Bewick Bridge Community Primary School

Bewick Bridge Community Primary School Fulbourn Old Drift, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, CB1 9ND

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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.  Teaching is nearly always good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers explain new learning clearly and make sure that pupils have plenty of practical opportunities to develop their skills.  Children make a good start in Reception. This gives a strong foundation in developing early language, reading, writing and number skills. This continues into Year 1.  By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have made good progress, especially in writing. Progress is particularly strong in Years 5 and 6, and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are keen to learn, feel safe and are happy in school. Pupils who have difficulties in learning are nurtured and supported well.  Leaders and managers at all levels have high expectations. They are good at developing teachers’ skills through well-focused training that directly supports pupils’ learning.  The governors are well informed, and actively

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

support the school’s work while monitoring it carefully.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes, teachers do not plan or adapt activities accurately enough for different ability groups to help all pupils make as much progress as possible.  Pupils do not always get the opportunity to respond to teachers’ marking.  The school’s new system for tracking achievement is not yet fully exploited by staff to support and extend pupils’ learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classes and observed teaching in 17 lessons or part lessons. The headteacher was invited to accompany inspectors during observations and did so on two occasions. Additionally, inspectors observed group work, playtimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors took account of questionnaires completed by 13 members of staff and the 49 responses submitted by parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Meetings and discussions were held with the headteacher, senior members of staff, subject leaders, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and a parent governor. The lead inspector also talked to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at data about pupils’ achievement. They reviewed the work in pupils’ books, heard pupils read and held discussions with pupils about learning and their experience of school.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including the school’s evaluation of its

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Information about this inspection

own effectiveness, improvement plans, records of governing body meetings and visits, the monitoring of teaching and learning, external evaluations of the school’s work, behaviour records and safeguarding checks.

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Inspection team

Lynda Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Pentlow Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bewick Bridge Community Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Originally a junior school for Years 3 to 6, the school changed its name in September 2011 and the age range was extended to include Reception and Years 1 and 2. Currently, there is no Year 2 class, but there will be from September 2013.  Some year groups are taught in single-age and some in mixed-age classes.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds, with an above-average proportion are from other ethnic groups, including European, Asian, Chinese and African heritages.  The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average, with a number in the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is in line with the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus

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Information about this school

or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  An average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional government funding given to schools to support certain groups of pupils. In this school, it applies to pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2012, after being acting headteacher the previous year. The current senior leadership team have been working formally together for two years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding and further raise pupils’ achievement by ensuring that all staff:  always plan and adapt activities at the right level of difficulty to match pupils’ differing needs and abilities, and so move learning on quickly  make comments in marking that clearly show pupils how to improve their work  give pupils more opportunities to respond to comments so they can correct and improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers and leaders make full use of the new achievement tracking system to help sharpen their planning, support learning and judge in more detail the impact of their work on pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school in Reception with skills that are often below and sometimes well below the levels expected nationally for their age, especially in language, literacy and numeracy. They make good progress through the year because of consistently strong teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 This good progress continues into Year 1 in both the single-age and mixed-age classes because of well-focused activities that challenge pupils and help them to learn. The lack of a Year 2 class means that the school does not yet have any results for the end of Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in English and mathematics have been rising at the end of Key Stage 2. The 2012 results in English and mathematics were broadly average, reflecting good achievement. The school’s current assessments, many of which have been independently checked, show that standards are likely to be higher at the end of this year. The work in pupils’ books reflects these rising standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Almost all pupils make the progress expected nationally in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The number of pupils doing even better is also rising and pupils’ current attainment compares favourably to national averages.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is being used effectively to give eligible pupils a range of additional learning and pastoral support, which is enabling them to make at least the same good progress as others in the school. In 2012, the attainment of Year 6 pupils who were known to be eligible for free school meals was on average less than a term behind their classmates in English and just over a term behind in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and most make good progress. The school accurately identifies each particular need and provides a range of personal and learning support to both nurture pupils and extend their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups, including those who speak English as an additional language, are well provided for and achieve at least in line with their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make learning interesting by giving pupils good opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills across a range of subjects. Pupils say they especially enjoy the work that is linked to real-life situations, class topics or their own particular interests.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers usually have high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour, and give pupils clear explanations of what they want them to learn. Teachers use skilled questioning to check pupils’ understanding and make them think hard. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils were discovering how to solve algebraic equations. Pupils were excited by this and stated that, although it was ‘really difficult’, they liked the challenge and were proud of what they had achieved.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Reception classes there is an excitement in lessons. Activities are carefully linked together so that children constantly have good opportunities to learn early literacy and numeracy skills while experiencing the physical world around them. Phonics (the sounds letters make) is carefully taught. Teachers are currently focusing on helping children understand that these sounds will support their reading and writing skills. This good practice continues with the Year 1 pupils in both the mixed-age and single-age classes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work well with pupils throughout the school. They are particularly effective in helping those who find learning difficult, or newly arrived pupils who speak only limited English. They do this by reshaping explanations and building pupils’ confidence when tackling new work or answering questions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Key skills in reading, writing and mathematics are taught well, and, in most classes, activities meet pupils’ learning needs well. Occasionally, some teachers do not plan varied activities, or adapt them well enough in response to pupils’ learning during lessons, to fully challenge all pupils to extend their learning even further.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking gives pupils guidance on how well they have done and some comments on how to improve their work. In the best practice, teachers give pupils very clear ideas of what their ‘next steps’ in learning are and pupils’ work shows they have time to effectively respond to these suggestions. However, this is not consistent in all classes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite, well mannered, and keen to discuss and share their work. Pupils say they are proud of their school and enjoy learning. Almost all parents who responded to the online questionnaire agreed that their child is happy in school and that behaviour is managed well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of risk and how to keep safe. They are clear about what bullying means and the forms it can take. Pupils spoken to said that incidents of bullying are rare. They said that they feel well cared for in school and are confident that adults will always help if needed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s good promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key factor in their good conduct. Pupils treat each other with respect and fairness, working and playing well together, regardless of age, gender or heritage. This was exemplified in a Year 5/6 class when the teacher sensitively introduced the issue of discrimination during a history lesson. Pupils showed maturity and genuine indignation when they described why rules should be the same for everyone, whatever their circumstances.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is below average but improving. Despite a rigorous attendance policy and well-planned strategies to encourage good attendance, a number of children do not attend school regularly enough, even when they are well. However, new family support provided by the school is starting to show success in improving some pupils’ attendance and, consequently, their achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other members of the leadership team demonstrate high expectations and are clearly focused on school improvement, as reflected in their well-directed plans. The monitoring of the school’s work is regular and detailed, and has brought about improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have managed the extending of the school’s age range, and all the changes that that has brought, extremely well. The Reception and Year 1 classes are now well established and successful because of the strong direction of the Early Years leader.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders develop teaching effectively by modelling the very best practice. Well-focused external training and in-house support has led to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning; for example, through coaching teachers to improve the effectiveness of guided reading sessions. In discussion, teachers praised the support available to them and were enthusiastic about developing their own skills in order to further increase pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The newly revised curriculum is well structured and is enriched through regular first-hand learning experiences, including a range of visits linked to class work. Pupils enjoy a good variety of activities outside lesson time. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed effectively through areas such as art, music, sport and learning linked to the range of pupils’ beliefs and heritages.

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The leadership and management are good

 Progress meetings are held regularly by leaders to ensure that teachers know if pupils are doing well enough. Where needed, additional support is quickly provided for pupils to aid learning, and a range of effective approaches boosts their self-confidence and emotional wellbeing. Much of this work is supported by pupil premium funding and helps ensure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s evaluation of its work is accurate, and the results are used well to share good practice and plan new developments. However, the new system which records pupils’ achievement is not yet fully used to help teachers and leaders to further measure the success of their work and enhance planning. The school is fully aware of this and is making improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Where the local authority has given support and advice, this has been effective. The school has also drawn upon the skills of other professionals and used their expertise well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed about the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance because it supports and checks the work of the school effectively through regular visits and meetings.  Governors are active partners in planning for improvement, ensuring good management of staff performance and the effective allocation of school finances. They check that rewards for teachers are linked to the progress that their pupils make.  Governors know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it has on the achievement of eligible pupils. They are also well informed about the achievement of other potentially vulnerable groups, and the pastoral and academic help and guidance that supports them.  The governing body carries out its statutory duties thoroughly, and makes sure that safeguarding requirements are fully met and regularly reviewed.

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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 110746 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 400195

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Phillips Headteacher Mark Wareham Date of previous school inspection 9 October 2008 Telephone number 01223 508772 Fax number 01223 508773 Email address office@bewickbridge.com 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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