Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School

Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School Conyngham Lane, Bridge, Canterbury, CT4 5JX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Not all of the able pupils reach the highest standards in mathematics by the time they finish Year 6, because sometimes their work is too easy.  In Key Stage 1, not all the able writers are doing well enough. Throughout the school, pupils do not practise writing enough in other subjects.  Teaching requires improvement. Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to learn without direct supervision, and sometimes make pupils wait for everyone to finish before moving on.  Teachers’ marking does not always help pupils understand what to do to improve their work.  School leaders do not analyse data about pupils’ performance in a way that is precise enough to identify quickly what should be improved.  Plans to improve the school do not contain enough detail on exactly what they are aimed at and what different staff should do to raise pupils’ achievement.  Some teachers in charge of subjects are new and are not yet helping the school to improve

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

by checking teaching and pupils’ work.  Governors are increasingly challenging the school’s performance but are sometimes hindered in doing so by the quality of the information they receive.

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The school has the following strengths:

 The previous decline in the achievement of pupils at the end of Year 2 in reading and mathematics has been reversed.  The proportion of good teaching is increasing and is strengthened by the rearrangement of current staff and new appointments in the teaching team.  There are highly positive relationships between staff and pupils and pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils feel safe and are proud to be part of the school.  Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of the carefully planned additional support they receive. Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 teachers and visited 23 lessons or part lessons including joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors observed assemblies and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, phase leaders, subject leaders, the inclusion leader, a representative from the local authority and two governors.  Inspectors took account of 70 responses to Parent View together with a letter sent directly to Ofsted, and held informal discussions with parents and carers in the playground at the start and end of the day. They also analysed the results of 23 staff questionnaires.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in books, teachers’ lesson plans, the school’s records on the checks on teaching and minutes of the governing body meetings.  They analysed the school’s own records of the progress of pupils, including those who are highly able, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the school receives

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Information about this inspection

additional funding through the government’s Pupil Premium.  Inspectors also evaluated the school’s future plans for development.

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Inspection team

Raymond Prentice, Lead inspector Additional inspector Michael Jude Additional inspector Sue Cox Additional inspector Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School is larger than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is similar to that found nationally.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which includes those eligible for free school meals, is very low compared to the national average.  Most pupils are White British.  A small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language.  None of the school’s pupils is taught elsewhere (in alternative provision).  The school meets the government’s floor targets, which set the minimum levels for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics by:  making sure that all lessons match the level of challenge to pupils’ ability, especially for the more able pupils  ensuring marking provides the next steps to help pupils move on in their learning, particularly in writing and mathematics  providing more opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces of work in other subjects, reflect on their work, and assess and review their progress  developing pupils’ independence in their learning by providing more opportunities for independent work and less teacher dominance in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  all leaders analyse performance data to identify emerging trends in pupils’ achievement and tackle weaknesses swiftly  plans to improve the school are based on robust analysis of performance data, that they define exactly what needs to be done to improve and include how these improvements will be measured by leaders and governors  all leaders make an effective contribution to improvement through checking teaching and pupils’ work  leaders are fully aware of parents’ and carers’ views and take steps to address recent concerns.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress is not yet good because it slows for some groups of pupils in different parts of the school. In Key Stage 1, given pupils’ abilities, not enough are reaching higher levels in writing. In Key Stage 2 some more-able pupils did not make the progress they should have in mathematics.  In general, pupils start in the Reception class with skill levels higher than those expected for their age. They make good progress and enter Year 1 with standards that are above and sometimes well above the national average.  Progress slows a little through most of the rest of the school. By the end of Year 6, standards remain above average. However in 2012 they dipped in mathematics, to average.  The school is addressing the problem in mathematics. Pupils in Year 6 are now making good progress, but they have a backlog of slower progress to make up. Achievement in mathematics still requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Key Stage 1, results show that progress dropped in reading, writing and mathematics. Following the successful actions of leaders to increase the amount of good teaching, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in reading and mathematics at the end of Year 2 has improved again.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs often make better progress compared to those nationally because support is carefully matched to their learning needs.  The few pupils supported by the pupil premium are given additional support in lessons which results in them making good progress. There were too few pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium in Year 6 last year to make a valid comparison of their attainment with that of others.  The small minority of pupils who speak English as an additional language make progress that is not significantly different to others in the school. They are provided with effective support to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because some of the work pupils are given does not challenge them enough, and marking does not always show them how to improve. These are key reasons why too few pupils are reaching high levels.  Lessons are sometimes dominated by the teacher’s input throughout most of the session and thus the opportunities for pupils to progress at their own rates of learning are slowed because the teacher requires them to wait for their peers to complete their work.  This often affects highly able pupils, who do not have enough opportunities to develop independent working habits. Teachers sometimes set work that is too easy for them and their attention wanes.  Teachers’ marking and feedback are inconsistent and in a few classes marking is not regular enough to have a full impact. Marking often focuses on congratulating effort and does not always guide pupils in the next steps required to improve their work. This results in uneven and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

slow progress.  In some classes pupils do not get enough opportunities to reflect on how to improve their writing, apply their knowledge of writing in different contexts in other subjects or write at length to develop their writing skills.  An increasing proportion of teaching is good and a small amount is outstanding. However, there is still some teaching which requires improvement and this is holding back pupils’ overall achievement.  Where teaching is good or better, work is often planned to take into account what pupils can Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School , 24–25 January 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

already do, and teachers take frequent opportunities to ask challenging questions. Pupils are encouraged to work without direct adult input and their progress has accelerated.  Pupils are taught the links between sounds and letters effectively. They enjoy reading and read widely for pleasure.  The quality of pupils work in art is of a high standard. It is celebrated through creative displays throughout the school. Pupils’ work is valued and this contributes to strong relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils are provided with rich and meaningful opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through visits to the local church, performing plays, a wide range of educational visits, after-school clubs run by staff, competitive sporting opportunities and an inclusive and inspiring choir.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are self-motivated and want to achieve. They have positive relationships with each other and get on well with the teachers and support staff. Pupils rarely disrupt lessons and wait patiently when they have finished their work when adults have not set them work with the right level of challenge.  Pupils behave well around the school and are proud of it. They are polite and well mannered and take care of each other. The school’s strong caring ethos pervades the school and this contributes to creating a harmonious environment in which to learn.  Bullying and racial incidents are dealt with well on the few occasions when they do occur, and pupils report that the school listens to them and takes any concerns they have seriously.  The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination through recognising diversity and including multicultural aspects in much of the curriculum.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe from harm.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All staff and most parents and carers agree that behaviour is good.  Attendance is well above the national average and continues to improve.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the school has not yet fully recovered from a dip in the last academic year. However, improvements to reading and mathematics in Key Stage 1, emerging improvements to mathematics in Key Stage 2 and improvements to teaching demonstrate the school is now back on an even keel.  Leaders have not used the data on pupils’ performance to identify trends and tackle weaknesses quickly enough. They have addressed the right general areas, but did not identify the decline in the achievement of higher ability pupils in writing in Key Stage 1 and mathematics in Key Stage 2 until more recently.  The lack of fine-tuned analysis of data has affected planning. Plans to improve the school do not specify exactly what needs to be done or how they will be monitored and evaluated against the progress pupils, and groups of pupils, make.  Nevertheless, phase and subject leaders have tracked the progress of individual pupils with care

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The leadership and management require improvement

and have been successful more recently in reversing the decline in the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher levels in reading and mathematics at the end of Year 2.  Joint observations between the headteacher and an inspector confirmed that leaders’ evaluation of teaching is accurate. Leaders identified the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching seen. However, records show some past evaluation of the school’s performance has been too generous.  Following staff changes over the past year, the new appointments and the rearrangement of skilled teachers in different key stages has strengthened the school’s capacity to improve more quickly. It has already resulted in the accelerated progress made by pupils in Year 6 this year.  The deputy headteacher is playing an effective role in guiding staff to improve the quality of Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School , 24–25 January 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management require improvement

teaching. New subject leaders, however, are at very early stages in checking the quality of teaching and analysing the performance of pupils. In more effective monitoring, clear strategies for improvement are provided for teachers and there is evidence that this has had a positive impact on the quality.  Most parents and carers support the school’s work but some unrest remains over the decision to move away from formal homework to support English and mathematics learning at home. The school is committed to working with parents and carers but has not recently carried out regular surveys of parental views to foster closer partnership working between school and home.  Safeguarding meets statutory requirements.  The local authority provides useful data on the school’s performance but this has not been used as well as they could be. The local authority is providing light touch support for the school.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body’s role in monitoring school improvement has sometimes been hindered by the quality of the information about pupils’ standards and achievement provided. As a result governors have not monitored the school’s progress in enough detail. They are beginning to use information on the school’s performance to challenge leaders and hold them to account more fully. Governors are aware of how the pupil premium is being spent and have begun evaluating this. They have also adopted an appropriate new performance management policy that links teachers’ salary progression to their performance. This is to be implemented in the summer term. Governors visit the school regularly and are highly committed to realising the aspirations of the parent body and ensuring the highest levels of achievement for all pupils. Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 7 of 9

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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. Inspection report: Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 118654 Local authority Kent Inspection number 403356

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 396 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Ash Headteacher Renuka Chinnadurai Date of previous school inspection 8 July 2008 Telephone number 01227 830276 Fax number 01227 830649 Email address office@bridge.kent.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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