Brinsley Primary and Nursery School

Brinsley Primary and Nursery School Moor Road, Brinsley, Nottingham, NG16 5AZ

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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.  In this small school, strong relationships and a close-knit community mean that pupils feel safe, secure and valued.  The headteacher and senior leaders have successfully established a shared vision for the future of the school, and a commitment and drive for further improvement.  As a result, the quality of teaching is now good and pupils’ achievement has improved significantly since the last inspection.  Good help and guidance ensures that all groups of pupils make good progress in most subjects, including English and mathematics, regardless of their background or ability level.  Pupils are proud of their school and want to do well. They are polite, show respect to adults and for each other, and behave well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching to lift achievement to the next level.  Progress occasionally slows when teachers do not make sure pupils are fully occupied, or encourage them to use their initiative by working on their own.  Teachers do not always ask pupils enough searching questions to check that they understand the work set, so it can be adapted if it is too easy or too hard, or give them enough time to think harder about their answers.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited nine lessons, taught by six teachers and one teaching assistant.  Discussions were held with pupils, senior staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at development plans, records of pupils’ progress, arrangements for safeguarding, and documentation resulting from the monitoring of teachers’ performance.  Inspectors took account the 12 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in addition to views expressed in person by parents and carers during the inspection.  Inspectors also scrutinised nine questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most other primary schools, and as a result pupils in Key Stage 2 are taught in mixed-age classes.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds, and the vast majority speak English as their first language.  A below-average proportion are supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils whose parents are serving in the armed forces.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion who join or leave the school partway through the year, or in different year groups, is above the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 Independent childcare is provided on the school site, but it is not managed by the school’s governing body and was not part of this inspection.  Since the last inspection, the school has had a new headteacher and two senior teachers have been appointed as well as a newly qualified teacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  making sure that pupils are always actively involved throughout lessons, and have regular opportunities to develop their independent learning skills by working on their own  using more open-ended questions during lessons to judge and build on pupils’ understanding  giving pupils more opportunities to talk to each other about their ideas for improving their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children’s skills and understanding when they start school are below the levels expected for their age. They make good progress across the different areas of learning, particularly in their ability to link letters and sounds, reading, and personal and social skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children settle quickly and rapidly grow in self-esteem and independence because relationships are strong and they are encouraged to make choices about their learning, especially in the recently refurbished excellent outside learning area.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small numbers of pupils in each year group and the high number coming and going each year, some of whom are only in the school for a relatively short time, lead to variations in progress in some year groups. The school’s accurate tracking information shows that pupils who have attended the school for substantial periods of time make good progress, but those who arrive later also do well because of good teaching and individual help and guidance for those who need to catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There was a marked improvement in the progress pupils in Key Stage 1 made in 2012, particularly in reading. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2012 was average in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good progress from pupils’ starting points, and it has accelerated over the last two years. In 2012, all the pupils in Year 6 made better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers’ high expectations and careful planning mean that challenging work is set for more- able pupils, so they too make good progress. As a result, more pupils reached the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics in the 2012 Year 6 national tests.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs thrive. The teachers and other adults who help and guide these pupils have a thorough understanding of their needs, and the individual support provided for pupils who have complex needs is particularly effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Literacy lessons are planned with care to engage and interest pupils. During the inspection pupils enjoyed writing a diary of the events that children encountered during their evacuation in the Second World War.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Practical activities are used well to deepen pupils’ understanding of mathematical concepts. A group of Year 1 pupils were seen confidently adding two numbers to make 10 by moving fishes into a tank using the touch screen on the interactive whiteboard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most parents and carers rightly consider their children to be well taught. Teaching is typically good. Teachers make good use of confident subject knowledge to plan lessons that are well paced, interesting and build well on pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is most effective, skilful questioning, including open-ended questions, ensures that pupils are actively involved in the lesson and that the teacher’s input builds on their understanding. One teacher used these techniques particularly well to explore and deepen pupils’ understanding of the feelings of characters in the story Goodnight Mr Tom.  Very occasionally during lessons, pupils have to listen to the teacher for too long and do not get the chance to discuss their ideas with other pupils, or do not have enough time to come up with their own response. At these times the progress they make slows a little.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers keep a careful eye on how well pupils are making progress in their learning. Books are marked thoroughly and pupils are given useful pointers on how to improve their work further. Most teachers check that the advice given is followed up, but pupils are not always given the chance to talk to their classmates about their ideas for improving their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good, regular teaching of reading skills, including phonics (how letters and sounds are linked) means that pupils develop a good range of strategies to tackle unfamiliar texts with increasing confidence. Pupils of all ages and abilities thoroughly enjoy reading and being awarded the ‘Star Reading Award’. They are developing personal preferences for particular authors and genres. One told the inspector that her favourite author was Enid Blyton, while another relished the surprise concealed on the final page of his reading book.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants typically demonstrate good subject knowledge. One was observed helping a Year 5 pupil to accelerate his progress in mathematics following learning that he had missed. Other adults work closely with class teachers to ensure that the work set for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs accurately matches their needs and ability levels.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils treat adults and other pupils with respect. Good relationships between different age groups make a significant contribution to the strong community spirit, as seen when older boys happily invited younger ones to join in their football game.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen learners. Their positive attitudes are reflected in their punctuality to school and above-average attendance rates. Older pupils recognise and appreciate improvements in behaviour since the arrival of the headteacher and other new staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most parents and carers say that pupils behave well, and that the school deals effectively with the rare cases of bullying. A few said that they were not aware of exactly how well the school deals with bullying. The inspector looked carefully into this issue, but judged that the school deals appropriately with any bullying that may arise. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, such as cyber bullying and racism, and demonstrate a sensible awareness of how they can help to keep themselves safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know what to do if they have any concerns. They told the inspector that the adults in the school take any worries they may have seriously and sort things out quickly. Parents and carers agree with this view, and confirm that their children feel safe in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The recent changes in staffing have been managed well by the headteacher and governing body, and the school is now benefiting from a more settled period. The headteacher is very ably supported by two senior teachers, whose confident subject knowledge makes a valuable contribution to school improvement.  A new system for tracking pupils’ progress has been introduced. This is used well to check the effectiveness of teaching and, alongside setting targets for teachers, to arrange appropriate training and coaching for staff. The success of the system is evident in the improved quality of teaching and pupils’ rising achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 A comprehensive programme of training is helping teachers, newly qualified teachers, prospective leaders and teaching assistants to sharpen their skills, especially in the way that more-able pupils are being stretched. It has been well received by staff, who say they feel more confident about tackling aspects of their performance that should be better. Teachers’ performance is monitored closely and the headteacher and governors use information from lesson observations, as well as data about pupils’ progress, to decide whether teachers should be paid more.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used well to help eligible pupils to improve their achievement. For example, one-to-one tuition, especially in mathematics, has considerably improved pupils’ ability to calculate in just half a term. Funds have also been used to train teachers to give better feedback to pupils on how to improve their work. The headteacher keeps a close eye on the way additional funding is used, to make sure it gives good value for money.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school takes full account of the very diverse range of pupils’ abilities and needs. Staff and parents and carers alike expect and help all pupils to do their best, regardless of their ability. Any discrimination is tackled thoroughly and effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. For example, through the wide range of subjects taught, pupils build up a good awareness of different cultures and religions. They respond sensitively to opportunities to reflect on their own lives and those of other people, and participate enthusiastically during assemblies.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents and carers appreciate the improvements in the school, and strongly support the headteacher and her staff. Good support from the local authority has contributed to improved teaching and raised achievement. Improvements such as the introduction of an all-weather play area and refurbished classrooms for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have enhanced pupils’ enjoyment and ensured that the best use is made of space. The school’s success is reflected in its increasing popularity.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  As a result of carefully chosen training, the role of the governing body has developed well and its members have an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and development needs. Consequently it makes a good contribution to school improvement. Governors visit regularly and have built up a good knowledge of staff and how they can tackle their areas of responsibility. Their evaluations of the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance, including how they compare to those of similar schools nationally, lead to plans of action, the success of which is used to hold senior leaders to account. The Chair of the Governing Body is perceptive about the value of spending decisions and this has led to some good decisions about, for example, how the school uses the pupil premium. Governors have authorised the recruitment of extra adults, and the school has arranged additional teaching time for pupils who are in

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The leadership and management are good

danger of falling behind in their work. They make sure that safeguarding arrangements meet current national requirements.

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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 122566 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 406100

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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 124 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Vicky Syson Headteacher Joanne Knapp Date of previous school inspection 4 April 2011 Telephone number 01773 783898 Fax number 01773 783896 Email address office19@brinsley.notts.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, please

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School details

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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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