Birk Hill Infant & Nursery School

Birk Hill Infant and Nursery School Chestnut Avenue, Eckington, S21 4BE

p.1

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  From starting points that are mostly in line with those expected for their age, all groups of pupils achieve well and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above average at the end of Year 2.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make good progress because of the good quality of help and guidance they receive.  Skilled teaching assistants provide very effective support for any pupils who need additional help.  The good leadership of the headteacher and the full support of the governing body ensure that all are committed to raising standards further.  Regular checks on pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching gives the school a clear picture of how well it is doing and what needs to be done next to improve pupils’ education.  Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in lessons are good and they are keen to learn.  Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Too much learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is initiated by children and adults do not make the most of opportunities to guide children’s learning.  Occasionally, work is not well enough matched to the abilities of pupils.  Several staff are new to leadership and do not yet have the skills needed to make a strong impact on school improvement.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 13 lessons, three of which were seen together with the headteacher. The headteacher also accompanied inspectors on shorter visits to every classroom to observe the work of teaching assistants.  Inspectors observed two assemblies and pupils at break and lunchtimes.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other staff and pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, and some parents and carers at the start of the school day.  A discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors heard groups of pupils of different ages reading.  The inspectors took account of 13 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors looked at the school’s policies, teachers’ plans, school improvement planning and records on behaviour and safety, together with samples of pupils’ work. They also looked at information on individual pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance, and records of meetings

p.2

Inspection team

Kenneth Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Paul Barraclough Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Birk Hill Infant and Nursery School is below average in size compared with schools of a similar type.  Almost all pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is low, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and pupils with a parent in the armed forces.  None of the pupils attends off-site alternative provision.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage by:  providing a better balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning  making sure that adults make the most of the opportunities that arise to develop children’s language and numeracy skills.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is good or better by making sure that, in all lessons, the work set has a clear focus and is suitably challenging for all groups of pupils.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that all staff with leadership roles have the skills needed to identify and tackle weaknesses in their areas of responsibility.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Nursery with knowledge and skills that are generally consistent with those expected for their age. They make good progress in their personal and social development in the Nursery and Reception classes. However, progress in other areas is slower because adults do not always make the most of opportunities to guide and extend children’s learning. As a result, attainment on entry to Year 1 is broadly average.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and achieve well in English and mathematics. This is reflected in attainment in their reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2, which has been above average in most recent years. Although attainment in mathematics remained above average in 2012, attainment in reading and writing dipped to average. The work seen and the school’s own records show that the current pupils’ attainment is on track to again be above average in July 2013.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s results in the 2012 Year 1 reading check were below average. The refocusing of the teaching of letters and sound (phonics) has had a positive effect and this is reflected in pupils’ secure basic reading skills and their enjoyment of reading.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 The school is successfully narrowing the gap in attainment between pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium and other pupils. This is a result of the well-planned additional support these pupils receive to meet their needs. Overall, they are currently behind other pupils in the school by about a half a term in reading and one term in writing and mathematics. This is better than similar pupils nationally.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because support from teachers and teaching assistants is carefully matched to their needs. There are no marked differences in the achievement of any groups of pupils.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy their lessons. Good class management and pupils’ positive attitudes to learning make a strong contribution to the purposeful learning atmosphere seen in lessons and the good progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Good use is made of ‘talk partners’ for pupils to share and explain their thinking to others. In one lesson, for example, Year 2 pupils had to explain the rules for adding ‘ing’ to words to their partners. This reinforced their understanding of the rules and effectively developed their speaking and listening skills.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 In the teacher-led sessions in the Nursery and Reception classes, pupils make good progress. In some lessons, however, too much time is allowed for children to choose their own learning activities and adults do not do enough to develop children’s basic language and numeracy skills.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 The most rapid progress is seen in lessons where teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ capabilities to plan activities that are suitably challenging for all groups. In these lessons, pupils rise to the challenge and are engrossed in the work. On occasion, however, planning does not take enough account of pupils’ differing abilities and the work set for the least- and most-able pupils is too similar.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Carefully planned additional support is provided for pupils who need extra help. Very effective teaching assistants work closely with class teachers to ensure that all pupils make good progress towards their learning targets. This includes disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those eligible for the pupil premium. Teaching assistants have been well- trained to support pupils with complex academic and personal needs.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ good progress is supported well by teachers’ regular marking of their work and the advice they are given on how they can improve.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils' positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour contribute well to the calm atmosphere that permeates the school. Parents, carers, staff and pupils confirm that behaviour is usually good. In this inclusive school, pupils from all backgrounds are friendly and get on well together.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils work cooperatively in small groups and respond well to the requests of adults. For example, children in Reception worked well together as they responded to the prompts of the teacher and developed their understanding of equal sharing.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Support for the very few pupils with complex emotional and behavioural needs is very strong. This ensures that they are maintained in full-time education and have full access to all the school provides.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a reasonable understanding for their age about different kinds of bullying, including physical bullying and persistent name calling. While they say that there have been a few incidents of name-calling, they are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly by the school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel safe in school and are confident that adults will look after them well if they have any concerns.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good range of opportunities to contribute to the school community. They willingly take on responsibility and through, for example, the school council or as assembly monitors they play a constructive role in the life of the school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. However, attendance is below average because of the persistent absence of a very small number of pupils. The school is working closely with external agencies to ensure that all children are in regular attendance.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has led the school well since the last inspection and ensures that all staff and governors are committed to providing pupils with the best possible education.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides a clear direction that is based on the systematic analysis of pupils’ progress and accurate evaluation of the school’s work. As a result, the school is able to focus on identified weaknesses as seen, for example, in the successful action taken to raise attainment after the dip in 2012. This demonstrates the school’s good capacity for further improvement.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher checks the quality of teaching and learning effectively by observing lessons, and checking pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. There is a clear understanding that decisions about promotion and pay rates will be based on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 Several staff have only recently been appointed to subject leadership roles. While they are committed to supporting the drive to raise achievement further, they do not as yet have the skills needed to accurately identify the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning in lessons and to guide improvement.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used well to provide academic and personal support for eligible pupils through additional staff and resources. The headteacher ensures that this support is carefully linked to pupils’ individual needs and is effective in narrowing the gap in attainment between these pupils and their classmates.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriate ‘light touch’ support in the light of the school’s academic performance. Additional support is available to the school and governors as and when they need it.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The taught subjects are enriched by a variety of after-school clubs and visits out of school. Assemblies, music, art and the study of different religions and cultures effectively underpin pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The school engages well with most parents and carers, although there remain a very small number of families who do not send their children to school regularly enough.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The school makes sure that there is no discrimination of any kind. All pupils, regardless of background or need, have full access to everything on offer. Child protection and safeguarding are secure and are kept under constant review.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Through regular reports from the headteacher, governors have a good understanding of the school’s performance and its strengths and weaknesses. They have a clear picture of teaching quality, and understand how targets are set for teachers and how the school would deal with any underperformance. Governors ensure that salary increases are linked to the progress made by pupils, teaching quality and responsibilities. The governing body makes sure that all national requirements, including those for safeguarding, are met.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 112543 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 413402

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 178 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Ringstead Headteacher Sue Birch Date of previous school inspection 12 May 2009 Telephone number 01246 433205 Fax number 01246 435504 Email address enquiries@birkhill.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9