Bisham CofE Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 2–3 May 2012 Inspection number 395749 Bisham Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 109951 Local authority Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Inspection number 395749 Inspection dates 2–3 May 2012 Lead inspector Keith Sadler

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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 127 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graeme Binnie Headteacher Jim Cooke Date of previous school inspection 2–3 October 2007 School address Church Lane Bisham Marlow SL7 1RW Telephone number 01628 482910 Fax number 01628 477198 Email address info@bishamschool.net 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 observed nine lessons led by five different teachers. He held meetings with members of the governing body, staff, parents and carers, and groups of pupils. 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 a wide range of documentation. This included: the school’s analysis of pupils’ progress; teachers’ lesson plans; the school development plan; leaders’ monitoring records; and pupils’ work. The inspector took account of the response to the inspection questionnaires completed by 70 parents and carers, together with those from staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Bisham is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The large majority of pupils come from homes beyond the village, mainly from the nearby towns of Maidenhead and Marlow. Most pupils are of White British heritage and the proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Pupils in the Reception Year and Years 1 and 2 are taught in separate classes. Those in Years 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 are taught in two mixed-age classes. There are breakfast and after-school clubs which are managed by the governing body and were included in this inspection.

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Information about the school

The school has gained National Healthy Schools status and has also gained the Primary Science Quality Mark (Gold). 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. Provision is good and the school is led and managed well. The staff and governing body share high ambitions for all pupils whatever their circumstances. It is not an outstanding school because neither teaching nor achievement are outstanding.  All groups of pupils achieve well from their starting points. By Year 6, standards are significantly above average in reading and mathematics. Although above average in writing, higher standards are hampered because there are too few opportunities for pupils to practise writing as part of their topic work. In addition, pupils are not always clear about what they need to do in order to reach the next level. Targets are not always made sufficiently explicit.  Teaching is consistently good because, throughout the school, teachers understand the pupils’ learning needs well. They plan effectively to meet the varying abilities in each class. Relationships are positive and all classrooms have

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Key findings

a calm and purposeful atmosphere. However, even in lessons where teaching is good, teachers’ introductions are sometimes too long and this slows the pace of learning. Although the outdoor learning area for Reception-aged children has recently been improved, there are insufficient resources for all the required learning areas.  Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning and help and support each other well. They feel safe and incidents of bullying are rare.  Leadership and management are good. Senior staff and the governing body have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because there are good procedures to monitor provision and track pupils’ progress. Effective procedures for the management of performance ensure that professional development is targeted well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By April 2013, lift the quality of teaching and learning from good to outstanding by: 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensuring that teachers’ marking makes next steps in learning explicit  strengthening standards in writing by creating more opportunities for writing activities to be linked to the topic being studied  improving the pace of learning by limiting the time taken for teachers to introduce lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By January 2013, strengthen outdoor provision for children in the Reception class by:  ensuring that there are sufficient resources to provide for children’s large muscle control  improving the quality and range of learning opportunities provided for mark-making and children’s mathematical development.

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Achievement of pupils

Inspection findings confirm parents’ and carers’ positive views regarding their children’s good achievement. During the inspection, all groups of pupils made good progress in their learning, and the review of the school’s well-conceived data shows that progress is also good over time. Assessment information, specially tailored resources and the deployment of well-briefed teaching assistants combine to give effective support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. As a result, these pupils also make good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Children’s attainment on entry varies each year as year groups are small. They make good progress in the Reception year in all areas of learning, though their progress is particularly strong in personal and social development. However, the children’s progress is hampered because the provision for outside learning is not as rich as in the classroom. In particular, there are too few opportunities for children to develop their large muscle control skills due to lack of resources such as wheeled toys and climbing apparatus. In addition, there are insufficient resources and quality opportunities for children to mark-make and develop their mathematical skills. Throughout the school, pupils benefit from a consistent and structured approach when learning to read. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have a good knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics). Even those that struggle to read employ well-embedded strategies to build words. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, attainment in reading is above

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Achievement of pupils

average. Many pupils in Year 6 are reading long novels and talk clearly and authoritatively about the reasons why they enjoy certain types of books and some of the authors they find engaging.

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Achievement of pupils

Typically, standards are significantly above average in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. They dipped to average levels in 2011 but current Year 6 pupils are on course to attain above average levels. Over two thirds of the Year 5 pupils already attain the level expected at the end of Year 6 and hence, these pupils 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

too, are on course to sustain high standards.

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Achievement of pupils

The school successfully. continues to promote the pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. Pupils say that they enjoy learning because their teachers provide them with interesting and engaging activities. During the inspection, in all lessons, there were examples of pupils making good progress in their learning, such as when Year 1 pupils were learning about addition and subtraction of money. Here, because the purpose was explained well and the staff effectively supported each group of pupils, many achieved the level expected at the end of Year 2.

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Achievement of pupils

Although teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly and well, they do not make next steps in learning explicit for pupils. This means that pupils are not clear about what they need to do to achieve the next level in their learning. This is particularly the case in writing and mathematics.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is of good quality in all classes. This confirms the positive view of teaching held by most parents and carers. Teachers and teaching assistants have good relationships with pupils which underpin positive behaviour management. Teachers ensure that work is planned well to meet the differing learning needs present in each class. The teaching of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefits from this. Their learning needs are successfully catered for by ensuring that planning is relevant and by ensuring that pupils gain support from teaching assistants. Teachers’ questioning is good and probes well pupils’ understanding. However, even in some good lessons, teachers take too long to introduce activities and this leads to a drop in the pace of learning.

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Quality of teaching

The staff are particularly successful in supporting pupils’ social and moral development in lessons. Throughout the school, teaching is aided by providing many opportunities for pupils to work in pairs and small groups. This was evident in a Year 3 and 4 literacy session when pupils successfully met the learning objective of describing settings using photographs taken during a woodland walk. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the task, listened well and built on others’ ideas, and they produced high quality writing. Here, one of the keys to the lesson’s success was that the writing was given a clear purpose. However, teachers take too few opportunities to link pupils’ writing to topic work. Even though there are some examples of this, such as when Year 5 and 6 pupils wrote a diary of Queen Victoria’s coronation and wedding, these opportunities are not systematically planned.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of reading is good because it is systematic and structured well throughout the school. Pupils are grouped according to their abilities within class and this aids learning. In a successful Reception class lesson, for example, because the children had a good appreciation of the routines when learning letters and sounds, they successfully built simple sentences from a drawing of a ‘Sad Stick Man’ using their good knowledge of phonics. 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The positive climate for learning, when linked to a well-understood code of behaviour, means that behaviour is consistently good in lessons and around the school. Pupils are proud of being buddies to younger pupils The routines of accompanying them into assembly and sitting with them at lunchtime ensures that older and younger pupils thrive together in their personal development. Almost all parents and carers agree that the standards of behaviour are good. Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and parents and carers are unanimous in their agreement. The pupils’ good attitudes to learning and hardworking approach are key elements in their enjoyment of school and good achievement. School records show few instances of poor behaviour and there have been no exclusions since the previous inspection. Pupils who have concerns are confident that all the adults will help them. They say that any rare incidences of bullying of any kind are dealt with swiftly and effectively

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

by staff. Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, including cyberbullying, and know how to deal with them. Pupils are also aware of the various risks they face in and out of school, such as when walking and cycling, and how to respond to them.. A number of parents and carers made appreciative comments about how well the staff have helped their children to become confident and secure learners with high self-esteem. Others were fulsome in their comments about how much their children enjoy the good quality breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher, ably supported by senior staff, leads with passion and care. The governing body and staff share high ambitions for the school and a realistic appraisal of its strengths and priorities for further development. Since the previous inspection, the staff have driven forward several school improvements. Monitoring and evaluation procedures are now of good quality and this ensures that the school development plan provides a useful tool to secure further development. Staff morale is high and teamwork strong because the staff know that their views and opinions are valued and listened to. Good performance management procedures ensure that professional development for staff is focused well on strengthening teaching. Governance is good. Previously, the governing body were over-reliant on the headteacher and senior staff for information about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This is no longer the case because members of the governing body visit

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Leadership and management

the school regularly to check provision and pupils’ progress. Furthermore, they continue to ensure that regulatory requirements for child protection are met.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is well balanced, has retained previous strengths and has developed further. Strengths in personal, social and health education remain and contribute to the effective promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The curriculum for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good and its impact is monitored closely. The curriculum and the teaching of science have improved due to the excellent focus placed on the subject; the school has successfully gained the Primary Science Quality Mark. The analysis of information about each pupil’s progress is much more rigorous and frequent. As a result, it is 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

used more promptly and effectively to meet pupils’ individual learning needs. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and the school’s commitment to the development of equal opportunities is evident, particularly in the care taken to ensure that learning in the mixed-age classes meets the needs of all groups of pupils. The school’s track record of sustained strengths and further development indicate its capacity for continued improvement.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

Thank you for making me so welcome when I came to inspect your school. I was pleased to hear about the many positive things you had to say about the school. Thank you to those who completed questionnaires. I particularly enjoyed listening to your two-part and beautiful singing in assembly.

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Inspection of Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

Yours is a good school. Your teachers work hard to make lessons interesting and they plan many exciting activities for you. This helps you to make good progress in your learning. Those of you who find learning hard make good progress because the teaching assistants support you well.

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Inspection of Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

You told us that your school is a happy place and that the adults look after you well. I agree with you and so do your parents and carers. I was impressed about how well you get on together. Your behaviour is good and you feel safe in school. I think that your headteacher leads the school well and he is greatly helped by all the staff.

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Inspection of Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

Even in a good school like yours, there are things to improve. I have asked your teachers to make sure that they always give you targets for your next steps in learning when they mark your work. I have also asked that they make sure that they link your writing work much more often to the topics you are studying. In addition, I have asked that teachers do not spend too long introducing your lessons because this slows your learning. Finally, I have asked for the children in Class 1 to have more resources in their outdoor area. This could include some wheeled toys and climbing apparatus, and also more opportunities for them to do writing and mathematics work outside.

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Inspection of Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

Thank you for taking time to talk to me and I hope that you continue to enjoy your education.

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Inspection of Bisham Church of England Primary School, Marlow SL7 1RW

Keith Sadler Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspectio ns', 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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