Bourne Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 February 2012 Inspection number 376709 Bourne Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 102368 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 376709 Inspection dates 23–24 February 2012 Lead inspector John Carnaghan

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 242 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynn Grimes Headteacher Geraldine Mappley Date of previous school inspection 8–9 September 2008 School address Cedar Avenue South Ruislip HA4 6UJ Telephone number 01895 671978 Fax number 020 8845 2606 Email address office@bourne.hillingdongrid.org 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 tea cher 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 inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by 10 teachers. They held meetings with groups of pupils, parents and carers, staff, and members of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s plans, policies, assessments and records, as well as questionnaires from pupils and 117 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Bourne Primary is an average-sized primary school. Approximately two fifths of its pupils are from minority ethnic groups; this is above average. Pupils of Indian and Other White and other ethnic backgrounds make up the largest groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average. The proportion of those known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. 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. It has improved since the previous inspection; all the areas previously judged as satisfactory are now good. It is not yet an outstanding school because teaching is good rather than outstanding and the governing body’s ability to challenge the school’s performance is limited by the lack of opportunities for it to be involved in monitoring.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage in developing skills, independence and learning habits. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is above average; pupils are taught well and make good progress. The curriculum provides good opportunities to develop pupils’ skills. Numerous opportunities for reading ensure above-average attainment in reading. Well-targeted support ensures no pupils fall behind. Given their starting points, the achievement of all groups of pupils is good.  Lessons are generally lively and engaging. Pupils enjoy learning, concentrate

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Key findings

hard and work well together. Teachers have high expectations and work is adapted well to meet all pupils’ needs. Work is marked thoroughly, providing clear indications to pupils of how best to meet their goals. Occasionally, the pace of lessons slackens, work is less interesting and so learning slows.  Pupils have a balanced view of safety and are aware of hazards. Behaviour is good. Pupils are very positive about learning and relationships are warmly constructive. They report bullying is extremely rare and discrimination by race, gender, or any other category is unknown. They confirm the school deals well with any rare transgressions.  Leadership and management of the school are distributed amongst all staff, who share the school’s ambition and contribute effectively to improvements. Leadership of teaching is based on careful management of staff performance and regular monitoring. However, senior staff do not always follow up quickly

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Key findings

enough on the few occasions when teaching requires improvement. The governing body is supportive, but checks on the daily life of the school are irregular. The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well, but its outdoor areas do not provide a stimulating environment for learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and better lessons by building on good practice in monitoring to follow up areas of relative weakness rapidly, particularly the pace of learning.  Develop the capacity of the governing body to challenge the school by improving its independent monitoring.  Provide a more stimulating outdoor environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils make good progress because lessons are usually brisk and purposeful and they show a strong commitment to learning. Confident, dynamic teaching engages pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. For example, Year 6 pupils enjoyed acting out characters based on a story they were reading, staying in role when their peers asked them questions about their motivation and emotions. The teacher set very high expectations and pupils were keen to please, demonstrating an excellent attitude to learning. Children enjoy a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where they adopt valuable learning routines quickly, such as independence and a willingness to share and collaborate with their peers. Very thorough and consistent marking and the use of clear targets enable pupils to comprehend fully what they should do to improve their work.

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Achievement of pupils

The school uses its copious assessment information to identify any pupils who may be in danger of falling behind; additional support is then mobilised so that all groups, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make similarly good progress to their peers. A number of parents and carers from Poland spoke warmly about the strong support their children had been given to develop their understanding of spoken and written English. Almost all parents and carers report that they are pleased with the progress their children make.

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Achievement of pupils

Lessons place a great emphasis on developing pupils’ skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics so that all groups receive effective preparation for the next stage in education There are numerous opportunities for reading across the subjects of the curriculum. In consequence, standards in reading are above average at the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2. These positive factors promote above- average levels of attainment by the end of Year 6; given their starting points, this represents good achievement for all groups of pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Parents, carers, and pupils agree that teaching is good and many comment that the use of homework is a great aid to learning. Typically, teaching is good and pupils enjoy learning very much. Positive behaviour management promotes pupils’ moral and social development well. The pupils develop a strong sense of right and wrong and work happily together, showing a genuine concern for one another. Inspection evidence shows there are numerous examples of outstanding lessons that fully engage and motivate pupils. In these lessons, teachers show excellent subject understanding, taking every opportunity to develop reading, writing, and mathematics skills. Careful lesson planning deploys stimulating resources effectively and recognises variations in pupils’ aptitudes through providing work that is precisely targeted, so all groups are suitably challenged. Positive behaviour promotes a trusting ethos in classrooms and pupils relish the numerous opportunities they are

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Quality of teaching

given to work independently. This starts in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where staff encourage all children to select their own activities and get down to them with the minimum of assistance. The development of a curriculum that is adapted well to meet pupils’ needs and tastes contributes strongly to good learning.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils enjoy assessing their own work and that of their peers; this deepens an understanding of their learning. Informal feedback from teachers in lessons helps maximise learning opportunities. For example, as Year 4 pupils tackled the challenging notion of mathematical symmetry, the teacher asked them regularly to hold up fans – red, orange or green – to indicate how they were managing. Those pupils indicating red or orange received personal advice rapidly from the teacher, quickly removing any barriers to their progress. Marking is frequently excellent and, in conjunction with clearly set-out targets, provides pupils with a very clear view of what they should do to improve the standard of their work.

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Quality of teaching

Most lessons are purposeful and run at a good pace. For example, a Year 2 group learning how to develop a more descriptive vocabulary worked at a great speed because the teacher expected them to finish each task very rapidly, often setting two-minute or even shorter deadlines. This developed the pupils’ skills and understanding step by step. Occasionally, lessons set tasks that have no time deadline; under these circumstances, pupils’ concentration wanes as the lesson continues, they do not give of their best and progress slows.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents, carers and pupils have very few concerns about behaviour and safety and agree that the school deals with any issues very effectively. Almost all report good behaviour is the norm and that there are very few instances of bullying, whether it is by gender, ethnicity, or through the internet. Racist behaviour and other forms of discrimination are virtually unknown. Teachers are show initiative in nipping any potentially disruptive behaviour in the bud. They have high expectations of pupils’ common sense and courtesy, expectations that almost all pupils strive to meet. Occasionally, when teaching is not engaging, some off-task conversation can interrupt learning, but this is unusual.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

All pupils enjoy equal opportunities to learn because adults at the school support them so well. Pupils appreciate the numerous chances they are given to work independently. They take on numerous responsibilities, for example their role as breaktime monitors helps to ensure calm behaviour around the building at busy times, such as after morning break. They enjoy school life and would recommend Bourne to others; their attendance is above average. Pupils feel safe at school and clearly understand what constitutes unsafe situations, because the school keeps them well informed. They recognise potential risks on the internet and on the busy local roads and are aware of the best strategies to minimise these.

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Leadership and management

School leaders and managers work as a close team to monitor the school and promote good practice. Staff share the headteacher’s ambition and high expectations for the school, as well as her commitment to promoting equality for all and tackling discrimination. More confident and effective leadership has led to the school improving in many aspects since the previous inspection; most notably, pupils’ achievement has risen. This is one of the key factors in the school’s good capacity for sustained improvement. Leaders monitor teaching and learning carefully. Lesson observations and analysis of teachers’ plans and marking have ‘raised the bar’, promoting an improved picture so that many lessons are now good or better. However, some areas for development are not always followed up rigorously, so some inconsistencies in teaching remain. The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good and, as a result, children achieve well.

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Leadership and management

However, the well-used outside areas do not provide a particularly interesting environment for children to explore, learn and play.

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Leadership and management

The governing body provides effective support. It analyses data well, but does not monitor some activities independently and so is over-reliant on school leaders for information about day-to-day life at Bourne. This hampers its ability to challenge the school fully. The governing body and school leaders ensure that procedures to ensure pupils’ safety are robust and all requirements are met.

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Leadership and management

The school has taken pupils’ views and needs into account when developing its curriculum. For example, the predominance of boys in Year 3 and concerns over their progress in writing led to the adoption of a popular theme of exploration. This promoted improved writing, especially amongst boys, through providing stimulating practical activities that offer interesting experiences for pupils to write about.

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Leadership and management

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is promoted well. For example, regular educational visits to places, such as Hampton Court Palace, develop pupils’ understanding of current areas of study. A number of varied and popular after-school clubs enrich pupils’ experiences. Music plays a significant role in the school and the orchestra and choir are well attended; the former also includes parents and carers. These groups perform regularly locally and have been successful in national competitions. As well as experiencing these cultural elements, teaching ensures that pupils enjoy opportunities to be creative, to use their imagination and to reflect about themselves and the wider world.

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Leadership and management

Parents’ and carers’ views of the school are very favourable. Almost all who responded to the inspection questionnaire would recommend the school. Parents and carers appreciate the ease of access to staff. For example, there is a set time every week when they are welcome to see class teachers who make themselves available to discuss any issue that may be of concern.

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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 Bourne Primary School, South Ruislip HA4 6UJ

Many thanks for the warm welcome you gave to the inspectors when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you very much and would like to congratulate you on your good behaviour. We were pleased to find out how much you enjoy school.

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Inspection of Bourne Primary School, South Ruislip HA4 6UJ

Bourne is a good school. You are taught well and work very hard; this is why you make good progress in your time there. The attainment of pupils at the end of Year 6 is above average. Staff work very well together to make sure you are safe and well cared for. They have improved the school a lot in the last few years. To keep improving, we are asking the school to do three things.

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Inspection of Bourne Primary School, South Ruislip HA4 6UJ

 Follow up on teaching when lessons are sometimes slow and uninteresting to ensure every lesson is good or better.  Ensure the governing body runs more of its own checks on the school to improve its ability to challenge the school.  Improve the outside areas in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that they are more interesting.

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Inspection of Bourne Primary School, South Ruislip HA4 6UJ

All of you can help by maintaining good behaviour in all of your lessons. Once again, many thanks for all your help.

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Inspection of Bourne Primary School, South Ruislip HA4 6UJ

John Carnaghan Lead inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) 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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