Bredenbury Primary School

Bredenbury Primary School Bredenbury, Bromyard, HR7 4TF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Year 6 test results have declined since the previous inspection. Pupils do not make sufficiently rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers do not make enough use of assessment information to plan lessons, so learning is not always closely matched to each pupil’s needs.  Teachers do not expect enough of pupils, particularly the more-able, and insufficient time is given for them to work independently.  Teachers are not consistent in their checking on standards and quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility.  Improved systems for checking of pupils’ progress and teachers’ work have only recently been put in place.  Teachers’ targets for improving their work are not based firmly on information about how well their pupils are doing.  Changes in leadership have been a cause of disruption in the school. Until its recent reorganisation, governors had difficulties in judging the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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The school has the following strengths

 Achievement is now improving because of better resources and training for teachers.  Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs make good progress because they are helped individually and in small groups.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. Incidents of thoughtless behaviour are rare.  The new headteacher provides very strong leadership and good oversight of each pupil’s progress and the quality of teachers’ work.  The governing body has introduced good ways of holding the school to account. The school has good capacity to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven parts of lessons taken by four teachers. Three of these were joint observations with the headteacher. Additionally, three pupils were heard reading.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, members of staff, pupils, governors including the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of 13 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 13 staff questionnaires. She also talked to four parents about their children’s experiences at school.  The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents including: records and documents relating to tracking pupils’ progress; monitoring and evaluation; behaviour and safety; and safeguarding and attendance. The inspector carried out a scrutiny of a sample of pupils’ work with the headteacher.

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Inspection team

Kathy Hooper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than average and slightly smaller than at the time of the previous inspection. The number of classes has been reduced from four to three, but no class is larger than 22.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, the additional government funding for those in the care of the local authority, those with a parent in the armed services and those who are known to be eligible for free school meals, is very low.  There are more boys than girls. A very small proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic families and they are fluent English speakers. Although the number of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs is small, the proportion supported through school action is higher than average, as is the proportion of pupils at school action plus or with a statement of educational needs.  The small number of pupils in Year 6 means that the school’s test results are not compared

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Information about this school

against the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A higher than average number of pupils join and leave the school at times other than the usual due to moving in or out of the area.  Since the last inspection, there has been an acting headteacher in post for two and a half years. The substantive headteacher has been in post for 18 months. Previously a local authority consultant, the headteacher supports local schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, thus raising pupils’ achievement, by :  making better use of assessment information and clearer planning, so that learning precisely matches pupils’ individual needs and abilities  working with teaching assistants in every lesson to stretch and challenge older and more- able pupils  reinforcing pupils’ understanding of what they are reading and how to write well, in all lessons  giving more time in lessons for pupils to do their own work and more opportunities to use information and communication technology  encouraging pupils to respond to teachers’ comments in their books.  Improve the leadership and management by:  developing teachers’ ability to take more responsibility for improving learning and teaching in the subjects and areas for which they are responsible  matching the teachers’ targets more closely to pupils’ rates of progress  providing more opportunities for pupils to take initiative in lessons and for their spiritual,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the school in Reception with skills and experiences that are overall similar to those of other children nationally and they make satisfactory progress. Over the last three years an increasing number of children have achieved well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils’ attainment in the last three years has been erratic, reflecting the small size of the cohort, but overall has declined since the last inspection. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics this year is comparable with others in similar schools.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The rate of pupils’ progress across the school has been very uneven, but this year shows some improvement in reading, writing and mathematics. An agreed approach to reading, greater emphasis on writing in lessons, and a clear policy for teaching mathematics, are helping pupils to make better progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Building on their understanding of phonics (the links between letters and sounds), Year 1 pupils sound out words well when reading. Some older pupils do not always understand the meaning of what they are reading. This is being tackled through an agreed approach to the teaching of reading across the school, and new graded reading books are popular, particularly with boys.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Older and more-able pupils do not always make the best possible progress because they are not challenged enough in lessons. For example, although they write engaging accounts at length in English lessons, they do not show the same skill in other subjects. Opportunities for pupils to develop independent learning in lessons are limited.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs make good progress because they have individual and small-group support. Teaching assistants have a very encouraging approach and question pupils well. They do not always provide enough challenge for the more-able pupils because they do not always make the best use of the records of previous learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 It is not possible to make secure judgements about the achievement of pupils eligible for the pupil premium or how well the school is narrowing the gap between the progress of these pupils and others because the numbers are too small.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is no clear difference in the progress of those who join the school at other times than the usual ones, or those from minority ethnic groups, and others.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who are falling behind in their learning are quickly picked up and helped with their particular difficulties. The number of pupils who are not making enough progress is falling.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not good because, in too many lessons, the whole class spends too long on the same activity so each pupil’s needs are not well met.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has reliable information regarding pupils’ progress, but not all teachers and teaching assistants routinely use it to set different learning for different abilities and needs. Throughout the school, older and more-able pupils are not challenged enough, and the younger and less- able ones sometimes struggle to keep up.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, there is too little time for pupils to work on interesting and challenging activities. Some good examples were seen of motivating tasks. For example, the teacher used excerpts from a black and white film of Oliver Twist; this experience helped pupils to identify with the character and write creatively about the story.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teachers tailor learning well to pupils’ abilities, they make rapid progress. For example, in a lesson where Year 2 and 3 pupils were thinking of questions to ask the ‘friendly giant who lived on a cloud’, the teacher demonstrated how to ask probing questions. More-able pupils thought of imaginative questions that linked to their understanding of gravity in science. The ideas they introduced caused great excitement and extended the understanding of other pupils. Almost all pupils were anxious to ask questions.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is insufficient emphasis on the expected outcomes in most teachers’ planning; plans tend to describe activities rather than spelling out the next steps in learning for different pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are beginning to assess themselves and their peers, but opportunities are missed for pupils to reflect on how they learn and its value for them. Not all teachers encourage independent learning skills, for example, through the use of computers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Reception class, children are well engaged by activities that the children choose for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are vigilant about the pupils’ well-being and support pupils well in individual and group settings. They do not always take opportunities to challenge pupils and extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers mark pupils’ books regularly and their comments are positive. Some teachers prompt pupils with good questions but often comments are too general to help pupils understand what they did well and how they could make their work better. Pupils are not encouraged to reply to teachers’ comments to show that they have understood.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers check pupils’ learning each term to make sure they are making sufficient progress. Those who have not are given extra support. Assessments are accurate and are checked by comparing them with others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are eager to learn, enjoy lessons and like their teachers. They persevere extremely well in lessons. The school is a welcoming, friendly community where pupils look out for each other and all staff and pupils know each other well. New pupils are welcomed and settle in very quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and outside the school is excellent. There is no evidence of bullying and a review of the behaviour policy has led to a significant drop in incidents of thoughtless behaviour. Attendance is generally good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There is a strong emphasis on pupils’ well-being and their safety. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and their parents and carers agree. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of different circumstances.  There are good opportunities for pupils’ moral, social and cultural development. Pupils behave responsibly and have well developed social skills. For example, children in Reception and Year 1 demonstrated enormous sensitivity when caring for ‘babies’. They understood the needs of the ‘babies’ very well, holding them carefully, rocking them to sleep, and asking others to be quiet while they slept.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils benefit from learning about different religions through visits, for example to a Hindu temple. Opportunities in lessons to reflect on issues and events and to be amazed by the world are limited.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very tolerant and kind to each other. Those with disabilities and special educational needs are confident because they are well respected and supported by their peers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Where opportunities are provided, pupils relish taking responsibility. The school council promotes pupils’ independence well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher provides clear leadership. Rigorous systems for checking pupils’ progress and teachers’ work have been set up and shared with governors. The school has been restructured and difficult staffing problems have been resolved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 As a result of accurate self-evaluation, a ‘raising attainment’ plan has been drawn up. The local authority has provided support for literacy and Early Years Foundation Stage practice, and has arranged regular visits to check on progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The work of teachers is monitored through visits to lessons and checks on pupils’ books. Teachers’ targets are not linked closely enough to the progress that pupils make.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is good oversight of the teaching of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs and the progress they make. However, teachers with responsibilities for subjects do not routinely check the quality of teaching and learning and, as a result, opportunities for teachers to learn from each other are missed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is made interesting through topics and themes, but opportunities for pupils to take initiative and for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in lessons are missed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There are good links with local schools and practice is shared between schools. Good links with parents support pupils’ learning well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school: - The governing body is knowledgeable and experienced as a result of new membership, improved ways of working, and through training. There is a new Chair of Governors who works closely with the headteacher and who understands national requirements. The safeguarding and behaviour policies have been recently reviewed and improved. Decisions made in governors’ meetings lead to clear action plans. The governing body has a good picture of pupils’ progress and makes sure that every pupil has the same chance to succeed. A new policy for appraisal is in the process of being agreed. Although there is not yet agreed action regarding rewarding good teachers, governors have an accurate view of teachers’ work. Recent and rapid improvements in provision, and the increase in pupil progress, indicate that the school has good capacity to improve.

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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 116654 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 411953

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 58 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kitty Edwards Headteacher Dawn Wilson Date of previous school inspection 16 January 2008 Telephone number 01885 483253 Fax number 01885 483253 Email address admin@bredenbury.hereford.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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