The New Forest Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement Governors have not challenged leaders with sufficient rigour to halt the decline in standards. Leaders' self-evaluation and improvement planning is not precise enough.

It lacks the detail to check that actions have the intended impact. Leaders' evaluation of the use of additional funding, provided for disadvantaged pupils and the development of sport, is not sharp enough to inform future planning. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable.

Teachers do not routinely plan learning which is matched to pupils' starting points. Teachers do not consistently use assessment to identify misconceptions or... to build on what pupils already know. The most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently and those requiring additional support are not given the help they need to catch up.

Pupils do not make good enough progress by the end of Year 6. In 2017, progress was significantly below that of other schools nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils do not progress well enough in the early years.

This is particularly so for the most able children and the lowest-achieving boys. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities do not make sufficient progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders' use of additional funding is not having sufficient impact on improving their outcomes.

The curriculum ensures coverage of a broad range of subjects. However, it lacks depth to deepen pupils' knowledge and apply this well to different situations and subjects. The school has the following strengths Pupils' behaviour is good.

The positive values that underpin the school are integral to the way in which pupils think and relate to each other. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment in key stage 1 is good. This means that the number of pupils who reach the expected standard by the end of Year 2 is above the national average.

Information about this school

The New Forest Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average voluntary- aided school. The headteacher was appointed in September 2013. The majority of pupils are from a White British background and no pupils speak English as an additional language.

The number of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has risen over the last three years and is now in line with the national average. The number of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is lower than the national average. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average.

Governors arranged a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in December 2015. At that time, the school's distinctiveness and effectiveness as a church school were judged to be outstanding. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.