Stanmore Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen teaching and learning further so that pupils achieve at least the same as other pupils nationally by:
  • making sure teachers know exactly what pupils need to learn, and plan tasks which help pupils develop the necessary skills
  • ensuring that teachers’ subject knowledge is consistently strong, including in subjects other than English, mathematics and science
  • ensuring that teachers know how to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils, the most able and those who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • making good use of learning time so that pupils are not waiting when they need support or when having finished
  • ensuring that teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve in lessons and over time.
• Ensure behaviour is consistently good by:
  • making sure all teachers have the same expectations of pupils’ behaviour in lessons
  • ensuring all staff manage behaviour consistently, using the same rewards and sanctions.
• Strengthen leadership by:
  • ensuring that leaders at all levels are clear about the whole-school priorities and work cohesively together to drive rapid improvement
  • implement a systematic approach to improving teaching, setting and reviewing precise targets
  • checking progress and attainment of classes and groups over time so that where pupils have fallen behind in the past, they are supported to catch up
  • further developing substantive senior leaders so that they can drive rapid improvements in teaching and pupils’ outcomes
  • improving communication with parents so that leaders are visible to parents and communicate what parents need to know about school improvements. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, standards at the school declined. The interim headteacher, who joined the school at the end of January, has taken effective action to stop the downturn. Her actions have reduced the high turnover of teaching staff at the school, and staff say that they feel valued and supported by her and the leadership team. However, the school is not good, because some pupils do not make enough progress and too few fulfil their potential.
• The leadership team has brought about a change of culture. The interim deputy headteacher, who joined the school for this term, has effectively promoted the headteacher’s focus on improving standards. Her assemblies and modelling have brought a whole-school approach to learning and being part of the community.
• Improvements in teaching are not systematic enough. Leaders accurately identify where there are strengths and areas for improvement. However, their feedback to teachers is not always precise, so it is not clear exactly what needs to change. Consequently, teaching is improving but not as quickly as it should.
• Documentation and systems to drive improvement are not as helpful as they could be. There is not enough clarity about how improvements will be made and how leaders will work together to achieve rapid improvement. Leaders have set targets, but some of the targets are not realistic and do not help leaders and governors to be confident that their actions are effective.
• Leaders check the progress of individuals carefully to ensure that they are moving forwards in their learning. Where pupils have fallen behind in the past, teachers focus on the specific areas to ensure that they catch up. In several year groups, this is leading to many pupils making faster progress. However, in some year groups, the school’s achievement information shows that this is not the case.
• Some senior and middle leaders are not effective in driving improvements. They have only recently been held to account and are just beginning to develop their leadership skills. Where leaders are stronger, they know their areas of responsibility well and use this information to prioritise what they do next to drive improvements.
• The curriculum provides a range of exciting opportunities for pupils to experience and to motivate them to learn. However, subject-specific skills are not developed systematically and too many lessons focus on English skills, rather than history, geography or design and technology. Pupils are enthusiastic about the topics that they study, such as ‘under the sea’ in Reception and ‘spies’ in Year 5. Music is a strength, with each pupil learning a musical instrument. Pupils enjoy these lessons and participate with enthusiasm.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported effectively through well-planned whole school assemblies and follow up discussions in class. The whole-school prayer provides a basis for pupils to pray together.
• Leaders have reviewed and adapted the way in which they use the pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils. There is now a focus on removing barriers to learning so that pupils are well prepared to participate in lessons. However, in some classes, these pupils do not receive additional support and teaching so, although there are slight improvements in their progress, the gaps between them and their peers are still too wide.
• Sports funding is used effectively to increase competitive opportunities for pupils and improve their skills. Pupils participate in a range of in-school tournaments, such as cricket and swimming, as well as after school sports, including tag rugby and cricket.
• Funding and systems to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are not effective enough. Leaders know their pupils well and are keen to provide the right support, but their actions are not yet helping these pupils to achieve as well as they can. Communication with parents of pupils who have high-level SEN is not robust enough. Consequently, there can be a disconnect between actions taken at school and at home.
• The local authority has provided robust support for the school during a period of change in headteachers. Advisers know the school very well and provide appropriate support. However, they need to ensure that all leaders are focused on the same priorities.
• Parents’ responses to questionnaires strongly indicate concerns about the school. When discussed in detail, parents raised issues such as the decline in standards, high staff turnover and lack of communication over time. Although these issues are being resolved, current leaders have not communicated their actions and improvements well enough to alleviate parents’ concerns.

Governance of the school

• Since the last inspection, leaders rightly identified a dip in standards and took appropriate action. Their actions have brought about necessary improvements, and they know that there is more to do.
• Having secured the interim headteacher for the year, governors are keen to maximise the period of stability to get the school back on track. Governors are supportive of leaders and provide some useful challenge.
• Governors undertake visits to school to check what leaders tell them and enable them to ask challenging questions. At times, they accept what they are told rather than pushing for a more detailed explanation.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Concerns are actioned robustly and external agencies are involved whenever necessary. Allegations are taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.
• Staff know their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. Training is planned and carried out to ensure that staff are appropriately informed of changes and updates to safeguarding processes and systems. Staff record concerns effectively and with appropriate detail.
• Safer recruitment processes are robust and all appropriate checks are made and logged.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Although teaching has improved, it is not yet good across the school. Where teaching is effective, teachers know exactly what needs to be learned, and they plan appropriate activities to meet pupils’ needs effectively and so pupils do well. However, currently, these improvements are not consistent across the school.
• The new approach to teaching phonics is effective and pupils are now being taught phonics well across early years, key stage 1 and, where necessary, in key stage 2. Consequently, pupils are making rapid progress and catching up to where they should be when initially learning to read with their letters and sounds.
• The teaching of reading requires improvement. Teachers do not ensure that pupils are reading at the right level, and activities in reading lessons do not meet pupils’ needs well enough to help them make progress.
• Mathematics teaching has improved and in some classes is good. There is a consistent approach to planning and teaching number, problem-solving and mental arithmetic. This has resulted in accelerated progress in some classes.
• The teaching of writing requires improvement. Leaders recognise that grammar, punctuation and spelling has not been developed well enough. Recent efforts to plan these into written work is helping to raise awareness, but there is more to do to ensure that pupils do well.
• Some teaching assistants provide useful support. They are aware of what they need to do and the support that they need to provide. However, some teaching assistants are not clear about the learning so they focus too much on completing the task, and not enough on ensuring that pupils have understood.
• The teaching of disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN is not good in some classes. Some teachers do not have a clear understanding of what support these pupils need. Although there is greater awareness that these pupils need support to catch up, there is not a systematic approach to helping them make progress and fulfil their potential.
• Across the school, the most able pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Teachers often plan lessons at different levels to meet the differing needs of pupils. However, too often, the activities are not sufficiently challenging to enable these pupils to deepen their understanding. As a result, these pupils do not do as well as they should and too few reach the higher levels.
• The teaching of other subjects is linked closely to English. This means that, although pupils love topic lessons, they frequently do not learn enough about the specific subjects. This is not the case for music, where pupils are taught very well and make good progress. Science is not taught well across the school. Not enough attention is given to it and children do not have enough opportunities to investigate and experience scientific phenomena.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are proud of their school and say that they enjoy coming to school. Recent improvements in attendance reflect their increasing enjoyment.
• Pupils learn about bullying. They say that it does not happen much now but, when it does, it is sorted out quickly by teachers.
• The school provides good support for pupils’ transition when they join the school in Reception, and when they leave in Year 6. Pupils who are moving on this year spoke with enthusiasm about the ‘careers week’ that they attended at the local secondary school. They say that they now feel confident and excited about their imminent move.
• Pupils have a good understanding about British values. They learn about and demonstrate respect for people with other faiths and cultures than their own.
• Teaching and learning about safety is effective. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe and about online safety. The recent ‘bikeability’ course is a good example of the practical skills that pupils learn.
• Healthy eating is not part of school life. Although pupils know that fruit and vegetables are good for them, they do not select them at breaktime.
• The daily ‘golden mile’ promotes the idea of regular exercise. Further rigour around the monitoring of this would make it even more purposeful.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Challenging behaviour is managed well, with staff remaining calm and supportive towards individuals. However, there is not enough liaison with parents, so opportunities to work together are missed.
• In lessons, pupils are generally compliant and attentive. However, when teachers are not watching or when lessons do not meet pupils’ needs well enough, pupils do not behave quite as well.
• Leaders have reviewed the behaviour policy and rewards and sanctions. Although staff all apply the policy, there are inconsistencies in expectations about how pupils should behave.
• Attendance is improving as a result of leaders’ actions and is now just below the national average. Fixed-term exclusions are also reducing and leaders are monitoring this carefully, looking for ways to reduce this further.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes over the last two years have been below the national average in phonics in Year 1 and reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 and 2. Not enough pupils have made the progress that they should, so too few pupils reach the expected and higher standards. In 2017, less than two fifths of Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined.
• Leaders’ recent focus on improving teaching and helping pupils to catch up has resulted in accelerated progress in some year groups. Consequently, more pupils are on track to reach the expected standard by the end of this term. However, this is not the case in all years. This faster progress has not ensured that Year 6 pupils will do as well as they should. Although many pupils have filled gaps in their learning from previous weak teaching, they are still not quite at the standard that they need to be.
• In the early years, children make the progress that they should. From fairly typical starting points, the percentage of children who achieve a good level of development has been broadly in line with other schools nationally. This year, the percentage is higher than the national average.
• Phonics outcomes are improving but are not yet as good as they need to be. This year again, they are below the national average. However, the accelerated progress pupils have made since February reflects the improvements in the teaching of phonics.
• The percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels is well below other schools. The most able pupils across the school do not do well enough, reflecting the historic provision for these pupils. Although some teachers now meet their needs better, more needs to be done to ensure that these pupils work at greater depth and achieve the higher standards.
• Disadvantaged pupils do less well than other pupils in all areas and across the school. Until recently, it was not clear what was being done to improve outcomes for these pupils. Although a strategy is now in place, it has not yet enabled these pupils to begin to catch up.
• Pupils do well in music because the teaching of music is effective. Pupils cover a range of topics and faiths in religious education because it is taught separately to other subjects. Where subjects are taught through topics, too often the lessons develop literacy skills rather than subject skills, such as history and geography.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of the early years is effective. The early years leader knows the setting well and has an accurate picture of the strengths and priorities for improvement. Her actions to improve practice are effective and children are making good progress in their learning.
• Children select activities with confidence and independence. They play well together, taking turns and helping each other.
• Planning and resources are used well to make links to a central topic. For example, the current topic, centred around ‘The Three Little Pigs’, provided opportunities for pupils to make houses, recreate the story with puppets and read the story to each other. Children were very motivated and worked with purpose on whichever activity they selected.
• Adults know the children well and take good care of them. Teachers and support staff keep the children safe and the embedded routines and high expectations support children to be independent and aware of their surroundings. For example, when building a house from logs, using sand and water for ‘cement’, one child cautioned: ‘Don’t spill the water or someone might slip on it.’
• Adults regularly check and record what pupils can do. Leaders rightly identify that further refining of assessment, and identification of what pupils need to do next, will improve these processes further.
• Parents are involved in school life and share information about children’s learning at home. There is a good relationship between the staff and parents, which supports children’s progress well. Several parents participate in the weekly ‘stay and play’ session to contribute to their children’s learning experiences.
• Phonics teaching in the early years is effective and helps children to make good progress. All children concentrate well and participate in learning their sounds and letters during these fun and purposeful lessons.

School details

Unique reference number 115962 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10045769 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 324 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Chris Lindsay Headteacher Ms Fey Wood Telephone number 01962 852 941 Website www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk Email address headteacher@stanmore.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27 28 March 2014

Information about this school

• Stanmore Primary School is a larger than average primary.
• The percentage of pupils eligible for pupil premium is higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN is much higher than other schools. The proportion of pupils with an education and health care plan is average.
• Most pupils come from White British backgrounds.

• Since the last inspection, the headteacher left and an interim headteacher is in post until July 2019.
• The turnover of staff has been high in the last few years.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 19 lessons or parts of lessons, many of which were with school leaders.
• Parents’ views were gathered through the school’s own questionnaire, the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, informal discussions at the beginning of the school day, a formal meeting with parents and two telephone conversations with parents.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, a group of governors, senior leaders, teachers, support staff and representatives from the local authority.
• Inspectors met with a group of pupils, spoke to them informally at breaktime and lunchtime, and listened to them read.
• Inspectors gathered evidence of pupils’ progress and attainment from the school’s own assessment information and from pupils’ work in books and around the school. Inspectors carried out a book scrutiny alongside senior leaders.
• Safeguarding information and processes were reviewed.
• Documentation to support the school’s work was considered and evaluated.

Inspection team

Louise Adams, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Christine Bulmer Ofsted Inspector Clare Haines Ofsted Inspector