Five Acres Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress of the most able pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that they achieve their full potential by:
  • ensuring that teachers are more consistent with the level of challenge they offer
  • providing opportunities for pupils to explore the curriculum in greater depth and to develop their mastery of it.
• Accelerate boys’ progress in writing so that they attain well at the end of key stage 2.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the last inspection, the headteacher, supported by a new leadership team, has been uncompromising in his drive to move the school forward. The school’s self-evaluation is thorough and detailed, accurately identifying appropriate next steps that are needed to enable the school to improve further.
• Effective systems for monitoring teaching and learning, alongside coaching and mentoring provided by the leadership team, have led to improvements in the quality of teaching.
• Following the implementation of a new performance management model, leaders and governors have a sound understanding of the strengths and areas of development that exist within the school.
• Since the last inspection, the leadership team have worked tirelessly to introduce a new wider-ranging curriculum that encompasses all subjects. Pupils have responded enthusiastically, particularly enjoying the appealing menu of visits. However, there are too few opportunities for the most able pupils to deepen their understanding of topics covered.
• The pupil premium is used effectively. Each pupil is assessed individually and the school ensures that the right interventions and support are put in place. The impact of spending is checked closely to make sure that the school is providing good support for disadvantaged pupils.
• Assessment of pupils’ progress and attainment is rigorous. Teachers are regularly held to account for the progress of all pupils in their class and clear actions are agreed for any who are not making sufficient improvement.
• Fundamental British values are threaded through the new curriculum with many opportunities for all pupils to explore democracy and tolerance as well as learning about different cultures, faiths and festivals. Pupils talk confidently about the importance of respecting others and getting on with each other.
• The introduction of circle time by the headteacher and the subsequent training of all staff has enabled pupils to develop emotionally. This has had a highly positive effect on pupils’ attitudes towards learning.
• The integration of new pupils into the school is a great strength. During the year, about one fifth of the school population changes due to the high proportion of service children moving to or from the school. The school has robust procedures in place to ensure that pupils are quickly integrated into classes.
• The school has forged close links with the local military unit and pupils regularly visit the base for a variety of activities or receive visits from the unit. During the inspection, Year 5 pupils were taking part in a question and answer session with a dog trainer from the bomb disposal unit. These links were having a positive impact, particularly on boys, who are more engaged with the curriculum than at the previous inspection.
• The school’s special educational needs coordinator is effective in monitoring and assessing the impact of interventions on pupils. She has established strong links with outside agencies. Consequently, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from special programmes to help them overcome their difficulties. Their progress is checked and work adjusted to ensure that their learning is good.
• The designated safeguarding lead is proactive in ensuring that all pupils know how to stay safe online and in their everyday lives.
• Most of the parents who replied to the online survey were of the opinion that this is a good school and that they would recommend it to others.
• The headteacher and staff have begun to tackle improving boys’ writing, especially for the most able. Although underway, appropriate strategies are not yet fully embedded throughout the school.
• The local authority has provided good support and challenge to help the headteacher secure rapid improvement to the quality of teaching and learning. Activities such as lesson observations and data scrutiny have been particularly useful in helping to support the leadership team in checking the accuracy of their judgements.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has changed significantly since the previous inspection. The chair leads well and ensures that governors provide the challenge needed in order to drive improvement across the school.
• Governors visit the school regularly. They take part in learning walks, talk to the pupils about their learning and provide feedback to school leaders. Consequently, governors have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and learning.
• Governors have received training on how to interpret school-based information about pupils’ progress and outcomes and how to compare the school with others nationally. They use their knowledge effectively, questioning the school about performance and identifying areas for improvement.
• Governors are fully aware of the management of teachers’ performance and are regularly involved with the analysis of information provided by the school’s newly acquired assessment system. All governors have received training in safeguarding, including about female genital mutilation and promoting fundamental British values.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Rigorous and robust systems are in place in all areas of safeguarding and staff understand them. Staff and governors receive up-to-date training to ensure that all requirements are met. This includes being aware of the dangers posed by radicalisation and extremism.
• Parents and staff are positive about how well pupils are cared for. One parent commented, ‘It is a great nurturing, happy, safe environment dedicated to bringing out the best it possibly can in all pupils’, encapsulating the views of many.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching is good. Improvement since the last inspection has ensured that most pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teaching assistants are effective and have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. They ably support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants ensure that these pupils are fully integrated into lessons and that their needs are supported well. Consequently, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength. Staff use good subject knowledge and have a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics across the school. Teachers offer effective support. Consequently, pupils make good progress, read with fluency and work out unfamiliar words confidently.
• Pupils have a positive attitude towards learning. They understand the importance of doing well at school and are keen to succeed and meet their targets. As a result, pupils are motivated to learn and say that lessons are fun.
• Teachers follow the school’s marking policy consistently. Pupils receive clear written and oral feedback and use this readily to improve their work. Consequently, pupils’ progress is accelerating, especially in Year 5 and Year 6.
• New assessment procedures allow teachers to identify children in danger of falling behind and support them effectively.
• Despite the quality of teaching and learning being generally good, there are occasions when expectations are inconsistent and the level of challenge is too low for the most able and the disadvantaged most able, particularly in writing and wider curriculum areas such as history and geography.
• Although the progress of the majority of pupils is good in writing, too few of the most able and most able disadvantaged boys reach the same levels that they reach in reading.
• In most lessons, pupils settle quickly and use their time productively. However, occasionally pupils are too slow to respond because teaching activities are not matched closely enough to pupils’ abilities.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school because teachers make lessons fun.
• Pupils are extremely polite and courteous. They talk confidently to adults, work well together in groups or pairs, and are equally happy to work independently.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is a strength of the school. The skilful delivery of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education ensures that pupils develop well emotionally. This enables them to become tolerant, respectful and self-assured individuals.
• Pupils who join during the year quickly integrate into the everyday life of the school. New pupils are welcomed readily by their peers into a caring community. One parent wrote: ‘It’s particularly hard for service children to have continuity when they have to move a lot. I feel Five Acres has provided a great stable platform for my daughter… She has made great progress in a short time.’
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of different types of bullying, including online cyber bullying. They know how to apply their understanding to everyday situations in order to keep themselves safe.
• Pupils are very confident that staff listen to them and value their opinions. If worried, they know that staff will help with any problems and respond quickly to any concerns they might have.
• Most parents comment positively about the school’s impact on preparing pupils well for their next steps. One commented, ‘The children are given every priority, any needs are met, be it academic or emotional.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite, welcoming and respectful. Pupils care about their school and look after each other. They follow adults’ instructions quickly and without fuss.
• During the inspection, behaviour was good around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Most parents agree that the school ensures the pupils are well behaved.
• Pupils attend school more regularly than in the past. As a result, attendance is improving and is now in line with the national average. Leaders are taking steps to improve this even further.
• Staff nurture pupils who have specific behaviour needs. They are quick to identify pupils’ emotional, health and well-being needs and take effective steps to support them. This helps pupils engage fully in lessons.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the last inspection, pupils’ outcomes have improved.
• Pupils make good progress in the early years and the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is rising and is now above the national average.
• Standards in the Year 1 phonics check were above those seen nationally in 2016. In addition, the proportion of pupils who meet the standard in the Year 2 re-check is above average.
• At the end of Year 2 in 2016, the proportion of pupils working at greater depth, including disadvantaged pupils, was above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Professional development of staff and coaching by senior leaders have led to effective improvements in both teaching and learning. For example, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are now making faster progress than in the past.
• Pupils make very good progress in reading during key stage 2 and attain well above the national average, at the expected and higher standards. This is due to the good grounding they receive in key stage 1 and the emphasis that leaders place on the importance of reading well.
• Pupils make good progress in mathematics and achieve well. A newly appointed mathematics leader has ensured that resources to support learning are used well in the classroom and that tasks are matched well to pupils’ starting points.
• In writing, boys make slower progress than girls. Consequently, boys do not attain as well as girls do, including those working at greater depth.

Early years provision Good

• Children are motivated to learn and are engaged by the wide range of activities offered to them. Children speak enthusiastically about their learning. One child recounted at length the work they had completed about Diwali. Teachers ensure that children’s experiences are memorable.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Adults are well trained. Clear procedures to deal with any concerns are in place and the physical environment is safe. Consequently, children behave in a way that demonstrates that they know how to learn and play safely.
• Children make good progress and the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is above the national average.
• Children are curious to learn and are able to stay on task for a sustained period of time. For example, children writing birthday invitation cards quickly became absorbed in the activity, working diligently and with purpose.
• Disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included. They are supported well and make good progress.
• The early years provision is well led and managed. Teachers plan an interesting range of both indoor and outdoor activities. Children were keen to explain about their ice-cream shop and demonstrated their understanding of tally charts by accurately recording preferences for flavours.
• Children play well together, show respect for adults and each other, and care for each other. Children behave very well, follow routines and respond quickly when given instructions. The early years setting gives children a good start for key stage 1.
• There are good links with both on-site and local nurseries. This enables staff to assess children on entry to the early years accurately.
• Parents told inspectors that they find communication with the adults is good. Parents’ comments were overwhelmingly positive. One commented: ‘I cannot praise the staff of foundation stage and Year 1 enough. Each class teacher, as well as the dedicated teaching assistants, nursery nurse and lunchtime supervisors have made time to connect with my daughter, to make sure she feels safe, inspired and cared about.’

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 123006 Oxfordshire 10019887 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 364 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Lucy Katz Darrell Wood 01869 253 193 www.five-acres.org.uk head.2200@five-acres.oxon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language is below that seen nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by funding through the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The stability indicator for the school is low compared to that seen nationally due to the large number of children from service families attending the school.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Children in early years are taught in one Nursery and two Reception classes. The Reception children attend full time. The Nursery children attend a half-day session either in the morning or afternoon.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 25 lessons across a broad range of subjects. Some of these were joint observations with the headteacher and an assistant headteacher.
• The inspectors observed the school’s work. They looked at a wide range of documentation, the school’s procedure for gaining an accurate view of its own performance, and pupils’ work in books.
• Discussions took place with several groups of pupils, as well as informal conversations with other pupils during lessons and at playtimes. Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to them about books they enjoy.
• Meetings were held with school staff, five members of the governing body, parents and carers and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors took into consideration 34 responses to the online staff questionnaire.
• Inspectors took into account 40 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, 39 responses via free text and one letter from a parent.

Inspection team

Brian Macdonald, lead inspector Chris Corr Nigel Cook

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector