Boughton Leigh Infant School

Age group 3–7 Inspection date(s) 2–3 July 2012 Inspection number 381096 Boughton Leigh Infant School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 125603 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 381096 Inspection dates 2–3 July 2012 Lead inspector Susan Thomas-Pounce

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 237 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Webb Headteacher Andrew Moorcroft Date of previous school inspection 11 September 2006 School address Wetherall Way Brownsover Rugby CV21 1LT Telephone number 01788 571679 Fax number 01788 576486 Email address admin2598@we-learn.com 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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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

Susan Thomas-Pounce Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons taught by nine teachers. Meetings were held with members of the governing body and a range of staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation covering self-evaluation, school development planning and safeguarding. Inspectors also heard a small number of children read. Inspectors scrutinised responses to 41 questionnaires returned by parents and carers as well as those returned by staff and pupils .

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Information about the school

This is an average-sized infant and nursery school. Most pupils come from White British backgrounds, with a small but increasing proportion from a range of minority ethnic groups, including some pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The percentage of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action or a statement is average. Their needs most often link to language, communication or behavioural difficulties. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a part-time Nursery class and three Reception classes and they have their own separate outside learning area. The school is expanding and new classrooms will be ready by September 2012.

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Information about the school

Since the previous inspection there have been significant changes in senior leadership, with an interim leadership team in place during the last year. In January 2012 the current headteacher was appointed to the school and to the headship of the children’s centre based on an adjacent site. The children’s centre is subject to a separate inspection. Childcare provided on the school site is managed by an external provider and is subject to a separate inspection. 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. Strong teamwork and a high level of staff commitment are improving outcomes for pupils. The school’s care, guidance and support for pupils are notable strengths. It is not yet outstanding because aspects of provision are not promoting rapid enough progress in lessons. Attendance is improving but remains low.

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Key findings

 Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Their good progress continues in Years 1 and 2. All groups achieve equally well, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who speak English as an additional language. While children’s reading skills are developing well, occasionally work is not effectively matched to their different abilities.

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Key findings

 Pupils achieve well because teaching across the school is good, providing pupils with a wide range of interesting and engaging experiences. Relationships are positive and pupils enjoy their learning. They do not have enough opportunities, however, to share their ideas in class discussions and explain their thinking further.

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Key findings

 The school is a happy and friendly place in which pupils feel safe and secure, and where behaviour is good. Although good attendance has been encouraged and there has been a marked improvement this term, the school recognises the need to maintain an unrelenting focus on using all possible strategies to encourage parents and carers to send their children to school regularly.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher’s drive to improve the school is enthusiastically shared by all staff. The governing body supports senior leaders well and offers effective challenge. Teaching is monitored rigorously and performance management and professional development are closely linked to school priorities. A good curriculum and strong partnerships promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. 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?

 Accelerate progress and raise attainment by:  encouraging more extended responses to teachers’ questions to improve pupils’ oracy skills  providing more opportunities for class discussion  ensuring the needs of pupils of all abilities are always accurately met in reading lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ attendance by:  working with parents and carers to ensure they have a secure understanding of how regular attendance is critical to their children’s good achievement  monitoring rigorously the impact and effectiveness of the systems to support parents and carers in the drive for above-average levels of attendance.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well and questionnaire responses indicate that parents and carers strongly agree. Children begin school with development that is below that typical for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy skills. Staff take great care to promote rich and well organised environments that stimulate children’s learning. Children make good progress, especially in their language development. Given their low starting points, however, many children do not securely meet the expected standards at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have an astute understanding of how young children learn and there is a well-judged balance between adult-led tasks and opportunities for children to make their own choices. Activities have a clear purpose and adults effectively support children’s learning; this is a marked improvement since the previous inspection. All areas of learning are

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Achievement of pupils

covered well, the teaching is lively and engaging, and children feel secure.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to make good progress and reach standards in line with pupils nationally by the end of Key Stage 1. Attainment in reading by the end of Year 2 is broadly average. In lessons observed by inspectors, pupils achieved well where the teaching accurately matched their learning needs. For example, Year 1 pupils successfully wrote their own version of a fairy story. Their work reflected and built successfully on previous writing in English. Here, pupils were able to build on and consolidate their learning effectively because they were fully engaged in the activities, although this was not always the case in reading.

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Achievement of pupils

Throughout the school, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, as well as those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from 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

their starting points. This is greatly helped by very sensitive and well-focused support from the teaching assistants. The school’s nurture room programme is particularly effective in ensuring good progress among pupils whose circumstances mean they find learning difficult in a larger class.

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Quality of teaching

Good quality teaching enables pupils to make good progress in their learning. This is because all staff take a consistent approach to the planning and delivery of lessons. Almost all parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agree that their children are taught well. The school has a ‘learning heroes’ system, which is popular and fully understood by pupils. As a result pupils are keen to talk more about what they have learnt than what they have done. Pupils’ enjoyment of the curriculum is evident and boys and girls are highly engaged in their learning. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to support learning and pupils use classroom computers confidently for their independent research. Extra-curricular activities enrich the well-developed school curriculum. All pupils have regular access to learn outdoors and those in the Early Years Foundation Stage move between indoor and outdoor learning environments with purpose and pleasure.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ enthusiasm and commitment shine through in lessons and are also evident in the stimulating learning environment created in the school. Because teachers make lessons interesting and develop positive relationships with their classes, pupils are keen to learn. Teaching makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, particularly in supporting pupils to work well together. Teachers know just what they expect pupils to learn and their explanations are clear. Consequently, pupils are usually confident about tackling their work. Teachers’ written comments regarding pupils’ work are constructive and homework is well matched to the needs of pupils and used well to promote learning.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have a secure understanding of the subjects they teach and have a generally good awareness of pupils’ individual learning needs. As a result they are often able to target areas for improvement in lessons successfully. Accurate assessment information enables staff to identify where pupils may be at risk of not making enough progress. As a result most groups of pupils achieve equally well. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are taught well, including by teaching assistants. These key members of staff have good expertise, work in close partnership with teachers and provide pupils with valuable help.

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Quality of teaching

While these strengths characterise the teaching in this school, there are areas for development in some lessons. In these, teachers are not always sufficiently tenacious in encouraging pupils to make extended contributions in class discussions, and this restricts pupils’ language skills. In addition, in reading lessons, tasks are not always tailored to meet the needs of the wide range of abilities in the class, and this inhibits the progress of some pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy school and have positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to take on extra responsibilities, such as becoming a member of the school council. School records and discussions with pupils confirm good behaviour is the norm. Behaviour is good in lessons, around the school and in the playground. Pupils listen to their teachers effectively, work together constructively in lessons and play together amicably. Staff have good management strategies to deal with the small number of pupils who occasionally demonstrate behavioural difficulties. Pupils know the school rules and keep to them. They have a good understanding of what constitutes cyber bullying and other forms of bullying and said that instances of bullying are rare. Pupils, parents and carers confirm that bullying is dealt with effectively and quickly by staff.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils feel safe and are safety conscious. They know that staff take good care of them and this helps them feel secure. Pupils feel confident about telling staff if they have any problems at school, and know that staff will sort out the difficulties should they arise. Parents and carers strongly agree that the school keeps their children safe and that behaviour is good .

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Since the appointment of the new headteacher, the school has worked particularly hard to ensure pupils attend regularly. Attendance is now improving. The school has put in place systems to support parents and carers and is aware that it not only needs to continue with its rigorous approach but also to explore ways to improve attendance still further, particularly for those who are regularly absent from school. This area for improvement stems from some parents and carers not showing an understanding of the vital importance of their children’s regular attendance at school.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers have managed recent changes in staffing well so that the drive to improve provision and outcomes has not been interrupted. Under the effective leadership of the headteacher, staff morale is high. All are keen to contribute to the development of the school and maintain the strengths in care and support as well as improving provision and outcomes. School leaders have tackled issues arising from the previous inspection effectively. Self-evaluation is accurate and performance management and professional development are focused on the right priorities. The quality of teaching is effectively monitored to highlight areas for development. This has led to teachers having greater involvement and confidence in tracking pupils’ achievement. The governing body is well informed and closely involved in self-evaluation and school improvement planning. It ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and child protection procedures are

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Leadership and management

The promotion of equality and pupils’ individual needs are firmly at the heart of the school, and procedures ensure that there is no discrimination. The school has refined its system for tracking pupils’ progress. This is being used more effectively to identify groups and individuals who need additional support to close any gaps in their 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

learning quickly. The needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are accurately assessed and they are provided with an appropriate learning programme. The nurture room programme provides effective targeted support for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. The growing number of pupils who start school with little or no English settle quickly and happily because the school makes good use of a range of staff to support their needs.

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Leadership and management

The good curriculum is planned in response to the needs and interests of the pupils, and has a strong link to real-life contexts. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a stimulating environment, with well-planned activities for children to choose from. Extensive use is made of outdoor learning and visits, and there is a strong focus on pupils having experience of the arts and different types of sports. This effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s good performance over several years has been maintained and the school has fully addressed recommendations made at the previous inspection. Pupils have a greater involvement in school improvement and the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is now good. Based on the good improvements that have been made since the previous inspection and strengthening of leadership through the appointment of the current headteacher, the school’s capacity to improve further is

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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 Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed seeing you at work and play, talking with you and hearing some of you read to us. You told us how much you enjoy being a learning hero, either Queenie Question, Polly Planner, Charlie Challenge or Billy Buddy.

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

We think that the school you go to is a good school. Here are the things that we found your school does well.

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

 Staff look after you well, you enjoy taking part in lessons and your behaviour is good.  You try hard in lessons and your progress is good.  You are taught well and you learn lots of interesting things.  Your school has recently helped more of you to attend regularly and to arrive on time.

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

Your headteacher and the staff are keen to make the school even better. To help you make even faster progress, we have asked them to:

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

 provide you with more opportunities in class to talk through your ideas  ensure the work you do in your reading lessons matches your abilities  encourage you all to come to school every day.

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

I hope you will play your part by continuing to work hard and do your best to make your school even better.

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Inspection of Boughton Leigh Infant School, Rugby, CV21 1LT

Susan Thomas-Pounce 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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