Bromley Hills Primary School

Bromley Hills Primary School Granville Drive, Kingswinford, DY6 8LW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. They make good progress and leave school with attainment that is above average.  Pupils who start to fall behind in their learning are identified and supported immediately, so catch up quickly.  Teaching is good, with some that is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They use questions and marking very well to move learning on at a good pace.  Pupils behave well and feel safe in school. They have very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils concentrate hard and are keen to do their best.  Good leadership and management from the school’s senior leaders have contributed to significant improvements since the last inspection. Staff morale is much higher and previous underachievement has been eliminated as teaching has improved.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Opportunities are sometimes missed to promote writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage and work is not always matched well enough to pupils’ abilities in other classes, especially Year 2 where the class reading books are too easy for some.  Attendance is average; actions to improve this have not been as successful as those in other areas.  Subject co-ordinators are not yet playing a sufficient role in monitoring and evaluating teaching in their subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 28 lessons. In addition, the inspection team made a number of other short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and staff, including senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors met with parents and carers. There were 10 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress and attendance, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

David Driscoll, Lead inspector Additional inspector Janet Bird Additional inspector Denise Dalton Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Bromley Hills is larger than most other primary schools.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  A high proportion of pupils are supported through school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs. Most of these pupils have speech, language and communication difficulties.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is similar to the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school had six different headteachers in the five years preceding the arrival of the current headteacher and his deputy in 2009.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding lessons by:  taking all opportunities to encourage early mark making and promote writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage  ensuring pupils are given reading books in class that are more closely matched to their abilities in Year 2  ensuring tasks are consistently matched accurately to pupils’ abilities in Years 1 to 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attendance to above the national average by July 2013 by:  analysing attendance data in greater depth to identify emerging patterns of falling attendance more quickly  raising the trigger for intervention to 91%  increasing the role played by the governing body in dealing with parents and carers whose children are persistently absent.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring and evaluating teaching in their subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s leaders have successfully tackled the legacy of underachievement resulting from the many changes of headteacher and subsequent lowering of staff morale.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the nursery with skills, knowledge and understanding that are below those expected for their age. They make good progress in most areas of learning and attainment on joining Year 1 is now average. Although satisfactory, progress in writing is not as good as in other areas and attainment remains below average on starting Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in Years 1 to 6 is good. Attainment has been improving faster than the national average in Year 2 and is average in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good progress as these pupils started Year 1 with attainment that was below average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment on leaving Year 6 is above average. Almost all pupils, including the disabled, those with special educational needs and those supported through the pupil premium, achieve well and leave the school having reached or exceeded national expectations. The proportions reaching Level 5 or above are almost twice the national average in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are well equipped with the basic skills necessary to do well at secondary school and in later life. They read widely and fluently. They apply their mathematical skills well to everyday situations, such as budgeting.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is good in most classes and subjects. There are some variations, with slower progress in some and outstanding progress in others. School’s leaders are keenly focused on improving progress in all areas to their very best.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants are particularly effective in supporting disabled pupils or those with special educational needs, as they only receive help when they really need it and develops their independence. They also work well with pupils supported by the pupil premium who are absent more often than their peers and need to catch up work missed while they were not at school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Better teaching has been at the heart of the school’s improvement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage take every opportunity to encourage children to read and use numbers. Opportunities to encourage writing, such as forming letter shapes in the sand pit, are often missed so progress in this area is slower than others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are deployed exceptionally well to ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils. They record the results when teachers check how well pupils have understood a new topic through their effective questioning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that any pupils who are not secure in their understanding are immediately taken to one side for extra support. Any who still have difficulties are removed from the main class for more intensive teaching on the topic. Pupils quickly catch up with their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of what pupils will achieve. They plan work that is usually demanding and the pace of learning is pushed along as teachers only give pupils limited time to complete tasks. This ensures pupils concentrate and work hard to complete tasks in the given time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers explain concepts clearly, using simple examples that pupils quickly understand.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work is sometimes a little too demanding for the least able pupils, or not hard enough for the most able. Some of the least able pupils struggle to keep up, or the most able finish before others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading books used in class and for homework are usually matched well to pupils’ abilities. Teachers encourage pupils to read more widely by introducing them to new authors whom they think the pupils might enjoy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Year 2 all pupils read the same book in class; this is not extending the more-able readers. Books sent home, on the other hand, are well matched to pupils’ abilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is helpful and informative. It is frequent and explains what pupils need to do to reach the next level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is very effective; teachers give pupils responsibility for their own learning. Pupils are all given basic homework, and those in later years are given the option of extended homework. Many take up this option as they enjoy the challenge more difficult tasks provide.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Changes to the curriculum have improved pupils’ attitudes to learning. They enjoy the way that topics are made more relevant, for example visiting the forest when studying Robin Hood.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 More pupils are now taught in classes grouped by ability, which makes it easier for teachers to set work that is well-matched to pupils’ needs and so ensures good levels of engagement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils apply themselves well for the full duration of the lesson. They respond immediately to their teacher’s prompts and instructions to continue working.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and courteous towards others. The very few incidents of bullying have all been name calling, which is quickly stopped by staff consistently applying the school’s policies and procedures.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has an impressive record of reintegrating pupils excluded from other schools. There have been no permanent exclusions since the previous inspection and fixed term exclusion is very rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school successfully fosters good relations and tackles discrimination. Pupils celebrate differences between pupils from different faiths and backgrounds, and look forward to finding out more about them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good manners are the norm. Staff are quick to challenge any lapses, such as saying ‘what’ instead of ‘pardon’ or forgetting to say ‘please’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has improved, but not as quickly as other aspects of the school’s work. It is average, but the attendance of those supported through the pupil premium is below average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and his deputy have forged a strong team of staff who all look to improve their practice and raise pupils’ achievement. Staff morale is now high.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has effective policies and procedures that are managed well and implemented consistently.

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The leadership and management are good

 Checks on teaching, by the school’s senior leaders, provide an accurate picture of its good quality. Areas for improvement are identified clearly for all staff and effective training provided to raise the quality of teaching. Staff have also benefited from observing high quality teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject co-ordinators are clear on where improvements are needed, and how to bring about change. They are not yet sufficiently involved with the monitoring and evaluation of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Data on pupils’ academic performance is analysed exceptionally well and presented in ways that meet the differing needs of the governing body, subject co-ordinators and class teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 Attendance data is not analysed as effectively, so emerging trends of an individual’s increasing absence are not identified quickly enough. Letters to parents are not sent home until attendance falls to 90%, by which time poor habits may be established.

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The leadership and management are good

 Areas for development, and the success of actions to improve them, are identified termly so the school quickly addresses any emerging weakness before its impact on performance becomes significant.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum has improved significantly and is now good. There are strong links with other schools, including those in other countries, the number of extra clubs and activities has quadrupled and the Easter booster clubs have proved exceptionally popular and effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most parents are happy with all that the school provides, although the school website is not effective in providing them with information as many of the links are broken.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided effective support, especially through the services of another experienced headteacher and consultants in English and mathematics, which has increased the rate of improvement. Much of the support has now been withdrawn as the school has demonstrated that it has good capacity to continue its improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body play an outstanding role in monitoring and evaluating teaching. The whole governing body visit the school twice each term to observe lessons, join activities and meet with subject co-ordinators and other middle managers.  Members of the governing body use data well to ensure they have a strong understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They play a good role in improving teaching, but their role in promoting good attendance is limited.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103819 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 400660

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 317 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Morgan Headteacher Jon Stevens Date of previous school inspection 12 July 2010 Telephone number 01384 816940 Fax number 01384 816941 Email address jstevens@bromhills.dudley.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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,

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School details

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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School details

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

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