Bamford Academy

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 25–26 January 2012 Inspection number 386096 Unique Reference Number 137471 Local authority Not applicable Inspection number 386096 Inspection dates 25–26 January 2012 Lead inspector Eithne Proffitt

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Academy School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 309 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adrian Powell Headteacher Cherie Rivero Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected School address Belgium Street Bamford Rochdale OL11 5PS Telephone number 01706 631496 Fax number 01706 631663 Email address office@bamfordacademy.co.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

Eithne Proffitt Lesley Traves Additional inspector Additional inspector Peter Marsh Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 12 lessons taught by 11 teachers and one phonics (linking letters with the sounds they make) session delivered by a teaching assistant. Two lessons were joint observations with the Principal. Inspectors spoke formally with two groups of pupils and informally with others during work and play. Meetings were held with the Chair and vice- chair of the Governing Board, the Principal, deputy headteacher and members of the senior and key stage leadership teams. Inspectors listened to children read and discussed the work they have been doing in class this academic year and during their time in school. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed the school's work and looked at a range of documents, including the self-evaluation summary, school improvement plan, pupils’ work, the Academy’s

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Introduction

documents regarding pupils’ progress and attainment and those relating to the safeguarding of pupils.

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Introduction

Inspectors analysed 77 parent and carers’ questionnaires as well as others completed by pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

Bamford Academy is a larger than average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the proportion of pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs. Percentages of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those for whom English is an additional language, are well above those found nationally. The academy meets the current government floor standard. The school converted to Academy status in September 2011. The academy is led by a Principal and managed by a Governing Board, consisting of directors and trustees. The predecessor school attained the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Activemark Sports, Investors in People, Healthy School status and the International Schools and Bronze Eco School awards; these are retained by the academy. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 Bamford Academy is satisfactory. It has some significant strengths, particularly in the consistently good behaviour of the pupils and in the recent, imaginative adaptations to the curriculum.

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Key Findings

 Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to the academy, as is reflected in their above average attendance. Older pupils revel in opportunities that stimulate and engage their interests and they speak excitedly about the new curriculum arrangements. This strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development but is not yet effective in securing further improvements in all pupils’ progress, especially that of younger pupils.

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Key Findings

 In 2011, attainment in the end of Year 6 national tests was above average. Pupils’ achievement over time, however, is satisfactory rather than good. This is because staffing changes and inconsistencies in the quality of teaching have resulted in erratic progress for groups of pupils in different classes across the academy. More-able pupils make satisfactory progress but could achieve more, especially in Key Stage 1. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress, however, recent staffing issues have meant extra intervention sessions are not currently provided and this limits these pupils’ progress.

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Key Findings

 While there are some examples of consistently good, motivational teaching, not all teachers use the school’s assessment information to exploit pupils’ capabilities or challenge them to achieve their very best. Teaching is, therefore, satisfactory overall. The curriculum and provision for children in the Reception and Year 1 classes are insufficiently focused on meeting and addressing individuals’ learning needs.

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Key Findings

 Leaders and managers, including the governing board, have focused their vision and ambition on the challenge of moving the school forward while also managing a high number of staff absences. Unfortunately, these issues have, in the interim, limited their effectiveness to improve the quality of teaching and drive up standards. Leadership and management are, therefore, satisfactory. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils make good progress to raise their attainment in English and mathematics by teachers: - using accurate assessment information about where pupils are in their learning to plan and deliver engaging, practical and challenging tasks for all groups of pupils in all lessons, especially for the more able - making certain that they check on pupils’ progress as they learn, helping them to make the best possible progress in all lessons and over time - providing consistency in marking so that all pupils are given constructive guidance towards the next steps in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enrich learning in the Reception and Year 1 to be at least good by: - providing children in the Reception class with more opportunities to explore activities and learning experiences for themselves both indoors and in the outdoor area - ensuring that, in Year 1, planning, teaching and the activities provided appropriately address the individual learning needs of all the children.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the rigorous accountability of all leaders for improving all pupils’ performance by: - ensuring work is always accurately targeted to build on prior learning and to promote good progress, especially in the transition between Reception and Year 1 - ensuring that all checks on teaching, through lesson observations and analysis of pupils’ work, focus on pupils’ achievement not just in lessons but over time - checking that that gaps in performance between groups of pupils are being narrowed rapidly - injecting more rigour into monitoring to ensure that all of the above are implemented consistently and are bringing about the intended improvements to all pupils’ achievement.

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Achievement of pupils

While most parents and carers feel that their children make good progress in school, inspectors judge that achievement is satisfactory. This, however, is not reflective of pupils’ enthusiasm, interest and commitment to their learning. In most lessons, in their discussions with other pupils and their teachers, they are articulate, responsive learners, eager to offer their thoughts and ideas. However, on occasions, some pupils work passively through set tasks or attention drifts when the work is too hard, too easy, or the pace of the lesson slows. Here, progress in lessons wanes and valuable learning time is wasted.

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Achievement of pupils

On entry to the Reception class, most children’s skills are in line with those expected for their age. However, the current intake contains a higher proportion with weaknesses in their early communication, literacy and numeracy skills and of children who speak English as an additional language. Despite making satisfactory progress as a result of effective formal teaching, quite a number of children, including those who speak English as an additional language, have skills below those expected in key areas of communication, language, literacy and mathematics when they leave Reception.

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Achievement of pupils

Although achievement is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 1, some pupils in Year 1, who are slower to develop their early learning skills, do not make enough progress because they are asked to attempt work for which they are ill-equipped to cope. In addition, more-able pupils sometimes find tasks too easy. Overall in Key Stage 1, pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress. The most recent Year 2 teacher assessments indicate that, despite overall average attainment, more- able pupils underachieved at Level 3.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ attainment in reading is average by the end of Year 2 and above average by the end of Year 6. This signifies better progress in this subject as a result of a more effectively focused and structured approach to teaching this skill. Pupils’ satisfactory progress and achievement continue in Years 3 and 4. However, evidence from the school’s assessment data, from lesson observations and from pupils’ work, also indicates that many pupils, especially in upper Key Stage 2, who have lost ground in previous years, are progressing at an accelerated rate in reading, writing and mathematics. This has resulted from good teaching. School data also indicate, however, that not all pupils are currently back on track in all subjects to reach the above average attainment of Year 6 pupils, evident in the predecessor school in 2011.

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Quality of teaching

Where teaching is stronger, there are high expectations of pupils’ abilities and work rates. Teachers use probing questioning and provide hands-on, practical activities to develop skills and deepen pupils’ understanding, frequently checking how pupils are moving on in their learning. In a Year 6 mathematics session, for example, pupils confidently explained how their learning about division, remainders and converting had moved on since the beginning of the week. Activities were practical, short, sharp and time-limited. This ensured pupils’ engagement, enjoyment and rapid progress and made a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.

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Quality of teaching

Not all teaching is as well planned, executed or has such positive impact. Teachers provide pupils with clear learning objectives and success criteria but these and the activities provided are often the same for all pupils, regardless of their ability. Tasks are sometimes mundane and at times inappropriate. For example, very young pupils copy sums from a text book, older pupils record definitions in silence and over use worksheets. The curriculum is not sufficiently adapted to meet the needs of all groups in such lessons and pupils often ‘tread water’ rather than surge forward in their learning. The quality of teachers’ marking is also variable. There are some striking examples of older pupils engaged in written dialogue with their friends and their teachers about the best ways to improve a piece of work. ‘This is great – your work then gets better and better’. Other examples fail to show pupils how to

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Quality of teaching

improve their work or move their learning on.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching in the Reception is satisfactory. Small focus-group teaching ensures that the children have appropriate attention to enable them to make steady progress. However, these structured activities are often overly adult-directed and do not provide sufficient opportunities for children to extend and direct their own learning. The Reception practitioners recognise the need to increase such opportunities both indoors and outdoors to assure the children’s full entitlement to a rich and varied curriculum.

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Quality of teaching

With few exceptions, parents and carers feel that their children are taught well, making good progress and are helped to develop skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics. Some parents and carers are rightly concerned about pupils’ needs not being fully met, particularly those of more-able pupils. These concerns are addressed in the body of this report.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ consistently good behaviour contributes to the atmosphere of calm that pervades the school, especially during lesson times. Pupils say they respect their teachers and their teachers respect them. Pupils are very clear about behaviour management systems and that, when necessary, these are rigorously implemented. They understand the distinction between bullying in all its forms and other behaviours and are confident that the school now deals with such issues swiftly and appropriately. In responses to the questionnaires, a considerable proportion of pupils responded that, while they feel safe in school, behaviour is sometimes not so good. This appears to stem from the pupils’ current high expectations of their own behaviour and that of others. It also reflects the inspection findings that, at times when pupils feel out of sight or earshot of adults, they sometimes behave more exuberantly, or, when pupils’ attention drifts from teaching or tasks, they become more

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils have a keen sense of how to stay safe and older pupils are particularly skilled in recognising the dangers posed by their use of the internet and mobile phones. Nearly every parent and carer who responded to the questionnaire states that their child feels safe in school and that their learning is not disrupted by bad behaviour. Parents and carers of disabled pupils and those with very specific needs are generous in their praise of how well their children are nurtured. Inspection findings closely concur with these views.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is consistently above average and most pupils are prompt to lessons at the start of the school day and at the end of breaks. There are satisfactory systems established for the minority of pupils who are persistently absent and those who are less-punctual, although some current procedures are more unsuitably targeted at pupils rather than parents and carers.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and governing body of the predecessor school shared a vision that became realised in the conversion to academy status. In reflecting the academy’s aim, ‘Inspiring to achieve’, improvement plans have been formulated that, in many cases, reflect the main areas identified for improvement by this inspection. Not all these, however, have yet been implemented or have impacted on pupils’ attainment and achievement. Leaders and the governing body cite some extenuating, contributory factors, most notably in the challenge faced by the high number of staff absences. Understandably these have been difficult to manage but, nevertheless, have resulted in pupils’ current achievement being inconsistent. The school aims to promote equality but the variation in rates of progress by groups of pupils means that it is only satisfactorily implemented. Discrimination in any form is not tolerated and contributes significantly to the harmonious community. The model of

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Leadership and management

distributed leadership, although in its infancy, demonstrates commitment, enthusiasm, and a recognition of the core issues that need to be addressed to ensure at least good achievement and full equality of opportunity for all pupils. This is a strength of the academy and improvements so far demonstrate that capacity for sustained improvement is satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring of teaching by the Principal is accurate and identifies key issues for improvement that are linked to the academy’s current professional development strategies; the ‘big picture’ of the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress over time is not as well addressed. Other leaders are engaged in monitoring but, as yet, recommended actions are not being followed through sufficiently to ensure consistently good teaching, learning, progress and achievement.

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Leadership and management

The school successfully safeguards pupils’ well-being, security and welfare through effective child protection systems, up-to-date training and compliance with statutory requirements. Much work has gone into making the wider curriculum more meaningful, exciting and engaging through themes and ‘learning challenges’. Woven through this are good opportunities to develop pupils’ social skills, moral and cultural awareness and citizenship. Strong links are being forged with other schools and settings across the globe and, combined with the academy’s own wealth of cultural backgrounds; pupils are becoming increasingly aware of the diversity within their own multicultural society and beyond. However, it is still early days and, while effectively promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, the curriculum is satisfactory as it does not appropriately meet the needs of all groups of pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Bamford Academy, Rochdale, OL11 5PS

Thank you so much for the very warm welcome you gave us when we inspected your academy. We really enjoyed meeting and chatting with you and know you are proud to be part of Bamford Academy. We found that your academy provides you with a satisfactory education. This means that there are things that your school does well and others that still need some improvement.

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Inspection of Bamford Academy, Rochdale, OL11 5PS

We were delighted to note your above average attendance – well done and keep it up! Your behaviour is impressive − you enjoy school, respect your teachers and each other and are very polite and welcoming to visitors. We agree when you say that when your teachers give you more challenging, exciting activities, your learning is faster and much more fun.

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Inspection of Bamford Academy, Rochdale, OL11 5PS

So, to help your school to improve even further, we have asked your Principal, teachers and the governing board to do the following.  Provide more exciting, imaginative activities for the little ones so that they can really have fun and speed ahead in their learning.  Make sure that your teachers make lessons more exciting and challenging so that they really stretch your learning.  Ensure that your teachers give really useful feedback on your work, so you know how well you are doing and what you need to do next to move your learning even further forward.  Make certain that your Principal and leadership team keep a closer eye on the progress you are making in your lessons and over your time in the academy.

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Inspection of Bamford Academy, Rochdale, OL11 5PS

We also think that you can help by continuing to be the best that you can be, enjoying your success and being really proud of your achievements. Thank you once again for being so kind and friendly – we enjoyed seeing you at work and play!

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Inspection of Bamford Academy, Rochdale, OL11 5PS

Eithne Proffitt Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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