Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery, located in Southsea, Hampshire, underwent an inspection on June 25 and 26, 2024. The overall effectiveness of the school was rated as requiring improvement, with specific areas of strength and areas needing development identified. The quality of education was also rated as requiring improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, as well as personal development, were rated as outstanding. Leadership and management, along with early years provision, received a good rating.
The headteacher, Lee Branscombe, leads the school, which is part of the University of Portsmouth Academy Trust. The trust is overseen by interim CEO Gwennan Harrison-Jones and a board of trustees. The school is characterized by its strong community ties, with a diverse student body that speaks over 50 different languages. The school promotes inclusivity and aims to raise aspirations among its pupils through robust pastoral support and a tailored personal development programme.
Despite the positive environment and strong relationships among staff and pupils, the school recognizes the need for further work to embed curriculum changes to ensure all pupils achieve well. The school has made strides in improving its curriculum, but it is still too early to assess the full impact of these changes on student outcomes. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, focusing on what pupils need to remember. However, there are inconsistencies in how new ideas are introduced, leading to some misconceptions among pupils.
The school has effective systems in place to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Staff adapt tasks to ensure these pupils can learn alongside their peers, resulting in good achievement for these students. Reading is prioritized from Nursery onwards, with a focus on helping pupils learn to read quickly. However, there is variability in phonics instruction, with some staff providing excellent support while others do not meet the same standards. This inconsistency affects the speed and fluency with which the weakest readers learn.
The school fosters a sense of belonging and involvement among pupils, who take pride in their roles as ambassadors for mental health and other initiatives. The school has established positive links within the local community, enhancing pupils' experiences and broadening their horizons. The personal, social, and health education programme encourages pupils to engage with mature themes and concepts.
Attendance has been a focus for the school, and efforts to improve it have been effective, resulting in increased attendance rates and a reduction in persistent absenteeism. The school provides tailored support to families needing assistance with attendance issues. Staff are well-trained in maintaining positive behaviour and have high expectations for pupils, which are instilled from an early age.
The safeguarding arrangements at the school are effective, ensuring the safety and well-being of all pupils. However, the inspection highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in the consistency of teaching practices and the identification of misconceptions during lessons. The school is encouraged to ensure that all staff utilize effective pedagogical approaches and robustly check pupils' understanding to enhance learning outcomes. Additionally, there is a need for all staff to receive comprehensive training in early reading instruction to support the weakest readers more effectively. Overall, while the school has many strengths, there are clear areas identified for improvement to enhance the educational experience for all pupils.
