Brimpton C.E. Primary School

School report Brimpton Church of England Primary School Brimpton Lane, Reading, RG7 4TL

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has risen to above average, and has been high at the end of Key Stage 2 for a few years.  In 2013, pupils in Year 6 had made rapid progress across Key Stage 2.  Effective checks by leaders, managers and governors have led to significant improvements in pupils’ achievement and to teaching.  All Year 1 and Year 2 pupils attained the expected standard in the phonics check in 2013 and in 2012 results were above average.  Pupils benefit from learning in very small classes where they receive lots of attention.  For the first time, there are pupils in Year 2 who are on track to attain Level 3 in writing and pupils in Year 6 who are on track to attain Level 6 in mathematics this year.  The school is an inclusive environment where pupils’ behaviour is successfully managed.  Pupils report that they enjoy school, they feel safe and behave well.  Leadership is good. Leaders and managers

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

work well with external agencies to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils.  All parents believe that their children are given homework which is appropriate for their ages and almost all would recommend the school to another parent.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 A few teachers do not always use up-to-date assessment information effectively to set work at the right level.  Marking does not always include sufficient guidance and pupils do not typically use staff comments to improve their work.  Over time, leaders have not always tracked the progress of groups of pupils closely enough.  A minority of school action plans do not have clear enough targets to measure success by.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all classes. Some of these observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher.  She took account of 11 responses to the Parent View online survey and seven questionnaire responses from staff.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, members of staff and representatives of the governing body.  The inspector also met with a representative from the local authority and spoke to the Lead Safeguarding and Chief Education and Welfare Officer for the local authority.  The inspector also had informal discussions with 12 parents.  She looked at pupils’ work in lessons and, separately, with the headteacher.  Pupils were heard reading, and they were observed in class and around the school.  A wide range of school documentation was considered including: information relating to the attainment and progress of pupils and groups of pupils from entry to the school and across

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Information about this inspection

different years; the performance management of staff; records of monitoring of teaching undertaken by leaders; the school’s website; the school’s development plans; its checks on how well it is doing; minutes from governing body meetings and staff meetings; behavioural records; case studies; safeguarding information; and information about how pupil premium and sports funding is being spent.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Brimpton Church of England Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and the remainder come from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. There are very few pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average and the proportion supported through school action plus and those with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (those known to be eligible for free school meals, in the care of the local authority or with a parent in the armed services) is well below the national average. There are no children from service families or in the care of the local authority currently on roll.  There is a new co-chair of governors in the school, since the school was last inspected.

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Information about this school

 The school is informally part of a federation of small schools in the local area. Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers use up-to-date assessment information to set work at the right level for pupils, particularly the few with special educational needs  teachers build on the good marking in English and mathematics to provide pupils with guidance about how to improve literacy and numeracy across other subjects  pupils are more effectively encouraged to use teachers’ comments to improve their work.  Strengthen leadership and management by making sure that:  leaders look more closely at the progress that groups of pupils make over time so that progress accelerates, particularly for the few pupils who have special educational needs, some of whom are supported through the pupil premium  actions in the school development plans have clearer targets which success can be measured by.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There has been considerable improvement in pupils’ achievement over the past two years. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has risen to above average, with significant improvements in 2013 to attainment in reading in particular.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has been consistently high for the last few years and Year 6 pupils’ progress across Key Stage 2 was very strong in 2013. Year 6 girls made rapid progress and boys made good progress across Key Stage 2 in 2012.  Children enter Reception with skills which are broadly typical for their age. They make at least typical and sometimes good progress, so that at the end of Reception, the majority of children have achieved a good level of development. They enter Year 1 with skills which are broadly in line with and sometimes above those expected, particularly in mathematics and reading.  Current data from the school indicate that pupils, including the very few from minority ethnic

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The achievement of pupils is good

backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language, make good progress.  Pupils with special educational needs generally make good progress. Very occasionally, a few of these pupils, some of whom are supported through pupil premium funding, make slower progress in writing.  While some of the very few pupils supported through pupil premium funding are making good progress, a very small number are making less progress, particularly in writing, so that there are gaps of up to three terms between these individuals’ attainment and their peers, particularly in English, and gaps of less than a term in mathematics. These individual pupils have either joined the school at a later time to others or they have additional learning needs.  In the check on phonics skills (pupils’ ability to link letters to the sounds they make) in Year 1 and Year 2, pupils performed much better than others nationally in 2012 and 2013 and current

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The achievement of pupils is good

indications are that pupils in Year 1 this year will perform well again.  The progress that the most able pupils make has improved. For the first time, the school is expecting a few pupils to attain Level 3 in writing at the end of Year 2, and a few to attain Level 6 in mathematics at the end of Year 6 this year. In lessons, the most able make good progress, although very occasionally their learning slows when material they already understand is covered.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The small size of classes means that pupils benefit from lots of individual attention which they say helps them to make good gains in their learning.  The flexible approach that leaders have to teaching at the school means that pupils are moved to classes appropriate to their stage of development in order to help their learning in particular subjects. This helps the vast majority of pupils to make up any gaps in learning and to reach their full potential.  Parents agree that appropriate homework ensures that pupils’ good learning is well supported at home.  There are lots of adults in the school who support and guide pupils effectively in lessons, providing them with useful support, for example in spelling and in using new technology.  Teachers manage classes well, routines are firmly established and pupils enjoy their learning. They pay attention and as a result, learn a lot.  In Reception, children were challenged well to recognise and match numerals up to 20 on a

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The quality of teaching is good

number line with those on pegs, while others were guided effectively to add one to a number.  In other lessons, for example in Year 6, pupils made good gains in their mathematics learning because the work set was appropriately challenging and relevant. The teacher supported pupils well through effective questioning which deepened their understanding. Pupils gained from the use of measuring scales and learnt how to apply their understanding of positive and negative correlation to height and weight measurements.  While teachers mark pupils’ work regularly in English and mathematics, reinforcing their learning, and usually guide pupils about how to improve, they do not always provide pupils with good guidance about how to improve in literacy across other subjects. Pupils indicated that they sometimes had opportunities to respond to comments in marked work, but leaders recognise that this is not always effective in terms of improvement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils have a clear understanding of the level at which they are working and can refer to the targets listed in their books to know how they can move to the next level.  The quality of teaching at the school has improved significantly and this has raised achievement at the school. Teachers usually use assessment information to set appropriate work for most pupils. However, they do not always use this information as effectively as possible to set work at exactly the right level. This occasionally restricts the progress of a very small number of pupils with special educational needs or who are supported through the pupil premium.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school is effective in promoting positive behaviour. Pupils say that they enjoy school. They attend regularly and report that behaviour in lessons and around the school is usually good. Most parents and almost all staff agree that this good behaviour is typical for pupils.  In lessons, pupils respond quickly to teachers’ instructions, and routines are firmly established. They take pride over their work and arrive with the correct equipment. Several spoke with excitement about how much they enjoyed using the different equipment in school, writing myths and taking part in art. They also said that they enjoyed learning about new things when, for example, the puppet theatre came to the school or they went to the ‘living rainforest’. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because, where work set is not exactly right for a few pupils, they become distracted, fiddle with pencils or slump in their seats.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are well supervised in lessons and at break times, and they reported that they felt safe because ‘there are lots of teachers taking care of us’. They have been taught effectively by staff how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations.  Pupils have a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including verbal, psychological, physical, racist and cyber bullying, and they report that rare instances of bullying are handled effectively by the school. This sentiment was reiterated by several parents who praised the way particular incidents had been handled by the school, and stated that bullying was ‘not tolerated’.  Several parents praised the ‘brilliant’ and ‘amazing’ way in which staff cared for pupils, with a number citing specific instances where staff had been extremely effective in supporting their children’s special educational needs and in dealing with their concerns quickly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and supportive of one another, with younger and older pupils playing well together. They integrate well at break times and move around the school sensibly.  Leaders support pupils with sometimes challenging behaviour well. They keep careful logs of specific incidents and liaise effectively with other agencies to support these pupils in their academic and personal development, and to ensure the safety of all pupils.  Staff keep a close eye on pupils’ behaviour and discuss findings at staff meetings which are minuted. This helps leaders to put in place appropriate actions where necessary.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders’ challenging targets and assiduous pursuit of improvement have ensured that the quality of teaching and achievement is now good.  They have raised attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 to above average and have sustained the high attainment of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2.  Leaders’ evaluations of school performance are accurate and have helped the school to focus on appropriate areas for development. Due to this, for the first time in recent history, a few pupils are on track to gain Level 3 (one of the higher levels) in writing at the end of Year 2 this year.  Both the local authority and the governing body have confidence in the headteacher’s ability to lead the school, recognising that she provides an effective role model to staff. Staff understand and share leaders’ commitment to improvements.  The checks on teaching that the headteacher makes are well organised and effective. They

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The leadership and management are good

include a range of useful activities which have helped to correctly identify areas for development, including one linked to marking. This has fed into whole-school training on the use of assessment.  Leaders track pupils’ attainment and progress well, but they have not always looked closely enough at the progress of groups of pupils over time. Although there are relative differences between the achievement of a few pupils and their peers, the school promotes equality well and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.  Performance management of staff is good and helps leaders to ensure that there is a secure link between salary progression and quality of teaching.  Development plans include appropriate objectives and actions which are helping the school to move forward, but the ways in which the success of actions will be measured are not clear.  The local authority has provided support to the school in relation to the quality of teaching but,

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The leadership and management are good

as the school has improved, this support has become more light touch.  The school has worked effectively with the local authority and external agencies in order to ensure pupils’ welfare and safety, maintaining clear records of actions.  The school has good links with the local parish and community. Leaders engage well with parents, with several taking up seats on the governing body and supporting the school in fund- raising money. There is a useful website provided for parents, with regular newsletters, a learning platform and curriculum and policy information easily accessible.  Although a few parents who responded to the Parent View online survey indicated that they were not happy with the way the school had responded to their concerns and one or two said specific incidents had not been effectively handled by the school, most parents were very positive about their experiences with the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have allocated sports funding appropriately towards employing sports coaches, buying high-quality sports resources, and widening opportunities for pupils to take part in a range of new sports, including climbing and swimming.  Subjects are well organised within an international curriculum. The school works well with a local federation of schools to enhance teaching and pupils’ experiences.  Good opportunities to participate in whole-school and class assemblies, sports and other clubs as well as residential and other educational visits ensure that pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is well promoted.  The governance of the school:  The governance of the school is strong. Governors contribute well to the evaluation of school performance and have on their plan to become more involved in whole-school development planning. They have sought training which has helped them to develop a good

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of the quality of teaching and achievement in the school. They recognise the gaps in learning that exist for a few pupils with special educational needs, some of whom are supported through the pupil premium. Governors ask searching questions of the school particularly in relation to the relative achievement of pupils and how pupil premium funding is being spent. They recognise that this funding is not yet making a positive difference to all pupils who are supported through it.  They manage finances effectively so that sports funding is spent appropriately. They have not yet formally measured the impact of this funding on pupils’ health and well-being due to it being in place for a short time. They oversee performance management well. The governing body ensures that safeguarding meets requirements.

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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 109954 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 431059

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 40 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Patricia Brims, Janet Main Headteacher Carolyn Purchase Date of previous school inspection 26  27 April 2012 Telephone number 0118 9712311

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Email address

0118 9712311 headteacher@brimpton.w-berks.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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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

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