Burton-on-the-Wolds Primary School

Burton-on-the-Wolds Primary School Barrow Road, Burton-on-the-Wolds, Loughborough, LE12 5TB

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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.  Since the last inspection, there has been a very determined effort to improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement.  Teaching is now good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers are particularly good at planning exciting tasks for pupils’ learning, and this leads to considerable increases in their knowledge. This has been a key feature in improving pupils’ progress and raising attainment.  As a result, progress is now good in both English and mathematics, and standards are above the national average in both subjects. Pupils have made especially good progress in writing.  Provision for Reception-age children has also improved and is now good.  Pupils enjoy school and behave exceptionally well at all times. They are keen to support one another and get on very well together. They say, ‘There are no bullies in this school’ and are confident that the school will keep them safe.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There is excellent provision for physical education and sport, and good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This creates a very positive climate for learning and underpins their good progress and physical wellbeing.  The headteacher, staff and governors are a strong team. Their resolve to improve has been successful because of their concentrated effort to finely hone teaching skills through a committed programme of professional development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching.  Pupils do not consistently respond to teachers’ marking and any comments about how to improve.  Sometimes, tasks are not matched precisely enough to pupils’ different abilities. This means that in a few lessons a very small minority of pupils do not make the progress they could.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed eight teachers and visited 21 lessons or part lessons. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with the headteacher and other senior leaders, the English and mathematics subject leaders, pupils and governors. The lead inspector had a telephone discussion with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors observed pupils’ work, looked in their exercise books and listened to them read.  A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing, information on pupils’ progress, and documents regarding safeguarding and key reports and policies.  The inspector took account of the 45 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View, two written responses, and analysed 20 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Keith Pullen Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Burton-on-the-Wolds is a smaller-than-average sized primary school. Pupils attend from the village and surrounding area.  The Early Years Foundation Stage caters for Reception-aged children.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A number of pupils are from Traveller family backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding provided in this school for children known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school offers a breakfast club, which is managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  fully carrying out the coaching programme and developing it further to share outstanding practice to improve teachers’ skills  making sure that teachers plan work that match the needs of all groups of pupils so that they make as much progress as they can  giving pupils the opportunity to learn more by consistently giving them comments to improve their work and the time to respond to them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In some areas of learning, the skills and knowledge children have when they join the school are similar to those expected for their age. Children come from a very wide range of pre-school experiences and many do not have the abilities expected in applying sounds to letters (phonics), or the expected calculation skills, when they enter the Reception Year. Once in Reception, however, children make good progress, with about three-quarters making better-than-expected progress, due to considerably improved provision since the last inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children’s interest is captured by exciting and stimulating topics. For example, in conjunction with reading ‘Walking Through the Jungle’, Year 1 children were encouraged to explore the story creatively, developing their learning through writing and re-enacting the story.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics at the end of Year 2 has exceeded the national expectations for a number of years. In 2013 the vast majority of children reached the expected levels in both reading, writing and mathematics. Seven out of ten reached the higher level in reading, five out of ten in writing, and seven out of ten in mathematics, indicating very good attainment for the most able.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Phonics are taught particularly well, especially in Reception and across Years 1, 2 and 3 where pupils are grouped according to ability for a dedicated time every day. This leads all pupils, including those with lower starting points, to make good progress with early reading skills and spelling, which is now a strong feature throughout the school. This was seen in one lesson where pupils listened very carefully to the teacher as she corrected their pronunciation, enabling them to blend sounds properly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has developed a strong reading culture. Pupils especially enjoy group reading times and there is good support for reading at home. Pupils work out difficult words using a mixture of the strategies they have been taught and have a good understanding of the text. They read books appropriate for their ages with fluency and expression.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in writing have improved significantly throughout the school. This is because pupils are encouraged to talk with a partner before writing so they have lots of ideas and good opportunities to organise their thoughts. During a Year 6 lesson where pupils were learning how to write a biography, one said, ‘Talking gives us lots more ideas for writing.’ Work that inspectors scrutinised during the inspection and school assessments showed that all pupils in last year’s Year 6 reached the level expected nationally. An above-average number of pupils, especially the most able, reached a higher level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A number of other initiatives have been successful in raising attainment. For example, pupils participate widely in physical education and sports and this improves their levels of performance.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When marking work, all teachers consistently tell pupils what is good about their work. Teachers do not always write what must be done to improve the work and pupils do not always have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ comments. Pupils know their long-term targets clearly and are informed about what they must do to reach the next level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good progress and high attainment in mathematics has been improved. Less-able pupils were seen making good progress when learning about totalling the cost of sports items because of the practical nature of the task and the challenging questions they were asked. Pupils said, ‘We can do it but we have to think hard!’ The older most-able pupils make rapid progress through separate teaching in mathematics and one pupil commented, ‘I feel really proud of myself’, referring to the success she had in solving difficult problems.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils whose circumstances might make them vulnerable, Traveller pupils and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are very well supported and, as a result, make the same good progress from their starting points as all other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Support for pupils eligible for pupil premium funding, such as small group-work in learning key skills, are very effectively enhancing provision. Consequently, attainment and progress for these pupils is similar to, and in some individual cases exceeds, that of all other groups of pupils in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Very good relationships and mutual respect exist between teachers and pupils so that pupils are motivated to learn in a very positive climate. They concentrate well and work hard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Highly effective teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables children to make good progress. Accurate assessment leads adults to be able to plan appropriately for next steps in learning. As well as effective teaching of key skills, children are helped to think about what they are learning and to develop the skill of working by themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have secure subject knowledge and generally plan lessons carefully for different groups of pupils. They share the learning objective for the lesson very clearly with pupils knowing exactly what they expect them to learn. As a consequence, pupils are confident about tackling their work, and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of literacy and mathematics has improved, as a result of increased training in these areas, and is now good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ potential achievement is usually high. Lessons are interesting and introductions engage pupils straight away. In almost all lessons, effective and challenging tasks enable pupils to learn quickly. Very occasionally, where tasks are not matched accurately enough to the needs of some pupils, they do not make progress as rapidly as they could.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use questioning very skilfully to probe pupils’ understanding, very often asking pupils for explanations about their answers. This enables teachers to assess the level of pupils’ understanding and move learning forward at a good pace.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils from Traveller backgrounds and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are fully included in lessons and receive very good support and provision from the leader for special educational needs, teachers and skilled teaching assistants.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are many opportunities for pupils to work together, discussing their ideas and supporting each other in their learning. This is a considerable strength of the teaching and makes a substantial contribution to the development of pupils’ social skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and the calm, friendly and respectful way in which pupils are managed by adults, underpins their exemplary behaviour. They are very polite and well mannered.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 There have been no exclusions since the last inspection, and incidents of bad behaviour or bullying are extremely rare. This view is fully supported by comments from pupils, adults in the school, and the response from parents and carers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils get on exceptionally well together, as well as with all staff. They have an excellent attitude to learning and to school life in general, taking full advantage of all the opportunities the school offers. This makes a considerable contribution to their good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school makes sure that pupils have a very good understanding of the different types of bullying, especially when using the internet. Pupils feel very safe in school and are very confident about who to go to should they experience a problem they cannot deal with themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 They take pride in being ‘Playground Pals’ to help solve their own problems and enjoy taking their place on the friendship bench to support others in the school. Members of the school council take their responsibilities in making decisions about school activities very seriously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All this provides very good opportunities for them to develop their personal and social skills with the vast majority realising that a mature and sensible approach to school equips them well for the next stage of their education. The breakfast club is popular with parents and pupils enjoy the good opportunities for playing and learning with others of different ages.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is average. Despite rigorous school procedures, further improvement is hampered by a small number who choose to take their children on holiday during school time.

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The leadership and management are good

 Determined leadership from the headteacher, a dynamic leadership team, and strong support from governors have secured good improvement since the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff are united in applying the school’s commitment to improvement. Parents are well informed about the work of the school and are encouraged to be involved in supporting their children’s education. One parent described the school ‘as a true community school with a caring and nurturing ethos’.

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The leadership and management are good

 A consistent drive towards improving the quality of teaching has been successful. A strong whole-school team has developed through teachers coaching each other and sharing good and outstanding practice in the classroom. This work is set to continue and develop to fulfil the school’s ambition to secure a high percentage of outstanding teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Robust monitoring procedures, especially related to pupils’ attainment and progress are giving the school a clear idea of what it must do next to bring about further improvement. There are clear and correctly prioritised plans for development, including how pupils’ physical well being will be enhanced through increased involvement in physical education and sport using the new primary school support funding.

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The leadership and management are good

 By using the national teaching standards, the headteacher has managed teachers’ performance rigorously and identified both individual and whole-school professional development needs in the teaching of mathematics and English. Successful training to improve teaching in these subjects has been another major contributory factor in raising pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved provision and secured a good start for all children when they join the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 A creative way of teaching different subjects by linking them together provides very good opportunities for pupils to practise their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills across subjects. Learning is significantly enriched by visits, visitors and many after-school clubs. There are particular strengths in art, music, sport, science, ICT and modern foreign languages. External agencies are used productively to support the needs of pupils’ learning and development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Equal opportunities for different groups of pupils are promoted well and the school does not tolerate any form of discrimination. The governing body and the school staff ensure that safeguarding procedures are followed rigorously and all requirements are fully met.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s liaison with two local schools has established a strong partnership which broadens the range of additional activities which children can undertake and provides beneficial training opportunities for staff. Recent support for the staff has helped accelerate improvements in the quality of teaching, so that it is now securely good. Senior leaders act in support of local development groups by sharing their expertise with other senior colleagues and this enhances their own professional development.

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The leadership and management are good

 As a result of the local authority’s confidence in the school’s record of improvement, they offer a light-touch support, which helps to promote further improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors know the school’s strengths and areas for development well because they evaluate pupils’ outcomes through use of data to understand the school’s performance. They monitor the school’s work closely, for example, they undertake learning walks around classrooms and carefully examine reports about the school’s work. Governors have good knowledge of the quality of teaching in the school and teachers who meet the targets for pupils’ progress are rewarded by increases in salary. They have been rigorous in eliminating teaching that has been inadequate and consistently monitor any underperformance in pupils’ progress. In addition, training in recruitment, finance and safeguarding, to name but a few, means that they are able to ask challenging questions as well as supporting the school in its development. The governing body produces an annual action plan that enables them to reflect on their

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The leadership and management are good

effectiveness. Governors carry out their statutory duties very diligently, making sure that the headteacher‘s performance is rigorously assessed through annual objectives, and they receive detailed information about teachers’ performance and salary progression. Governors are well informed about the use of the pupil premium and its impact on the progress of more- vulnerable pupils. They also carefully monitor the school’s finances.

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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 119912 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 424987

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 162 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Liz Dunn Headteacher Andrew Robinson Date of previous school inspection 26 October 2011 Telephone number 01509 880298 Fax number 01509 880298 Email address admin@burton-on-the-wolds.leics.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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