Alanbrooke School

Alanbrooke Community Primary School Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3SF

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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.  Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared for their future learning.  Pupils of all abilities, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in English and mathematics. Overall, pupils use their literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT) skills well in many different subjects.  Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and make learning exciting. The overall quality of teaching is good and sometimes outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. They are kind and considerate to each other and respect their teachers. Parents hold the school in high regard and appreciate the care and support their children receive.  Pupils have very positive attitudes to school. They take their many responsibilities seriously and help to make the school even better.  The headteacher and senior staff rigorously

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pursue a clear vision for school development with good support and challenge from the governing body. Consequently, pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching have improved well since the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always make full use of marking and feedback to involve pupils in improving their own work.  In a few lessons opportunities are missed for pupils to put their basic skills into practice.  Occasionally pupils are not challenged to make the very best progress they could.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed seven lessons including a joint observation with a member of the senior leadership team. The inspectors also made a number of shorter visits to classrooms.  Discussions were held with a group of pupils, the Chair and other members of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority, and members of staff including senior and middle leaders. Inspectors also heard pupils read from both key stages.  Inspectors took account of five responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and outcomes from the school’s consultations with parents.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including data on pupils’ current and previous progress, the school development plan, performance management documentation and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Andrew Clark, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Anne Humble Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British and the proportion from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is high. The pupil premium is additional government funding allocated to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after by the local authority or the children of forces families.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The proportion of pupils who start or leave the school other than in Reception or Year 6, the normal points of entry and exit for a primary school, is much higher than usual. This is largely

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Information about this school

due to military postings.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  At the time of the inspection the school was housed in temporary accommodation on the Alanbrooke Army Barracks due to flood damage in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  making full use of marking and feedback to further involve pupils in assessing and improving their own work  increasing chances for pupils to practise their basic skills during all lessons  making full use of all opportunities to challenge pupils to make even better progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills which are generally below those typical for their age. They make better than normally expected progress in their personal and social development, literacy and numeracy skills. The levels they reach by Year 1 have risen considerably since the last inspection. Children are inquisitive, keen to learn and stay on task for long periods of time.  Pupils of all abilities make consistently good progress through the school and this is a good improvement since the last inspection. This particularly results from good improvements to the quality of teaching, including the way in which teachers use what they know about pupils’ differing abilities that helps them to do their best.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium and those who have special educational needs, make better progress than usual and the gap between their achievement and that of others is

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The achievement of pupils is good

reducing. In particular, the provision and training of additional staff to improve basic writing skills such as spelling has contributed positively to increasing achievement.  Furthermore, the significant proportion of pupils who do not start or finish their primary education at this school generally make good progress. The school has rigorous systems to measure their achievement at an early stage and match learning to their needs well. This also contributes to the good progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils read fluently and widely. They tackle new and unfamiliar words well because they develop a good understanding of letters and their sounds. Pupils generally read with expression and enthusiasm. Their love of reading and knowledge of different authors is very positive.  Occasionally, relative weaknesses in the quality of teaching limit pupils of all abilities in making

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The achievement of pupils is good

the very best progress they could.  Overall, pupils regularly make good use of their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. For example, pupils write at length, often for homework, in diaries and non-chronological accounts of work linked to science, history and geography. They use computer tablets well in mathematical problem solving and practising calculation skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use very good procedures to measure pupils' ability and the progress they make, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Teachers use this knowledge well to set high expectations for pupils to achieve through their lessons.  Relationships between adults and pupils are very good. Consequently, lessons run very smoothly and pupils have positive attitudes to learning.  Lessons often start with an activity which grabs pupils’ attention and sharpens their thinking, especially in outstanding lessons. For example, with the aid of ICT teachers make very good use of pupils' own work as a starting point and model for others. They use challenging and fast- paced mental calculation games and practical problem-solving activities on shape and measure well to build knowledge and recall of mathematical facts and processes.  Teachers and teaching assistants ask open questions to explore pupils’ understanding and

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The quality of teaching is good

develop their thinking skills. They enable pupils to make a full contribution to discussions through, for example, talking with a partner and by making presentations.  Occasionally, however, teachers miss the chance to follow up on pupils' responses or to intervene soon enough to fully extend their learning. As a result, pupils are not always challenged to make the best progress they can throughout the lesson.  Reading skills are taught well because teachers promote pupils' understanding of letters and sounds through work closely matched to pupils' ability, regardless of age. They guide pupils well to read with expression and understand the deeper meaning of the text. They provide good opportunities for pupils to practise their reading and writing skills through other subjects. However, occasionally, teachers miss the chance to allow pupils to use basic skills such as reading during the lesson, for example by reading the purpose of the lesson or instructions for

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The quality of teaching is good

the activities themselves rather than being told by an adult.  Pupils who have special educational needs undertake work which helps them to do well and builds progressively on their earlier learning. Teaching assistants and other adults provide sensitive and skilled support when needed whilst encouraging pupils to work as independently as possible.  The overall quality of marking and feedback is good. However, sometimes teachers' comments do not provide clear enough guidance for pupils to amend and improve their own work and ensure issues raised are fully addressed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well and feel safe. Sometimes behaviour is exemplary in lessons, although occasionally a few pupils take too long to settle to their work without guidance from the teacher. Pupils respond very well to the caring ethos and teachers’ clear expectations of the way that they should behave.  Pupils are thoughtful and considerate towards others. Through lessons on citizenship, for example, pupils learn to consider other peoples' points of view and how they can help each other. The school has very effective systems to help pupils who are new to the school to settle in quickly with support from a peer mentor, a pupil who is trained to help others settle in, and the work of the home-school coordinator.  Pupils contribute to establishing a safe environment and promoting good attitudes through roles as school councillors, playground protectors, eco-councillors and junior road safety officers. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

have very clear ideas about how they can make the school even better and feel they are listened to and their views acted upon.  The school works well with parents to support pupils with emotional and social difficulties and help them manage their own behaviour. There have been no recent exclusions. Consequently, parents support and appreciate teachers’ high expectations, poor behaviour is very rare and attendance is above average.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including internet bullying, and feel that very little goes on.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher's very clear vision for school improvement is shared by all staff, parents and the governing body. Middle and senior leaders make good use of rigorous systems to check the quality of all aspects of the school's work and plan for its future development. This has led to significant improvements to the consistency of good teaching and pupils' achievement.  The headteacher and senior teacher provide very good role models and are skilled in observing teaching and setting targets for improvement. Staff are aware of their accountability for the progress their pupils make and understand how this is linked to salary progression. Consequently, the school is aware of the few aspects of teaching and learning requiring further development and is well placed to address them.  The school receives good support from the local authority. This has contributed, for example, to the development of senior leaders' skills and effectiveness. Close partnerships with other schools

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The leadership and management are good

in the area have supported the development of accurate procedures to measure pupils' achievement and set challenging levels of work.  The school is at the heart of its community. All staff are sensitive to the needs of the many military families that attend the school. They rigorously pursue well-developed systems to provide nurture and support to the families, especially at key moments of military deployment or when pupils transfer from one school to another. They make effective use of pupil premium funding and other resources to ensure good achievement is maintained through times of change. Parents and the wider community provide very good support to the school in response, which was very evident in the move to temporary accommodation following the recent and on- going flood damage.  Policies for safeguarding pupils meet legal requirements and are supported by detailed record keeping.  The school makes learning exciting and memorable through the different subjects and the links

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The leadership and management are good

between them. Focused programmes of reading and writing for different abilities promote good development of basic and more advanced skills. The school promotes a good understanding of diversity and racial tolerance through many visits and visitors, projects on fair trade and other global issues.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is well led and is well informed through good reports from the headteacher and their own systematic and thorough monitoring procedures. They are regularly visitors to the school and know pupils and staff well. They support and hold leaders to account effectively. Governors ensure that financial management, including the use of pupil premium funding for boosting basic skills and supporting families in times of change, is matched carefully to improving pupils’ achievement and the impact is meticulously scrutinised. As a result, it makes a good contribution to establishing the strategic direction of the school.

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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 121326 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 406019

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 61 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Ward Headteacher Keely Ungerechts Date of previous school inspection 7 February 2011 Telephone number 01845 577474 Fax number Not Applicable Email address admin@alanbrooke.n-york.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

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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