Bisley Blue Coat Church of England Primary School

Bisley Bluecoat Church of England Primary School School Lane, Bisley, Stroud, GL6 7BE

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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 Good 2

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

 Too few pupils achieve well in Years 2 and 3, and a few in Year 4 (Class 2), although achievement is improving rapidly in the other classes.  There is not enough good or better teaching over time, especially in Class 2, to enable pupils to make good progress. Attainment at the end of Year 2 has been broadly average for the last four years and is not improving fast enough.  Assessment information is not used well enough, especially in Class 2, to plan tasks that challenge all pupils, especially those who are more able, and expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.  In some lessons, the pace of learning is not brisk enough to ensure that pupils learn effectively.  Although the new marking scheme is used well by some teachers, in Class 2, marking does not make it clear enough to pupils how they can improve their work or set clear enough next steps for learning.  Some reports to parents and carers do not give

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

clear enough information on how well their children are doing for their age.  Although the way subjects are planned is much improved, activities do not always motivate pupils to learn as effectively as they could.

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The school has the following strengths

 The strong professionalism and experience of the executive headteacher, together with an effective governing body, is ensuring good leadership and management. This is improving the school rapidly through robust and effective performance management.  The provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is now outstanding and children’s achievement is improving strongly.  Teaching for older pupils is much improved and now consistently good.  Pupils behave well. They feel safe in school and know how to stay safe.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good.  Accurate checks on the school’s performance are used well to drive improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed three teachers during visits to nine lessons or parts of lessons. Some of these were undertaken jointly with the headteacher and samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised. Pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 were heard reading.  The inspector held meetings with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, and staff, and had a discussion with a representative of the local authority. He also spoke to pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes  The inspector observed the work of the school and considered additional information gained from an examination of the school’s self-evaluation and the associated school development plan, and the joint school and local authority project plan for raising achievement.  Other documents looked at included curriculum planning, those relating to safeguarding and child protection, records of pupils’ attainment and progress, records of behaviour, information

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Information about this inspection

relating to the monitoring of teaching, and reports from the school’s improvement adviser.  The responses of the 27 parents and carers on the online questionnaire (Parent View) were analysed. Some parents and carers wrote to the inspector and a large group were spoken to at the start of the school day.  Inspection questionnaires received from 10 staff were analysed.

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Inspection team

Stephen Lake, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than most primary schools. It has just three classes. The youngest, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1 are taught together in Class 1. Children in the middle years, Year 2, Year 3 and a few of Year 4 are taught together in Class 2 while the majority of Year 4 are taught alongside Years 5 and 6 in Class 3.  Almost all pupils are White British with very few pupils from other ethnic groups. No pupils are known to speak English as an additional language.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium (extra money given to the school by the government linked mainly to the pupils known to be eligible for free school meals). This proportion is well below average.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action, and at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, are

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Information about this school

below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher is an executive headteacher sharing leadership of this school with another local small school as part of a management partnership. She has been in post for less than two years. In the last year, there have been significant changes in staffing with two of the three classes moving from each being taught by two teachers on a job share to now having a full-time teacher. During the inspection, interviews were being held to make a similar full-time appointment to the third class.  There are no pupils taught in off-site provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, especially in Class 2, so that a large proportion of teaching is good or better by:  making more consistent use of information on pupils’ progress to plan tasks that meet the needs of all pupils, especially those who are more able  ensuring that learning proceeds at a brisk pace throughout lessons  improving the consistency with which the school marking policy is applied so that all pupils know what they need to do to improve and the next steps.  Raise achievement in Class 2 to match that in other parts of the school by:  ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve  providing more consistent information to pupils on the next steps in their learning  ensuring that all teachers use the revised way that subjects are planned so that pupils in all classes have consistent access to stimulating and motivating learning activities.  Ensure that all reports to parents and carers give clear information on how well their children are

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

achieving in relation to age-related expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because, historically, too few pupils make good progress. In particular, too few of those capable of it attain the higher Level 3 at age seven. This has been the case for many years and too little has been done to improve achievement, especially that of more-able pupils particularly in reading and mathematics. Achievement in writing is slightly stronger as a result of the high focus upon improving writing skills over the last year.  Around a third of the parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire or wrote to the inspector did not agree that their children made good progress. Evidence shows that this has been the case over the last four years and remains so in Class 2. The progress of children and pupils in Class 1 and 3 is good.  Children start in the Reception class with skills that are above those expected at that age. Historically, they have made expected progress, but this has improved in the last 18 months

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

because of the very-much-improved provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage. In the last academic year, their achievement has improved greatly so that pupils are now joining Year 1 with above-average skills and very well prepared for learning.  Progress by the end of Year 6 has improved over the last two years and attainment is rising rapidly as a result of improved teaching and a consistent drive by the headteacher to drive up standards. However, progress is not improving rapidly enough to ensure good achievement at the end of Year 2 because too little of the teaching is consistently good or better in that year.  In last year’s phonics check, pupils’ attainment was above average. Attainment in reading at the end of Year 2 is average and has been so for some years. The school is addressing this and revised ways of teaching phonics are already beginning to have an impact. Although the pupils

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in current Year 2 are doing slightly better in reading than in previous years, they are still on track to reach levels which are in line with national standards. The impact of revised strategies is more apparent in the current Year 6 where achievements in reading are better than in previous years and pupils are on track to reach above-average standards by the end of the year.  The school has only a small group of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs. They receive suitable support to keep them included in lessons, and make similar progress to other pupils.  The school has very few pupils supported or who have been supported through the pupil premium. None of these has taken the Year 6 national assessments, so no comparison of their attainment and progress against other groups in the school is possible.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet good, despite improvements, because in too many lessons, especially in Class 2, tasks are not set at the right level for pupils; the revised marking policy is not followed consistently to ensure pupils know how to improve their work and too often learning does not proceed at a brisk enough pace.  In other classes, the quality of teaching is improving due to a more consistent approach as a result of good-quality professional development. Teaching and learning are supported well by the new way that subjects are planned for learning; this links reading, writing and mathematics skills with other subjects. The impact of this can already be seen in improved attainment in writing, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Year 6. Close links with the partner school and with other local schools enable teachers to have opportunities to see best practice in other schools and apply this to their own teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Revised checks on what pupils already know, can do and understand are enabling most teachers to plan tasks that challenge and extend the learning of pupils. Nevertheless, these procedures are not used consistently, especially in Class 2, and some tasks set are either too demanding for some or too easy for others. This slows learning, especially for more-able pupils.  Learning is made stimulating and enjoyable by the many learning opportunities that motivate pupils through activities such as the Forest School or by visits to places of interest, such as the Waterways Museum. Nevertheless, some inconsistency remains, and lessons in Class 2 do not use the new way of planning subjects to such good effect as in other parts of the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, staff, members of the governing body and most parents and carers all agree that behaviour is good. A small minority of parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, are concerned about behaviour and bullying. Pupils say that behaviour has improved a lot since the new headteacher took over.  Pupils have a very good understanding of bullying, including cyber-bullying, discriminatory language and prejudice-based bullying. They say that there was some bullying, but this has reduced a lot since the new headteacher came and is now quite rare. All those spoken to are confident that adults deal with it effectively if it does occur. Pupils know that discrimination in any form is not tolerated in their school.  The school is a friendly, calm and welcoming environment in which to learn. Pupils are keen to attend school, as shown by the above-average attendance. The vast majority of pupils are polite

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and friendly, mixing well with each other at playtimes and showing respect for each other and for adults.  Behaviour is not outstanding because too many occasions occur where a small group of pupils become disengaged in lessons, especially when teaching is mundane or fails to challenge and stimulate them. In those lessons, although there is virtually no disruptive behaviour that would slow learning for all, these comparatively weaker attitudes to learning limit achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher has a clear and ambitious view of how to improve the school that is shared by members of the governing body and staff. She is driving school improvement through setting out models of excellence for others to follow.  The local authority has provided good support through the improving school plan but this level of support is reducing as the school is judged well placed to bring about improvement without a great deal of additional help. The headteacher is making very effective use of links with the partner school and other local schools to model best practice for teachers.  The headteacher has introduced an effective system for recording and analysing the progress and attainment of pupils. This is enabling close monitoring of the performance of groups and year groups to ensure equality of opportunity and measure the performance of the school against other schools nationally.

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The leadership and management are good

 Information on how well pupils are doing is used well as part of the performance management of teachers with targets for improvement of teaching linked very clearly to improvements in attainment of pupils.  A minority of the parents and carers who responded to Parent View did not agree that leadership and management are good. Inspectors find that the past expectations of senior leaders have been low and they have not been robust enough in driving forward school improvement. This is changing and all staff are now committed to making the school the best it can be, which is why leadership and management are good.  The way subjects are planned has been revised, as part of the project with the partner school, to ensure that learning is broad and balanced. Exciting and stimulating activities such as the Forest School now give pupils the opportunity to have lessons outdoors in a forest setting. This aspect contributes strongly to the good provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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The leadership and management are good

development of pupils.  A minority of those parents and carers who responded to Parent View or wrote to the inspector did not agree that communication with parents and carers is good, especially about the progress their children are making. Inspection evidence shows much-improved systems for keeping parents and carers informed about the work of the school and the learning that is taking place. However, some of the written reports on pupils’ achievements do not give enough information about attainment and progress. The school is aware of this and expects to address this issue as part of the ongoing school improvement.  Safeguarding meets requirements and all training for staff and governors is up to date.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body check on the performance of the school through the many regular visits to the school to gather information on the subjects to which they are linked.

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The leadership and management are good

The executive headteacher provides good-quality information so that governors have a secure understanding of the quality of teaching. They are very clear about how this is linked to teachers progressing up the pay scale and understand well what is being done to reward good teachers and tackle weaknesses. The governing body monitors the budget well. The additional funding available through the pupil premium is used to provide additional teaching materials and small-group support for those pupils supported by this funding. Governors undertake frequent and regular training linked to identified areas of their role, such as safeguarding or finance. They are rigorous in ensuring that information on school performance, including national assessment data, is used to set challenging targets in the headteacher’s performance management.

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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 115612 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 403270

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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 85 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Vera Clouston Headteacher Lisa Austin, Executive headteacher Date of previous school inspection 30–31 January 2008 Telephone number 01452 770251 Fax number 01452 770251 Email address admin@bisleybluecoat.gloucs.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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