Westover Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by:
  • refining the school’s assessment system so that staff have a clearer understanding where progress is strongest and weakest
  • making sure that the local governing body is trained to analyse information about pupils’ progress more effectively
  • improving school documentation so it is focused more sharply on the areas to improve
  • developing the role of middle leaders so they check pupils’ progress more carefully when looking at pupils’ work
  • ensuring that the school’s website is compliant with requirements
  • making sure that leadership in early years routinely checks how well children are progressing across all areas of learning
  • ensuring that work is well matched to pupils’ needs, including for the most able and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, so they make the progress they should.
• Improve pupils’ personal development by ensuring that: Improve pupils’ personal development by ensuring that:
  • behaviour in the playground improves
  • persistent absence of a few boys reduces
  • fixed-term exclusions reduce
  • those pupils on a reduced timetable return quickly to full-time education.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders have not ensured that the school’s overall effectiveness is good. Aspects related to leadership and pupils’ personal development and behaviour in the playground are not yet good.
• A few pupils in the school are on a reduced timetable. Leadership has not ensured that there are clear enough plans in place to ease their rapid return to full-time education.
• Leaders have an honest and realistic view of the school, but plans for development do not focus enough on the areas that require improvement.
• Although leaders have a clear understanding of pupils’ attainment, the school’s system for assessing progress is quite complex and is not fully effective. Leaders acknowledge that the current system is unclear.
• Middle leadership is still developing. Currently, middle leaders do not have a significant enough impact on the areas for which they are responsible. This is because they do not focus enough on the progress pupils have made when they check work in books.
• Parents who responded to the Ofsted free-text facility expressed concerns about pupils’ behaviour and the high level of teacher turnover last year. Leaders have ensured that behaviour in class is now good, although in the playground a few pupils still do not behave well. There has been little staff turnover this year. Most parents who spoke to inspectors at the school gates acknowledged the positive improvements that have taken place.
• This is a school that is improving rapidly. In the year since the headteacher’s arrival, much has been accomplished. Many aspects of the school have been reinvigorated. The quality of teaching, and pupils’ outcomes, including in early years, are good. Pupils behave well in class. Staff morale is high.
• The curriculum plans clearly for pupils’ progression across a range of subjects. It gives pupils a good awareness of life in modern Britain. The aim of the curriculum is to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences that prepare them well for their future lives. In information technology, for example, pupils learn about coding and algorithms. The school has a range of visitors who help to bring pupils’ learning to life. For example, there was recently a visit from a group who re-enacted Viking stories. Pupils say that they enjoy their learning and the range of extra-curricular activities on offer, such as outdoor residential opportunities.
• The provision for physical education and sport is effective. Funding is used well to ensure that participation rates in sports are high. Staff have been well trained. Pupils say that they enjoy activities such as five-a-side football and netball. They like taking part in inter-school competitions with other Portsmouth schools.
• Staff are proud to work at this school. Most say that they feel well supported in their role by leaders.
• Pupil premium funding has been used effectively to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils.

Governance

• The local governing body has worked successfully to ensure good communication between the trust, leaders and parents and carers.
• However, some aspects of governance have been overlooked. The school’s website is not up to date. For example, the prospectus states that it was updated in 2016. Local governors recognise that they need more training to analyse the progress that pupils are making. Currently, they mainly check pupils’ attainment.
• Governors ensure that funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used effectively to purchase a range of resources to address pupils’ needs. For example, visual timetables help pupils to have a greater understanding of the key events of the school day.
• The board of directors has a clear oversight of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. It has provided effective support, which has ensured that the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning is good.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. If they have any concerns, pupils say that there is always a member of staff available whom they can talk to. A typical comment was, ‘Staff are friendly and care for us at this school.’
• Staff are very aware of pupils’ vulnerabilities. They have been well trained and know what to do if they have a concern. Leaders are tenacious in pursuing referrals to outside agencies. In this way, they ensure that pupils get the help and support they need.
• There are robust measures in place for checking on the suitability of staff prior to employment. Procedures for administering first aid and medication are well organised.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

• The quality of teaching is good and outcomes continue to improve. Senior leaders and advisers from the trust regularly visit lessons to check pupils’ work. Leaders have been proactive in challenging teacher underperformance.

Good

• Teachers have high expectations of pupils in lessons, both in terms of their behaviour and what they can achieve. Pupils make good use of the resources on offer. This was clearly demonstrated in a Year 3 lesson, where pupils were engaged in writing an account of a book they had read. As a pupil said, ‘I want to use the dictionary so I can make sure I use the right word.’
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan sequences of lessons that stimulate pupils’ interests. Teachers pitch work at the right level to help pupils learn well. They use their effective questioning skills to develop pupils’ understanding. This was seen during a mathematics lesson in Year 6, where pupils were questioned carefully to check their understanding of six-digit numbers.
• Phonics is well taught. The school’s new initiative is having a positive impact on outcomes. Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to write. For example, topic books show that pupils write extensively about historical events.
• Teaching assistants are used effectively in lessons to help those who need to catch up.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Some pupils are not fully involved in school life because they are on reduced timetables. This has a negative impact on their understanding of how to be successful learners. Plans for their re-integration are not clear.
• Pupils know about the different forms of bullying. They say that although some incidents do still occur occasionally, it is much improved. Pupils have strong and trusting relationships with staff. They are confident that any issues would be dealt with swiftly.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe, such as when online. They are very alert to the potential dangers of giving out personal information. Pupils have a good understanding of road safety and how to stay safe around railways.
• Pupils enjoy their learning. They work hard and achieve well. Pupils talk with pride and enthusiasm about what they are learning. Work in books is well presented.
• Pupils’ physical well-being is well promoted. They are encouraged to eat healthily. For instance, they can buy fruit during the morning break.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The behaviour of a few pupils in the playground is too boisterous. It has resulted in several fixed-term exclusions for a number of pupils. The playground is well supervised by staff. Pupils say that they feel safe. Most pupils play well together. Pupils say that behaviour is now much better than it was.
• Records show that there have been rapid improvements in pupils’ behaviour in class. Pupils say that the behaviour of others in class has improved ‘hugely’ and it rarely affects their learning. Inspectors saw that pupils behave well in lessons. They listen carefully to their teacher and quickly follow instructions.
• Attendance is in line with the national average. However, the persistent absence of a few pupils remains too high. Strategies put in place to improve their attendance have not yet made an impact.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils across the school are good. Pupils make strong progress across a range of subjects because teaching is good. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of their education.
• Pupils acquire secure phonics skills. They make a good start in understanding how to blend letters together to make words. Their early writing skills are strong. The percentage of pupils who reach the expected standard in the phonics reading check is similar to the national average in both Year 1 and the Year 2 re-take.
• Standards in key stage 1 are improving and are at least in line with the national average. Attainment is high in mathematics. Work in current pupils’ books shows that they make a good start in understanding addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.
• Pupils continue to make good progress through key stage 2. From broadly average starting points, they attain above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils demonstrate good spelling, punctuation and grammar skills. In mathematics, they have strong skills in mental calculation and geometry.
• In 2018, most-able pupils attained well in reading and mathematics, but few pupils reached the higher standard in writing. Work for current most-able pupils is not always well enough planned to develop their skills.
• Work provided for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is often too easy and this has a negative effect on their progress. This is particularly the case when pupils are educated out of the classroom.
• Pupils do well in science. For example, they demonstrate a good understanding of how plants grow. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their skills of analysis and evaluation when they conduct experiments.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils from their different starting points is improving. It is now similar to that of other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Children make good progress in early years. They are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Children usually start Reception with skills and abilities that are around those typical nationally for the age group. Speaking skills are a little lower. Staff plan effectively to ensure that children catch up quickly in their speaking. For example, they frequently replace children’s single-word responses with sentences. In this way, children quickly develop a larger vocabulary.
• As a result of good teaching, the percentage of children reaching a good level of development is similar to the national average. Children find activities exciting and fun. For example, during the inspection, children were enjoying re-telling the story of ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’.
• Children behave well and play happily together. They learn how to share resources. Staff make sure that children are able to use the inside and outside areas confidently.
• Parents are positive about early years. Newsletters provide clear information about what their child will be learning. Staff are skilled at helping children to settle in quickly. Routines are well established.
• Leadership in early years is strong. Leaders have created an environment that offers a rich variety of good-quality resources. Pupil premium funding is well used to ensure that most disadvantaged children reach a good level of development. Leaders track children’s development in some areas of learning well. However, in other areas of learning, such as understanding the world, progress is less carefully tracked.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142602 Portsmouth 10053525 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 343 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees David Haydn-Ellis Anthony Martin 02392 660178 www.westoverprimary.co.uk admin@westover-prim.portsmouth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Westover Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school opened in January 2016 as an academy. It is part of The Ridings Partnership, which is part of the Hamwic Education Multi Academy Trust.
• The management of the trust consists of a chief executive and a board of directors. Their role is to oversee the strategic direction of the school. The school also has a local governing body. It is responsible for aspects related to the day-to-day running of the school. These include monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and overseeing the website.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through pupil premium funding is similar to the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons and conducted learning walks across all year groups. Many observations were carried out jointly with the senior leaders.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about what it was like to attend this school. They considered the 43 responses to the online pupil questionnaire. Inspectors looked in pupils’ books and listened to them read.
• Inspectors reviewed the 56 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. There were also informal meetings with parents at the end of the school day.
• Discussions were held with the headteacher and other leaders. There was a meeting with the chief executive officer and two other members of the trust. A telephone conversation was held with a member of the local governing body.
• Inspectors had discussions with staff and reviewed the 22 responses to the staff questionnaire.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents. These included development plans, information about pupils’ progress, the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, and reviews of its own performance. Records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour and safeguarding documentation were also checked.

Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Kusum Trikha Alison Ashcroft

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector