Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School

Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School Dunkirk Road, Burnham-on-Crouch, CM0 8LG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not yet good because

 Teaching is not consistently good across the school with the result that pupils’ achievement is not yet consistently good.  In some classes, teachers’ expectations of what the pupils can do are not sufficiently high enough to bring about improvement during the lesson.  Standards in writing are not high enough, especially those attained by boys. Pupils do not get enough opportunities to develop their writing skills  Behaviour is not consistently good; a minority of pupils find it difficult to behave independently and when unsupervised.  Some middle leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of data to challenge the performance of colleagues

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The school has the following strengths

 The senior leaders and governors have a clear understanding of what is needed to improve pupils’ achievement.  The school is being successful in reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent. As a result, attendance is improving significantly and is above average.  Relationships between adults and pupils and among the staff are very good.  Opportunities to find out about different topics and themes and a wide range of after-school classes provide a broad range of experiences that contribute well to pupils’ achievement and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place over two days with a team of three inspectors, one of whom was present for the first day only.  Inspectors observed 15 lessons and part lessons, some were joint lesson observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Twelve teachers were observed.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, the teachers, the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the Chair and Vice-chair of the Governing Body, and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents which were provided by the school, a range of policies, pupils’ work in lessons and in books, and school data.  There were 78 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Gillian Bosschaert, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nichola Perry Additional Inspector Piers Ranger Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is higher than schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be entitled to a free school meal, those in care and some of those who have a parent in the armed forces) is similar to the national average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers:  do not talk too much and that pupils settle to their work faster and achieve more  raise their expectations of what pupils can do and help pupils to achieve higher standards in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the attainment of all pupils, especially boys, in writing by giving them more opportunities to write unaided and at length.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Devise and apply strategies to improve the behaviour of those pupils who find it difficult to work without adult help and sometimes find it hard to sustain their concentration.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the leadership of subject leaders by:  providing them with training on how to lead their subjects  providing them with opportunities to check the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects  ensuring that they give feedback to other staff on how they might improve their teaching in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 rose in 2012, but were still below average. Few pupils exceeded the standards expected for their age. At the end of Year 6, boys’ achievement in English was much lower than that of the girls, particularly in writing. However, girls performed less well than boys in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the school with skills, knowledge and understanding that are below those expected for their age. Reading, writing, number and self-confidence are particularly low. They make good progress and leave the Early Years Foundation Stage with levels that are broadly in line with what is expected for their age. Children make good progress in all aspects of their learning especially their knowledge of letters for sounds.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress in writing is not fast enough. Pupils are often not given enough time to complete writing tasks or there are too few opportunities for them to develop their writing skills. Progress in writing is improving as a result of new approaches to teaching and better use of the information that the school keeps about each pupil’s progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment in reading and mathematics is improving. Changes to the way in which mathematics is taught had a positive effect on pupils’ progress resulting in improved attainment in the 2012 national tests at the end of Year 6, particularly for boys. School data show pupils are now making good progress in all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say that they enjoy reading and that they like to read at home. They are able to provide the names of authors they particularly like to read. They seized the opportunity to read to an adult and were reluctant to stop reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has also improved but remains well below that of other pupils in English in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Their attainment in mathematics is much better; there is a much smaller gap between their attainment and that of other pupils than in English.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Some of the pupil premium funding is used to provide additional teaching sessions. The rest of the funding has been spent on a family support worker. The progress of pupils entitled to the pupil premium is improving; but this is not yet rapid enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching varies widely from inadequate to outstanding; in the majority of lessons it requires improvement. In too many lessons, teachers spend too long talking before allowing pupils to work independently. This slows pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In many lessons, the teaching is not demanding enough and pupils do not have a clear understanding of what they need to do next to improve. Pupils do not have enough opportunity to work on harder tasks which stretch them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved, the indoor and outdoor learning environment requires improvement. Clutter in one classroom cramps children’s movements. The outside area is poorly maintained and underused.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the best lessons, pupils make rapid progress because the teachers’ expectations of what they can achieve are high, the lessons are well paced, teachers’ show by example what is expected and pupils are actively involved during the teaching session. Teachers relate well to their pupils, offering support, guidance and encouragement by addressing any misunderstandings promptly during the lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching was outstanding in one lesson about the sounds that letters make because the teacher made the learning fun. As a result, pupils listened really well. Progress was rapid and a pupil was able to quickly relate to the sound being taught giving an excellent example of ‘ch’ in a sentence, ‘My cheek is near my chin.’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The provision of netbooks, to use at home and in school, is giving pupils greater opportunities to write for a purpose and assess their own work. For example, in a lesson in which pupils were sequencing the reporting of the trial of Shrek, pupils were able to go back over their work ensuring that they had included all that was required without difficulty and without losing momentum of the reporting. However, even in this lesson insufficient time was allowed for the children to write.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of additional support in lessons is variable but generally good. In the best cases, adults know when to support and when to stand back and allow the pupils to try to work things out unaided. However, this is not always the case which can cause some pupils to be over reliant on adult help.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In English and mathematics, marking is clear and shows pupils what to do next to improve their work. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to respond to comments made by the teacher.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 A minority of pupils find it difficult to behave well and cause minor disruption, especially in the playground and the dining hall. Minor instances of pushing in the dining hall were seen during the inspection. Pupils complain that some older pupils cause problems in the playground. However, this was not seen on the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Where pupils are taught thoroughly, behaviour is good; where teaching requires improvement, pupils become restless and inattentive. In good lessons pupils are independent and work quietly, but in lessons where teaching requires improvement pupils become fussy and talkative and do not get on with their work independently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school deals quickly and firmly with incidents of poor behaviour. Discrimination is not tolerated. Pupils are accepted well. For example, a pupil who was new to the school said that she felt very welcome and finds it easy to join in with the others in the class and in the playground. She is now much happier than she was in her previous school

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say they feel safe and secure. They are quite clear that, although bullying may occur, it is rare and they know it will be dealt with speedily. They are aware of different forms of bullying and were very excited at the new behaviour policy, which includes an opportunity for pupils to have a voice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils relish the opportunity to take responsibility around the school in roles such as prefects and school councillors because they are proud of their school. They become animated when discussing their responsibilities and their contribution to school policies such as their involvement in the new behaviour policy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils cooperate well in lessons they share ideas and equipment without fuss. They seek advice from one another and willingly take advice when offered.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance is above average. This is the result of a determined drive by the school to work closely with parents and carers to ensure that as many pupils as possible benefit from the education to which they are entitled.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Following turbulent times with staffing in recent years, the headteacher and her deputy have secured a more confident staff and developed a new staffing structure. Leaders have considerable drive and commitment to address the areas of development required to make the school better.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan are not sufficiently robust. They are too brief and there is insufficient detail to show the way forward for the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The legacy of underachievement has been hard to remove; but pupils’ achievement is beginning to improve. Revised performance management procedures now hold teachers to account for their own pupils’ progress. Good training for teachers is starting to improve the quality of teaching. Steps taken by the headteacher have improved the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where children now make good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and her deputy monitor pupils’ progress regularly and discuss with staff the best way to help pupils make better progress. They also discuss the impact of the quality of teaching and what approaches to put in place to bring about faster improvement in pupils’ learning. The improvement in the school’s results in 2012 show that pupils are making better progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The recently appointed subject leaders for English and mathematics do not focus closely enough on what needs to be done to improve pupils’ progress. Neither do they have a sufficiently clear view of the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s procedures for identifying pupils’ additional needs and the support they require are good. The number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has fallen because staff are becoming increasingly skilful and precise in identifying those who are most in need of help. Even so, the process for tracking the progress of pupils with special educational needs does not provide a sufficiently clear overview of how effective additional support has been.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures are robust. The school fulfils its statutory obligations. Any form of discrimination is confronted effectively, showing the school’s firm commitment to promoting equality of opportunity.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium funding is used to provide additional support for eligible pupils but this support is not always effective enough in ensuring pupils make sufficiently rapid progress. Families whose circumstances make them vulnerable are also supported by the family support worker who provides effective assistance with any problems both in school and outside.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subjects are enriched by topic work which helps pupils develop their English skills further. Activities and lessons provide a range of experiences that contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, a display on Diwali demonstrated good provision for developing pupils’ understanding of other cultures. Another display reinforced messages effectively about being, and staying, healthy.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided helpful support. It held a whole-school review earlier this year at the request of the governing body. The review found the school to require improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works well with the majority of parents. There is a parents’ and teachers’ association which works hard to fund the additional ‘extras’ the school requires. At present, they are fund- raising to provide a nature garden in which pupils can observe wildlife as well dig, plant and enjoy growing flowers and vegetables.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors know their school well because they are in constant dialogue with the headteacher. They offer strong support to the headteacher, while more recently offering challenge. They have supported the headteacher through difficult times. They are prepared to tackle inadequate teaching, offering good support to the headteacher and deputy headteacher in sensitive issues. They attend regular training, which is helping them to compare the school with schools nationally as well as locally. They fully understand the pupil premium funding and how it is spent, endorsing the headteacher’s decision to employ a family support worker in order to give the headteacher more time for school development and improving pupils’ attainment.

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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 114821 Local authority Essex Inspection number 401469

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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 5-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 337 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pamela Langmead Headteacher Nicky Patrick Date of previous school inspection 22-23 June 2010 Telephone number 01621 782070 Fax number 01621 785223 Email address admin@burnham-on-crouch.essex.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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