Buryfields Infant School

Buryfields Infant School Buryfields, Odiham, Hook, Hampshire, RG29 1NE

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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.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well, particularly in reading and writing. By the time they leave school, their standards in English are above average for their age.  Pupils quickly become confident and self- assured. They develop good speaking skills and a good vocabulary.  Pupils are happy at school. They feel safe and well cared for and behave well. Their attendance continues to improve and is now above average.  Children get an excellent start to their education in Reception, particularly in writing, where they make rapid progress. Teachers provide a good range of interesting activities and make excellent use of drama to stimulate children’s imagination.  The quality of teaching is consistently good and some is outstanding. Teachers plan their lessons well, based on a good understanding of the learning needs of their pupils. Pupils enjoy their lessons and appreciate the support

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

they get from teachers and other adults.  The school is led and managed well. The headteacher is an excellent role model, ably supported by a well-informed governing body, and has high expectations of her staff.  Senior leaders have been effective in maintaining the good quality of teaching since the previous inspection and have secured some further improvements, both in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not achieve as well in mathematics as they do in English. They are not given enough opportunities to practise their skills in mathematics in other subjects or to apply them in real-life situations.  Teachers do not always move pupils on to harder work when they are ready for it because they do not always assess pupils’ progress during lessons well enough.  Pupils do not always have opportunities to respond to teachers’ marking.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons, including eight joint observations with senior leaders, and looked at pupils’ written work in their books and on display.  Meetings were held with a representative of the local authority, the Chair and Vice Chair of the governing body, the headteacher, other school leaders and some teachers new to the profession.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils and listened to other pupils reading.  The inspectors took account of 57 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), two letters parents had sent to the inspection team and 31 questionnaires returned by staff.  A number of the school’s documents were examined. These included data about pupils’ progress and information about how pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs are being supported, the school’s own checks on how well it is doing and its strategic development plan,

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Information about this inspection

minutes of meetings of the governing body, evidence about monitoring and evaluating teaching and records relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.

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Inspection team

Jim McVeigh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Margaret Faull Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Buryfields Infant School is smaller than an average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils come from a White British background; others are from a range of minority ethnic groups.  A significant minority of pupils come from a local Royal Air Force (RAF) station.  The proportion of pupils receiving the pupil premium (extra funding for pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals, those from service families and looked after children) is above average.  A higher proportion of pupils than is usual join or leave the school during the school year. Most of these pupils are from RAF families.  The proportion of pupils with a disability or special educational needs who receive extra support through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ attainment in mathematics by providing a wide range of opportunities for them to apply their mathematical skills in real-life situations and practise them in other subjects  Accelerate the progress pupils make by quickly moving them on to harder work once they show they understand what is being taught.  Ensure that pupils have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ marking to help them improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make strong progress in reading and writing in Years 1 and 2 and by the time they leave school their attainment is above average. Their progress is also good in mathematics, but not quite as strong as it is in English. As a result, the proportion that reach the national expectations at the end of Year 2 is lower than in English.  Although children begin school with skills below expectations for their age, they get off to a really good start in Reception. They become self-confident quickly in a welcoming and supportive environment, and make good progress with their writing. Teachers provide a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities that catch children’s imagination. For example, in an activity about ‘The Owl who was afraid of the Dark’, the teacher made excellent use of drama, including screams from the trees, to start an engrossing adventure for the spellbound children.  Pupils develop good speaking skills and have a wide vocabulary. Pupils know the school’s

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading challenge well and are keen to complete their reading records. They quickly become fluent readers because they read regularly at home and in school. Teachers provide accurate instruction in phonics (the sounds letters make) and encourage parents to help their children with reading at home.  Pupils develop their numeracy skills well in mathematics lessons but they do not have enough opportunities to practise those skills by applying them in other subjects and in real-life situations in order to accelerate their progress.  In 2012, the very small group of pupils eligible for free school meals, half of whom also had special educational needs, did not do as well as their peers in English and mathematics, although they made good progress and the gap was closed for these pupils.  Pupils from service families performed broadly in line with others at school. This included most of the pupils who joined the school at unusual times. Pupil premium funding was used effectively

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The achievement of pupils is good

for timely interventions by adults based on pupils’ identified needs, such as speech and language support.  The progress made by disabled pupils or those with special educational needs is good and improving. They do better than their peers nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan their lessons well, ensuring activities match pupils’ learning needs and that the steps in learning are clear. Pupils who do not understand concepts well enough attend short ‘closing the gap’ sessions with teaching assistants so they can catch up with others in the class quickly. However, less attention is given to the progress each pupil makes in a lesson, so that sometimes they do not move on to harder work quickly enough.  The most able pupils respond particularly well to the weekly sessions with teaching assistants, involving more challenging work in writing and mathematics. For example, a group of Year 2 pupils seen exploring different ways of solving word problems made outstanding progress.  Teachers have established excellent relationships with their classes and manage them well. The atmosphere for lessons is calm and orderly and teachers include interesting activities. Pupils say

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The quality of teaching is good

their lessons are fun and teachers always help them.  Teachers make good use of resources, such as pupils’ mini whiteboards, to check on understanding. They deploy their teaching assistants well and demonstrate clearly what they expect pupils to be able to do. Both teachers and teaching assistants often use skilful questioning to make pupils think more deeply about their answers  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, frequently and often in detail. They correct pupils’ mistakes and celebrate what pupils have done well. However, they do not always give pupils an opportunity to respond to comments on how to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are happy at school. They feel valued, safe and well cared for and behave well. Adults at Buryfields take every opportunity to recognise pupils’ successes, thus promoting their self- esteem well. One pupil said that he did not want to leave school, and that he could stay all night.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education well. It is a welcoming, harmonious and calm place. Pupils get on with each other and their teachers well. The school makes every effort to support children whose behaviour is challenging and ensure there is equality of opportunity for all. The school has been effective in promoting better attendance by pupils; it is now above average.  Pupils know how to behave and are keen not to lose any of their ‘golden time’ through misbehaviour. They are attentive in lessons and try to work hard and present their work well. When moving around the school, pupils are polite and courteous to each other and adults. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

learn about the need to use STEP (sorry, thank you, excuse me and please) when they join the school.  At break time, pupils generally play sensibly in both play grounds, although some chasing games can be too boisterous. The areas are well monitored by adults, and pupils who are members of the Playground Squad make sure no-one is left without a playmate.  Recent records on behaviour in school show few incidents of misbehaviour. There have been no exclusions in this year. Pupils enjoy a good range of rewards for demonstrating good behaviour or caring for others. These include recognition in celebration assemblies, joining teachers on the ‘top table’ for lunch and gaining a certificate from the headteacher. Staff, parents and governors agree that pupils’ behaviour at school is good.  For their age, pupils understand bullying well. Pupils say bullying incidents are rare and are quickly tackled by their teachers. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have learned how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They know about road and fire safety, for example, and are beginning to learn about how to keep safe when using the Internet.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is led and managed well. The headteacher is an excellent role model and has high expectations of her staff. Senior leaders, ably supported by a well-informed governing body, demonstrate a strong drive for excellence in all areas. They have brought about secure improvements in teaching, achievement and pupils’ attendance, despite the relatively high numbers of pupils who join or leave the school during the year.  School leaders have an accurate knowledge of the school and their strategic plan for future improvements is well designed with clear targets and accountability.  Leadership roles have been shared more widely across the teams of teachers and teaching assistant, for example by developing year and subject leaders, and successfully improving staff’s leadership skills.  Senior leaders check the quality of teaching regularly and rigorously. They make good use of external consultants to provide a truly objective view of teaching. The performance of teachers

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The leadership and management are good

is managed effectively and teachers’ movement up the pay scales is linked to pupils’ good progress. Teachers are set challenging targets for improvement, including raising the achievement of pupils and improving the quality of their teaching.  The school ensures the accuracy of assessing the quality of pupils’ performance by working with the local authority and other local schools to agree standards. The Reception Year is well managed and children’s development is closely monitored and assessed accurately by checking judgements with neighbouring schools and Year 1 teachers.  The school offers a bright, clean and well-ordered environment for learning. Displays celebrate pupils’ achievements well, through photographs and pupils’ written work and art, and support and promote pupils’ independent learning effectively. Themes for each half term’s work, for example ‘Fire’, ‘Whoever you are’ and ‘On safari’, appeal to both boys and girls and are

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The leadership and management are good

introduced with an activity, such as a visit to a fire station or a drama group performance, that catches pupils’ imagination. The school’s spacious and exciting grounds, including a pond and conservation area, support learning well, particularly in science.  The school has developed good relationships with parents. Parents are pleased with the care shown by teachers. They receive high quality information about the work their children are doing and how they might help them at home, for example with reading and their homework, through the school website, curriculum evenings and workshops. Transition arrangements for children moving from Reception into Year 1 and for older pupils moving to junior school are well planned, inspiring confidence in them.  The local authority has supported the school well with advice and external evaluations of the school’s performance. It recognises that this is a good school, which is well led and managed, so

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The leadership and management are good

it is a low priority for local authority support.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has been trained to understand school data and is well informed about the performance of the school. It receives regular reports from the headteacher, and through regular focused visits, governors gain first-hand knowledge of the school’s work. For example, governors have organised pupil conferences, where they talk to pupils about their experience of reading and homework. The governing body expects the school to set challenging targets for improvement, for example by raising standards in writing to match those in reading. It has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and how it is affecting pupils’ progress, and ensures teachers’ rewards are warranted. Governors set robust targets for the performance of the headteacher and monitor financial decisions, such as allocating the pupil premium, so they

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The leadership and management are good

are effective in raising pupils’ achievement. All statutory arrangements for safeguarding are securely in place .

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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 115933 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 412712

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Peet Headteacher Jacqui Jennings Date of previous school inspection 13 November 2008 Telephone number 01256 702667 Fax number 01256 702667 Email address adminoffice@buryfields.hants.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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