Wicor Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• School leaders, including governors, need to ensure that:
  • school self-evaluation and plans for improvement are used stringently to improve pupils’ progress
  • the school website meets statutory requirements
  • performance management is implemented rigorously.
  • Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that they are consistently good, in order to improve pupils’ progress in reading, mathematics and in early years, by:
    • using assessment information rigorously to ensure that all pupils are challenged appropriately across the school, including in the early years
    • closely linking the rich curriculum experiences provided by the school to improve learning outcomes. An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders’ ambition for all pupils to achieve their potential is not realised in practice. Expectations in classrooms are not high enough. Some pupils become bored and lose concentration when asked to complete tasks that are too easy. As a consequence, too few of the most able pupils achieve the higher levels of which they are capable.
• Leaders are reflective and have identified priorities for the school. However, school self-evaluation and development initiatives are not tracked thoroughly. Staff training does not have a consistently positive impact on learning in the classroom. Teachers’ performance is not managed effectively. As a result, some pupils do not achieve their full potential.
• The curriculum is broad with a wide range of first-hand experiences and extra-curricular activities. However, school leaders have not routinely ensured that the curriculum is linked closely enough to improve pupils’ learning or deepen their understanding. Consequently, pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
• School leaders know the pupils well and provide additional support in the classroom. As a result, some of the disadvantaged pupils are achieving well. However, this is not consistent and too few are attaining the higher levels, especially in reading and mathematics. Additional pupil premium funding is used to support enrichment activities for disadvantaged pupils and also to provide a home–school link assistant to work with families. However, it is not clear how leaders plan to systematically evaluate the impact of this expenditure on pupils’ progress.
• Although leaders track the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and know these pupils well, they do not use the information well enough to plan for learning. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently achieving their potential. Leaders do not use additional funding for these pupils effectively enough.
• Leaders have provided a range of additional opportunities funded by the primary physical education and sports premium, including events involving other schools. The impact of these initiatives has not been rigorously evaluated, and, therefore, pupils have not benefited as much as they could.
• The local authority representative makes annual visits to the school. These visits have been used by leaders to confirm the school’s priorities and the planned improvement activities. However, evidence of the impact of such visits on pupils’ progress is limited.
• Leaders organise opportunities for pupils to take part in environmental initiatives and activities involving the local and wider communities. For example; Earth Hour events, litter picks and supplying organic vegetable boxes to the public. As a result, pupils are prepared well to be young citizens, and for life in modern Britain. The school provides for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.

Governance of the school

• Governors share leaders’ vision for all pupils to achieve their potential. They undertake a range of monitoring activities, including reviews of pupils’ work and school visits. However, these activities are not sufficiently rigorous to ensure the accuracy of the information gathered, or to improve outcomes for pupils.
• Teachers’ performance is not managed effectively enough. Current procedures do not meet statutory requirements. Targets for improvement are too broad and teachers are not held robustly to account. As a result, some teaching requires improvement.
• Governors are not fulfilling some of their statutory responsibilities, for example the monitoring of pupil premium and primary physical education and sports premium expenditure, and in the maintenance of the required information on the school website.

Safeguarding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good throughout the school. Although staff know pupils well, information about pupils’ progress is not routinely used to plan activities matched to pupils’ abilities, or to help pupils improve their learning. Consequently, pupils often spend time completing low-level tasks and waiting for others to catch up, rather than tackling more demanding activities.
• Teachers are not diligent enough about correcting pupils’ misunderstandings and there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills. As a result, pupils do not learn as rapidly as they could.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of learning experiences, but these activities have insufficient impact on their progress because they are not closely linked to pupils’ next steps in learning. Pupils enjoyed learning about magnets, and retelling the story of David and Goliath. However, on these occasions, opportunities were not taken to reinforce the correct use of tense or basic punctuation. Staff have created a stimulating and orderly learning environment. The curriculum is rich and varied, and work is linked together in meaningful projects. Pupils in Year 2 have been learning about the Great Fire of London and Year 3 have studied ‘The iron man’ by Ted Hughes. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge has a positive impact on learning, strengthening pupils’ factual knowledge and their use of technical terms.

• Additional adults are deployed well by leaders to support pupils with learning activities. This helps to deepen their understanding. Teachers and support staff provide feedback to pupils to help them understand what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils are positive about this feedback and the impact it has on their progress.

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• Phonics is taught effectively. Pupils use their phonic knowledge well when reading books chosen from one of the school’s attractive libraries.
• Parents are informed regularly about their child’s progress. Parents support their children to complete homework in accordance with school policy and hear them read. This has a positive impact upon their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils talk happily and confidently about their school. They enjoy taking part in the wide range of activities offered, including helping to care for the bees, and collecting eggs from the school chickens.

• Pupils are taught how to be safe, and they feel safe. Pupils speak confidently about how to use computers safely and how to stay safe near water. The vast majority of parents who completed the online survey, Parent View, are convinced that their children are safe.
• Pupils are confident that any incidents of bullying and racism are dealt with promptly by staff. Pupils are happy to talk to staff about their concerns.
• Staff know pupils well and relationships are good. Pupils are respectful of each other and they speak enthusiastically about their learning of other countries, faiths and cultures.
• Pupils enjoy the wide range of first-hand experiences within the rich and varied curriculum. As a result, pupils are confident learners and work well together. Parents appreciate the breadth and benefits of these learning experiences for their children.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.
• Pupils arrive punctually and know that it is important to attend school. Leaders follow up absence quickly; attendance overall is above the national average. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is improving.
• Pupils enjoy many opportunities as young citizens such as growing and selling organic vegetables, and supporting local charities, including The Woodland Trust and the Stubbington Ark animal welfare centre.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to face new challenges. They enjoy being challenged. However, they get bored and lose interest when their work is too easy.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Currently and over time, lower-attaining and the most able pupils make varying progress in reading and mathematics. This is due to inconsistencies in expectation, and lack of rigour in the use of progress information to plan future lessons. Too few lower-attaining and most-able pupils are achieving their potential and are, therefore, unable to take full advantage of the next stage in their education.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in reading and mathematics is similarly variable. Lower-attaining pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not achieving as well as they could. Progress information is not used routinely by teachers to plan the next steps in learning.
• Many disadvantaged pupils achieve well. Too few, however, are attaining the higher levels, especially in reading and mathematics. Staff are not routinely using progress information to plan future lessons, and there are inconsistencies in expectation.
• Pupils make good progress in phonics. Pupils enjoy reading from a wide range of literature and are supported well at home. A structured programme of phonics teaching ensures that pupils make consistently strong progress. Pupils have the necessary decoding skills to read unknown words.
• In the past, girls have generally achieved higher standards than boys, but the difference is diminishing. Leaders are aware of the variation and have put in place a number of effective strategies. For example, the purchase of books of interest to boys, a forthcoming science and literature fortnight, and the introduction of short, snappy writing sessions.

• Pupils value the wide range of extra-curricular activities including the recent residential visit to the New Forest, violin lessons and an after-school karate club. Pupils take part in an annual rock challenge, leading to a musical performance for the local community.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Children start school with skills and abilities that are typical for their age. Overall, at the end of Reception the attainment of the children is similar to those of other children nationally. Currently, however, not all children are achieving their full potential. Expectations are not consistently high enough, and there are differences in expectation and provision between the two Reception classes.
• Leaders do not ensure that the use of assessment information is consistent. This means some children are unchallenged, especially in mathematics, because teachers do not base their planning well enough on what they learned previously. For example, a child able to count independently to 18 in December was asked what comes after five, in February. When the work is not at the right level, children become less attentive and a little disruptive. As a result, children do not make as much progress as they could, and some are not prepared for the start of Year 1.
• The early years environment is orderly and attractive with a range of indoor and outdoor activities. Children enjoy taking part in a range of activities including the vets’ surgery role play area, and writing Chinese numbers.

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• Parents are well informed and very supportive. They speak highly of the school’s procedures to support children when they start school. These include home visits and opportunities to stay and play with their child. Consequently, children settle into the Reception classes quickly.
• Phonics is taught effectively. Children make good progress. Inspectors observed early years children identifying objects linked to the ‘ow’ phoneme successfully.
• Behaviour is good overall. Children work well together. For example, during a weighing and estimating activity they took turns to use the equipment. They listen attentively to staff and are keen to take part in the activities provided. Children become less focused when activities are less purposeful.
• Relationships are strong and staff know the children well. Staff are familiar with safety procedures and receive regular training. Children are safe and safeguarding is effective.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 115938 Hampshire 10024663 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 438 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Karen Kershaw Mr Mark Wildman 01329 237412 www.wicor.hants.sch.uk m.wildman@wicor.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 December 2012

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website about the curriculum, pupils’ outcomes for 2016, and reporting on the pupil premium and the primary physical education and sports premium.
• The school is bigger than the average-sized primary school.
• Pupils are taught in single-aged classes. There are two classes in each year group.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• A below-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium and few are disadvantaged.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average, although the proportion with an education, health and care plan is slightly below the national average.

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• The school provides a breakfast club and after-school club which are managed by the governing body and formed part of the inspection.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum standards for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school does not use any alternative provision.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 16 lessons, and 12 of the 14 classes. Inspectors observed learning jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher in the Reception classes and in Years 2, 3, 5, and 6.
• Inspectors talked to pupils, looked at a large sample of their work, and listened to two groups of pupils read.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the chair of the governing body and two other governors, and with the school’s senior and middle leaders.
• A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority to discuss the extent and impact of support provided to the school.
• Inspectors took account of the 110 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 103 free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke to parents and carers during the inspection. The inspectors observed the work of the school, including an assembly, playtimes and lunchtime.
• Inspectors scrutinised documents, including minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, monitoring and assessment information, school policies, behaviour and safety records, safeguarding policies and procedures, and the single central record.

Inspection team

Rosemary Addison, lead inspector Krista Dawkins James Munt Becky Greenhalgh Neil Small

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector