Anthony Bek Community Primary School

Anthony Bek Community Primary School Rotherham Road, Pleasley, Mansfield, NG19 7PG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  The achievement of pupils is good. As a result of good teaching, pupils make good progress to the end of Year 6 from their starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Leaders carefully and regularly check the progress made by all groups of pupils and put in extra support for those who need it.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They feel well looked-after due to the caring relationships they have with staff and with each other.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and also have a good understanding of keeping safe, including when using the internet.  Leadership and management are good. The leadership of the headteacher, in particular, inspires all staff in striving to achieve the best for their pupils. As a result, achievement and teaching are good, and continue to improve.  Governors are supportive and regularly visit the school. They show a good understanding of how well this school is performing.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and supports all aspects of their academic and personal development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching is not yet outstanding, so rates of progress are not consistent.  There are sometimes weaknesses in teachers’ questioning skills, the level of challenge in pupils’ work, the quality of marking and the provision of opportunities for pupils to assess their own work.  Apart from the senior staff, many leaders are new to their roles and are not yet having an impact on teaching or pupils’ achievement.  Action plans do not consistently identify exactly what is to be done, by when, or how much improvement is expected.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons including small group activities, parts of lessons and the teaching of phonics (the links between letters and sounds). Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the vice-chair of the governing body, two community governors, a representative of the local authority, parents, staff and pupils.  A wide range of school documents were analysed including the school’s own data concerning pupils’ current achievement, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements and the minutes of governing body meetings.  As there were too few responses to the Ofsted online Parent View questionnaire for inspectors to evaluate parents’ opinions of the school, they analysed carefully the school’s own parental survey information and also considered the 21 questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jatinder Sembi Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Anthony Bek is a smaller-than-average primary school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. Few are from minority ethnic groups and almost all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in this school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  There are a small number of Traveller pupils who attend the school.  The school provides a breakfast club.  In January 2012, a new headteacher started at the school and since then three new teachers

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Information about this school

have joined the staff team. A number of staff are new to their leadership role.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding so that pupils’ achievement is outstanding by:-  making sure that teachers plan tasks that always stretch and support pupils during all parts of the lesson  developing teachers’ skills in asking questions which encourage pupils to think, reason and explain their ideas  ensuring pupils develop independence through improving their self-assessment skills  extending the good marking practice seen in English to mathematics and other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the leadership skills of all leaders by:-  providing appropriate training for all those with leadership responsibility  supporting leaders in producing action plans which clearly show actions to be taken, by when, and the intended impact of these actions on teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When children start in Nursery, many have skills and understanding below the levels expected for their age. By Year 6, attainment is broadly average, which represents good achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over the past three years, Year 6 attainment has been rising from the well-below-average attainment seen in 2010. Pupils’ work in books confirms that the marked improvement noted in the National Curriculum tests in 2012 should continue in 2013, with more pupils expected to attain the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a result of a range of robust strategies implemented by the headteacher.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Year 2, also there is also a rising trend in attainment from well-below-average in 2010 to broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2012. Current assessment information indicates that the improvements noted in Year 6 will be mirrored in Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of well-planned lessons, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 develop effectively the basic skills of linking letters and the sounds they represent and, as a result, develop confidence in reading and writing. The school’s systematic approach to the teaching of phonics is clearly having an impact on progress in reading throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Older pupils enjoy reading. They read out loud with expression and interest. Much has been done to raise the profile of reading with reading challenges and book character day. The display of reading activities in the hall certainly shows some unusual places where pupils read, for example, whilst doing a headstand or when bouncing on a trampoline!

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils write for a wide range of styles including note-taking and using bullet points. By Year 6, the majority write with legible and fluent handwriting and use punctuation well. Younger pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds effectively to spell with increasing accuracy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Mathematical skills are developing well. Pupils' counting and calculating skills are thoroughly developed. They regularly use them in different problems such as shopping, weighing and measuring activities. This reinforces their basic skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. The school quickly acts on concerns. Pupils are supported well in lessons and have additional help individually or in small groups from teaching assistants. Traveller pupils also receive effective support and make good progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium-funding is used effectively, to fund an additional teacher and provide one-to-one support, for example. It is helping to reduce any difference in attainment between those known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils. In 2011 and 2012 there were too few pupils known to be eligible to comment on their attainment without identifying them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. For example, excellent teaching promoted outstanding learning in Year 6 when pupils were encouraged to deepen their understanding of scale. High expectations of all pupils ensured no time was wasted and, from the very start of the lesson, activities challenged well the range of ability within the class.  Planning is good and activities to challenge all are evident once pupils are working independently of the teacher. However, at times, teachers tend to speak to the whole class when it might be more helpful to speak to one group, for example those who are ready to move further forward or those who require more explanation. At such times, some pupils do not make enough progress because the ideas are too easy or too hard for them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and greatly benefit pupils’ learning. Good use of praise ensures that pupils are encouraged to answer questions, even when unsure if they are correct, confident that adults will respect their ideas.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons, teachers use questions well to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This was seen in Year 1 as the teacher skilfully used questions to help pupils read words and make decisions about them being ‘real’ or ‘nonsense’. However, not all teachers routinely use probing questions that encourage pupils to ‘dig deep’ when they give their answers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work is marked regularly and this helps them to improve the standard of their work. Very helpful advice is given, especially in writing, and in many books sampled the pupils responded to the advice and therefore made improvements. In other subjects, including mathematics, the same helpful advice is not given as consistently.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils often work together in groups and this promotes teamwork, helping pupils learn the importance of cooperating with each other. Independence is encouraged and pupils’ skills of assessing their own work are developing, but this is not embedded in all classrooms.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are generally well deployed to promote good learning through effective questioning. In focused sessions with small groups, they ensure that pupils benefit from their additional support in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 This is a happy school where pupils have good attitudes towards their learning. The marked improvement in attendance, to broadly average this year, confirms pupils’ increasing enjoyment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage enjoy their play and settle quickly to their activities. They welcome opportunities to speak to each other and adults because they know that their comments are listened to and appreciated.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s behaviour logs and the decreasing number of exclusions show that behaviour is typically good in lessons and around school. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors, and staff, parents and pupils agree that almost all pupils behave well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The importance of working together, both with each other and with adults, is understood by pupils. They appreciate how their own behaviour contributes to everyone’s successful learning and, as a result, listen carefully in class and respect and value the views and opinions of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of different types of bullying including physical and emotional. They say bullying is rare and know what to do if they experience any bullying themselves. They feel safe in school and are very confident that staff, especially the headteacher, would sort out any concerns very quickly and fairly.  Pupils know how to keep safe and, as a result of lessons focusing on personal, social and health education, they are able to speak knowledgably about the dangers of speaking to strangers and taking drugs, for example. They know what is meant by cyber-bullying and the ‘dos and don’ts’ of using the internet.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong, determined leadership and has an extremely clear vision for the school. She works well with the deputy headteacher and has the overwhelming support of staff, governors and parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders know the school well, and actions are effective in maintaining pupils’ achievement. The role of other leaders requires improvement. Although they have had the opportunity to scrutinise planning and work in pupils’ books, their leadership roles are under developed. They do not have clear action plans showing exactly how they are going to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement. They lack training to help them to drive further improvements in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The progress of all groups of pupils is checked carefully to ensure that all are making at least good progress. Staff meet regularly with the headteacher to check this information and ensure pupils receive extra support if necessary. The pupil premium money is used well to ensure eligible pupils have an equal opportunity to do well. The extra funding has been used in a variety of ways, including additional staff to provide targeted support, trips to widen pupils’ experiences and a range of ‘free’ after school clubs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The vibrant curriculum includes memorable experiences, such as visits when pupils engage in exciting activities that promote a wide range of skills and abilities. Plans for numeracy and literacy are well-focused and carefully reviewed when necessary. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good. Pupils learn to care for others, they work well together in class and enjoy taking on extra responsibilities, such as being school council members.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents spoken to and those who returned the school survey (82 replies) have positive views of the school. They appreciate the daily breakfast club, which is well attended. The few concerns they had about behaviour management strategies and the absence of after school clubs have been rectified by the leadership.

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The leadership and management are good

 Following the decline in attainment before the appointment of the new headteacher, the school was identified as a school causing concern and consequently had received intensive support from the local authority. Now as pupils’ progress is improving and attainment is rising, the school improvement officer is sensibly reducing the time spent with the leadership.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed through good-quality reports from the headteacher and the governors’ own systematic checks on the school’s work. They are regularly seen in school and each has close links to a class or a subject. Governors know how well this school is performing in relation to similar schools and make good use of data to plan for the use of funds, such as pupil premium funding. They appropriately decide whether teachers and staff should be rewarded with salary increases and review performance targets for the headteacher. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s finances and ensure that all safeguarding procedures meet requirements. They regularly attend training, including that for safeguarding and ensuring they are kept aware of current changes in legislation.

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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 112610 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 412920

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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 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Gamble Headteacher Donna-Marie Johnson Date of previous school inspection 15 October 2009 Telephone number 01623 810355 Fax number 01623 810355 Email address info@anthonybec.derbyshire.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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