Burnt Oak Primary School

Burnt Oak Primary School Richmond Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1LS

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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

 Achievement over time is not yet good enough despite some recent rapid improvements in pupils’ progress.  Teaching is not yet consistently good and improvements in teaching have not had sufficient time to result in good achievement for pupils.  Teachers expectations are sometimes not high enough, in particular of what middle- ability pupils can achieve.  Pupils do not always progress quickly enough because the pace of learning is slow.  Teachers do not always help pupils to know what they need to do to improve their work.  Planning does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their writing and mathematical skills in other subjects.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leadership is good and the governing body provides strong support. Checks onpupils’ progress are thorough. Senior leaders have taken effective action to deal with the weaknesses in achievement and training opportunities have led to improvements in the quality of teaching.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress from their starting points. Both teachers and other adults work effectively to engage children in their learning.  Behaviour is good. Pupils participate with enthusiasm in their learning. They say they value the positive relationships they have with their teachers and enjoy taking on responsibilities within their school. Pupils say they feel safe.  The use of additional money the school receives through the pupil premium to support pupils who need extra help is used effectively and has had a positive impact in improving their progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons, of which two were joint lesson observations with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to other lessons, listened to pupils read and scrutinised the work in their books.  Inspectors met with pupils and talked about their work. Meetings were held with two governors and senior leaders.  Documentation covering safeguarding, the management of the performance of staff, records of behaviour and safety and attendance, and checks on pupils’ attainment and progress were looked at.  Inspectors took account of the views of 11 responses from parents and carers in the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own survey of parental views, along with 26 questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Howard Jones, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Teresa Davis Additional Inspector Nicholas Ridman Additional Inspector Peter Thrussell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The majority of pupils come from a White British background. Others are from a range of minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of pupils receiving support from the pupil premium funding, which is extra government support for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, lookedafter children and those from service families, is high.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action, school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s floor targets which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has an Interim Executive Board. This is currently being reviewed to reform the governing body.  The school does not make alternative provision for any of its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement through making sure that all teaching is consistently good or better by:  teachers having consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve andsetting work that is demanding, especially for middle-ability pupils  increasingthe pace of learning by providing well-paced activities linked to pupils’ targets  helping pupils understand how they can improve the quality of their work  providing opportunities for pupils to apply their writing and mathematical skills in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards achieved by pupils over time have been too variable. The progress made by pupils, including different groups of pupils, has been uneven. At the end of Year 6 in 2012 pupils had not made enough progress and this was especially so in mathematics.  Work is not always demanding enough especially for middle-ability pupils. Consequently, additional challenge is not sufficiently developed and these pupils do not achieve as well as others.  Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise skills in literacy and numeracy across subjects. As a result, achievement is restricted as pupils are unable to finely hone their application of these skills regularly within different settings.  Progress is now accelerating for pupils from all backgrounds. This reflects the effective action taken by leaders to secure improved teaching supported by rigorous checks on pupils’ progress. Pupils across all year groups are making rapid progress since September 2012.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding are closing quickly. These improvements are being sustained across all year groups. Current progress in the basic skills of reading and mathematics are especially strong. An intensive focus on writing is having a positive impact. Attainment in Key Stage 1 is improving and rose sharply in 2012 especially in reading and writing.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress. Children enter the Nursery with skills that are much lower than average and most children leave Reception exceeding national expectations. This is because good planning provides opportunities for children to talk about their activities and develop their language skills well.  Pupils supported by additional funding make good progress. Gaps are closing quickly as seen in their average points scores compared to all pupils. This is because the school is using this extra

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

funding effectively to speed up their progress across all year groups.  Support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has improved. Because of effective provision their needs are met successfully. Inspection evidence shows these pupils are making progress similar to their peers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has been inconsistent in quality. Consequently, this has led to unevenness in pupils’ progress as they move through the school. As a result pupils’ achievement over time requires improvement especially in mathematics.  Since the appointment of the current headteacher, the quality of teaching has improved markedly. Regular checking of pupils’ progress and high quality training for teachers has led to them using effective approaches to engage pupils and secure rapid progress. Inspection evidence indicates more effective teaching is being sustained.  Some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching remain. In weaker lessons teachers’ expectations are not always high enough. This is especially so for middle-ability pupils for whom achievement is sometimes restricted because activities are not always sufficiently demanding.  When teaching is most effective the pace is brisk. For example, in a Year 6 literacy lesson, well-

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

paced activities with clear links to pupils’ targets ensured their learning was sustained at a high level. Effective questioning by the teacher further challenged pupils to check how they might improve the quality of their work. Despite such strengths in some lessons and classes, inconsistencies in these qualities in teachingremain across the school.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. Written comments on pupils’ work are effective in guiding them on next steps to improve their work. However, during lessons sometimes teachers miss opportunities to help pupils understand how they can improve their work to become even more successful in their learning.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are encouraged to talk about their ideas. For example, in one session the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by children was used to develop their communication skills effectively.  Disabled pupils and those who need extra help make progress equal to their peers. Teachers and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

other adults are effective in planning tasks that match pupils’ ability while challenging them to become independent in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are eager to learn and are polite and courteous. Both within classrooms and in open settings, such as the lunch hall, behaviour is good and the school is always calm. Of the small number of parents and carers who expressed a view, some were less positive about behaviour.However, the school’s own surveys of parents, carers and staff questionnaires support the view of pupils who say behaviour is typically good across the school.  Pupils are full of praise for their teachers and say they help everyone. Pupils have positive attitudes toward their learning and enjoy working together. Their engagement with activities is strong. Children in Reception are attentive over sustained periods and movement between activities is purposeful. However, pupils are not always supported to reflect on how they can improve the quality of their work.  Pupils value taking on responsibilities within the school. They help in assemblies and some act as

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

‘friendship monitors’ so that no one feels left out. Some help younger pupils in developing their numeracy skills.  Pupils say they feel safe, that racism does not occur and that bullying is rare. They have a good understanding of how to keep safe while using the internet and say that cyber bullying does not happen. They are very accepting of others regardless of their background.  The school is inclusive. It successfully provides support for pupils with a wide range of needs.There have been a number of exclusions this year and where these arise they relate to a few pupils with identified needs. If incidents do occur, well-developed procedures manage these effectively.  Attendance is in line with the national average. School leaders have put in place approaches to improve on this. Pupils arrive punctually.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management haveimproved markedly since the last inspection. The current headteacher has successfully focused on raising pupils’ achievement through improvingthe quality of teaching. Senior leaders share her high expectations and are skilled in providing effective leadership too. Together they ensure well-planned actions are raisingachievement for all pupils.  Teachers are positive about the training they receive. They say their approach to planning to raise pupils’ achievement has developed because of this. There are strong systems to manage the performance of teachers effectively and decisions about salary progression are firmly linked to pupils’ progress. Staff are positive about the good opportunities for professional development and are supportive of the headteacher.  Good support from the local authority has contributed to improvements. The rapid progress recently made by pupils across all year groups indicates the school’s strong capacity to sustain

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The leadership and management are good

these.  Disabled pupils and those who need extra help have the same opportunities to succeed as their peers. Leaders’ focus on ensuring that everyone has the same chances means the school is now especially successful in engaging parents and carers in sharing in their child’s learning. The additional funding the school receives through the pupil premium has been used to provide even betterlearning opportunitiesfor pupils at risk of not doing well. Consequently, these pupils now make progress similar to their peers.  The variety of subjects taught serves to deepen pupils’ knowledge. Science, information and communication technology, along with physical education are particular strengths. Pupils say they enjoy their learning experiences. However, opportunities for pupils to usetheir literacy and numeracy skills across a range of subjects are not as well developed and this slows the progress they make.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported well. Collective worship and religious education play an important role within the school. Art and music experiences are planned effectively and pupils explore other cultures through, for example, Islamic art and the celebration of the Chinese New Year.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an accurate perception of the school’s overall effectiveness and have a strong understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They have enabled the headteacher to follow through decisions that have led to rapid improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. They provide rigorous challenge and hold the headteacher to account. They are equally effective in reviewinghow teachers are responding to their targets and check the quality of teaching when considering pay and promotion. Governors participate in appropriate training. They have managed the budget to ensure the school provides effective provision. For

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The leadership and management are good

example, they contribute to decisions on the use of the pupil premium funding and check to make sureit is helping to close the gap in pupils’ achievement. Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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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 131527 Local authority Medway Inspection number 402475

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 402 Appropriate authority Interim executive board Chair Andrew Reese Headteacher Heidi Barton Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2009 Telephone number 01634 334344 Fax number 01634 336689 Email address headteacher@burntoak.medway.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 whenand 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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