Brundall Primary School

Brundall Primary School Braydeston Avenue, Brundall, Norwich, NR13 5JX

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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.  Progress in reading and mathematics is good and pupils reach above average standards. Significantly above average numbers of pupils do exceptionally well in mathematics.  Teaching is good and has improved rapidly since the last inspection. Training on a range of issues has improved teachers’ knowledge and skills and this is resulting in a growing number of outstanding lessons.  Pupils behave well and have very positive attitudes towards school and learning.  Leadership and management are good. Senior teachers and subject leaders have a good understanding of pupils’ progress and track how well they are doing very effectively.  The governing body is providing the school with very dynamic leadership that has challenged all at the school to raise expectations since the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Writing standards, especially of boys, are not as consistently high as those in reading and mathematics. Recent training undertaken to improve pupils’ talk and vocabulary is yet to be fully effective.  Spelling is often the weakest part of the pupils’ written work and they do not always have sufficient time to practise writing skills in other subjects.  The school does not make sufficient use of opportunities for pupils to learn outdoors.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons, some jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings took place with the headteacher, staff, a sample of pupils, parents and carers, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  A number of pupils read to inspectors and talked about their work. Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised.  Inspectors analysed and took account of the responses of 64 parents and carers to the online survey (Parent View), as well as one letter. In addition, they scrutinised 19 staff questionnaires.  They looked at key documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, policies, performance data, procedures for safeguarding and the school development plan.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Paul Bartlett Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Brundall is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and are supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is average.  A very small number of pupils are from a minority ethnic background.  A below-average proportion of the pupils qualify for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has the ECO School Bronze award and has achieved national Healthy Schools status.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing, and especially for boys, by  embedding recent changes to the teaching of speaking and drama to inspire pupils’ written work  improving pupils’ spelling skills  ensuring sufficient opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills across different subjects  ensuring planned interventions for those making slower progress are made early enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make much more effective use of the outdoor environment and resources to support pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Most children start in the Reception class with levels of knowledge and understanding below those typically found at this age. They quickly settle into school routines and the often outstanding teaching helps them make rapid progress. They work very well together and develop good early reading, writing and number skills. The use of very imaginative role play, such as that involving the pretend theatre, is also promoting strong social and cultural development.  In Years 1 and 2 progress has been more inconsistent and attainment broadly average for a number of years. Currently, good teaching is helping pupils to make more consistent progress and reach higher standards. Mathematical, writing and reading skills are good and pupils enjoy reading and being read to. They can talk enthusiastically about different books and really enjoyed a theatre visit to see one of their books come to life.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the 2012 national assessment of Year 1 reading skills, the school achieved levels in line with the national average. To improve this they quickly instigated changes to the teaching of phonics (the links between sounds and letters), including new leadership and resources. Currently, Year 2 pupils have good skills in linking sounds and letters so that they can read new words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Previous low attainment by the end of Year 6, especially in mathematics, has been addressed very successfully. The most recent national tests show that attainment in mathematics is significantly above average, especially for the proportion who achieved the higher levels. A significantly above average proportion of the pupils actually achieved the level expected for fourteen year olds. The current Year 6 pupils are already ahead of where the previous Year 6 group was at this time of year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in reading in Key Stage 2 is also above average. It is average in writing, with some variation from year to year and too few pupils reach the higher levels. Spelling skills are weaker than other aspects of writing and pupils have too few opportunities to use their skills when writing for other purposes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Recent changes to the curriculum to introduce more opportunities for pupils to develop their vocabulary and speaking skills are beginning to have positive outcomes, but it is too soon for the impact to be consistently evident. Even so, the progress in English made by pupils from Years 2 to 6 last year was better than that expected. Pupils read widely and make good use of books and other reading matter in researching topics. The excellent opportunities for older pupils to read with younger ones and the lunchtime book clubs all have a very positive impact on reading standards across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they are well supported through effective intervention groups. Even so, these interventions are generally not introduced before Key Stage 2, so opportunities to support younger pupils are sometimes missed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language make good progress from their different starting points. So too do those who are supported by the pupil premium so that the gap between these and others is starting to close. Boys’ attainment in writing has been lower than that of girls in the past. A number of initiatives have been introduced to improve boys’ learning, although it is too early to be able to measure the impact of these. There were no evident differences in the achievement of different groups during the inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, especially in reading and mathematics. The teaching of mathematics has been very effectively improved through a number of initiatives such as extra training and changes to the curriculum, resources and teaching methods.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of writing has been less consistently successful and it is now a focus in the school’s improvement plan. Training has already been undertaken in using talk and drama as the basis for writing. The staff have approached this very positively and speak highly of the improvements they can already see in pupils’ work. In one excellent lesson in Year 6, for example, pupils acted parts of a story to show emotion through the use of gestures and movement, before using this to inspire some very imaginative writing. The marking of pupils’ work is good and pupils talk about how this feedback helps them learn new things.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants often offer good support to teachers. This is particularly the case when working with pupils who may be more vulnerable. Pupils supported by the pupil premium receive additional support from teaching assistants. Pupils with physical disabilities are well supported so that they are fully included and can work alongside other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are well planned. Relationships between teachers, other adults, and the pupils are very strong. This is an important factor in creating the schools’ positive learning ethos. The pace of lessons is good and this holds pupils’ interest. On occasion teaching is less effective because the teacher spends too long talking, especially when pupils sit on the mat.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is occasionally outstanding. Imaginative tasks create very positive learning opportunities. The best teaching seizes the moment, such as when the hedgehog appeared on the playground during Reception pupils work on habitats. Sometimes, however, teachers do not take or encourage opportunities to use the outdoors as a learning resource.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use assessment data more regularly and effectively than in the past. This helps them see the success of their teaching and to recognise and address any underachievement more quickly. Planning often focuses on individual pupils, building on what they did in a previous lesson. However, in a small number of lessons work was not well matched to all pupils across the ability range.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. At times, behaviour in lessons is outstanding and very evidently supporting their learning through their positive attitudes and full involvement. Pupils’ behaviour is managed well through an unobtrusive system of rewards and sanctions, which pupils feel are fair.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, parents and carers say their children are safe at school. Pupils are confident that bullying is rare and if it occurred it would be successfully dealt with. They say they trust the adults and would share any concerns or worries with them. Pupils are very aware of different types of bullying, including through new technology.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their attendance, which is often above average. They talk about the lessons they enjoy, such as mathematics, literacy and religious education, and how the teachers help them learn new things. They also enjoy taking responsibility such as reading with younger pupils or organizing charity fund raising.  Behaviour around the school is good. At lunchtime and break time pupils play together well. They are often very active, making good use of the adventure play apparatus and some smaller toys. However, this is an area pupils feel could be improved, especially for the older children and inspection evidence supports this. Breaks are well supervised and any bumps or accidents dealt with appropriately.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has developed the leadership of the school since the last inspection and has now created an effective structure of subject and senior leaders with clear responsibilities. Detailed action plans are in place to address recognised areas for improvement. The school has a much clearer focus on raising standards and tackling any underachievement. This is helping all live up to the motto ‘believe, persist, succeed’.

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The leadership and management are good

 A major improvement has been the use of data in tracking pupils’ progress and this is now good. The local authority has provided strong support in helping the school understand data as well as in providing support and training to improve teaching and to support senior staff’s monitoring and evaluation activities. Staff throughout the school are now more familiar with progress data and how it can reflect the success of their teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Performance management and appraisal are used successfully to recognise strengths and weaknesses in the provision. Challenging targets are set for teachers, often based on academic standards as well as their personal and professional skills. Professional development has had a very positive impact on teaching skills, especially in mathematics, and more recently in writing. A major strength is the willingness of the staff to work together to share expertise.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers and teaching assistants say they are proud to be members of staff at the school. A number of non-teaching staff say they would like more opportunities to develop their professional skills, which is a further indication of the lack of complacency and willingness to look outside the school for new ideas.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has maintained the strengths found at the last inspection. The recent changes to the areas of learning have been effectively introduced and the assessment system is detailed. Very knowledgeable practitioners provide some outstanding teaching, resources and interesting and exciting activities. This was the case when Diwali celebrations involved a wide range of events and learning opportunities, including a visitor from the Indian community. The outdoor area is used well but is in need of some refurbishment and improved resourcing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well provided for through the good curriculum. Recent changes to planning have introduced a number of links between subjects within an overarching theme. This is proving popular with pupils. Enrichment, like the residential visits and out of school clubs, provides good experiences that develop pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. The school ensures all pupils have equal access to all activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has worked hard to build on its good work evident at the last inspection and currently it is providing the school with outstanding levels of challenge and support. Governors have an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they work closely with the school. Regular visits to classes are written up in detail and shared with other governors. This helps all understand how well the school is doing and what needs to improve. This in turn supports the governors’ decision-making process. In addition, the familiarity with the teaching in each class means governors have a clear picture of the work being done to improve teaching quality and of its success through improved outcomes. Governors understand clearly the performance management system and have access to data showing its success. This has clearly strengthened the quality of teaching and therefore the

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The leadership and management are good

progress pupils are making throughout the school. Governors have ensured salary increases are linked to good or better teaching. They have made good decisions over the spending of the pupil premium money and this is tracked to show how successful any interventions have been. The governing body ensures all statutory requirements including those for safeguarding, are 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 120909 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 401981

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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 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nicola Finch Headteacher Rick Stuart-Sheppard Date of previous school inspection 26 May 2010 Telephone number 01603 712597 Fax number 01603 712597 Email address office@brundall.norfolk.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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