Burrough Green CofE Primary School

Burrough Green CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 110783 Local Authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 356816 Inspection dates 14–15 September 2010 Reporting inspector Sue Hall

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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 109 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Daniel Aguilar Headteacher Keith Archer Date of previous school inspection 12 December 2007 School address Bradley Road Newmarket, Cambridgeshire CB8 9NH Telephone number 01638 507236 Fax number 01638 507236 Email address office@burroughgreen.cambs.sch.uk

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 14–15 September 2010 Inspection number 356816 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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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 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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 documentation 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'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. They observed eight lessons taught by five teachers in the four classes in school. Meetings were held with the headteacher, groups of pupils, governors and staff. Inspectors observed the school's work and looked at documentation including: the tracking of pupils' progress, school improvement planning, the monitoring of teaching and learning, minutes of the governing body's meetings and samples of pupils' recent work. They also scrutinised responses to the inspection questionnaires from 32 parents, 58 pupils and 13 staff. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  whether all groups of pupils, particularly the more able, achieve well enough in their work, especially in writing  if the personal development of the pupils is well supported and whether the attitudes to learning of the older ones are positive

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Introduction

 how well teachers use assessment information to provide challenging activities, especially for those of higher ability  whether the monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school are rigorous enough to identify accurately further areas for improvement.

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Information about the school

This is a small rural school serving several villages near the Suffolk border. About 40% of the pupils attend the school from outside the usual area, often moving to it during Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. There is a very small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a little below average. The school holds Healthy Schools status and an intermediate International School award. There is an on-site, pre-school group, but this is not run by the governing body and is, therefore, inspected separately. The acting headteacher was appointed to full headship in 2009. The school site is currently substantially affected by a protracted programme of rebuilding the accommodation.

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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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Main findings

This is a school that provides a satisfactory quality of education. There are good elements in the personal development and well-being of the pupils and in their care, guidance and support. Pupils' excellent attendance and punctuality have a positive impact on learning. Parents are pleased with the quality of care and education provided and some note that 'there have been many positive changes' with new school leadership. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good as reflected in recent work on identifying individual and school values. The behaviour of the large majority of pupils is good, but the attitudes of some older pupils are mixed and some make little effort to join in discussions and activities. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and particularly those in Years 3 and 4 make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also do well

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Main findings

because they are carefully supported both individually and in small groups. The progress of other pupils is more variable. Overall, attainment is close to the national average and pupils achieve satisfactorily. While standards in Year 6 have improved in the last two years, several more-able pupils do not achieve all they can, particularly in writing. Pupils do not produce work in sufficient depth and detail or with technical accuracy in spelling, grammar and handwriting. Currently, several make slightly better progress in mathematics than in English and enjoy working out calculations. Teaching is satisfactory, as is the curriculum. Staff have good relationships with the pupils, praise their efforts and make good use of interactive whiteboards and other resources to support learning. However, teachers do not always make enough use of assessment information to set suitably challenging work for different groups. This impacts most on the

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Main findings

more-able pupils because at times not enough is expected of them. Staff also miss opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with others to develop a wider vocabulary for writing, better skills in communicating with others and to solve problems. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Governors are very supportive of the school. A key strength is the work of the new headteacher who has made a good start in helping the school to move forward from a period when, to some extent, development had slowed and standards dipped. There have been many recent changes to develop a more creative curriculum but some of the improvements are not fully embedded or applied consistently. Subject leaders are not yet involved in monitoring and self-evaluation procedures in areas for which they hold responsibility. Overall, the capacity to improve is currently satisfactory.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment, particularly in writing, by:

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

providing all pupils with regular planned opportunities to discuss their ideas in order to widen their vocabulary and involvement in activities ensuring that pupils, particularly the more able, have regular opportunities to produce extended pieces of writing that fully develop their literary skills.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning by: making full use of the range of assessment information to provide activities that challenge pupils of different abilities providing more opportunities for pupils to find things out for themselves.  Extend the monitoring and evaluation of curriculum planning, teaching and learning so that teachers are able to develop their roles as subject leaders across the school.  About 40% of the 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with good levels of self-confidence and a well-developed vocabulary for their age. They make good progress and enter Year 1 with skills that, overall, are slightly above average for their age. While many pupils attend the school throughout the primary age range, several transfer into Key Stage 2 at the time when they could have moved into the middle-school system. In Years 1 to 6 the majority of pupils make satisfactory, if somewhat variable, progress, although the small numbers in school make accurate comparisons between different groups difficult to make securely. Over time there is no significant difference in the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils achieve consistently well in Years 3 and 4. This is seen when they develop their understanding of place value and make good progress in partitioning numbers in different ways. Results data from teacher assessments and national tests indicate that by Year 6

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

there has been an improvement in standards in the last two years, particularly in the numbers achieving the national average. The setting and achievement of targets for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective and these pupils often make good progress and do better than similar pupils nationally. However, lesson observations, school monitoring records and the sample of pupils' recent work show a mixed picture for other pupils and several of the more able do not achieve all they can. This is largely because they do not consistently produce extended pieces of writing or develop depth and accuracy in their work. This was seen in Years 5 and 6 when pupils tried to produce a persuasive letter about why the school needs a modern building but sometimes produced little more than a list of ideas. Pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe and recognise what the school does

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

to protect them during on-site building work. The behaviour of the large majority of pupils is good. Many, and especially some of the boys are enthusiastic learners who say they like everything about school. However, a small number of the older pupils have quite negative attitudes to themselves and others and make little attempt to act as good role-models or offer their ideas and opinions. The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles is satisfactory and the school plans to do more to encourage healthy eating, including in packed-lunch choices. Most pupils contribute to the school and wider community well. They enjoy taking on roles of responsibility within the class, on the school council and

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

when arranging numerous activities to support school and local events. An unusual and successful feature that helps prepare pupils well for their future economic well-being is the very successful enterprise activities. This is epitomised in the recent planning, production and sale of story books for younger children produced by the older ones, who speak with pride about how much they have found out about the world of business.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

While the quality of teaching and learning and curriculum planning are satisfactory overall, practice in Years 3 and 4 is consistently effective. Here, because teaching is lively and enthusiastic, pupils in turn show very positive attitudes to learning. Teaching and support staff have good relationships with pupils throughout the school. They are particularly successful in meeting the needs of pupils who find learning difficult by tailoring activities to meet their particular needs. All teachers are conscientious in their planning for mixed ages and abilities within each class. However, some planning does not make clear enough the specific levels of challenge for those of different abilities. Consequently, expectations of what the pupils can do are not high enough, and impact adversely on the learning and progress of more- able pupils. Pupils and their families are treated as individuals and are well known to staff. The

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How effective is the provision?

pastoral care of pupils is a strength, as noted by parents - one of whom considers, 'Excellent attention is paid to the individual needs of our children.' Another much

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

appreciates the external help her child receives. The school welcomes and supports many pupils into Key Stage 2 and makes a good job of helping them to settle well. Staff have recognised the need to support a group of older pupils and have provided single-sex teaching and involved external services.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has a good grasp of strengths in provision and where further improvement is required. He has ensured a sound start to improving the tracking of pupils' progress, including through the work of the 'change team'. All staff say they are proud to be associated with the school. A strength and a challenge is that most staff are long serving, which has led to many pastoral strengths but not always helped the school move forward in other areas. There is a satisfactory programme of monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision. Nevertheless, subject leaders have limited involvement in this work and there has not been a rigorous enough approach to checking the effectiveness of procedures. The governing body is supportive, holds a good number of meetings and is very involved in protracted building work. Governors are at the early stages of developing a full programme of visits to school to ensure all are well informed of areas for which they

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How effective are leadership and management?

hold responsibility. The school's engagement with parents is good as are the partnerships with other groups including the on-site, pre-school group - all of which support well the pupils' personal development. The school promotes community cohesion well. It is very much at the heart of the community and plays an active part in numerous local activities, including Mayday celebrations. The school holds a British Council International Award and there is a good programme of activities that promote an understanding of the French language and culture. The school promotes equality of opportunity satisfactorily, but does not always prioritise the needs of higher-attaining pupils well enough. Safeguarding procedures are satisfactory, although with some minor omissions in the validation and review of policies and procedures.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage full time at the beginning of the year of their fifth birthday. Those currently in the Reception class started school in the week prior to the inspection and have settled in very well. Many happy smiling faces and much enjoyment were seen. The school very much benefits from the close working relationship with the adjoining pre-school group, with numerous visits and shared staff ensuring parents and children are happy about the move to 'big school'. Children's levels of confidence and speaking skills are above those usually seen. School records and lesson observations show that most make good progress and at least meet and often exceeed the targets for their age when they move to Year 1. Teaching, learning and the curriculum are good, especially when activities are carefully planned and purposeful - for example, when linked to the current focus on robots and recycling. Although it is very early in the

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Early Years Foundation Stage

term for practice to have become embedded, staff sometimes miss the opportunity to ensure other tasks, such as 'table top activities' and printing on large letter shapes, provide challenge for the children who already have good skills. Leadership and management of the provision is good and staff have worked successfully to minimise the effect of building work, which has limited opportunities for outdoor learning.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Parents and carers are pleased with how well the school looks after and educates their children and one parent notes, 'We have been made to feel very comfortable knowing our child is well looked after.' Most recognise their children like school and one claims, 'I asked my children if they enjoy school. They answered "Yes we love it!"' The few areas of disagreement noted in the inspection questionnaire were mainly of an individual nature and included concern about the lack of homework for the older ones and whether all pupils make the best progress that they could. Occasionally some parents do not feel their concerns are taken sufficient note of. Inspectors believe that links with parents and carers are good.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Burrough Green CofE Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 32 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 109 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 24 75 8 25 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 24 75 8 25 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 16 50 15 47 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 13 41 16 50 2 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 17 53 14 44 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 16 50 13 41 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 21 66 11 34 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 19 59 10 31 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 15 47 15 47 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 18 56 12 38 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 14 44 16 50 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 22 69 9 28 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 22 69 10 31 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Burrough Green CofE Primary School, Newmarket, CB8 9NH

Thank you very much for making the inspectors welcome when we visited your  school recently. I really enjoyed chatting to you, including the group I met who were good at explaining what you all do. I also liked meeting you in lessons, lunchtimes and when I attended assembly. I particularly enjoyed seeing the boys and girls in Years 3 and 4 enjoying mathematics and was pleased to see how the new children have settled in so happily. Thank you also for the questionnaires that you filled in for the inspection. These are some of our findings from the visit. Your school is providing you with a satisfactory quality of education. Some things are good and the staff look after you well. This means most of you like coming to school and behave well. I was pleased to learn that you know how to keep safe. I noticed how much most of you enjoy the opportunity to help others and especially the nice book that you have recently produced and that I bought a copy of.

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Inspection of Burrough Green CofE Primary School, Newmarket, CB8 9NH

To improve your school further, we have asked the headteacher and staff to:  give you more chance to discuss your ideas and help you improve your writing  make sure that the work provided for you is just a bit harder  give teachers more opportunity to check what you are doing in lessons and in your work so that they can help other staff improve what they are doing. To help your school more, you might all try and make sure that you join in discussion times and don? leave it to others to give their ideas and do things. Can you also try and think a bit more about what you eat, especially in your packed lunches.d

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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