Burwell Village College (Primary)

Burwell Village College (Primary) The Causeway, Burwell, Cambridge, CB25 0DU

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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.  Children make good progress in Reception and are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils across the school achieve well and standards are rising rapidly.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been rising year-on-year.  The school teaches pupils to read well and instils in them a love of books.  Teaching is good because teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Good questioning makes pupils think deeply about their work.  Teachers use technology well to engage and interest pupils.  Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning and their behaviour is extremely good. They say they feel completely safe at school.  Concerted actions by leaders, managers and governors have improved teaching and raised achievement since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 At times some pupils are not fully challenged to make rapid and sustained progress.  Marking is not consistently helpful across the school, and teachers do not always make sure pupils respond to feedback.  Pupils’ spelling is not always accurate.  Sometimes pupils are not inspired to excel in writing across different subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 19 lessons or parts of lessons, some of which were seen jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  The inspectors heard pupils read and, together with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, looked closely at examples of pupils’ work.  The inspection team looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding and curriculum materials, evidence of the school’s partnership work and information for families.  The inspectors met with pupils chosen at random by the lead inspector. Discussions were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and seven other governors. A telephone call was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team took account of the 60 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.

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Information about this inspection

They also spoke with parents and considered a letter.  The inspectors examined 50 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Isobel Randall Additional Inspector Susan Wood Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are two Reception classes and two classes in each of the other year groups except for Year 1, which has three classes.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for certain groups such as pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  The school is housed in a former secondary school, and there are other community facilities on

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Information about this school

site such as a public library and a sports hall.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move teaching from good to outstanding by:  building challenge into all aspects of learning, so all pupils make rapid and sustained progress  making sure that best practice in marking is adopted across the school  insisting that pupils respond to the comments given in marking and feedback.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in writing by:  developing the current initiative to improve pupils’ spelling  giving pupils inspirational opportunities to excel in writing across all areas of the curriculum.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school with typical skills and abilities. They make good progress in Reception because they are stimulated by a wide range of engaging experiences. They are given a good grounding in phonics (the sounds that letters make) so that they acquire literacy skills early. Learning is built up step by step to give them a solid foundation to take with them into Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of Year 1 pupils who reached the required standard in the phonic reading check rose in line with the national figure in 2013. Standards have been rising over time by the end of Key Stage 1, especially in writing, which was above average in 2013. More pupils have been reaching the higher Level 3.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2 and standards rose to above average in reading and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The proportions of pupils who made and exceeded nationally expected progress were above average in these subject areas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In writing, while pupils achieved well from lower starting points, standards were average by the end of Year 6 in 2013. The school has identified that pupils are making too many errors in spelling and is carrying out a programme to improve this. Pupils do not excel in writing because they are not practising their writing skills across different subjects often enough, and are not always inspired to produce great writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium achieve well. Their starting points are often lower than those of other pupils. While there were only a small number of eligible pupils in 2013, these pupils benefited from additional teaching and one-to-one tuition. Across the school the progress of this group of pupils is accelerating because of the good quality of the support they receive, so gaps in attainment between eligible pupils and the others in the school are closing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in reading and mathematics because of high quality support in these subjects. A similar scheme was set up recently to improve their writing, but has not yet had the same impact on their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has focused on agreeing consistent approaches to the teaching of calculation skills, and gives pupils plenty of opportunities to solve real-life problems. New approaches such as an online challenge have meant that standards in mathematics have risen rapidly and pupils’ progress has accelerated.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading across the school. Younger pupils sound out unknown words well. Older pupils say how much they enjoy reading and speak enthusiastically about favourite authors. Pupils sign up to hear a teacher reading a well-loved book each week, which boosts their enjoyment of a good story.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils achieve well because teachers plan work that mainly extends their thinking and is set at the right level for them. On occasions, pupils of different abilities are not given demanding enough work to take them up to a higher level of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy taking part in sports and have many opportunities to do so. The school has had some recent success in cross-country running. This keeps pupils healthy and promotes their well-being.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make accurate assessments of how well pupils are doing and this enables them to plan work that ensures they make good progress. Teaching engages pupils well, for example when they were learning about the warlike habits of the Saxons and Vikings.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of technology to interest pupils. In Year 4 pupils enjoyed using an animation to solve the problem of transporting grain, a chicken and a fox across a river while keeping all three intact.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms are attractive places for pupils to learn, with colourful displays, including models they have made, and useful information on the walls to support their work. Pupils know what they have to do to reach the next level of attainment and refer to these targets during lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ask questions that check how much pupils understand and move their thinking on. They have plenty of opportunities to share their ideas and reflect upon their learning. This helped Year 4 pupils to solve division problems using an empty number line.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants know pupils well and give them a good level of support when working with them individually or in small groups. Teaching assistants are briefed well by teachers and know exactly what they are helping pupils to learn. In this way they make a valuable contribution.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff show that they have high expectations of what pupils will achieve and do. In response, pupils take a real pride in their work. They form their letters in the right way and make sure that their writing is well presented. Towards the ends of lessons they assess how well they have done using guidance on what success looks like.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is welcomed by many parents, and pupils produce good quality work from a menu of options.

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The quality of teaching is good

 While teachers usually set work at the right level to challenge pupils, sometimes their progress is not as rapid and sustained as it could be because they are not challenged enough, especially in taking on the most demanding work that could really extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are some outstanding examples of marking and feedback to pupils, but this excellent practice has not been adopted yet by all teachers. Also, they do not have a consistent approach to ensuring that pupils respond to marking and feedback.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning. They apply themselves fully to whatever tasks they are set. Their levels of cooperation and partnership are exemplary. They enjoy excellent relationships with adults and with one another. As one pupil put it, ‘We get taught good manners and how to be nice and kind to one another.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave extremely well in class and around the school. Staff are very skilled in managing pupils’ behaviour, so even those who potentially find it very difficult to settle are mostly fully involved in learning and cooperate well with their classmates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that bullying is not a concern to them, but have a very good understanding of different types of bullying, such as cyber-bullying. They say they feel very safe at school, and know how to stay safe in a range of situations, such as when using the internet. They know that discrimination is not tolerated.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils take responsibility as play leaders, sports leaders and reading buddies, and look after the office at lunchtimes. The older pupils play with the younger ones. Everyone gets on really well. Pupils are eager to support those less fortunate than themselves and raise money for a range of charities and good causes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents are very positive about behaviour and the safety of pupils. They say that pupils are very keen to come to school. This is reflected in above-average attendance and excellent punctuality.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has improved well since its previous inspection. This is because of an unrelenting focus on driving improvement by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Morale is high and they have the wholehearted support of the entire staff team.

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The leadership and management are good

 Rigorous checking by leaders and managers of the school’s work gives teachers a clear understanding of how to improve their teaching. A strong emphasis on training helps staff to develop and share best practice, although this has not had a full impact yet on marking and feedback. Leaders and managers expect to see the impact of any training worked out in classrooms.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject and phase leaders have grown into their roles and are having a positive impact on improving teaching and accelerating pupils’ progress. They are fully involved in making checks on how well their areas are doing. Regular meetings are held to consider how different groups of pupils are performing and to make sure none are underachieving. In this way the school promotes equality of opportunity for all.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers’ performance is carried out thoroughly so that they have clear targets linked to pupils’ progress and whole-school priorities for improvement. The same level of rigour is applied to managing the work of other staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum engages pupils well because it is tailored to interest them and builds up their skills progressively. Pupils have opportunities to apply their knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways, for example when setting up their own businesses to raise money, or when running a ‘VE day’ tea party to commemorate the end of the Second World War. Pupils do not always do enough writing across different subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness effectively through the arts, sport and visits. The new primary school sport funding is being spent on coaching for staff and taking part in tournaments. This is helping to increase pupils’ participation in sport and increase their well-being. The school has appropriate plans to measure the effectiveness of this work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light-touch support when required, recognising that the school is more than capable of improving itself.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a high level of commitment to the school, and show great interest in its performance, the quality of teaching, and what performance data are saying about how well it is doing. They follow the progress of teachers towards meeting their targets, and reward good teaching when it can be proven to have accelerated pupils’ progress. At the same time they make sure that any underperformance is tackled promptly. Governors bring a wide range of expertise and experience to bear, and are generous with their time and talents. They are keen for the school to move from good to outstanding and are challenging school leaders to bring this about quickly. They make sure that all requirements for the safeguarding of pupils are 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 110758 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 425203

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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 432 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lincoln Swann Headteacher Nicholas Smith Date of previous school inspection 26 January 2012 Telephone number 01638 613103 Fax number 01638 742240 Email address office@burwellvillage.cambs.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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