Southbourne Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Leaders and governors should ensure that:

• the most able pupils, including those that are disadvantaged, are challenged consistently to enable them to achieve higher standards, especially in mathematics.
• middle leaders continue to develop their skills in analysing pupils’ assessment information, in order to ensure that all pupils attain their full potential.
• governors continue to refine their skills of holding the school to account, to accelerate the rise in standards further.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders’ high aspirations for all pupils to thrive and achieve well are shared by the majority of staff. Senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching through a range of activities, such as visits to classrooms and scrutiny of pupils’ work. Staff work together closely to share good practice, and training is organised as required. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning is improving constantly.
• Leaders have established robust procedures for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress. This gives teachers an accurate view of how well pupils are achieving. Pupils who are in danger of falling behind are identified quickly and extra help is provided.
• The curriculum is broad with a range of first-hand experiences, so that pupils enjoy learning a range of subjects and make good progress. Links are made to children’s literature and through topics such as ‘under the sea’, which links an historic study of Grace Darling with an exploration of the art of Alfred Wallis. The full programme of visits and visitors brings learning to life. Pupils in Year 2 enjoy an owl-handling workshop as part of the ‘down in the woods tonight’ topic and Year 1 visit Marwell Zoo during the ‘under the sea’ topic. Pupils and parents welcome the wide range of extra-curricular clubs. These activities are well attended by pupils and contribute successfully to learning.
• The school’s values, represented by a ‘rainbow’, are understood by all: governors, staff and pupils. These key values include respect, never giving up, and working together, which reflect British values and thread through the culture of the school. Pupils learn about democracy in school council and made recent decisions about the design of the outdoor activity area. Pupils learn about different faiths, for example the importance of Diwali in Hinduism and the celebration of Chinese New Year. Assemblies provide good opportunities for pupils to reflect and listen to the views of others. Consequently, the school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain, and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is taught effectively.
• Leaders make sure that pupils have equal opportunity to do well. For example, an emotional intelligence group helps pupils cope with challenges. Pupils who have difficulty completing home learning activities are supported to complete them in school.
• Leaders at all levels have the ambition to ensure continued improvement in their areas of responsibility. There is a strong sense of purpose that permeates the school. However, as recognised by senior leaders, middle leaders are still developing skills in analysing pupils’ assessment information, and training is being provided.
• Much good work has been done since the previous inspection to improve the provision for the most able pupils. However, leaders accept that more needs to be done to ensure that the most able pupils make consistently good progress, especially in mathematics. and pupils. Governors monitor the school development plan closely, and they are

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Leaders and governors share high aspirations for the school aware of their responsibility to hold leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes. A termly monitoring timetable helps maintain focus, and governors work closely with school staff. Governors know the school well.
• Governors monitor school expenditure carefully to ensure that it has a good impact on pupils’ outcomes, including additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and physical education. As a result, most disadvantaged pupils make strong progress, and a range of sporting opportunities is provided.
• Governors attend training regularly and understand how this helps them fulfil their role. They maintain an effective overview of staff training. Staff morale is high and training opportunities are welcomed by staff to help accelerate pupils’ progress.
• Governors are reflective and seeking constantly to improve. They have conducted a self-evaluation and are addressing the action points currently, including ‘working smarter’ and asking more probing questions.
• Governors maintain increasingly comprehensive minutes. These records reflect an organised and purposeful approach. There are, however, missed opportunities to ensure that leaders are challenged robustly. Action points are not identified clearly and followed up, and some items presented by leaders are accepted with minimal comment.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have successfully established a safe culture in the school. They make sure that training for staff and governors is up to date. Staff know what to do if they have any safeguarding concerns. Leaders maintain careful records. Robust systems are in place when staff are recruited. As a result, pupils feel safe and parents are confident that their children are safe.
• Pupils are well cared for. They are confident that there is someone to talk to about their concerns. They know that any issues raised will be taken seriously by staff and dealt with promptly. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to help support pupils and families as needed.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is consistently effective in most classes. Consequently, most pupils benefit from typically strong practice.
• Most teachers have high expectations. These high expectations can be seen in the lessons that teachers plan, the positive environments created and the quality of the discussions with pupils. Most pupils enjoy being challenged, are highly engaged and are keen to learn.
• Pupils’ learning is motivated by lessons linked to a range of carefully chosen topics, for example ‘superheroes’ and ‘out of Africa’. Pupils have the chance to apply and practise literacy and numeracy skills in a wide range of contexts. As a result, pupils make strong progress in these key areas of learning.
• Adults question pupils skilfully to build on previous learning. Questions are broken down into smaller ones when pupils are struggling, and on some occasions made more challenging when questions are too easy.
• Additional adults make an important contribution. They are enthusiastic and support the pupils’ learning with careful questioning. Teachers brief the additional adults well about planned activities and, as a result, pupils are engaged and learn successfully.
• Teachers know the pupils well, and most teachers ensure that lessons meet the differing needs of pupils effectively. The careful use of equipment, a variety of tasks and adult support help pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities to succeed in lessons.
• Teachers set home learning challenges regularly in line with school policy. Pupils enjoy these challenges and the chance to present their work to their class. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress and are able to support their children with these activities at home. As a result, pupils’ home learning contributes effectively to their learning in school.
• There are many strengths to teaching, learning and assessment. However, leaders recognise that the most able pupils are not consistently challenged. For example, there are variations between classes, and opportunities to stretch the most able pupils through tasks or questions that demand mathematical reasoning are currently too limited. As a result, too few pupils achieve their full potential.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are known as individuals and the staff work closely with families to provide relevant individual support, when required. Plans for pupils with individual needs, including medical needs, ensure that these pupils play an active part in the life of the school.
• Pupils feel safe and are taught how to keep themselves safe. They speak confidently about how to use computers safely and behave sensibly around the campfire. Parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, are overwhelmingly satisfied that their children are safe and that any concerns are taken seriously.
• Pupils are confident that any incidents of unkindness are dealt with promptly by staff. They are happy to talk to staff about their concerns.
• Pupils speak happily and confidently about their school. They enjoy taking part in a wide range of activities on offer, including gymnastics after school, learning Spanish and cooking bread over an open fire in the outdoors.
• Staff know pupils very well and relationships are very good. Pupils are tolerant, respectful of each other and work well together. Outdoor learning gives pupils time to work together building dens. A Hindu dance workshop gives pupils an opportunity to learn about other cultures.
• Parents appreciate the breadth of opportunities provided by the school. One parent commented, ‘Both of my children love going to school and enjoy all aspects of school life.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave very well around the school and in lessons. They move around the school in an orderly manner and cooperate well in the playground. They gain much from a wide range of outdoor activities and well-organised lunchtimes.
• Pupils are keen to attend school. They arrive punctually. Leaders follow up absence swiftly and, as a result, pupils’ attendance has improved so it is now close to the national average. The attendance for all groups, including disadvantaged pupils, is improving.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They take pride in their work and enjoy being challenged.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good and improving progress in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils are now achieving in line with pupils in other schools, and most pupils are well prepared for key stage 2
• Disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to all pupils. Their progress is tracked closely and additional activities are provided to help them catch-up where necessary.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, and their families, are supported effectively. Consequently, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress.
• Pupils enjoy reading a variety of texts, and read regularly, both in and out of school. They make strong progress in phonics and use these skills independently when reading and writing.
• Current pupils’ work across the school shows good progress in a range of subjects including science, outdoor education, geography and history. Pupils have opportunities to apply literacy and numeracy skills in these areas. The rich curriculum, with a wide range of first-hand experiences, such as making African jewellery and the ‘fire of London’ project, contributes well to pupils’ outcomes.
• Although progress is now good overall, the most able pupils are not challenged consistently. Pupils do not routinely have access to problem-solving and reasoning activities in maths, and expectations have not been consistently high enough. As a result, not enough pupils attain the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Teaching is good in early years. Adults’ skilful questioning and increasingly high expectations help to ensure that most children make strong progress. Some of the most able children are not always challenged to think deeply in all areas of the curriculum. Consequently, the most able have not achieved their full potential consistently, a fact recognised by leaders.
• Most children start Reception with skills and abilities that are broadly in line with those that are typical for their age. However, this varies from year to year. Early years leadership is strong. Children’s achievements are tracked rigorously, and this progress information is used routinely to plan activities and next steps in learning. The learning of children who have SEN and/or disabilities is supported well. As a result, children at the end of Reception are currently attaining in line with children nationally, and they are being well prepared for key stage 1.
• Extra funding for disadvantaged children is spent effectively and tracked closely. Staff know these children well. Consequently, disadvantaged children make similar progress to that of other children.
• The early years environment is stimulating and organised well, with a range of indoor and outdoor activities. Children enjoy junk modelling, dressing up and writing speech bubbles for a range of superheroes, which support their learning well. The outdoor physical space limits the range of physical development activities but this is being addressed by leaders.
• Parents are kept well informed, and a close partnership helps parents to support their children’s learning successfully. Parents speak very positively about procedures to help their children when they start school, welcoming regular information meetings, opportunities for ‘stay and play’ and providing information for their child’s learning journal. As a result, children settle into the early years quickly.
• Phonics is taught effectively and children make good progress. Children enjoy taking part in dance workshops to practise their letters and sounds. As a result, during ‘free choice’, the children use their phonics independently in both reading and early writing.
• Behaviour is very good. Children are keen to learn. They are taught how to be successful learners, as they are encouraged not to give up too easily, and to be independent. For example, two children helped each other with the scissors and sticky tape to make a trap for ‘Mister Pea’.
• Staff know the children well and relationships are very strong. Staff know how to keep the children safe and have attended safeguarding training. Consequently, safe procedures are implemented routinely and parents are overwhelmingly confident that their children are safe.

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School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125875 West Sussex 10041008 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Community 5 to 7 Mixed 178 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ms Alison Barker and Ms Linda Reeves Mrs Louise Partridge 01243 372727

www.southbourneinfants.co.uk head@southbourneinfants.co.uk

Date of previous inspection 27–28 November 2013

Information about this school

• The school is slightly smaller 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 much smaller proportion of pupils than the national average is eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is much lower than the national average, although the proportion with education, health and care plans is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching, learning and assessment in all classes, including Reception classes, some jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors talked to pupils, looked at a wide range of their work and listened to pupils read.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the co-chairs of the governing body and three other governors, the local authority representative and the school’s senior and middle leaders.
• Inspectors took account of the 68 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and considered the 67 free-text responses provided and one letter from a parent.
• Inspectors also spoke to parents and carers during the inspection.
• Inspectors considered 12 responses to the Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.
• The inspectors observed the wider work of the school, including an assembly, playtimes and lunchtime.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents including: minutes of governing body meetings, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, the school development plan, information about leaders’ monitoring of teaching and pupils’ progress, school policies, behaviour and safety records, safeguarding policies and procedures, and the single central record of recruitment checks made on staff.

Inspection team

Rosemary Addison, lead inspector Alan Jenner

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector