Bradwell CofE (Controlled) Infant School & Nursery

Bradwell CofE (Controlled) Infant School Church Street, Bradwell, Hope Valley, S33 9HJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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 thoroughly enjoy school and achieve well. Progress is good throughout the school, and particularly fast in reading and mathematics.  Pupils behave well and always respect the views of others. Bullying is very rare so pupils feel safe.  The good and sometimes outstanding teaching means that pupils of all ages and abilities in the classes do equally well.  Pupils say that they like the way teachers make their lessons fun and help them when they find the work hard.  Parents are highly appreciative of the excellent care and support that make their children feel secure and valued. Pupils say how much they like being part of a small school where they make such good friends.  Good leadership by the headteacher means that staff work very well as a team to make improvements in both teaching and achievement.  The good spiritual provision means that pupils reflect deeply on the world around them and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the way their behaviour affects others.  Teachers value the annual reviews of their performance that help raise achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress in writing is not as fast as that in reading and mathematics, particularly by boys. Some of pupils’ writing in their topic work is not as good as in their English books.  The checks on the quality of teaching by leaders and governors are not made often enough to achieve the school’s target of outstanding practice.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons, of which two were joint observations with the headteacher. The inspector also made a number of brief visits to other lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, parents, leaders of subjects, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 27 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) at the time of the inspection.  He observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including records of the progress of every pupil, planning and monitoring files, behaviour records and documents relating to attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Terry Elston, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller-than-average primary school.  The proportion of the pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is below average and numbers are very small, both overall and in each year group.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and none speaks English as an additional language.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, who are supported through school action and at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs, are average.  Pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes.  The school has recently achieved the International Schools and Healthy Schools awards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils make the best possible progress in writing by:  providing more tasks that capture boys’ interest and imagination  giving pupils more time to complete their writing  expecting more of the quality and quantity of their writing in all subjects and especially in topic work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of the leadership and management by ensuring :  the headteacher and subject leaders undertake more frequent observations of teaching  leaders check the impact of all planned improvements on pupils’ achievements  governors gain first-hand knowledge of the quality of teaching by visiting classes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school with skills that are typical of their ages and go on to make good progress. Pupils are very proud of their achievements and parents say how pleased they are with their children’s progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2012, the class contained a high proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and, while progress overall was good, attainment dipped. This year, attainment is much stronger in reading and mathematics and stronger in writing, and pupils are likely to exceed national averages in all three elements.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The Reception children make good progress and gain much from working alongside older, more mature Year 1 pupils. They make rapid progress in their reading and number skills and enjoy many opportunities to practise them both indoors and outside. They make very good progress when asked to use their imagination, whether it is acting as shopkeepers selling vegetables and giving the correct change or deciding where to visit on a magic carpet. They gain a very good knowledge of the world around them through a wide range of practical activities. For example, one child made exceptional progress changing the angle of a plastic pipe to accelerate the flow of water into a bucket.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Older pupils maintain this good progress. They achieve very well in their phonics work and quickly learn how to build sounds into words, and this helps to make reading pleasurable. Weaknesses in their reading identified after the 2012 phonics assessment have been quickly rectified, and pupils’ phonic skills are now well-established. By the end of Year 2, nearly all read confidently and many with very good expression.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ writing is very lively, and some of their versions of a story about a witch that turned a frog into a cat were exceptional. Boys often have excellent ideas for their writing but are sometimes slow to get started. Occasionally, the teachers spend so much time explaining about how to write that pupils have insufficient time to complete the task set.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make rapid progress in mathematics because they are given a good balance of basic number work and practical tasks to develop these skills further. For example, pupils learned how to use tape measures and then had great fun measuring parts of their body.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in both English and mathematics. They benefit from well-planned teaching by teachers and skilled teaching assistants. Teachers’ assessments of their difficulties and needs are accurate, and pupils soon gain the confidence to work on their own.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school uses its pupil premium funding to provide individual tuition, group work and extra reading and number sessions for the small number of pupils. There are too few pupils to comment on their achievements without them being identified.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons, teachers make the learning expected clear and revisit these targets during the lesson to ensure pupils are on track to meet them. This helps pupils check on their own learning and see what they need to do next.  Teachers plan very well to meet the needs of the different ages and abilities in the class and this ensures the work is challenging yet achievable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from a good balance of tasks indoors and outside. Adults provide many practical opportunities for these children to hone their reading, writing and number skills outside that build well on the consistently good teaching in the classroom. More-able children gain much from working alongside Year 1 pupils and a few are four terms ahead of expectations for their age.

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The quality of teaching is good

 At Key Stage 1, daily phonics sessions ensure that pupils are confident when tackling new words. Teachers are very good at teaching the skills and techniques for successful writing, but sometimes leave too little time for pupils to finish their work. Boys tend to write more slowly than girls and sometimes struggle to write much when the task fails to catch their interest. In topic work, teachers tend to use too many worksheets that require a single word answer and these do little to improve pupils’ writing skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In mathematics, teachers are very good at teaching calculation skills with quick-fire sessions that help them work out sums quickly in their heads. Teachers give pupils exciting practical tasks, and one class did exceptionally well when learning how to weigh large stones and make their own accurate weights using pliable material.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work promptly with helpful comments to help them improve. Pupils value this guidance, and subsequent work shows that they take good note of the teacher’s advice. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults maintain comprehensive records of children’s progress that parents value highly as examples of their children’s achievements.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. Teachers plan tasks that match pupils’ abilities and ensure that they have every opportunity to ask and answer questions. Teaching assistants support these pupils well while giving them good opportunities to work on their own.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ good behaviour is an important reason for their personal and academic successes. Adults have high expectations of the way pupils should act and, for the most part, apply the rules consistently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage soon learn the importance of behaving well. Most now put their hands up when the teacher asks a question and show great pride when they give the right answer. They share equipment sensibly and work well together to complete tasks such as loading wooden bricks into the wheelbarrow or ‘painting’ the walls.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school, arrive punctually and attendance rates are around the national average. The school places great emphasis on regular attendance and parents respond well to the regular reminders about the importance of their children coming to school every day.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel very safe at school, and say how well staff respond to rare instances of bullying and racism. Records show that such acts are decreasing year by year. Pupils know much about different types of bullying and older ones know to take care when using the internet. Playground rules are discussed with pupils so that they know what is expected.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show courtesy towards adults and one another and deserve their good reputation in the local area for their good manners. They listen carefully in discussions, and accept opinions different to their own. For example, they share ideas eagerly with their ‘talking partners’ and are not afraid to change their minds about an issue.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils take responsibility well. Older ones act as ‘Buddies’ for younger pupils and children in the Early Years Foundation Stage learn to pack away their equipment and put things in the correct place .  On the few occasions when pupils’ attitudes were good rather than outstanding, the younger pupils took too long moving from one activity to the next, or called out rather than put their hands up to answer a question.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher leads well and is highly respected by pupils, parents and staff. He sets ambitious targets for the school to achieve, both in terms of pupils’ achievement and their personal development. He juggles the duties of teacher and headteacher well, and all aspects of the school run smoothly. The school is well set to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other leaders use data on pupils’ progress well to ensure that all have equal opportunities to succeed and see where improvements need to be made. For example, weaknesses in reading identified last year, particularly by boys, were quickly rectified with extra reading sessions, a greater focus on developing pupils’ word-building skills and more boy-friendly books.

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The leadership and management are good

 The staff value the sensitive way the headteacher evaluates the quality of their teaching, making it clear what they do well and how they can improve. These observations, however, occur only once a year and there is too big a gap before the headteacher can next check on progress. Nevertheless, annual reviews of teachers’ performance arising from these observations are rigorous, provide challenging targets for their development and help make informed decisions about their pay and promotion.

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The leadership and management are good

 Other staff with subject responsibilities provide good guidance on how to raise achievement but have too few opportunities to check on the quality of teaching or monitor the impact of their strategies for improvement. For example, last year the school identified the need to improve the quality of writing in pupils’ topic work but this is still weaker than in their English books.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leaders make good use of local schools to share expertise and organise cost-effective training that enables teachers to improve their performance. Very good links with the local church provide strong spiritual and moral guidance that permeates through all the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding systems are robust and meet all requirements. These are reviewed regularly by the leaders and the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents appreciate the way the school informs them about the work of the school and their children’s progress. The feel welcome in their children’s classrooms and know that staff will always listen to their concerns.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils find the activities provided for them interesting and appreciate the extra activities at lunchtime and after school that enhance their skills in information and communication technology, music and sport. They enjoy the broad topics and the good opportunities to research using books and the internet. A wide range of visits and visitors enhance the curriculum and help to develop pupils’ academic, personal and social skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils enjoy many opportunities to reflect on issues such as the wonders of nature and the problems of poverty across the world. They learn about different faiths and recently gained much from a visit to a nearby Mosque.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the expertise from the local authority to improve the teaching and pupils’ achievements, and the local authority is currently providing useful training to develop the expertise of the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has a clear understanding of the school’s effectiveness gained through regular visits and discussions with the leaders. Recent changes in the governing body mean that newer governors do not always have the confidence to challenge the leaders and gain a full awareness of the quality of teaching and learning. They are keen to improve their skills and are gaining much from the training provided by the local authority. Governors ensure safeguarding requirements are met and are closely involved in the annual evaluation of teachers’ performance and its impact on their pay. Governors have a good awareness of the school’s budget. For example, they know how the funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent, why it is allocated in this way and the impact it has on pupils’ academic and personal development.

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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 112803 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 412533

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5-7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 40 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Joanna Green Headteacher Geoffrey Wharton Date of previous school inspection 5 March 2008 Telephone number 01433 620409 Fax number N/A Email address info@bradwell-inf.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

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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