South Baddesley Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop teaching, learning and assessment further:
  • by ensuring that all teachers understand how to plan the next steps for individual pupils with SEND, so that they make strong progress
  • so that pupils develop the same high level of subject-specific knowledge and skills in all subjects as they acquire in English, mathematics and religious education.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is determined to continually improve the quality of education for all pupils at the school. Over a short period, she has made significant changes to how the school runs. These changes have been very effective. As a result, the school is improving quickly.
• Leaders support the headteacher and her ambitious expectations for developing the school. They work together well and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. They have prioritised their leadership actions appropriately. Subsequently, pupils are making better progress compared to the school’s progress rates in recent years.
• Leaders’ work to train all staff to understand the school’s new routines and meet their high expectations is very effective. Professional development is well planned and highly valued by staff. For example, the peer-to-peer support for teaching assistants is much appreciated. Teaching assistants work very well together.
• The work to improve the progress pupils make in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 is successful. Strong leadership, focused on developing the teaching of mathematics across the school, has strengthened the provision for mathematics that pupils receive. Pupils make good progress in mathematics and it is improving rapidly.
• Pupils have many opportunities to learn outside the classroom. They develop a strong understanding of the wider world through visits to the local hospice, talks from local community workers, such as firefighters, and their regular use of the woodland learning provision that broadens their scientific and technological knowledge.
• Leaders’ work to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain. Some pupils confidently explained to an inspector how they had been supported to organise a clothing exchange event. This had raised awareness of environmental issues and provided clothing for a local charity.
• The additional funding received by the school to develop pupils’ engagement in physical activity and sports is well spent. A specialist teacher of physical education teaches pupils a well-considered range of sporting activities regularly. As a result, the school has achieved national recognition for its sports provision.
• Leaders use resources well to support vulnerable pupils. Disadvantaged pupils receive appropriate help and guidance. As a result, disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other pupils with similar starting points.
• The provision for pupils with SEND is variable. Overall, the individual needs of pupils are identified well through detailed assessment. The plans to meet their academic and social needs are appropriate and effective. Parents and carers value the care and attention their children receive. However, the planning of next steps for pupils with SEND is not consistently strong, and this slows the progress of some.
• Leaders’ work to develop the curriculum has significantly improved religious education, English and mathematics provision. Pupils have many opportunities to deepen their learning and understanding in these subjects. Leaders have developed the wider curriculum through a range of interesting topics covering many subjects. Nevertheless, pupils do not develop the same high level of subject-specific knowledge and skills in all subjects as they acquire in English, mathematics and religious education.

Governance of the school

• Governors are skilled and knowledgeable. They work closely with the headteacher and senior leaders to ensure that all pupils receive the best educational provision possible. They know the school’s strengths and areas to improve well. They ask leaders the right questions, so they have a secure understanding of how the school is improving. They work well with external advisers to collect further evidence, ensuring that their knowledge of the school is accurate. Consequently, they are very well placed to support leaders to improve the school further.
• Governors are well trained. They understand their legal responsibilities well. They visit the school regularly to check that the school’s safeguarding procedures remain effective. They have an accurate overview of how additional funding is spent to support vulnerable children.
• Governors share senior leaders’ passion for improving the school. They involve themselves in community events to raise extra resources to develop the school’s provision even further. As an example, governors were involved in raising funds, together with parents and the local community, and secured enough money to build a new and well-resourced building for the early years foundation stage.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The culture for keeping pupils safe is very strong.
• The school’s systems and procedures for keeping pupils safe are secure. Staff are well trained and informed about their legal responsibilities. They know when and how to report concerns, following the school’s safeguarding procedures. They are confident that their concerns will be swiftly addressed by the school’s designated safeguarding lead.
• Leaders work well with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and their families are supported appropriately. Leaders respond to any issues in a timely manner and keep accurate records of the support given.
• Parents say that their children feel safe in school. Pupils concur with their parents’ views. Parents and pupils know whom to talk to in school if they are worried about anything. They say that they are listened to and that appropriate support and help are given.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use well-established classroom routines alongside their consistently high expectations for pupils’ behaviour for learning. As a result, classrooms are effective places for pupils to learn and make good progress.
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to plan well-structured learning activities, often in mixed-age-group classes. Learning is well matched to pupils’ needs. Classes are hives of different activities, where pupils work well as individuals or together in groups.
• Teaching challenges pupils to learn and achieve to the best of their ability. Most-able pupils are encouraged to attempt more difficult tasks that extend their knowledge further. They rise to these tasks with vigour and engage well. Teachers make sure that the most able understand what needs to be done to successfully complete these more stretching problems. Consequently, most-able pupils make strong progress, especially in mathematics.
• Teachers use questions skilfully to check that pupils understand the work. They probe pupils’ understanding well and adapt their questioning to help pupils think deeply about the answers they give. Many pupils respond confidently with further questions, showing their eagerness to learn and understand more.
• Regular assessment opportunities are used wisely by teachers to check how much pupils have learned and how secure pupils are in their knowledge and understanding across most subjects. In their written work, pupils self-assess and check each other’s work regularly to identify how they can further improve their writing. Pupils make good progress in writing.
• Teaching assistants work well with pupils inside and outside classrooms. For example, individual support and small-group sessions with teaching assistants effectively help pupils who need to catch up in mathematics. In these sessions, pupils have many opportunities to problem solve and share their understanding of how to solve the problems set.
• Teachers are helping pupils improve their reading skills well. They use interesting texts to engage pupils’ interests and support their learning across the curriculum. For example, pupils were engaged by a book telling the story of a woman leading environmental activism in Kenya. Such stimulating texts help develop pupils’ reading comprehension while deepening their awareness of different cultures, roles and responsibilities.
• Staff know the individual needs of pupils with SEND well. Teaching activities are planned to help pupils make progress. Consequently, some pupils make good progress from their starting points. However, some pupils with SEND are not making as much progress as they could.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. The school’s values are ever present in the way pupils interact with each other, with adults and visitors. Pupils are self-aware, confident and very happy in school. They smile and engage well in conversations with visitors, proudly sharing why they like their school so much.

Outstanding

• Regular assemblies reward pupils’ achievements. Pupils also enjoy singing together in these assemblies. Assemblies are also times for pupils to reflect on the important messages, shaped by the school’s values, which are shared with them.
• Pupils learn about an extensive range of personal, social and health-related topics, such as friendships and keeping themselves healthy and safe. These topics are closely linked to the school’s Christian ethos.
• Pupils are very considerate of each other and show tolerance for people’s differences. Pupils are polite and very well mannered.
• Pupils have opportunities to take on leadership roles. Some pupils eagerly play the music as pupils enter morning assemblies. Others have responsibilities in their roles as school councillors. The school’s ‘honour board’ displays photographs of those pupils who have been recognised for their strong contributions to the school’s community. For example, it shows the pupils who have been awarded the ‘kindness cup’ for their considerate and well-meaning behaviour.
• Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and how to use technology appropriately. They are very aware of the dangers of using mobile technology inappropriately. They understand how technology needs to be used to keep themselves and others safe from harm.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Their conduct around the buildings and the school’s site is exemplary. They behave very well at breaktimes, playing well together in the large open spaces. At the end of breaktime, pupils line up quietly and follow their teachers’ instructions.
• Pupils take very good care of the school’s buildings and site. Inspectors observed some pupils picking up the very few pieces of litter seen, actively taking responsibility for keeping their school clean and tidy.
• Pupils say that bullying is very rare and that it is dealt with quickly by adults, if it occurs.
• There have been no exclusions in recent years. There have been no incidents of discriminatory behaviour. Pupils are incredibly tolerant and respectful of each other’s differences.
• Pupils attend school regularly. No group of pupils is disadvantaged by poor attendance. Robust systems are in place to support pupils and their families if there are any concerns about attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes are good. Leaders’ work to improve the progress pupils make by the end of each key stage is effective. Current pupils are now making stronger progress than has been the case in recent years
• Pupils’ outcomes in mathematics are improving. Leaders’ work to develop the teaching of mathematics, introducing more challenging work and asking pupils to solve harder mathematical problems, is very effective. Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 are mostly given appropriately challenging work, stretching pupils to rehearse their skills and deepen their mathematical understanding.
• Writing for all pupils is improving across the school. Pupils write extended pieces of work regularly in religious education lessons. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 wrote confidently about the Hindu Holi festival, developing their technical written skills as well as improving their understanding of religious celebrations. In Year 6, pupils were learning how to use parentheses correctly. They applied this as they wrote a list of instructions for a character in their class reading book.
• Pupils achieve well in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. Most pupils use their phonics skills effectively to decode unfamiliar words, helping them read well.
• Pupils read interesting and age-appropriate books frequently as part of the curriculum. A thoughtful range of challenging texts are read by pupils, for example ‘Macbeth’ is read by Year 6 pupils. As a result, pupils understand and employ a breadth of vocabulary to express themselves very well.
• Pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with SEND achieve as well as other pupils with similar starting points.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stages in their education. Regular communication between adults in school and staff at feeder nursery providers ensure that children enter school well prepared. Year 6 pupils’ visits to local secondary schools help them to be ready for their move from primary to secondary school.
• Pupils achieve good outcomes in art. Their work shows that their creative skills are developing well. Pupils learn about interesting topics which encompass a range of subjects. However, the depth of pupils’ subject-specific knowledge and understanding in all subjects is not yet as strong as it is in English, mathematics and religious education.

Early years provision Good

• Children receive a good quality of education in the early years. They learn about many interesting topics that deliver a breadth of learning and help children to develop early reading, writing and mathematical skills. The outdoor environment, using the woodland area, provides children with highly stimulating and interesting learning experiences.
• Communication between the early years staff and parents is very good. Parents are kept well informed of the progress their children are making. Teachers will often highlight significant successes in children’s learning to their parents.
• Leadership of the early years provision is good. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and the areas to improve. Their plans to continue developing the provision are appropriate. Leaders regularly check the impact of their planned actions to ensure that the pace of improvement is strong.
• Teaching is good in the early years. Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to plan challenging and interesting learning activities. For example, some children were enjoying drawing the outlines of each other’s bodies to see who was the tallest. Other children were seen totally engaged in making magic wands from twigs and other natural materials. They were developing their fine-motor skills and learning to tie knots independently.
• Staff in the early years have a thorough knowledge of children’s starting points on entry to school. They have high expectations for all children to achieve to the best of their abilities. Staff check the progress children make towards aspirational targets regularly. Consequently, most children are making strong progress to achieving their early learning goals.
• Children are safe. Early years staff are very well trained and know how to identify and report any concerns about children’s welfare and safety. They know that their concerns about children’s well-being will be listened to and addressed swiftly.
• Children with SEND are well supported in the early years. Individual support is in place to help these children catch up with others. As a result, children with SEND are making good progress towards their individual targets.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116316 Hampshire 10084275 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 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 139 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Peter Troup Anne Moir Telephone number 01590 626243 Website Email address www.southbaddesley.hants.sch.uk adminoffice@southbaddesley.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 29 April 2008

Information about this school

• This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. It has a strong Christian ethos. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in January 2019. The school was graded good.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors carried out several learning walks, most with senior leaders. One learning walk focused on the school’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision and another looked at the progress made by pupils with SEND.
• Fifty-eight responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, were considered by inspectors. Inspectors also met with parents on both mornings of the inspection.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils during lessons and at breaktimes. An inspector also met with a group of pupils.
• Inspectors met with senior leaders and other staff, and the lead inspector met with a group of governors.
• The lead inspector spoke on the phone with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors considered the published information and school’s documentation relating to pupils’ achievement, and leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness. Other documentation was scrutinised, including records of the school’s use of additional funding and its impact, the minutes of the governing body’s meetings and reports from the local authority’s school improvement partner.
• An inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding procedures and policies.

Inspection team

Dylan Davies, lead inspector James Munt

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector