Bure Park Primary School

Bure Park Primary School Lucerne Ave, Bure Park, Bicester, OX26 3BP

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Most pupils achieve well throughout the school. Good achievement begins in the Nursery and Reception classes and there is a picture of improved, and now good, progress across the rest of the school. As a result, standards are rising.  Since the last inspection, teaching has improved from satisfactory to good, with much that is outstanding. Teachers use pupils’ past learning to plan the right next steps so that all groups of pupils make good progress.  Well-developed use of information and communication technology engages the pupils well and supports good progress in all subjects.  The broad and exciting curriculum is reflected in the vibrant learning environment which inspires pupils to work hard and enjoy their learning.  Behaviour and attitudes are outstanding and make a significant contribution to pupils’ good achievement. Pupils are polite and courteous, and say that they feel safe in school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management are good. The skills and strong determination of the headteacher and governors have meant that the school has concentrated on reaching high standards and improving pupils’ progress. Staff appraisal and training contribute well to pupils’ good progress and standards.  The school promotes high quality spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences. It gives strong attention to all aspects of pupils’ development.  The school has developed well since its last inspection and is continuing to improve rapidly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Older pupils have not gained a secure approach to spelling. As a result, spelling is a weaker aspect of attainment at the end of Year 6.  Pupils’ ability to assess their own work and take part in identifying their next steps is not yet well enough developed for all pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes and visited 36 lessons. The headteacher and deputy headteacher shared in the joint observation of seven lessons.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, parents, teachers, the headteacher, a representative of the governing body and a local authority officer.  Inspectors took account of 170 parent responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Account was taken of 45 staff questionnaires returned to the inspectors.  Inspectors looked at records of pupils’ achievement and heard pupils read. They looked at pupils’ work to see their progress over time.  Inspectors examined a range of documents, including the school improvement plan, records of judgements made by leaders about the quality of teaching, and information on training activities undertaken. They also scrutinised reports provided by the local authority following visits by its representatives.

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Information about this inspection

 Records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour were checked and arrangements for safeguarding pupils were examined.  Information on the school’s use of its financial resources was considered.

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Inspection team

Lynne Bradbury, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Carol Worthington Additional Inspector Julie Pierre-Bourdon Additional Inspector Christopher Crouch Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bure Park Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, or who are looked after by the local authority, or are members of service families. There are a small number of pupils from service families currently attending the school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also average.  The majority of pupils come from a White British background. There are small numbers of pupils from a wide variety of other groups.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ progress and attainment.  The school uses support from Bardwell Special School when required.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement and teaching to outstanding by:  helping all pupils to develop confidence and competence in evaluating how well they are doing and in identifying the further action they need to take to improve their work  ensuring that older pupils develop secure and effective strategies that they are able to use independently for accurate spelling.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Nursery at age three with skills which are broadly in line with those expected for this age group. They make strong progress because of the opportunities to learn in many different ways and environments, using well-designed equipment. Staff know children’s learning needs and plan exciting activities and experiences so that they move into the Reception class with skills which prepare them for their next stage of learning.  This good progress continues in the Reception classes, where children learn greater independence in their work across a wide range of areas of learning. Outstanding phonics development (linking letters and the sounds they make for early reading) was observed in the Reception Year group.  As a result of the effective start in the Nursery and Reception classes, children’s attainment is above average as they enter Year 1.  During Year 1, pupils continue to do well in phonics. Pupils in Year 1 exceeded the standards of

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils nationally in the phonics screening check in 2012.  Across Years 1 to 6, pupils are making good progress. The older pupils in the school did not enter Year 1 with above average attainment and, in the past, their progress was not as good as it is currently. Attainment has been broadly average at the end of Year 6 in recent years but is now rising as a result of the good progress pupils are currently making. Improved attainment and progress are evident in the work in pupils’ books as well as in the school’s rigorously externally moderated assessment data.  Inspection evidence, supported by current school data, identifies that in Years 3 to 6, all groups of pupils, including those who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress. Pupils are meeting challenging targets for their progress because of good teaching and well-targeted extra help for

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The achievement of pupils is good

those who need it.  Workbooks show good progress over time across a wide range of learning activities and subjects. English and mathematical skills are developed well across all subjects, and skills in mathematics are applied through problem-solving. Pupils develop calculation skills well and are given frequent opportunities to apply these to solve problems in many subjects.  Reading is of a good standard by the time pupils reach Year 6. Pupils are keen to talk about their favourite books and authors, read confidently and accurately and understand a wide range of reading material. Parents support their children’s reading at home well.  Pupils’ writing develops well because teachers have a clear understanding of what pupils need to learn next. Pupils improve their writing by using exciting words and accurate punctuation. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to measure their own progress against their

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The achievement of pupils is good

‘steps to success’. Standards of spelling are a weakness for the oldest pupils. This is largely because older pupils do not apply phonic knowledge to spelling in the way that younger pupils do. As a result of a less ‘systematic’ experience of phonics teaching in the past , older pupils do not have secure enough strategies for spelling independently and accurately.  Pupils are highly motivated to write for a wide range of purposes across a range of subjects and they are proud of their work, which is displayed in imaginative ways throughout the school.  The pupil premium is used effectively to ensure good progress through one-to-one tuition, reading support, visits, clubs, and other extra help for those eligible for the funding. The school’s tracking data show that this is rapidly improving the progress and attainment of eligible pupils. In 2012, pupils eligible for the pupil premium were, as a group, almost a year behind their

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The achievement of pupils is good

classmates in English but in line with similar pupils nationally. They were just over a year behind their classmates in mathematics and eight months behind similar pupils nationally. Most recent progress data show that the gaps between the pupils supported through the pupil premium and others in the school have closed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is consistently good and often outstanding and is leading to progress that is rapid in some areas, such as in phonics in Reception.  Teachers in Nursery and Reception use every part of their indoor and outdoor environment to ensure that children enjoy learning through exciting experiences. For example, a group of Nursery children built structures using large rubber (concrete) blocks, others used large drums to accompany recorded music, while others created pattern and sequence with chalk on the concrete flagstones outside. All of these activities were related to a visit on the previous day and adults joined in very sensitively to make sure that children learned as much as possible from these experiences. Learning was strong in these classes because of the engaging activities.  Teachers in all year groups assess carefully what pupils already know and use this to plan new

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The quality of teaching is good

learning for pupils of all abilities. Pupils know their targets and use them to focus their learning.  Extensive training and development have led to positive improvements in teaching. As a result, teaching has not only moved from satisfactory to good, but there are clear signs of outstanding teaching developing.  In the lessons in which teaching was outstanding, pupils made particularly effective progress by using ‘steps to success’ to assess their work and improve it. This involvement of pupils in assessing their learning and identifying next steps is not fully developed in all classes.  In the best lessons, pupils are engaged with partners or in groups in challenging learning activities throughout the lesson, so that they make at least good progress. For example, in a literacy lesson, following a short video of a refugee telling his story, pupils worked very effectively to improve their skills by discussing their work with partners and groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The special educational needs coordinator makes sure that groups or individuals with special educational needs receive good quality support during or outside lessons. As a result, they make at least good progress.  Teaching assistants are used very effectively in all year groups to support the learning and progress of all pupils.  Marking is usually good and improving further. Teachers in most classes give written feedback which is very helpful to pupils in improving their work.  Information and communication technology is used extremely well to support pupils in developing research and investigation skills.  The staff manage behaviour very positively. They have established warm and nurturing relationships so that pupils enjoy working hard, have good attitudes to their work, and learn new skills quickly and confidently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes make an excellent contribution to their learning and progress. They are able to work independently, in pairs or in teams, and they discuss very challenging topics, like the war in Syria, very sensibly and maturely.  Pupils enjoy talking about their work and showing visitors what they have achieved. They are polite and courteous to adults and respect each other’s views.  They are highly motivated by the range of visits, clubs and opportunities offered.  Pupils work and play together sensibly and happily in the well-designed school grounds. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in and out of school.  Pupils understand the various forms that bullying can take. They say that they feel safe, and that bullying is very rare in school, but that they would know how to get help if they needed it. They understand issues around e-safety and how to protect themselves from the negative

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

aspects of new technology.  Pupils, staff and parents agree that the management of behaviour is a strength of the school and that it results in positive outcomes in pupils’ attitudes and behaviour.  Pupils are very proud of their school and of their behaviour. They respond well to rewards for working hard.  Extra help and support for those who experience difficulties in managing their behaviour is very effective in helping pupils to concentrate and achieve well. On occasions, the support of Bardwell Special School contributes positively.  Attendance is above average, and the school makes extensive efforts to support those pupils whose attendance falls below what is expected.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, governors and other school leaders have high ambitions for the school and for every pupil. All staff, pupils and the majority of parents share in this and want to support this vision.  Training and development for leaders and governors mean that they understand their responsibility for pupils’ achievement. As a result of this, the school has moved from satisfactory to good and is rapidly improving further. There are improvements in pupils’ progress, the quality of teaching, behaviour and safety, and leadership and management.  Rigorous monitoring by leaders at all levels recognises appropriate strengths and school development priorities. Action plans set challenging targets, and regular rigorous checking of progress makes sure that pupils’ achievement is at the heart of all activities within school.  Leaders ensure that all judgements about the school, including those concerning leaders’ and

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The leadership and management are good

teachers’ performance, are based upon pupils’ progress. This approach results in good quality and appropriate training and has been highly effective in raising the quality of teaching.  The link between salary progression and pupils’ achievement is understood by staff, and more is expected of those teachers on the upper pay scale.  The school environment is exciting and vibrant, reflecting the view that all subjects are important in developing every aspect of pupils’ experience. For example, pupils and staff are very proud of the excellent art work throughout the school which shows pupils’ excitement and hard work across many topics.  The curriculum provides exciting opportunities through art, sport and music for pupils to develop particular talents and interests and, beyond the school day, there is an excellent range of clubs and activities to further extend these opportunities.  Areas which are highly visible to pupils and the community have bold displays of pupils’ work

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The leadership and management are good

celebrating links with their partner school in Uganda. It is clear that a very wide range of cultural experiences extend pupils’ awareness of global and moral issues.  Provision to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is high quality and woven into all experiences in the school day.  Partnerships with parents support pupils’ progress and parents talk with great pride about the achievements of the school.  There is a strong commitment to tackling discrimination and promoting equal opportunities for all pupils in the school, and this is reflected in the good achievement of all groups.  Staff and governors have been keen to make the most of the local authority’s valuable support for the school.  The governance of the school:  All statutory duties, including safeguarding, are fulfilled effectively by governors. Development needs are identified accurately and resources, including staffing and the pupil premium, are

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The leadership and management are good

used effectively to raise achievement. Governors are committed to providing the very best opportunities for all pupils to achieve high standards, and they measure effectiveness in terms of pupils’ attainment and progress. They undertake high quality training so that they can challenge school leaders and hold the school to account by checking the quality of teaching against pupils’ progress. This leads to well-focused plans for further improvement. They challenge staff effectively through a well-developed system of managing teachers’ performance and its link with salary progression. They know what the quality of teaching is and what the school is doing to reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance.

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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 132057 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 402534

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 520 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Oliver Wright Headteacher Robert Pearson Date of previous school inspection 15–16 October 2009 Telephone number 01869 354059 Fax number 01869 321069 Email address Office.2610@bure-park.oxon.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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