Nursling Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at Nursling Primary and apply themselves well to any given task.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

The Nursling team want the very best for pupils in their care, socially and academically.

The values, 'love, hope and courage', weave through all aspects of school life. Relationships are strong. Staff expect all pupils to be brave in their learning and try their best.'

Cyril the Squirrel', the school mascot, reminds pupils to be ready to learn and resilient when challenged. Pupils show determination to achieve well.

Pupils told us that they feel safe in school....

They said that bullying rarely happens and trust adults to sort out any problems that may arise. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. This learning includes road safety, managing feelings and how to keep themselves safe when online.

Pupils enjoy many aspects of school life such as learning to play musical instruments, homework projects and 'Olympic Day'. They especially like how they can take part in both competitive and non-competitive sport. Younger pupils told us how much they enjoy learning how to care for 'Nigel', the bearded dragon.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is well led and managed. Leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure that pupils study a wide variety of subjects, to a high standard. Leaders have mapped out exactly what they want pupils to learn in every subject.

However, despite the quality of education across the school being much better than it was in the past, pupils' attainment in reading and mathematics in national tests at the end of Year 6 still lags behind that of most other primary schools.

Teachers value their training, which helps them teach the ambitious curriculum. For example, science teaching has been strengthened.

Teachers know exactly how to build pupils' investigative and practical skills. Teachers' subject knowledge is strong. They give clear explanations to pupils when teaching new content.

Leaders have identified key vocabulary to be taught and used. Pupils confidently use these new and often technical words well. For example, in a Year 3 science lesson, pupils were using words such as igneous, durability and transparent correctly.

While most pupils achieve well, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always reach their full potential. Support for this group of pupils is not precise enough.

Reading is taught well and is central to learning at Nursling Primary.

Phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) teaching is precise. Teachers are quick to correct any pupil who is mispronouncing a sound. They model the correct sounds well.

Leaders have carefully thought about the pace they want pupils to progress through the phonics programme. This means that any pupil who is not keeping up can be identified swiftly and extra help put in place. Leaders also ensure that parents and carers understand what their children are learning.

For example, staff show parents how they teach pupils to read, so that parents know what they can do to help.

Pupils love reading. Children in the early years have created their own 'reading hut', complete with blankets, cushions, books and magazines.

They enjoy sharing books with each other. Leaders have carefully chosen high-quality texts to study in lessons to link learning for pupils. For example, pupils learn about fossils in science after reading an historical book on the life of Mary Anning.

Pupils understand the recently introduced behaviour policy and respond to it well. Bullying is not tolerated. Classrooms are productive places where pupils can learn without being interrupted.

Children in the early years are confident learners who work together well.

Leaders plan well for pupils' well-being and social development. During the inspection, leaders had organised a workshop encouraging pupils to look after their mental health.

This was in preparation for 'World Mental Health Day' later in the week. One pupil reflected, 'Singing clears my mind.' Pupils have a good understanding of equalities.

For example, as part of their topic on space, pupils in Year 5 had been learning about Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician. They explained how unfairly she had been treated in her early life. However, pupils' cultural understanding, including that of other faiths, is less well developed.

Staff morale is high at Nursling. Staff respect their leaders. They know that leaders consider their opinions and workload when they introduce new initiatives into the school.

Staff are a united team, focusing on the best possible outcomes for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Practice for managing safeguarding in the school is strong.

Staff are well trained. They know exactly what to do if they are anxious about a pupil. Record-keeping is meticulous and communication between staff is strong.

This has resulted in a culture where all worries, however small, are shared with the right people.

Leaders take prompt action to escalate concerns when necessary. They make sure that all pre-employment checks are carried out before adults work or volunteer in the school.

Staff work closely with families and help them when they need extra support.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders are ambitious with what they want pupils to learn. A demanding curriculum is now in place.

Leaders know that pupils need to make strong progress if the legacy of poor teaching and learning from the past is to be overcome. Leaders need to monitor and review the success of the newly introduced curriculum so that pupils leave Nursling Primary having attained well. .

Leaders do not have an accurate strategic overview of the specific needs of pupils with SEND. The support that is currently in place for this group of pupils is not precise or tailored enough to pupils' specific needs. Leaders need to ensure that they improve the provision for pupils with SEND, including rigorously monitoring and reviewing pupils' plans, so that these pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.

. Currently, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop a deep understanding of other cultures and faiths. Leaders need to ensure that pupils have more opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain and beyond.