Bincombe Valley Primary School

Bincombe Valley Primary Culliford Way, Littlemoor, Weymouth, DT3 6AF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Teaching is not good enough in Years 3 and 4 so pupils have not made enough progress.  Marking does not help pupils to improve their work.  Teachers do not always plan tasks that stretch the more-able pupils so that they make better progress.  Pupils did not make enough progress at the end of Year 6 in writing or in reading in 2013 and are still not making enough progress in writing in Years 3 to 6.  The proportion of pupils achieving the higher level in their spelling, punctuation and grammar in 2013 was significantly below average.  Subject leadership roles are not well developed, especially for English, which means that improvements in teaching have not happened fast enough.  Governors have not ensured that all the areas for improvement from the previous inspection have been attended to.  Attendance is well below the national average.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 make good progress, especially in speaking and listening, because they are given specialist help from a speech and language therapist and because teachers plan activities which help them to develop these skills.  Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The pace of lessons is suitably swift and pupils enjoy the well-chosen tasks.  Pupils eligible for extra funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are making good progress from their starting points because teaching assistants give them very good support in class and they benefit from individual help outside class.  Pupils behave well both in class and at other times in school. They are well looked after and kept safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 17 lessons. Four of these lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  An inspector listened to a sample of Year 2 pupils read.  Discussions were held with school staff, a group of pupils, three governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 39 questionnaires completed by staff and 13 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. Inspectors spoke informally to some parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors looked at a range of evidence including work in a wide range of pupils’ books, the school’s own data on pupils’ attainment and progress, reports from the local authority, the school’s monitoring records, the school development plan, and policies and documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Joanna Peach, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Ann Sydney Additional Inspector David Howley Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds; a small minority of pupils are from other backgrounds and a few speak English as an additional language.  About half of pupils are supported by the pupil premium which is additional funding for certain groups such as those known to be eligible for free school meals. This is well above average.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above average. The proportion who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The school runs a nursery and a breakfast club which were observed as part of this inspection.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching consistently good or better by ensuring all teachers:  mark work so that pupils know what they have to do to improve, and make sure that pupils act upon this advice  provide more-able pupils with work which is suitably challenging, especially in Years 3 and 4.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the achievement of pupils by:  making sure pupils’ writing skills, especially in Years 3 to 6, improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve aspects of leadership and management by:  developing the role of the subject leaders so that they are responsible for monitoring pupils’ progress and developing the quality of teaching in their subject area  working with parents and carers to ensure attendance increases  making sure governors support the headteacher to address all the areas which require improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils attained results which were broadly in line with the national averages at the end of Year 6 in 2012 and 2013. In 2013 pupils made insufficient progress from their starting points in reading and in writing. Too few pupils attained the higher Level 5 in spelling, punctuation and grammar.  In Key Stage 2, particularly in Years 3 and 4, too few pupils are making good progress. In Key Stage 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage pupils are making good progress because the teaching is better.  Higher-attaining pupils are not making as much progress as other groups of pupils because they are given work which is too easy for them.  Year 6 pupils eligible for extra funding were working on average two terms behind their peers in reading and writing and less than half a term behind in mathematics. Information on current pupils shows that this gap has narrowed and that these pupils are now making better progress

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

than their peers because they have had intensive support.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are making good progress from their starting points because they are given very good support in class by teaching assistants and benefit from extra individual help outside class.  Other groups of pupils, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with English as an additional language, are making similar progress to other pupils in the school.  Pupils join the Nursery and Reception with skills and understanding well below the levels expected for their age, with the weakest areas being speech and language and social and physical development. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 because they are given specialist help from a speech and language therapist and because teachers plan activities which help them to develop these skills. By the end of Year 2,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

attainment is broadly in line with national averages.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is well taught and the results in the screening test for phonics at the end of Year 1 were in line with the expected level. Pupils who have difficulty reading are given very effective extra help; they learn to read well and enjoy reading. More-able pupils, however, are not as keen on reading and they are not encouraged sufficiently to read more widely.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics in most year groups but in Years 3 and 4 the more able pupils are not challenged enough.  Most pupils set out their work neatly in mathematics which helps them to solve problems easily but in English, pupils’ writing often fails to improve quickly enough during Years 3 to 6. This is because teachers do not ensure that pupils act upon the comments made in marking.  The school employs professional sports coaches to ensure that pupils receive high-quality

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

instruction, especially the younger pupils. This means that they develop well in their physical education.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in Years 3 and 4 is not good enough to ensure that all pupils make good progress. Too many pupils, especially the more able, have not made enough progress over time because teachers have failed to give them work which challenges them. For example in a Year 3 reading lesson, where pupils were working on a comprehension task, they were given more work of the same level of difficulty even though they said that it was too easy.  Marking is not helpful to pupils. Most marking seen commented only on what pupils had done well and not on what they needed to improve. Even where marking gave suggestions for improvement, for example where pupils were asked to add in a wider range of adverbs or punctuation, most pupils did not act upon this advice.  Teachers do not use the information they have available about the progress of their pupils in order to plan tasks which move them on. Too much work fails to increase pupils’ understanding,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

for example a geography lesson simply repeated work that they had done in English.  Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The swift pace of lessons is suitable and pupils enjoy the well-chosen tasks.  Younger pupils are making good progress because teachers plan tasks which engage them and which are at the right level. For example in a Year 2 mathematics lesson pupils were given a range of activities, from counting out money to solving subtraction problems. In Year 6 pupils enjoyed solving mathematical problems to do with the World Cup.  In most lessons instructions are clear and pupils waste no time getting on with their work. In a lesson on measuring angles, pupils were given a clear set of steps to follow and were expected to estimate their answer in advance and use this to check their responses as quickly as possible.  Teaching assistants work well to support disabled children and those with special educational

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

needs in class. They often explain things again to pupils and encourage them to keep trying when they find things difficult. They are particularly skilled at working with pupils whose behaviour is not as good as it should be, helping them to focus and complete a lot of work.  At least half of the pupils in school receive extra support, much of it to help them with speech and language difficulties or reading, and these pupils make good progress. Some particularly effective support was seen to help pupils in Key Stage 2 improve their reading.  Pupils in Year 6 are given a lot of extra help to prepare them for examinations and with homework. Twenty four out of 26 pupils in Year 6 regularly attended a homework club this year and improved their school test results as a consequence.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good both in class and at other times. Pupils, especially those in the earlier years, are enthusiastic about the activities and work hard in lessons. Many children are given extra support to help them develop good social and personal skills. The school has invested in much training for staff in this area.  In lessons, pupils are keen to ask questions to increase their understanding. For example, in one mathematics lesson, a pupil in Year 5 realised she did not know how to measure an angle that was greater than the size of her protractor so she immediately turned to her friend to seek help. When the friend could not help, she asked the teacher and then was guided through possible solutions.  In a few lessons in Years 3 and 4 pupils completed little work because they did not understand what they had to do or work was too easy or too difficult for them. Sometimes they became

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

distracted or chatted to their friends and the teacher did not find effective ways of getting them back to their work.  Outside class, pupils behave well. They respect the school environment, putting rubbish in litter bins and tidying away any toys or equipment they have used. They behave sensibly and well when eating at the breakfast club or lunchtime and say that they feel very happy at school.  All parents and carers asked said that they would recommend this school to other parents and carers as they felt it was very supportive and understanding if they had any concerns. As one parent or carer said, ‘They can’t do enough to help you. Things are sorted out immediately.’  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say bullying is rare and that they know what they have to do if they are concerned about it. Parents and carers also said their children were extremely happy and felt safe at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to stay safe when using the internet because they have helpful lessons which cover topics such as using social media responsibly.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Much of the responsibility for checking up on the school’s work is undertaken by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher who understand the strengths and weaknesses. However, they do not have the capacity to lead all the improvements necessary at subject level.  Changes in staffing and difficulties with recruitment have meant that the leadership of subject areas is not effective. This has particularly affected the leadership of English in Key Stage 2 where the weaknesses in teaching have not been remedied and pupils have not made progress fast enough.  Attendance is well below average despite the school’s robust procedures. The school has worked hard with parents and carers to ensure that pupils attend school and attendance has improved this year.  The local authority provides light-touch support for this school. It has helped the school to assure the accuracy of its assessments by moderating the school’s results both for the Early

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The leadership and management require improvement

Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The school has moderated its assessments at Key Stage 2 with the local cluster of schools but some assessments of pupils’ writing made by teachers are still not accurate.  The headteacher is highly committed to ensuring that the most disadvantaged pupils get all the help they need to succeed. The school ensures that there is no discrimination and promotes equality of opportunity very well by carefully targeting extra funding to support those who need it most. The school carefully tracks the progress of these children and is able to show that they make better progress as a result of the support they are getting.  The curriculum is broad, covering a range of topics and themes and fosters pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development well. Much work has been done since the previous inspection to improve pupils’ understanding of other cultures. The school’s work to promote

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The leadership and management require improvement

pupils’ moral and social development is strong, with specific lessons on topics such as praise and respecting others.  The school makes suitable use of the national sports funding available for primary schools. More pupils now take part in a wider range of activities such as dance, gymnastics and outdoor education. It has used the funding to provide more competitive sport and the school now enters a local tennis competition. It has found that pupils have developed a better understanding of how to play as part of team and that their social skills, such as learning how to lose gracefully, have improved.  The governance of the school:  Governors have not ensured that problems with teaching that were identified at the previous inspection, such as marking and challenging the most able, have been resolved.  Governors have had training from the local authority, for example in data analysis, and understand the main strengths and areas for improvement. However, they have been less

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The leadership and management require improvement

effective in supporting the headteacher to ensure that areas such as the below average progress in reading and writing in 2013 were addressed quickly enough.  Governors have a satisfactory oversight of the performance management of staff. They support the headteacher in ensuring that any underperformance is robustly tackled and that performance management procedures are correctly followed.  Governors have a satisfactory oversight of the finances of the school and are fully aware of how extra funding is used. For example, they are aware of how well the additional money to support those who are disadvantaged is used because they are given information by the headteacher about how it is spent. They know that the progress of pupils has improved this year.  Governors fulfil their statutory duties by updating and checking on policies regularly, especially those relating to safety and safeguarding.

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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 113716 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 444075

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 310 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Boichot Headteacher Leslie Strong Date of previous school inspection 17 November 2009 Telephone number 01305 832329 Fax number 01305 835750 Email address lstrong@bincombe.dorset.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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