Brownsover Community School

Brownsover Community Infant School Webb Drive, Brownsover, Rugby, CV23 0UP

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well and leave school with standards which are, usually, above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children get off to an excellent start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Many have attended Bridges, and the smooth transition between the settings makes sure they settle in quickly and smoothly to school.  Teaching is usually good and some is outstanding. The teaching of reading is a particular strength and more pupils are reaching the higher levels. Lessons are interesting and all adults provide high-quality care and support.  Pupils work hard, behave well and feel safe in school. They are polite and helpful.  The learning environment is bright, stimulating and well maintained. Excellent displays show the wide range of activities provided for pupils. All classrooms are exceptionally well resourced to help support learning.  Key values are strongly promoted and lead to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

everyone treating each other with respect, whatever their background.  The headteacher provides clear direction and has the full support of the staff. Leaders, including the governing body, have an accurate understanding of where the school’s strengths and areas for improvement lie.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons, pupils get restless and lose interest because adults talk for too long. In these situations, they do not have any practical equipment to keep them involved in learning.  Pupils do not have many opportunities to plan their own work or use their own ideas.  Pupils do not always receive challenging work early enough in lessons, especially the most able.  Subject leaders do not support or check enough on the quality of teaching to ensure that the progress of all pupils in their subject is consistently good.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed teaching in all classes. They visited 13 lessons, five of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, teachers, the headteacher, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Discussions were also held with the manager of Bridges, the on-site additional child-care facility, to discuss the transition of children aged two- and-a-half years into the school Nursery.  Inspectors took account of the 12 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Previous survey information collected by the school was also considered and parents’ views collected as they brought their children to school.  Questionnaires from 35 staff were received and their views taken into account.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, spoke with them about their learning and looked at the work in their books.  School documents were also examined, including: the school’s own analysis of its strengths and

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Information about this inspection

areas for development, the school improvement plan, data on pupils’ current progress, leaders’ reports following lesson observations, and records relating to governing body meetings, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, Lead inspector Additional inspector Heather Osgood Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is similar in size to most other primary schools.  The large majority of pupils are White British but approximately one in three has minority ethnic heritage.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is very low. This is additional funding to help certain groups of pupils. At this school, it only applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children in local authority care.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school provides a wide range of extended services through an organisation know as Bridges. This offers before- and after-school care, holiday clubs, and daily play-and-learn sessions for

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Information about this school

children aged two-and-a-half to three years old. Before-school care was visited during the inspection.  There has been a change of headteacher since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching and, thereby, accelerate even more pupils’ rates of progress across the school by ensuring all teachers:  plan activities and provide equipment which allow pupils to be actively involved in all parts of the lesson  provide opportunities for pupils to generate and develop their own ideas and solve problems  raise the level of challenge for pupils, particularly the most able, earlier in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the roles of subject leaders by:  providing training which enables them to support and challenge other teachers to improve the quality of teaching and monitor and check the progress made by pupils across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children join Nursery but a small minority join in Reception Year. Overall, children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge which are broadly in line with children of a similar age. They settle very quickly and make good progress, especially in their social, creative and physical development. Teachers assess children carefully and provide a wide range of activities that build well upon what they have already learnt.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress as they move through Years 1 and 2, so that by the time they leave the school, they reach standards which are above average. Their positive attitudes to learning contribute much to their good progress. Attainment dipped in 2012, but actions taken by leaders ensured that standards in 2013 returned to above average, as shown by the school’s analysis of performance. Progress rates have accelerated and attainment is now higher in reading, writing and mathematics than it was at the time of the previous inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is taught well from the outset. Pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds to break down tricky words. They read regularly both at home and school and develop an early love of books. Their progress is good and the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels has increased and is above national average. Reading is strongly promoted across the school. Every classroom has a reading zone and the well-stocked library provides a wide range of both fiction and non-fiction books which helps entice and promote pupils’ desire to read. Reading volunteers make a valuable contribution to ensuring pupils’ do not fall behind.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to that of others in the school. More-able pupils are given work at a higher level and this ensures they continue to make good progress and reach the levels of which they are capable.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress, especially in writing and mathematics. This is because teachers plan learning which caters for their individual needs and additional support is provided.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The few pupils who are supported by the pupil premium achieve well and attain in line with others in English and mathematics. The funding received is used effectively to provide additional support in lessons and fund a family support worker to help with any problems and assist transition to the junior school. As a result, these pupils make good progress and are able to keep up with their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good and in some lessons it is outstanding. Teachers set high expectations, particularly of pupils’ behaviour, which ensure a calm, purposeful working environment, even for those just starting school. High-quality care is the norm in every classroom.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan interesting lessons. Very-high-quality resources are provided to support learning, including netbooks and i-pads. Questioning is effective and teachers make sure they check how well pupils are doing during lessons. Regular opportunities are given for pupils to work individually and collaboratively and to talk to partners about their work. All usually show positive attitudes to the learning teachers provide.  Teaching is often outstanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and every child is catered for and a wide range of practical activities is planned both indoor and outdoor. These activities capture children’s imagination and build on their interests. For example, children new to Nursery were taken to explore the outdoor area. Very quickly, individuals started to find snails, slugs and other mini-beasts in the school grounds, while others experimented blowing bubbles and playing

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The quality of teaching is good

musical instruments. This led to very high levels of excitement and enthusiasm and the language and questions these activities generated, led to all children making outstanding progress in their early social, language and physical development.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is less effective, progress slows because teachers expect pupils to listen, passively, for too long and pupils become restless and disengage from learning. These situations slow down the progress they make. In some lessons, teachers direct learning too much and pupils do not have enough opportunities to plan their own activities, use their own ideas or solve problems for themselves. Occasionally, the level of challenge at the start of lessons is too easy for some pupils, especially the most able and work is repeated which they can already do.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants work together effectively as teams in the classroom. They have extremely good relationships with pupils. Support staff work with small groups or individuals during lessons. They ask helpful questions and make sure they understand the work set. This additional support ensures that most pupils’ learning needs, whatever their ability, are met well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Transition into school from Bridges into Nursery is excellent. Staff work very closely together to ensure the good provision provided is continued and built upon in school. Consequently, children thrive in both Nursery and Reception. Induction to both year groups is exceptionally well handled. For several children, it was their first or second day in school when the inspection was taking place, and all took the experience in their stride. All were happy and busy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 School encourages parents to be involved with their children’s work and progress. Family learning projects provide homework opportunities which allow this to take place. Tasks are open ended and parents can choose which tasks their children do.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers regularly mark and assess pupils’ work. They write positive comments and also make suggestions how pupils can improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They want to do well and usually work hard. The only exception to this is their very occasional loss of concentration when teachers do not judge the length of their explanations and directions well enough. This adversely affects the quality and amount of work pupils produce.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Teachers manage behaviour well and consistently reinforce key values such as respect and kindness. Consequently, behaviour is good in and around school. All parents who expressed a view agree with inspection findings that behaviour is good. Pupils’ spoken to say that there are minor incidents where behaviour is not always good but said these are always dealt with effectively by adults. They understand the behaviour code and say that the sanctions and rewards in place are applied well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils know about different types of bullying, for example, physical and verbal. They say that incidents are rare and adults always sort out problems if anyone is unkind.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils know and are taught how to stay safe. For example, regular fire drills are carried out and visits are made by members of the emergency services to talk to pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Moral values are promoted daily and ensure everyone is treated with respect. Pupils have an appropriate level of understanding for their age about different cultures and beliefs. They also go on lots of trips to learn about the world around them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Bridges before- and after-school care is well organised and provides a valuable service for parents. It provides a good start and finish to the school day for pupils who attend. They are catered for in an enjoyable atmosphere and well supervised.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy school and this is shown by their attendance, which was above average in 2012- 2013 and is, currently, at the same level.

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The leadership and management is good

 The headteacher leads and manages the school highly effectively. Ably supported by her deputy, they have promoted a strong sense of teamwork and staff morale is high. All responses to the staff questionnaire showed much confidence in the leaders.

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The leadership and management is good

 Leaders’ own evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for development are accurate. They produce clear and detailed action plans to address areas of concern and these are successfully implemented. For example, following a dip in writing last year, a renewed focus ensured that results quickly improved.

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The leadership and management is good

 A wide range of activities is carried out by leaders, which gives an overview on the quality of teaching. Subject leaders generate action plans but are not involved enough in challenging and holding colleagues to account for how well they enable pupils to learn in order to raise achievement further.

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The leadership and management is good

 Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Valuable information is collected prior to children joining school and this leads to their smooth and well-managed transition into the school, as seen during the inspection. Careful planning and regular support make sure that all children’s needs are fully met and that they get off to an excellent start to school and learning.

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The leadership and management is good

 Annual targets are set for teachers based on the school’s priorities for improvement and linked to teachers’ pay. Pay awards for staff are only agreed where teachers demonstrate they consistently achieve their targets and pupils make good progress.

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The leadership and management is good

 Exciting topics allow pupils to further develop their literacy and numeracy skills. A wide range of clubs, visits and visitors also extend their knowledge and skills in different subjects. Pupils respond well to the interesting learning opportunities available.

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The leadership and management is good

 Leaders have well-considered plans to use the additional sports funding which is to be made available to all schools to pay for extra games sessions at lunchtime, training for school staff and additional physical activities for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The leadership and management is good

 Good links exist with parents and the school is a hub which provides many services within its community, for example, parent-and-toddler groups and several clubs for parents.

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The leadership and management is good

 The local authority has an accurate view of the school and provides light touch support as needed. It rightly has every confidence in the leadership of the school.

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The leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the schools’ strengths and areas for improvement. They visit school regularly to meet with staff and talk to pupils. They understand what the data on pupils’ progress are telling them and then ask questions of the headteacher to check what she is doing to improve any issues they identify. They provide a suitable balance of challenge and support. They set targets for the headteacher and review these regularly. They understand what the quality of teaching is and keep a careful check on the pay awards made to staff based on their performance. Finance is well managed and they make sure that the pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve achievement of the pupils’ eligible. Governors are well trained. They meet all statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding.

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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 125618 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 427102

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rachel Street Headteacher Elisa Basnett Date of previous school inspection 30 September 2008 Telephone number 01788 547660 Fax number 01788 543857 Email address admin2616@welearn365.com guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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