets their needs. As a result, these pupils thrive in school.
• Leaders collect extensive information on the school and use this to set their future priorities. Nevertheless, plans for development are not time-constrained or routinely evaluated. This prevents leaders from improving the school rapidly or learning the lessons from their previous endeavours.
• Leaders are working to improve the quality of teaching in mathematics. Senior leaders and subject leaders make regular and effective checks on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This has resulted in effective training in managing mathematics mastery. As a result, teaching has improved and pupils are making good progress, particularly in key stage 1 and Year 4. However, there are still too few pupils who attain at a high standard, particularly among those who are from a disadvantaged background and among pupils in Years 5 and 6.
• Pupils develop their knowledge and skills through a carefully planned curriculum, which includes a wide and varied after-school offer. The curriculum contributes effectively to pupils’ well-being, particularly to that of the most vulnerable pupils. For instance, the recently established nurture group helps pupils to settle in the afternoon and get additional help to understand and complete their work.
• Pupils enjoy learning through projects which are supplemented through a range of educational trips and visitors. For example, a local historical society visited the school with transport from the Second World War. Pupils’ work with their partner school in Uganda. School trips such as the Years 4, 5 and 6 residential visits provide further successful opportunities to develop pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used to help them access trips and activities, fund additional adult support in the classroom and implement the new nurture group. Leaders have evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the use of this funding and recognise that it could be used more effectively to raise outcomes further for this group of pupils.
• Additional sports funding has been used well to develop staff expertise and increase the sporting interests of pupils, for instance through installing a climbing wall and increasing participation in competitive sports.

Governance of the school

• Governors are passionate about the school. They talk knowledgeably about their strategic role and provide a good balance of challenge and support for school leaders. They steer the school well. They are continually looking for ways to make a difference to pupils’ outcomes, both academically and socially. They are well placed to drive further improvement in the school.
• Governors gain first-hand knowledge of the school’s effectiveness through a range of sources including reports from external support and regular visits and meetings with senior leaders and pupils. They regularly challenge leaders on the progress of groups of pupils. They have a thorough understanding of pupils’ attainment and the quality of teaching in most year groups. Governors closely track the performance of disadvantaged pupils but do not always consider how effectively additional funding has been used.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders regularly check, systems to keep pupils safe. All required checks are completed when recruiting staff.
• Staff receive helpful training in the school safeguarding procedures and know how to identify any pupils who may need help. When leaders receive concerns they waste no time in working with families and appropriate agencies to get children the help that they need. Leaders are persistent when following up referrals with external agencies for the most vulnerable pupils.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. For example, they understand the dangers posed by unlit roads in this rural community. Pupils are well placed to keep themselves safe and set a good example to others.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use a range of appropriate resources to support pupils in class. Typically, pupils confidently refer to the varied range of displays and prompts positioned around the classroom to organise their thinking. This helps pupils to solve problems on their own, confident that staff will help them if required.
• The teaching of phonics is very effective. Pupils to tackle unfamiliar words with confidence. Recent staff training has ensured that phonics is taught consistently well from Reception to Year 1. Pupils successfully develop the foundations needed for reading, writing and spelling.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well through carefully tailored provision. They are fully integrated into lessons through the support of additional adults who model and reshape tasks well. Some attend the nurture group. This engenders a sense of safety and security for the most vulnerable pupils that helps them to strive to make strong progress from their starting points.
• Teachers use secure subject knowledge to plan and provide interesting opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical understanding. They probe pupils’ responses and reshape tasks. However, not all staff systematically challenge pupils consistently to strive to attain at a high standard.
• Pupils enjoy reading and many develop competent skills. The wider curriculum is often linked to a key text, for example ‘The iron man’ in Year 3, with art and science work. Boys in key stage 2 are not yet making as fast rates of progress as other pupils in the school.
• Teachers typically set work which challenges pupils in many classes. When required, teachers model and demonstrate the task to help pupils to understand what success will look like. As a result, pupils, including the most able pupils, make strong progress. Nevertheless, some pupils, particularly boys, who find the work too easy or uninteresting can become restless and unfocused, slowing progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are happy. They enjoy the opportunities available to practise and demonstrate their leadership skills through roles such as school leader, school council representative and house captain. As they grow older, pupils take on a range of extra responsibilities. For example, pupils skilfully operate the audiovisual equipment to help staff run assemblies.
• Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that adults will help and support them. They are aware of how to stay safe while using the internet, and when out and about in the local community on the local roads. They know what steps to take should any bullying occur. Staff have worked hard to help pupils to gain an understanding of nutrition and the effect of food on their bodies. Nevertheless, some parents do not share leaders’ high aspirations for their children and too readily pack their lunch boxes with unhealthy snacks.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is at the heart of the school’s ethos. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures through the carefully planned curriculum. Pupils learn about tolerance through their Christian ethos and daily worship session. They learn about the differences between cultures through their close link with their partner school in Uganda, through regular assemblies, and through project work in Year 6. Pupils gain skills and knowledge that prepare them well for life in modern Britain, for instance, when voting to elect pupils for the school council.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and friendly. They are caring and show respect for each other and readily help one another in school. One pupil described the school as ‘one big family’. Occasionally, in lessons a small proportion of boys lose focus and this interrupts learning for others.
• Pupils move between classes in an orderly way. They play and interact happily on the playground. They enjoy running, climbing and talking with their friends, some join in with games facilitated by adults. No pupils are left out.
• Pupils attend school regularly. Overall attendance is similar to the national average. Where historically attendance has been low for some groups of pupils, currently it is improving. For the few pupils who are persistently absent, suitable actions are in place to work with parents to secure improvements.
• Pupils display resilience and a desire to learn. The majority take great pride in their work and concentrate readily in class. A small proportion of pupils do not focus sufficiently well on their learning.
• The large majority of parents who responded to the Ofsted survey, Parent View, agreed that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ performance in Year 1 phonics is consistently above those seen nationally. This is because staff are skilled at teaching pupils to blend and segment words. They model this skilfully encouraging practice and repetition.
• The proportion of pupils who attain the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 is above national averages for reading, writing and mathematics for most pupils, including for those who are disadvantaged.
• The proportions of pupils who attain the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2 is above average. Pupils are not routinely challenged to think deeply in mathematics lessons. As a result, lower than average proportions of pupils attain at a high standard in mathematics.
• Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, attain well in key stage 1. In key stage 2 the progress of pupils from a disadvantaged background is improving to be in line with that of others with similar starting points. Boys do not attain as highly as girls. The gap is especially wide in writing, where progress is slow.
• Pupils read widely and fluently. Texts are well matched to their reading ability. Pupils demonstrate strong knowledge of the reading skills needed to be successful. Pupils with low prior attainment develop fluency, using skills to link letters and sounds to tackle new words. They are encouraged to read both at home and at school and they use their reading diaries well.
• Pupils with SEND make strong progress because they are well supported by teachers and support staff. Pupils’ individual needs are carefully considered and met through a series of meaningful interventions and adaptations. As a result, these pupils make strong progress from their starting points.
• Pupils’ work in books shows that they make similar rates of progress in all curriculum areas as they do in English and mathematics. Subject leaders regularly review the standards in their subjects, they have high expectations. This is evident in the work pupils produce.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the school with levels of development broadly in line with those typically seen nationally. By the time they leave Reception, a high proportion of the pupils, including those from a disadvantaged background, attain or exceed a good level of development. This represents strong progress from their starting points.
• Leaders work well with a range of nurseries, schools and local authority officers to review the effectiveness of the provision. They use the information gained to develop meaningful and ambitious plans for improvement. The early years has developed since the previous inspection and is now good.
• Staff skilfully support children to gain an understanding of language and the links between letters and sounds. They use questioning to develop children’s early language, modelling sounds and sentences, expecting children to mimic their pronunciation and then remodelling their speech if required. This helps children to develop their phonic skills and form the building blocks of reading.
• Children enjoy learning in the outside environment as it is inviting and interesting There are a range of activities to engage children in learning and to encourage them to explore their environment. For example, the mud kitchen encourages children to pretend to cook. The ‘space rocks’ encourage children to count and combine numbers. The learning organised in the classroom is not always as stimulating and, occasionally, children rush through the tasks to be outside. When this happens, children do not access the planned activities that staff hindering their progress.
• Children in the early years develop positive attitudes to learning and often show high levels of independence and curiosity. They are caring towards each other. On occasion, some boys lose focus when not directly led by an adult.
• Parents contribute to children’s learning through an assessment tool. They are encouraged to support their children’s learning and development at home. Children’s good work is celebrated through the classroom ‘wow wall’, which they were keen to show. They show a sense of pride in their achievements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116295 Hampshire 10058204 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 Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 261 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Tracey Stratton Harriet Spencer-Healey Telephone number 01635 298583 Website Email address www.kingsclereprimary.com adminoffice@kingsclere.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2015

Information about this school

• This is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium grant is lower than the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils who attend the school are White British. The proportion of pupils from other ethnic backgrounds is very low.
• The proportion of pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is slightly lower than the national average.
• This school is a Church of England school. The Diocese of Winchester conducted a section 48 inspection on February 2018.
• There is currently an interim leadership structure in the school as the previous headteacher left at the end of the last term. The newly appointed headteacher has not yet taken up post.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 16 parts of lessons, most with senior leaders.
• In addition to discussions with parents, responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account, as well as the school’s own survey results.
• Responses to the staff survey were considered.
• A range of the school’s documentation was scrutinised to gather information on: leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance; systems for managing the performance of teachers; the behaviour and safety of pupils; safeguarding; the progress and attainment of pupils; and curriculum leadership and attendance.
• The inspectors scrutinised the school’s website to evaluate the quality of information for parents and to check if the school meets statutory publishing requirements.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils to gather their views about the school, and heard pupils read.
• Inspectors met with school leaders, governors, including the chair of the governing body, officers from the local authority and an officer from the diocese.

Inspection team

Clare Haines, lead inspector Nigel Cook Kusum Trikha

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector