Broughton Fields Primary School

Broughton Fields Primary School Milton Road, Broughton, Milton Keynes, MK10 9LS

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The strong leadership of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and governors has successfully created a passionate, dedicated, enthusiastic and skilled team. They strive to provide the very best for each individual pupil at Broughton Fields. The leaders of the school relentlessly focus on improving the quality of teaching and this is why achievement has risen rapidly. Members of staff are proud to work at the school.  Teaching is rarely less than good. There are examples of outstanding teaching across the school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher set an excellent example with their own teaching.  Reading is particularly strong in the school. The teaching of phonics (linking letters and sounds) is good and well structured. As a result of this, very many pupils love reading and are able to read a wide range of books.  Attitudes to learning are exemplary and this makes a significant contribution to the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvement and good progress seen. The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around school is outstanding. They feel safe and enjoy school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ achievement in writing is not as high as in reading and mathematics.  Teachers need to make sure that the more able pupils make even stronger progress in lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, the team made a number of short visits to lessons. The inspectors also observed senior leaders feeding back to teachers about the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body and six other members of the governing body. Inspectors also met with senior staff and subject leaders and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors talked with pupils in lessons and listened to two groups of readers from across the school. They looked at work in pupils’ books.  The inspectors took account of the 54 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the responses from the school’s own surveys.  The inspectors also looked at a wide range of evidence including: the school improvement plan;

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Information about this inspection

the school’s own evaluation of its progress; the school’s data for tracking the progress of pupils; the school’s documentation relating to keeping children safe, behaviour and attendance; local authority monitoring reports; and reports about the effectiveness of teaching and learning. They also looked at the minutes of the governing body meetings, their visit notes and the staff survey of views.

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Inspection team

Susan Currie, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Paul Edwards Additional Inspector Elizabeth Duffy Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is a larger than average primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided by the government for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is average.  The proportions of pupils identified as disabled and or needing extra support are below the national average.  The majority of pupils in the school are of White British heritage and the remainder come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, the largest group being of Black African heritage.  The school meets the current ‘floor standard’ which sets the government’s minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school has an ‘Investors in People’ award.  The Broughton Fields Care Club offers childcare for children and pupils before and after school. This is managed by the governing body and formed part of the inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that more is outstanding by:  making sure that teachers challenge the more-able pupils to make as much progress as they can in lessons and plan effectively so that learning is at the correct levels for these pupils  allowing more-able pupils to get to more challenging work sooner and not requiring them to listen unnecessarily to teachers’ explanations when they already understand what to do  giving more-able pupils the chance to set their own personal challenges and determine the direction of their own learning and provide them with more opportunities to find out for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve writing by:  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length in all subjects of the curriculum  checking that pupils use appropriate writing materials to improve their handwriting  making sure that when pupils write, it is real, relevant and interesting to them and uses real- life situations to motivate and engage them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children coming into the Early Years Foundation Stage classes have skills and abilities below those typically seen for their age. The good focus on improving how well children speak and listen is having a good impact on their rates of progress through these classes.  Pupils continue to make good progress across Key Stage 1 and, in 2012, Year 2 pupils reached the levels typically expected for their age.  Pupils continue to make good progress through Key Stage 2 and, in 2012, Year 6 pupils reached standards above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Many more pupils reached the higher Level 5 than in previous years in all subjects and this was higher than the national average in 2011. Very occasionally more-able pupils do not progress as well as they should because the tasks given do not always challenge them enough.  Achievement in reading is very strong because of the effective teaching of reading across the

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The achievement of pupils is good

school. This happens in phonics lessons which focus on the sounds letters make and in small group work which is closely guided by the teacher. Teachers are skilfully matching reading work to the need of each pupil. The school has many effective ways of ensuring pupils who need to improve their reading are given support. Some are given support to help them improve reading skills on an individual basis in the lessons led by the deputy headteacher. Others work well on their own targets for improvement with good, well-trained teaching assistants. The proportion of pupils meeting the expected levels for phonics in Year 1 assessments matched the levels of pupils nationally.  Although writing has improved rapidly, fewer pupils reached Level 5 in writing than in reading and mathematics. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to write at length in all subjects in the curriculum. Sometimes pupils write on whiteboards or ‘post-its’. This can makes it difficult

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The achievement of pupils is good

for pupils to practise handwriting at a high standard. Writing is not always taught in real, relevant contexts that help the pupils to be enthusiastic about their writing. Where this is taught well, pupils are really motivated to become better writers.  As a result of the successful interventions and better teaching, all groups of pupils, including pupils from Black African heritage, those entitled to additional funding or who need extra help make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics in line with all pupils in the school. The school makes sure all groups perform equally well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching in all key stages in school is typically good or better. Examples of outstanding teaching were seen. For example, in a Year 3 class, learning was specifically targeted to the levels of all the pupils. Teaching assistants were used well to ensure every pupil made good or better progress.  In the strongest lessons, teachers build good relationships that help pupils engage well with their learning. There is a brisk pace to lessons and no time is wasted. Teachers are skilled at asking probing questions that help pupils to think, to extend their learning and to develop their vocabulary. Lessons are well planned by teachers and they use a good range of resources such as the interactive whiteboards and techniques such as ‘talk partners’ to help all pupils to be more involved in the lessons.  Where lessons are not as good as the best, teachers do not always consistently challenge the

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The quality of teaching is good

more-able pupils to make fast enough progress. Sometimes they are expected to listen to the teachers talking to the whole class when they already understand what they need to do. Occasionally, more-able children are not given enough opportunities to find things out for themselves. Teaching assistants are very occasionally not used effectively when the teacher is talking to the whole group.  The most effective teaching practice is shared to show other teachers how to make their teaching even better. The headteacher and deputy headteacher model strong practice by teaching every week.  The teaching of reading is particularly good. Younger children are able to tackle unknown words well and use sounds to read them. Older pupils have good reading skills which will help them understand and read better in other subjects of the curriculum and prepares them well for secondary school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show extremely positive attitudes to learning across the school. This contributes well to the faster progress seen in school. The staff help pupils to take pride in the school, creating a calm, friendly and engaging classroom environment.  There is a very clear behaviour policy and strong moral code that is based on ‘values’. Pupils are respectful and value each other and show good manners towards all adults and each other. Themes such as cooperation and sharing are emphasised in assemblies and in lessons. Playground and classroom behaviour is impeccable.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and they understand the different types of bullying. They feel that if bullying happens, teachers deal effectively with it. They understand how to stay safe when using computers and the internet.  Most parents and carers who responded to the online survey felt behaviour was well managed and that bullying was dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attendance at school has improved over the past three years and is now above the national average. This is due to effective techniques the school has put in place to make sure all pupils attend regularly, such as calling home if they are not at school. Very few pupils arrive at school late. The school fosters good relationships and is effective in ensuring there is no discrimination.  The breakfast club provides a good beginning to the day for pupils of all ages and has helped make sure pupils start school on time. There is an after-school club that pupils enjoy attending.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide strong leadership and ensure the school is striving for excellence in all that it does. This has led to demonstrable improvements in teaching and achievement since the last inspection.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher model excellent teaching practice. They have the correct skills needed to help other teachers improve their teaching. Targeted support is given to individual teachers depending on their needs. Teachers new to the profession are well supported through their first years in school. Teachers can participate in training designed to help them become outstanding teachers.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher ensure that the monitoring of teaching performance is strong and this is used effectively to determine salaries and the professional development of teachers and other staff in school. They regularly visit classrooms to check on the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching.  The leadership team and governors have clearly identified the strengths and weaknesses of the school and there is a good, detailed three-year plan showing the steps the school needs to take to become an outstanding school.  All staff responding to the questionnaire agree the school is well led and managed and feel they are valued. One staff member said, ‘I think Broughton Fields is brilliant. I love being part of the family team.’ This is borne out by the school gaining an ‘Investors in People’ Award for the second time in 2012.  The school has rightly identified the need to further develop the leadership skills of teachers who are in charge of subjects other than English and mathematics. These leaders do not always check how well writing is developed in their subject.  The school focuses on the appropriate priorities and its approach is underpinned by ‘values’ and the need to improve children’s basic skills. The subjects taught help to develop pupils’ spiritual,

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The leadership and management are good

moral, social and cultural skills well. Pupils are gaining a high level of knowledge and skills in ‘topic’ themes that engage them. Year 6 readers had a good understanding of the Second World War. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children enjoyed learning about ‘hedgehogs’ and ‘autumn’. These topics were effective in developing the pupils’ interests. The work in class is supported by a range of well-attended clubs.  The school works hard to engage and involve parents and carers. Workshops are held to suggest ways that they can help their children at school. Most parents and carers are positive about the school and all those who responded to the online survey said that they would recommend this school to others.  The local authority has provided good support to the school. It recognises that the school has made significant improvement and therefore now provides ‘light touch’ support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has significantly improved since the last inspection. Several governors attended the meeting with the inspector and all participated in the discussion showing a high level of dedication, commitment and passion for improvement.  The governing body leads the school effectively in partnership with the senior leadership team and promotes equality and tackles any form of discrimination well. It challenges the leadership team well about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. The governing body is clear that the minimum standard for teaching is good and understands how this links to pay.  The governing body makes effective spending decisions and obtains good value for money. It is aware of the extra funding available and knows exactly how this is used to fund Reading Recovery, Every Child Counts and one-to-one tuition for pupils at risk of not achieving as well

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The leadership and management are good

as they could.  Governing Body representatives and the Headteacher attend the parent forum, a parent-led group, that raises concerns and seeks the views of parents and carers through discussion and questionnaires that informs future school planning.  The governing body ensures that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities, including ensuring that children are safe.

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 134072 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 402593

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 396 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dan Hewett Headteacher Sue Payne Date of previous school inspection 1–2 February 2010 Telephone number 01908235994 Email address broughton.fields@milton-keynes.gov.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, please

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School details

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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