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Schools & FE · School inspection (CIF)

Bradleys Both Community Primary School

Inspected 12 Dec 2013 · published 22 Jan 2014 · URN 121383

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Summary

Requires improvement

Fiona McNally

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection date verified

    12 Dec 2013

  • Inspectors verified

    Fiona McNally

  • Leadership and management verified

    Requires improvement

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Requires improvement

  • Previous overall verified

    Outstanding

  • Postcode verified

    BD20 9EF

  • Name on report verified

    Bradleys Both Community Primary School

  • URN verified

    121383

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2007.

  • OverallRequires improvement
  • Leadership and managementRequires improvement

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

−15Mixedmore positive than 9% of reports of this type graded Requires improvement
OutstandingGoodRIInadequate

Reads more critically than most reports of this type graded Requires improvement.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praisestrongoutstandingmake good progressenjoyeffectiveeffectivelyhighly effectiveexceptionally
Criticismrequires improvementnot alwayslacknot consistentlyconcernsinadequateseriousnot strong

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsWhat needs to improveAbout the inspection positive critical
  • Findings154w+71
  • What needs to improve2798w−20

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
10
Words of findings
2,869
about usual (typical 3064)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 47, typical 47
Average sentence
22 words
Next steps
8
typical 8
Hedged sentences
18%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 4%What needs to improve 77%About the inspection 19%

Full report text

Bradleys Both Community Primary School Skipton Road, Bradley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 9EF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

p.1

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

 Teaching is not consistently good in all year groups in the school. As a result, progress requires improvement in English and mathematics.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is not good enough and children do not make enough progress in Reception.  Behaviour is not always good because in some lessons, pupils are not given appropriate tasks. The organisation of lessons means pupils lose focus and become restless.  The work set in some lessons is not sufficiently well matched to pupils’ abilities. More-able pupils are not always given tasks which extend their learning. The less-able pupils do not always receive enough support.  The checking of pupils’ understanding is not always focused enough to provide teachers with a clear view on pupils’ progress. Teachers do not always close gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, achievement requires improvement.  Leadership of subjects, including the Early

p.1

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

Years Foundation Stage is not strong enough because leaders are not secure in assessing the progress pupils make.  Leaders have not been fully effective especially in monitoring fully the quality of teaching. Teaching has not improved enough and key areas for development required for some teachers remain uncorrected.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Since the recent appointment of a new governing body and with the support of the interim headteacher, key leaders have started to gain a better understanding of what the school needs to do to improve.  Pupils feel safe in the school.  Strong teaching at the end of Key Stage 1 and start of Key Stage 2 means that pupils make good progress during these years. This is reflected, partly, in the above average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2.  Pupils enjoy a good range of activities to support their physical, artistic and musical development outside lessons.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in seven lessons, two of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also observed pupils in the playground during break time.  The inspector held discussions with the interim headteacher, staff, pupils, the interim Chair of governors, two community governors, a representative from the local authority, parents and members of the community.  Groups of pupils of different ages were heard reading.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through the 68 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View and through several letters directly addressed to the inspector.  The inspector looked at the school’s policies, teachers’ planning, samples of pupils’ work, school improvement planning and records of behaviour and safety. She also looked at the information on individual pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance and records of meetings held by

p.2

Inspection team

Fiona McNally, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large proportion of pupils is White British.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is well below average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in local authority care and those from service families.  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 well below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is currently an interim headteacher and interim Chair of Governors in place at the school.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to improve the rate of progress of pupils and their behaviour in lessons by:  ensuring all teachers provide activities which take into account the varying needs of all pupils  ensuring more-able pupils are challenged to work at the highest level and the less able receive the support needed  checking that lessons are organised well and that throughout lessons the pace of learning is brisk and activities engage pupils’ interests and so sustain their attention and ensure good behaviour  ensuring that during lessons teachers effectively gauge the pupils’ understanding and offer support if they have misunderstood key learning points.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  staff in roles of leadership, including the Early Years Foundation Stage, are provided with the training and support to improve their skills in assessing the needs of pupils and checking they make strong progress  teaching is monitored thoroughly and the necessary training provided to remedy any concerns  pupils’ progress is regularly analysed so that extra support is provided where it is most needed and teachers have a more rounded picture of needs of pupils in their class  the interim headteacher becomes fully effective by providing more time for her to focus on the management role as headteacher by removing other, smaller responsibilities.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Information about pupils’ achievement from the school’s own information and the results of national assessments show variations in the progress pupils make from year to year. Although, in Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress, overall achievement requires improvement.  Although small numbers make attainment on entry vary the school lacks precision in assessing children’s starting point which makes it difficult to monitor their overall progress. However, overall children start school with skills and knowledge that are generally typical for their age. Children make the progress expected of them but teaching is not strong enough to ensure all make good progress. The majority leave Reception reaching the level expected.  Progress overall from Year 1 to Year 6 requires improvement although during their time in Key Stage 1 pupils’ progress is improving because teaching is stronger. Attainment at the end of this

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

key stage in reading, writing and mathematics is currently above average. A much higher than average proportion of pupils have skills beyond what is expected for their age in these subjects, following their time in Years 1 and 2.  In Key Stage 2 the majority of pupils make the expected progress from their starting points. However, work in pupils’ books shows an inconsistent picture of progress. Generally, in their lessons in Year 5 and 6, pupils make less progress than at the start of Key Stage 2. Not enough pupils make more than expected progress during their time in Key Stage 2. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 varies because of the low numbers of pupils in each cohort. Most recently, it is average being stronger in writing than reading and mathematics.  Reading is stronger for younger pupils because phonics (letters and sounds) are taught systematically. As a result, pupils in the earlier years and Key Stage 1 become fluent and

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

confident readers, who have good strategies to help them when they come across new and unfamiliar words. Some of the older pupils demonstrate a strong passion for reading, although teachers do not ensure this enthusiasm is sustained for all pupils, especially the less-able, and this reduces the amount of progress they make.  Skills in writing and mathematics are taught well in the earlier classes with many pupils acquiring strengths in their basic skills. Progress is slower as pupils get older because too often teachers do not provide them with the opportunity to work at the higher levels. Equally, the oldest less- able pupils are not always given work that they can access and are not consistently given support which would help them to understand what is being asked of them. This prevents them from making good progress. Overall the progress of the more-able pupils requires improvement.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress in line with their

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

peers in the school. In writing, these pupils make better progress than their peers because they often receive extra help that helps them to improve.  There are not enough pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium to comment on their attainment without identifying them. However, the pupil premium money is used to fund additional resources, including staff, to provide support for those pupils, where necessary. Across the school, these pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, make progress and attain levels in English and mathematics in line with their peers in the school.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in the school is not consistently strong and, as a result, progress overall requires improvement.  Where teaching requires improvement, the same work is given to all pupils regardless of their different levels of ability. This is because teachers do not make enough use of their knowledge of pupils’ attainment levels when planning lessons. Consequently, the level of challenge is not always appropriate with some tasks being either too easy or too hard and this limits pupils’ progress.  In a few lessons for pupils of all ages, including the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, activities fail to capture their interest. This means pupils lose focus and behaviour starts to wane as pupils do not listen to their teacher or instructions and miss learning. The transition between activities is not always organised smoothly and learning is not moved on as quickly as it should

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

be.  In a significant number of lessons, there is a lack of effective strategies used by teachers to regularly check how well pupils have understood their work. In light of this, some teachers do not adapt their teaching or activities to address misconceptions by pupils. As a result, learning is moved on too quickly for some pupils, who are not given the chance to finish work or to be secure in their understanding of the new learning. Conversely, at times, more-able pupils are not moved on quickly enough.  Work is marked very regularly by all teachers and there are good examples of teachers providing specific points for pupils to make improvements to their work. In some classes, there is clear evidence that pupils respond to the points made, with the impact that pupils demonstrate a good understanding of how to make their work better. Where teaching and learning are strong, teachers have high expectations of pupils and challenge them with innovative and imaginative

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

teaching strategies and resources which adhere closely to the different abilities of pupils. For example, in an outstanding mathematics lesson, pupils worked in pairs using Venn diagrams, sorting objects, with an increasing number of categories to add complexity for the more-able pupils. When pupils had demonstrated a strong understanding of what they had learnt, the teacher was ready with the next challenge for pupils, to which they responded very positively and enthusiastically.  Teaching assistants mostly provide good support for the pupils, and demonstrate particularly good questioning skills when working with small groups of pupils. Teaching assistants also accurately gauge where pupils are in their understanding because of the good questioning and also effective strategies for regularly assessing the pupils. Equally, they then use this information well to support pupils to move on in their learning at a faster rate.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are closely linked to the quality of teaching. In lessons, where work is stimulating and engaging, pupils are keen to learn and do so effectively. In lessons where learning is not made appealing enough and, in particular, where their needs are not closely matched by the activities and resources, many lose interest and motivation to learn.  Where attitudes to learning are less positive, this also impacts on pupils’ willingness to react to the teachers’ instructions and there is a lack of insistence by some teachers that pupils do as they are told the first time they are asked. Equally, there is a lack of established routines in some classes and this means that the transition between activities or the time it takes pupils to start their work takes too long and learning time is lost.  Pupils’ conduct outside of lessons, around the school and in the playground is good and they

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

display courteous and calm behaviour. The school’s behaviour records show that there are very few serious incidents of poor behaviour and few incidents of persistent low-level disruption around the school and in the playground.  Pupils report that they feel safe and enjoy coming to school which is reflected in the strong attendance of pupils and good punctuality to lessons. The large majority of parents and all staff agree that behaviour is managed well in the school.  Pupils of all ages have a good understanding of what bullying is and older pupils can describe different forms of bullying. Pupils and parents agree that bullying is rare and dealt with immediately and effectively when it occurs.  Pupils and adults enjoy positive relationships and pupils report that ‘teachers care about us and want us to be happy’.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The previous evaluation of the school’s provision has not been consistently accurate and this has led to the school not having a clear overview of changes needed. This has changed under the leadership of the interim headteacher and newly appointed governors, with support from the local authority. The interim headteacher is working hard but the lack of time to give full attention to management adds to the difficulty of the task. Nevertheless, there is now a clearer view of the priorities for the school to move forward and, plans in place which demonstrate that leaders are in a stronger place to move the school forward.  Management by middle leaders, including leadership of the Early Years and Foundation Stage, requires improvement because more accuracy is needed in assessing and monitoring progress especially when children start Reception. The lack of accuracy in this area has meant there have not been high enough expectations of what the children can achieve in Reception. In other years

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

assessment information is not always used effectively to monitor pupils’ progress and ensure help is provided where it is most needed.  The monitoring of the quality of teaching is not yet accurate enough and training needs are not always identified or provided promptly enough to raise the progress of pupils across the school consistently. In the same vein, leaders do not do enough to regularly analyse the quality of work seen in pupils’ books to support the accurate judgement of the quality of teaching.  The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is in line with and often better than the progress of their peers in the school because of strong, coherent leadership of the school’s special needs coordinator. This ensures effective deployment of the teaching assistants, who are well-trained for working with pupils with particular needs.  The procedures for managing the performance of teachers are improving because the new

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

leadership and governors have made changes so that teachers have more ownership of their targets as well as being given the chance to request training to support their development.  The curriculum is sufficiently matched to the pupils’ needs and abilities to ensure that they make at least expected progress over time. Although there is some variation between classes, overall pupils have equal opportunities to develop their learning and personal qualities. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is enhanced through regular opportunities to go to places of interest, linked to the work they do in class. For example, Class 4 recently went to Wycoller Park and investigated the measurements of the river. The information collected was then carefully recorded and evaluated (which tied in with their mathematical focus on data collecting), as well as used to assess the characteristics of local rivers, which they were studying in

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

geography.  The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of sporting activities after school which is supported by the additional primary sports funding. In addition, the school uses these funds to provide equipment for physical activity at lunchtime and enhance the skills of staff so that behaviour at play improves. There are many opportunities for pupils to take part in musical, artistic, sporting and drama activities which they report that they enjoy a great deal.  Parents are satisfied that their children are safe, happy and well-looked-after but do raise concerns about the progress of their children. Equally, parents are concerned about how well the school is led and managed following some turbulence and instability in this area over recent months. However, many parents name and praise the interim headteacher for changes already being seen.  The local authority is very supportive of the school and is realistic about what support has been

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

needed in its recent past and as it moves forward. It has been instrumental in forming a reconstituted governing body with a very experienced interim Chair of Governors to support the school moving forward.  The governance of the school:  Following the appointment of a new governing body in October 2013, there is currently a small governing body with an interim Chair of Governors, who is very experienced. The governors are having elections in January 2014 to ensure there is a full complement of governors for the school as it moves to appoint a permanent headteacher. Mindful of the concerns of parents, the governing body has also formed a Parent Forum, which will be involved in the appointment of a new headteacher.  The new governors have a positive attitude about what the school can achieve and demonstrate a passion for moving the school forward after a period of turbulence. They accept that the interim headteacher needs more time and fewer smaller responsibilities if she

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

is to support necessary improvements in the quality of teaching and, therefore, the progress of pupils. In a small amount of time governors have reviewed data and the quality of teaching. They demonstrate a very clear understanding of what the school’s data show at this time and have, with the involvement of the interim headteacher, a comprehensive, cohesive and well- ordered plan for moving the provision forward.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 121383 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 428650

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 138 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Rees Headteacher Alison Hitchen Date of previous school inspection 30 January 2007 Telephone number 01535 633116 Fax number 01535 633116 Email address admin@bradleysboth.n-yorks.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

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

p.10

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