Bonneygrove Primary School

Bonneygrove Primary School Dark Lane, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, EN7 5ED

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Not all pupils achieve as well as they should in English and mathematics. They do not make enough progress from Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2.  There is not enough teaching that is consistently good or better. Teachers do not use questions enough to extend pupils’ thinking and do not challenge the more able sufficiently in particular.  Some teachers do not fully understand the level at which pupils are working. Consequently the work planned does not build on and extend what pupils can already do.  Sometimes teachers move pupils on in their learning before they are ready, for example in basic number skills or grammar.  School leaders have not enabled improvements in pupils’ progress in English and mathematics to be rapid enough. This is because skills are not taught systematically across different subjects.  Marking does not always show pupils how to improve their work and teachers do not give them enough opportunity to respond to their

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

comments.  Teachers do not introduce pupils to enough high quality literature that they can draw on to improve their own writing.  The school’s previous planning for improvement in both the long and the short- term has not been clear about how teaching and pupils’ achievement will be improved.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well.  Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 1 is above average by the end of Year 2.  Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in their attendance, which has improved to be above average. Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite, friendly and helpful, and they feel safe in school.  School governors have benefited from training and they now ask sharper questions of school leaders. Together with senior leaders, they are improving the quality of teaching and raising achievement, demonstrating their capacity to continue to improve the school.  The school is a very cohesive community. Pupils from different backgrounds get on well together.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 16 lessons taught by 12 teachers. Six of these were joint observations with the school’s senior leaders.  Meetings were held with parents and carers, pupils, staff as well as with a member of the governing body. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at development plans, records of pupils’ progress, arrangements for safeguarding and documentation on monitoring teachers’ performance.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors also scrutinised 45 questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Elizabeth Lawrence Additional Inspector Ken Parry Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and the vast majority speak English as their first language.  A small proportion of the pupils are known to be 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.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There is provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Nursery and Reception Classes.  The school provides a breakfast club and an after-school club for families and there is a wide

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Information about this school

range of additional activities for pupils at the end of the school day.  There have been many changes in staffing since the previous inspection. There has been a significant change to the leadership team in the last year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is all consistently good or better by:  making sure that all teachers understand the level at which pupils are working and plan work that builds on and extends what they can already do  challenging all pupils in lessons by asking questions that make them think  raising expectations of what pupils can do by insisting on high standards and setting more demanding work, especially for the more able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement at Key Stage 2 by:  improving teachers’ marking by giving clear guidance about how pupils can improve their work and by making opportunities for them to correct and improve their work  making sure that pupils fully understand and apply their skills and knowledge in basic number and grammar before introducing the next step too quickly  using a wider range of literature, such as published stories, books and poetry, to show pupils how authors use grammar, imaginative vocabulary and sentence structure so that they can improve their own writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  making use of all available information to identify the key priorities to raise pupils’ achievement and improve the quality of teaching  reviewing the curriculum for English and mathematics to make sure that pupils develop their skills, knowledge and understanding systematically across the full range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make enough progress in English and mathematics across Key Stage 2. They do not consistently produce work of a high standard because they do not know how much work they are expected to produce in lessons or how they can improve their work. Key skills in literacy and numeracy are not taught systematically and pupils do not have enough opportunity to practise their skills across a wide range of different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is not good. They receive support in lessons from teaching assistants who help them by explaining what they are to learn and help them to understand how to complete their work. However, teachers’ planning is not yet clearly focused to make sure progress for individuals is as good as it can be.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium achieve at a similar rate as their classmates owing to the additional support the school has provided for them. In the 2012 national tests, the attainment of eligible pupils was about three months better than their classmates in English and mathematics and better than similar pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They join the Nursery with skills in line with those expected for their age and they make good progress. This is because adults understand how children of this age learn and make sure their learning builds on what they already know and can do. They make particularly good progress in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils achieved higher levels in the Year 1 reading check in 2013 than the Year 1 pupils did in 2012. The school has introduced a new programme to teach phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and this is leading to improvements in reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment in reading is average by the end of Year 6. Pupils enjoy reading and speak enthusiastically about their preferences for their favourite authors. However, the school does not introduce them to a wide enough range of quality literature to show them how authors use vocabulary and grammar in interesting ways. This slows their achievement in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment in writing is average. However, by the end of Year 6, some do not write fluently to express ideas that engage the reader. Their spelling and punctuation skills are not as good as they should be and some pupils struggle to develop their ideas between paragraphs in their written work. In some lessons, there is a lack of urgency about what is expected and consequently, pupils do not write as much as they should.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is above average by the end of Year 2. However, pupils make inconsistent progress between Years 3 and 6. Although no teaching of mathematics was seen in Year 6, their books show that some of their work is at too low a level and that some pupils repeat work that they can do easily. More-able pupils in particular are not challenged enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not yet securing consistently good progress for all pupils. It varies across year groups and between classes. Some teachers set work at an appropriate level for pupils, but others are unclear about the level at which pupils are working, and do not match learning well enough to their needs.  A strength of teaching is the quality of relationships between pupils and adults. This fosters positive attitudes to learning and pupils behave well in lessons. Teaching assistants provide helpful support to those pupils who need additional help. However, the quality of teaching for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs does not yet consistently secure good progress. This is because the work set does not always match well with what pupils need to do next to learn well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the better lessons, teachers provide challenging activities that stimulate and inspire pupils. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils investigated measurement and area. The problem was made more relevant by working in the playground, and pupils proposed a range of possible ways of completing the tasks set. They became fascinated as they worked collaboratively and discovered many different ways of measuring area.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Teachers use assessment information to plan activities that are well matched to the needs of children. There is a good balance of activities that are led by adults and those that children select independently. Children are given opportunities to dress up as characters from traditional stories such as Snow White and Peter Pan, and this inspires wonder and excitement, and so contributes to their spiritual development.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teachers plan lessons that do not build on previous learning. These lessons fail to extend previous learning. A few teachers try to cover too much in lessons and this confuses some pupils as they try to learn new ideas in number and grammar before consolidating previous learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers encourage pupils to share their ideas to help them learn. They sometimes ask questions to assess pupils’ level of understanding and to check that they understand what they are expected to do. However, these questions do not always probe pupils’ perceptions or challenge them to think more deeply about what they are learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most teachers use information and communications technology well to explain new learning. However, they do not always use other resources such as good quality literature to show pupils how writers choose words, phrases or punctuation to improve their work, and so help pupils to develop their own writing skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although most teachers mark pupils’ books regularly, they do not all provide enough guidance about what pupils need to learn next or to give them the opportunity to correct and improve their work. Some marking is overgenerous and does not challenge pupils to do better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in school. This is because teachers have consistent approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour, and so pupils are clear about what is expected.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on well together, and enjoy working and playing alongside those from backgrounds different from their own. They are polite and helpful, and show respect towards each other and to adults. They understand that discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated and that all pupils have equality of opportunity to benefit from all that the school has to offer.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, pupils are attentive, and listen to teachers and to each other. Occasionally, when the pace of the lesson slows or where they do not understand what they are expected to do, they get restless and do not complete their work.  Most pupils enjoy school, and this is reflected in the above average attendance. They feel safe because they know that the adults care for them. They know about different forms of bullying, including name-calling and bullying relating to race, religion and cyber-bullying. They say that none occurs and that on the rare occasions when pupils have a ‘falling out’, there is always an adult or a helpful friend who will help to sort it out.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of their own personal safety. They understand the potential dangers from risks outside school, such as those related to substance abuse and internet safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Inspection evidence confirmed the views of parents and carers, and staff, that they felt behaviour was good and that bullying was rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills in a safe and stimulating environment, both at the beginning and end of the school day in the breakfast and after-school clubs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders did not respond quickly enough to the decline in performance that occurred after the previous inspection. It is only in the last school year, with support from the local authority and governors, that they have taken actions to reverse it.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is not securing good progress because there is an inconsistent system for making sure that skills, particularly in writing and mathematics, build well on each other to develop pupils’ learning step by step and are practised across different subjects. This means that gaps remain in pupils’ knowledge and this slows their rate of progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School plans for development, based on an accurate analysis of the school’s performance, now have a sharper focus on raising pupils’ achievement and enable leaders and governors to monitor progress towards these targets more effectively. New systems to record pupils’ progress enable teachers and school leaders to check more quickly that pupils are doing as well as they should and to pick up those at risk of falling behind.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is a robust programme to check the quality of teaching and this is linked closely to teachers’ targets for performance management. Teachers receive support and guidance to help them to reflect on their practice and to improve their skills. This is already improving their day- to-day teaching, as seen during the inspection. Previously inadequate teaching has been eliminated and teachers’ progression on the salary scale is linked to the effectiveness of their teaching and to pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils benefit from a wealth of additional learning opportunities offered by clubs and educational visits, such as to the RAF and Science Museums and the residential stay at an adventure centre. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Music and sport are strong features in supporting pupils to respect others and appreciate the richness of cultural difference.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have challenged leaders about the decline in achievement. Recent training has strengthened the level of support and monitoring which they bring to the school. Governors have supported the school during the many recent staffing changes, and have contributed strongly to recruiting good new staff. They are aware of the quality of teaching and how well the school performs in relation to similar schools and all schools nationally, and know that it is not good enough. They are clear about how good teaching is rewarded and they support the leadership team in securing improvement. They carefully monitor the school’s finances, including the impact of the pupil premium. They know it has been used to provide additional support in classrooms and that this has been instrumental in securing better progress for eligible pupils. They make

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The leadership and management requires improvement

sure that arrangements for safeguarding pupils are fully met.

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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 117366 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 413126

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 373 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Johnson Headteacher Anne Gorolini Date of previous school inspection 1 February 2010 Telephone number 01992 307900 Fax number 01992 307900 Email address admin@bonneygrove.herts.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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