Butler's Hill Infant and Nursery School

Butler's Hill Infant and Nursery School Broomhill Road, Hucknall, Nottingham, NG15 6AJ

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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.  The school has worked hard since the last inspection and has significantly improved both teaching and achievement. Both are now good.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics has improved and they now make good progress.  All leaders and managers at the school do a good job. The headteacher’s highly focused, yet caring approach ensures that she provides very strong leadership. She is highly respected by pupils, staff, parents and carers and school governors.  Pupils are very well cared for and feel safe in school. Pupils enjoy coming to school, their attendance is above average and their behaviour is good.  Governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school well, provide a good level of challenge to leaders and visit the school frequently.  Staff morale is high and all teachers are determined to make the school outstanding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although there is some outstanding teaching in the school, there is not enough to ensure pupils make consistently outstanding, progress over time.  Teachers concentrate too much on developing pupils’ knowledge rather than on improving their skills.  Teachers do not teach children about the sounds that letters make (phonics) as well as they should.  The school’s leaders know what to do to improve the school but do not always check carefully enough to ensure that the things they do are working properly.

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Information about this inspection

 17 lessons were observed by inspectors, two of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other school leaders, two groups of pupils, and representatives of the governing body. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors analysed questionnaire responses from 24 staff and also took account of the five responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Informal conversations were also held with 18 parents and carers during the inspection, as they brought their children to school.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, heard pupils read and scrutinised pupils’ work. They looked at a number of documents, including the school development plans, safeguarding arrangements, attendance data, governing body reports and school information about the progress pupils make.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Spencer, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Simon Camby Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized school compared to others of the same type.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium) is well above average.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The proportion supported through school action is in line with average.  The school operates morning and afternoon Nursery sessions.  A children’s centre and a junior school are situated on the same site and the school works in partnership with both of these to support pupils and families.  A breakfast club operates on the site under the school’s leadership.  The school has achieved ‘Healthy Schools’ status and also holds the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the progress pupils make and improve the quality of teaching so that all teaching is good or better by:  developing greater consistency in the way teachers teach phonics (the sounds that letters make)  identifying more precisely the specific skills that pupils are expected to learn, in different topics and subjects, in each year group.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership by ensuring action plans:  include clear targets to help the school measure the impact of the its actions on pupils’ progress  set out clearly who will be responsible for each action, when they will check how successful it has been, and how they will do it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers quickly and accurately find out what level children are working at when they begin the school. Children begin the Nursery class with knowledge, skills and understanding that are below the expected levels for their age. Children’s speech and language development is well below the typical level for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children make better than expected progress as they move through the school because teaching is good. They settle very quickly into the school’s Nursery and Reception classes, feel safe and well-cared for and are taught well by staff. Classrooms and outdoor play areas are well- equipped, stimulating and safe.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress in developing their writing and mathematics skills as they move through Years 1 and 2. They leave Year 2 with standards broadly in line with those expected for their age. Pupils generally make good progress in developing reading skills but not all pupils yet have a secure grasp of phonics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because the school quickly identifies how best to support the needs of each child. Teachers and highly skilled teaching assistants provide extra support for these pupils in the classroom and sometimes in separate group work away from the classroom. ‘Nurture groups’, where pupils are helped to develop the skills they need are particularly effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported through the pupil premium (additional funding), including those known to be eligible for free school meals, make good progress in closing the gap between themselves and other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils also make good progress in their learning in other subjects and topics. They learn about other cultures and their work indicates that they have developed a good understanding and appreciation of those living in societies very different to their own. For example, pupils have exchanged thoughtfully worded letters with children from a school in Gambia.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All parents and carers responding to the inspection questionnaire, and those who spoke to inspectors, believe that their child makes good progress at the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is lively, engaging and creative. Lessons consistently capture the pupils’ attention and motivate them to learn. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, the teacher used classroom materials to make a large clock in the middle of the floor. This completely engaged the pupils and they made good progress in identifying and displaying times at, and half past, the hour.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have significantly improved their use of ICT (information and communication technology) to support learning since the last inspection. Voice recorders and the interactive whiteboards (large touchscreen electronic display boards) in the classrooms are now used effectively across the school.  Teaching assistants show good judgement when supporting pupils in lessons. Their positive approach helps pupils build their confidence and self-esteem. As a result, they become more independent as they move through the school and are good, independent learners by the time they reach Year 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan effectively to meet different pupils’ needs, and regularly check on the progress of different groups of children in order to identify pupils who do not understand things properly and provide the support they need. This is underpinning pupils’ improved progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make very good use of time and ensure that pupils move from one activity to another without delay. For example, at the start of lessons and when pupils move from listening to the teacher on the carpet to sit at their tables, they do so without fuss or interruption. This means that very little learning time is lost.

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The quality of teaching is good

 On some occasions phonics teaching is not as good as it should be. This is because pupils are not always challenged enough or because individual teachers do not say sounds properly and clearly enough. The school is aware that these weaknesses are slowing pupils’ progress in this area of learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work carefully and their comments encourage pupils and help them to improve. Teachers also make frequent references to the targets that pupils should be working towards to make clear the next steps they need to take in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in school, including at the school’s breakfast club. This is because they enjoy what they are doing and because staff are successful in engaging them completely in thinking about what they are learning. Teachers also place a very strong emphasis on the importance of working and playing together ‘collaboratively’. This approach is very effective; pupils were observed playing and working together in harmony in different parts of the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some pupils with individual needs find it difficult to behave consistently well for sustained periods of time. However these pupils are well supported by staff and inspectors found strong evidence to show the effectiveness of the school’s work with these pupils over time. Poor behaviour very rarely causes interruptions to the learning of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance that has risen significantly since the last inspection and is now above average. The school has worked hard with pupils and parents and carers to improve attendance since the last inspection. Pupils explained to inspectors over lunch how much they enjoy having ‘Butler’s Bear’ (a soft toy) in their classrooms for the week, if their class has the best attendance in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of safety for their age. For example, pupils of different ages could explain clearly why it is important for them to walk, rather than run, in the school building. They told inspectors that bullying and inappropriate name calling occur very rarely in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Almost all parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire, and those who spoke to inspectors, believe that behaviour in the school is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the headteacher is very effective. All leaders and managers, including in the Nursery, have been successful in their actions to improve the school. They know its strengths and weaknesses very well. They have improved the quality of teaching and pupils’ attendance very effectively. Consequently, pupils make stronger progress in learning and their behaviour has also improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school uses the additional funding very effectively to provide additional support from teaching assistants and to provide free access to the school’s breakfast club. This has helped to narrow the gaps between different groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils, and shows that leaders are promoting equality of opportunity for pupils effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have managed the performance of staff effectively. Promotion and progression through the pay scales are directly tied to classroom performance and impact on achievement. Teachers receive clear guidance to help them improve their teaching. This is greatly appreciated by staff and all are committed to the continued improvement of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Although leaders know the school well, the way the impact of these actions is measured requires improvement. This is because the school does not map out exactly what should be expected at different points in time, using clear targets to measure progress, or make clear who is expected to monitor each action and how they will do it. For example, although the school has significantly improved the range of ICT resources within school, very little work has been carried out to check the impact this has made on pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders ensure that pupils cover a range of exciting learning topics. Although pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of these topics well, teachers do not build enough opportunities to develop pupils’ skills, for example problem-solving, into their learning activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school offers a broad range of educational visits, including a residential trip for Year 2 pupils, and a good selection of after-school clubs. These activities play an important role in supporting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents and carers are very supportive of the school’s work. One commented, ‘The school is really good at helping you. They always listen and sort things out.’ This was typical of the many positive comments sent to inspectors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided ‘light-touch’ support for this school. This has been appropriate because the local authority has judged correctly that the school is making good progress. The school’s partnerships with the junior school and the children’s centre on the same site are strong. This supports the school well, for example, by working with the children’s centre to ensure that pupils beginning the Nursery are better prepared for starting school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has successfully overseen a period of strong improvement in the school. Governors have received appropriate training in their roles. They know and understand the school and are aware of what has been done to improve teaching and how achievement compares to other schools. They have good relationships with staff, visit the school frequently and have established links with teachers who are subject leaders. They acknowledge that monitoring arrangements in the school’s action plans should be planned more carefully and that this will help them to focus even more sharply on the school’s main improvement priorities. The governing body has a good overview of the school’s systems to manage the performance of staff and ensures their own review of the performance of the headteacher is detailed and rigorous. Governors know how the school has used the funding for the pupil

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The leadership and management are good

premium and make sure this, and other all other funding, is used effectively. They ensure that pupils are safe and that all safeguarding requirements are fully met.

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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 122586 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 402105

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 193 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Shirley Robbins Headteacher Melinda Amos Date of previous school inspection 24 March 2010 Telephone number 0115 9525904 Fax number 0115 9525914 Email address head.teacher@butlershill.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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