The Bay Church of England School

School report The Bay Church of England Primary School Winchester Park Road, Sandown, Isleof Wight, PO36 9BA

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  In the last year, there has been a rapid rise in pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. It is now average.  All groups of pupils make good progress because teaching is good, especially those eligible for additional government funding and those who have special educational needs.  Strong guidance for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins pupils’ good behaviour.  Relationships are positive. Pupils and teachers get on exceptionally well together. Pupils report they feel safe at school.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school so attendance has risen sharply and is now above average.  The experienced headteacher is highly effective and very well supported by a strong leadership team and efficient governors.  An uncompromising and determined effort to raise the quality of teaching has successfully arrested a legacy of underachievement.  Provision for bringing the whole-school

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

community into one new building is making a considerable contribution to good teaching and learning. The whole-school community are wholly committed to becoming an outstanding school.  Pupils’ learning and development benefits significantly from strong and supportive partnerships with parents and carers, the local community and other local schools.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Coaching methods are not used well enough to ensure that all teachers develop the skills to improve their teaching so that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable.  In a few classes, a small minority of pupils are not fully engaged in learning because tasks are either too easy or too hard.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 25 episodes of teaching and observed 16 teachers, one sports coach and one higher-level teaching assistant. They talked to pupils about their work and heard pupils from Years 2, 4, and 6 read.  A wide range of documents were scrutinised, including systems for checking pupils’ progress, records relating to behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures, and an analysis of how well the school is doing and how it plans to improve. Records of monitoring the quality of teaching and the the governing body minutes were also examined.  The inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and ages.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, school staff and groups of pupils. Individual pupils were spoken to in lessons and around the school. A telephone conversation took place with a school adviser from the local authority.  Questionnaires from 24 members of staff were analysed. The inspectors took account of the

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Information about this inspection

views expressed in 54 online responses from Parent View and comments from parents and carers during informal meetings before school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection was carried out in response to a complaint made to Ofsted which raised serious concerns. The complaint was deemed to be a qualifying complaint and Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an unannounced inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised. Inspectors sought to establish whether:  safeguarding procedures are adequate, including the response to pupils presenting challenging behaviour  suitable adjustments are made to behaviour management procedures according to the pupils’ needs and disabilities  staff are suitably trained, and able to seek advice and support when required  leaders and the governing body are effective in monitoring and evaluating policy and practice for behaviour management and safeguarding within the school.

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Inspection team

Anna Sketchley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Paul Rushforth Additional Inspector Elizabeth Cooper Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Bay is larger than the average-sized primary school. Pupils attend from the local area.  All pupils are taught in single-age classes.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who need extra help, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is above average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional government funding, known as the pupil premium, is above average. This is funding for children in the care of the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average. A very small number are at the early stages of learning English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides breakfast and after-school club facilities.

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Information about this school

 Currently, the school is on two sites. However, a new school building is now completed and Years 2 to 6 are already located on the new site. Reception children and Year 1 are due to move into the new school in September 2014.  The school has valuable links with the local Teaching School Alliance, and ‘Inspire to teach’ and ‘Inspire to Learn’ initiatives, and the headteacher is a Local Leader in Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards further in mathematics, reading and writing by:  making even more use of the existing outstanding teaching and coaching to develop teachers’ skills further, so that there is a higher proportion of outstanding teaching, enabling pupils to make even more rapid progress  ensuring that tasks are at the right level for all pupils in the class so that they work hard and are fully engaged.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When children join the school, their levels of knowledge and skills are below those typical for their age. Their communication and language skills are particularly low but they make good progress in all areas of learning and development.  The Reception class is well organised and calm, and children are confident in their surroundings. A small number of children, whose behaviour can be challenging, are very well managed. They benefit considerably from expert help to develop their social skills while enjoying a drink and toast together.  Evidence gathered during the inspection showed the teaching of the sounds letters make (phonics), and pupils’ progress, to be good. Last year, the results of the national screening check on the progress of Year 1 pupils in this area was above average. The school’s information for this year shows that standards have improved still further.  The school has a strong reading culture, and pupils say they are expected to read every night.

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The achievement of pupils is good

They have a wide range of tastes in books but they say the school has lots of appealing books from which they can choose. They use their knowledge of sounds and letters to good effect when tackling unfamiliar or tricky words, and most read with accuracy and a high degree of fluency and expression.  A previous incorrect gauging of pupils’ progress, together with some teaching that required improvement, led to a picture of underachievement. This has been successfully arrested.  The good progress children make in Reception is now being successfully built upon. For example, in a Year 1 mathematics lesson, pupils were enthusiastically engaged in challenging themselves, and the most-able pupils reached standards well above those recognised for their age.  School information and work in books seen during the inspection show that standards throughout the school, especially in Year 2 and Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics, are

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The achievement of pupils is good

now at least average.  An emphasis on the teaching of punctuation, spelling and grammar, and basic number throughout the school is resulting in rapid and significant improvement. Pupils have good opportunities to practise their skills in other subjects.  The most-able pupils across the school do particularly well, and in Year 6, they make especially good progress. Some are now reaching levels in mathematics and reading that are much higher than those expected nationally. For example, pupils in Year 6 demonstrated great skill in editing their own work, improving their use of metaphors and interesting language, using such phrases as ‘horses galloped in his chest’.  Pupils at risk of not doing well and those who need extra help are very well supported in class. All make good progress and most achieve standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are above those expected nationally for this group of pupils. A few have very complex learning

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The achievement of pupils is good

needs and, although they make good progress from their starting points, they do not reach the same standards.  The gap in attainment between pupils who are supported by extra funds to improve their learning and all other pupils is now reducing throughout the school. By Year 6, the gap has closed in mathematics and reading. In writing, school information shows these pupils to be a term behind their classmates.  Achievement is not yet outstanding because not enough pupils make the rapid progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good because teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour, and pupils know exactly what is expected of them. As a result, they settle to work promptly.  Pupils’ attention is often captured by the use of modern technologies such as interactive screens They are engaged and listen attentively because topics are interesting.  What they are to learn is made very clear to pupils. Most teachers plan tasks that challenge pupils at just the right level, and they learn quickly.  Pupils are often encouraged to choose their own starting point and level of challenge from a series of graded tasks. This inspires them to learn. A ‘can do’ culture encourages them to gauge their own progress, attempting more difficult tasks as their knowledge and confidence grows. They often surprise themselves at the levels they reach.  During more effective teaching, teachers’ questioning is usually successful in extending pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

thinking and encouraging them to explain their answers.  The vast majority of pupils have good attitudes to learning. They concentrate well and work hard even when unsupervised. Every classroom has tips for learning on the wall and pupils know how to use these to help them if they are stuck.  Teaching is not yet outstanding because, on the few occasions when tasks are not set at the right level, pupils sometimes become disengaged. When this occurs, they do not make the progress of which they are capable, and they become bored.  Marking is a strength of the good teaching. It is rigorous and is consistent throughout the school. All pupils are given tasks for improvement in their marked work, and have time to respond and complete the tasks at the beginning of each lesson. Pupils are in no doubt as to how they can improve their work.  Well-planned homework tasks give pupils good opportunities to practise their skills at home.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Exclusions are very rare and occasional incidents of challenging behaviour are managed very well.  Relationships between adults and pupils are built on a high level of mutual respect.  The school’s strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and the high profile given to its values of ‘Believe, Inspire, Excel’, make a significant contribution to both their achievement and their behaviour. This prepares them very well for the next stage in their education.  Conduct around the school is good and behaviour in assembly is impeccable. Pupils are polite and well-mannered, and show consideration to each other in lessons and on the playground.  Pupils believe that peer mentors are a really good thing because they are always on hand to sort out any small problems for themselves. Older pupils enjoy looking after younger ones and reading with them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Responsibilities such as the school council, and helping throughout the school and in the local community, enable pupils to develop their personal skills very well.  Pupils feel very safe in school, and this view is fully supported by parents and carers who expressed very positive views about school safety. Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school and, as a result, attendance is above average. They get on very well together and say there is no bullying, but if there was a problem, they say ‘it would be dealt with very quickly’ and ‘we can go to the rapid response team of staff’.  Pupils are very clear about how to keep themselves safe, especially when using the internet.  Behaviour is not yet outstanding because a few pupils do not yet have the necessary skills to work on their own and are sometimes over-reliant on adult supervision in their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Following a change in the age of transfer and an amalgamation of two schools, including the building of a new school, the experienced headteacher has adopted an uncompromising approach to excellence and is rapidly improving the new school.  His drive and ambition has developed a highly effective and motivated senior leadership team, and together with challenge and support from the governing body and the local authority, they have successfully addressed underachievement.  Previous inaccurate information about how well pupils were progressing has been addressed. Teachers are now skilled at knowing how well pupils are doing because of regular meetings about pupils’ progress.  Teachers’ performance and the setting of their targets are rigorously measured against national standards, and training needs are identified quickly. Increases to their salaries do not take place unless they have met their targets, based on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because most teachers have not secured excellent progress for their pupils.  Plans for future developments show that the school knows exactly what needs to be done to secure further improvement, and its recent success proves that it has the capacity to do this.  Middle managers, especially for English and mathematics, benefit from being part of the senior leadership team. They lead and manage their subjects effectively, and are well informed about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching in their subjects.  The way different subjects are organised and taught makes a considerable contribution to pupils’ keenness to learn.  Learning is enhanced by a rich and varied programme of clubs and activities. Sport is a particular strength of the school. Additional funding for sport is effectively used to provide a sports coach and a wide variety of sports activities. As a result, participation rates have increased as well as

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ increased appreciation of how to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  An ever-expanding range of excellent partnerships with local schools, external agencies and the community, including several churches, is enhancing provision and supporting pupils’ learning and development especially well.  Pupils’ cultural awareness is particularly strong. They talk animatedly about their pen-pal links with Moldova, and play enthusiastically and adeptly on the steel pans and African drums.  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 make sure that safeguarding procedures are followed rigorously and fully meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are extremely well informed through the governing body’s Standards and Provision Committee, which examines school information about pupils’ progress and compares it

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The leadership and management are good

carefully against national standards. Through regular visits to school, governors monitor its work, including the quality of teaching, very closely. As a result, they are exceptionally knowledgeable about its strengths and areas for development, and are able to ask challenging questions about its performance as well as giving the school their full support. They bring significant skills from the world of work, attend many governor training courses and are particularly well organised. This enables them to carry out their statutory duties diligently. They have a robust knowledge of the spending, and especially the impact, of additional funding for both pupil premium and primary sport. They manage the headteacher’s performance rigorously, setting challenging targets, and are well informed about teachers’ pay and the progress pupils make.

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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 136013 Local authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 441276

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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 413 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Lovell Headteacher Duncan Mills Date of previous school inspection 21–22 May 2012 Telephone number 01983 403284 Fax number 01983 402492 Email address office@bayprimary.org 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 and 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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