Breadsall CofE VC Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 31 January–1 February

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Inspection number 378564 Breadsall CofE VC Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 112805 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 378564 Inspection dates 31 January 2012 –1 February 2012 Lead inspector Alison Cogher

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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 Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 105 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Ovenden Headteacher Rachel Payne Date of previous school inspection 8 October 2008 School address Moor Road Breadsall Derby DE21 5LA Telephone number 01332 831328 Fax number 01332 835421 Email address info@breadsall.derbyshire.sch.uk 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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.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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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector visited 10 lessons and observed six teachers for periods of between 20 and 40 minutes. The inspector listened to pupils read and held discussions with them about their learning. Meetings were held with staff and members of the governing body. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at documents including the school’s self-evaluation information, the school improvement plan and curriculum planning. Pupils’ work and the school’s information about their attainment and progress were also scrutinised. The views of staff, pupils and 56 parents and carers were considered, as expressed through the returned questionnaires.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller than average-sized primary school. Most pupils are from White British families. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those learning English as an additional language is lower than average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is low. The percentage of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average. The school meets the government’s current floor standard. The headteacher took up her post in September 2011. The school has achieved Healthy School status. 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

 This is a good school. Pupils enjoy school and perceive it as ‘homely, friendly and with a family feel’. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded through the questionnaire endorse these positive views.

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Key findings

 Caution is needed when making generalisations because of the small numbers involved each year, but school-based data and pupils’ current work show that attainment overall is above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school in Year 6. Pupils achieve well.

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Key findings

 The gains pupils make in reading are often more than in writing with the result that attainment in writing is not consistently as high as for reading.

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Key findings

 Teaching is consistently good so pupils learn well in lessons and over time.

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Key findings

 Assessment information is used well to ensure that activities in lessons take good account of the wide range of age and ability in the school’s mixed age classes. Marking of pupils’ work is supportive and provides pupils with clear guidance for improvement.

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Key findings

 ‘Children care not only about their school but each other too’ captures the many positive responses from parents and carers about pupils’ good behaviour and personal development. Pupils are attentive in lessons and work well with a partner or in a small group. They are very positive about their learning and are confident that they are taught well.

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Key findings

 Pupils learn factual information about other religious faiths and ethnic cultures but have no direct experience of the diversity of the global community.

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Key findings

 Good leadership enables staff to work collaboratively to secure ongoing improvements to the quality and consistency of teaching. School improvement planning is well informed by accurate self-evaluation information gathered 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

through a variety of monitoring activities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in writing by Year 6 so that it better matches their attainment in reading by:  ensuring that best practice in teaching writing is shared  raising expectations and increasing pupils’ progress in writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Press on with the plans to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the diversity of the global community by:  ensuring links are established that give pupils the opportunity to engage with pupils from other cultural and ethnic communities and learn about how they lead their lives.

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Achievement of pupils

There is some variation from year to year but children typically start in Reception with skills that are broadly at the level expected for their age. They make good progress and are well-prepared for their work in Year 1. Most parents who returned questionnaires are rightly pleased with the progress their children are making. In all year groups most pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress from their individual starting points. Pupils who need additional help with their work receive individual or small group support that enables them to make as good progress as other pupils. As a result they are closing the gap on other pupils nationally. Teaching assistants provide much of this support and work closely with teachers to ensure activities are well-targeted to meet pupils’ specific learning needs. There is no significant variation in the achievement of boys and girls

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Achievement of pupils

or pupils of different abilities and backgrounds in the school.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy reading and employ a variety of strategies to help them read unfamiliar words, including their knowledge of the sounds letters make. By the end of Year 2 pupils’ attainment is above average in reading and mathematics and broadly average in writing. Pupils’ progress in writing is good between Years 3 and 6 but it is often better in reading. Consequently, by the end of Year 6 although their attainment in English is above average it is often higher in reading than writing. Pupils’ progress in mathematics is consistently good and their above average attainment in Year 2 is sustained and built upon well to Year 6.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils use their reading, writing and mathematical skills well in other subjects. For example, in a Year 5 and 6 science lesson, pupils worked together to design and record a fair test to check how the rusting of nails might be inhibited. In Year 1 and 2 pupils designed posters to advertise a circus, taking care to ensure they contained all the information needed, together with some persuasive text to entice potential customers to attend. These types of activities are a regular feature of lessons that 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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Achievement of pupils

provide opportunities for pupils to work together, to ask questions and explore ideas. As they do so they make connections between aspects of their learning that give it relevance. This approach contributes well to pupils’ enjoyment of school, their learning overall and their personal development.

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Quality of teaching

The very large majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire consider that children are well taught. Inspection evidence supports this view. Good teaching is the norm in the school with a number of strengths that are consistent features in lessons. There is a clear and well-articulated focus on what pupils are expected to learn. The well-organised curriculum provides good support for teachers in their planning. Pupils are given specific targets for a lesson or series of lessons which they understand and work hard to achieve. These targets accommodate the varying needs of pupils in the class whilst retaining a common thread. This approach allows pupils who achieve their target quickly to move speedily up to the next level and this contributes well to their good learning.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of key literacy and numeracy skills is good. Pupils’ reading is supported well by the focused teaching of specific skills for reading, and the systematic teaching of letter sounds. Questioning is used well to check pupils’ understanding and to challenge pupils to explain their answers or their thinking. Regular reference is made to pupils’ individual targets for learning. Particularly good use is made of pupils’ written responses to exemplify to other pupils what a correct answer or quality piece of work looks like. In the Year 3 and 4 class the ‘Writing we are proud of’ display helps pupils to understand what they are aspiring to achieve each day. The quality of oral feedback to pupils together with good quality marking of their work, which they are given time to respond to, ensures errors are corrected quickly and a good pace of learning is sustained. Pupils are regularly asked to assess their

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Quality of teaching

own and each other’s work; a task that they complete with honesty and respect. These aspects reflect the importance the school places on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the sensitivity with which pupils’ learning is managed.

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Quality of teaching

Good use is made of resources and a range of teaching strategies to capture pupils’ imagination. In the very best lessons this approach fully engages pupils and they make rapid gains in their learning. For example, Year 5 and 6 pupils’ writing of observations from another’s perspective was greatly enhanced when they took on the role of Sherlock Holmes and sought to unpick the events experienced by their teacher on his way to school. His clothing and dishevelled appearance that was markedly different to his normal look, provided them with clues which they enthusiastically recorded in their writing. Mathematics teaching is well structured to enable pupils to build successfully on their previous learning. Practical activities support pupils’ knowledge and understanding of key concepts in mathematics and their ability to apply these to practical problem solving tasks. For example, pupils in reception learn about money and the concept of more and less when acting out the

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Quality of teaching

rhyme ‘Five Currant Buns’. 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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Quality of teaching

Homework is set regularly and helps to ensure pupils develop their independence as learners as well as strengthening their skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are enthusiastic about their on-line mathematics homework and the independent research projects that they complete over a few weeks. These projects encourage pupils’ independence as learners and allow them to present to others what they have found out and learned in a way that is personal to them.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

All of the parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire were confident that their children are safe and well looked after at school. Most also considered that behaviour is good in school. Inspection observations endorse these views. Pupils feel safe at school and understand how their actions contribute to a safe learning environment for everyone. They behave well in lessons and conduct themselves in a thoughtful manner when moving around the school and playing in the limited outside spaces. Pupils’ questionnaire responses and pupils spoken to during the inspection show that they believe behaviour to be good and that disputes, or bullying of any kind, are extremely rare. They have every confidence in adults at the school and would seek their help if they had a worry or concern.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ attendance is above average. They are keen to start their lessons and show positive attitudes to learning. They work hard and are very clear about what the school expects from them when they are working and playing together. They have a well-developed understanding of right and wrong and display good levels of tolerance and respect. They seek out opportunities to take on posts of responsibility and by taking part in the school’s application and selection process they learn much of the democratic procedures that underpin British society.

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Leadership and management

Morale is high and there is a whole-school commitment to a shared vision for the future development of the school. Leaders and managers at all levels, and the governing body are actively involved in monitoring school activities, including procedures to improve the quality of teaching and learning. This information guides improvement planning and the impact of any action taken is evaluated thoroughly. Staff training includes the sharing of good practice in the school but this has not been targeted specifically to support improving attainment in writing.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection the quality of teaching and the curriculum have improved significantly, as has the provision made for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the effectiveness of leadership in securing whole-school consistency. These changes demonstrate the school’s good capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and, together with the school’s commitment to ensuring all pupils are afforded an equal opportunity to achieve as well as they can, permeate all activities. All pupils benefit from good quality teaching 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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Leadership and management

and an interesting and supportive curriculum. Close working partnerships with a wide range of outside agencies ensure pupils with particular requirements receive appropriate support. Assessment data is analysed and used well to guide the planning of lessons so that the differing needs of individuals and groups of pupils are met. Challenging targets are set for writing, although typically they are not as aspirational as those set for reading. This practice contributes to the difference between the subjects in some pupils’ progress and attainment by Year 6.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is well organised into overarching themes that provide a good framework for pupils’ learning. There are many opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in a range of contexts that gives their learning meaning. Additional experiences extend pupils’ learning further. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learned a lot about how to accurately sketch a building because of the specialist input from two visiting artists.

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Leadership and management

The school has high expectations for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development that are promoted well across the curriculum and through clear and consistently implemented whole-school practices such as those for managing pupils’ behaviour. Links within the local community including local sports clubs and the Church are strong and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning and personal development. The school is looking outwards and is in the early stages of developing links further afield, particularly globally.

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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. 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 ). 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. 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

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

Thank you very much for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed talking to you, reading your questionnaires, looking at the work you do in lessons and hearing some of you read. Your school is giving you a good education.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

There are many things that are good about your school and these are some of them.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

 The headteacher, all the staff and governors are working hard to make sure your school continues to improve.  Your attendance is good and you work hard at school.  Teachers plan your lessons so they are interesting and allow you many opportunities to work together.  You are taught well so you make good progress.  You read particularly well.  You behave well in lessons and around the school, and you take good care of each other.  You feel safe in school and trust adults to help you if you need them to.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

These are the things I have asked the school to do to make it even better.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

 I have asked your teachers to help you to improve your writing so it is as good as your reading.  I want your school to make links to other communities so you can learn more about how people live in parts of the world that are different from where you live.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

All of you can help by continuing to working hard in all your lessons and by doing your best to follow your teachers’ advice about how to make your writing better.

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Inspection of Breadsall CofE VC Primary School, Derby, DE21 5LA

Alison Cogher 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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