Bushbury Hill Primary School

Bushbury Hill Primary School Old Fallings Lane, Wolverhampton, WV10 8BY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that, having started school with very weak skills, the rapid progress they make brings the standard of their work up to an average level by the time they reach Year 6.  Teaching is good. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and make sure that pupils of all abilities achieve well in lessons.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make particularly good progress. This is because they are well supported both in classes and in the specially resourced base.  The extensive school grounds are used well for sporting and outdoor activities which promote a healthy lifestyle.  Pupils behave well in and around school. They are polite and well-mannered to adults and each other.  Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe in different situations.  Despite considerable turbulence in staffing this

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

year, school leaders have made sure that pupils learn well. They rigorously track pupils’ progress so that any in danger of falling behind are quickly helped to keep up.  Governors are very supportive of the school. They ask the headteacher and senior leaders challenging questions to hold them to account for improving the school. Governors also visit regularly to see for themselves how the school is doing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While pupils learn how to make mathematical calculations well, they do not have enough opportunities to use their knowledge in solving problems.  Teachers’ use of questioning and the guidance they give to pupils on how to improve their work are not fully consistent.  The effective checking of pupils’ progress that takes place in English and mathematics is not found in other subjects, so that progress is less rapid.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons, nine of which were seen together with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  Informal discussions were also held with parents.  The inspectors took account of the 21 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View and the 18 completed staff questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on its performance, its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress, records of behaviour and safety, school improvement plans, records relating to classroom observations and the management of staff performance, safeguarding arrangements and records of meetings of the governing body.  The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Smart Additional Inspector Michael Fox Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or are looked after by the local authority, is above average.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of such pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The school has specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. It has 10 places for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Pupils attend all day and join other

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Information about this school

classes in the school when they are able. There are currently nine pupils on roll.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2013 and the deputy headteacher took up post in January 2014.  Four new teachers joined the school since September 2013 to cover three teachers on maternity leave and one teacher who left the school in May 2014.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  During the inspection, inspectors asked additional questions designed to ascertain the school’s views of the impact and effectiveness of local authority services to support school improvement. This information will contribute to work being carried out by Ofsted to assess the use, quality and impact of these services.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that more is outstanding and so raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics by making sure that:  pupils have more opportunities to use their mathematical knowledge in problem-solving situations  teachers give clear guidance to pupils as to how they can improve their work and make sure that they act on the advice  all adults ask pupils questions which help develop their learning and encourage accurate use of language.  Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that subject leaders make better use of assessments and data about pupils’ attainment and progress to bring about improvements across the full range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Nursery with skills well below those typical for their age. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. Even so, they begin Key Stage 1 with weaker skills than normally expected, particularly in language and mathematics. The proportion of children who reached a good level of development in 2013 was below average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. Although standards at the end of Year 2 in 2013 were below average, they showed a continuing trend of improvement over previous years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the most recent national screening check at the end of Year 1 on pupils’ knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters represent in words) were below average. During the inspection, while some pupils still struggled to use these skills to read and write unfamiliar words, they were making good progress from their very low starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils, including the more-able, make good progress throughout Key Stage 2. Higher proportions of pupils make expected and more than expected progress than in schools nationally. This means they reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding make especially good progress. As they move through the school the gap between their attainment and that of their classmates narrows. In 2013, eligible Year 6 pupils were half a term behind their classmates in mathematics, a term behind in reading and two terms behind in writing. Similar pupils currently in Year 6 are less than half a term behind other pupils in reading and mathematics and half a term ahead in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because of the good support they receive. Pupils who attend the specially resourced base make particularly rapid progress. As they gain in confidence and develop learning skills, they work for much of the time alongside other pupils in the classrooms for most lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do. They make sure that work builds on what pupils already know so that pupils of different abilities progress well. Teachers and other adults check regularly during the lesson to identify when pupils are ready to try harder work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan interesting lessons to motivate pupils and consistently encourage them to improve their work. For example, Year 2 pupils were thinking of synonyms for ‘said’ to make their writing more interesting; pupils volunteered words such as ‘stammered’, ‘yelled’ and ‘muttered’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes helps children to learn through a good balance of adult-led activities and exploring for themselves. This means that children practise the skills they learnt when working with adults in their play. For example, a boy in the Nursery class identified that there were two digits missing from a number game and worked out which they were. In the Reception class, children used different techniques to help them spell new words in their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons and in the specially resourced base. Teachers and well-trained additional adults make sure that activities enable pupils to make good progress. Adults are sensitive to pupils’ specific needs and help them become more independent so that they can work alongside their peers. The support is checked regularly to make sure it remains effective as pupils’ needs change. Good teaching in the specially resourced base helps pupils develop learning behaviour which enables some to join the rest of the school for most of their lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupil premium funding is used to support eligible pupils in the classroom or in small groups. This helps them make progress at rates that are at least as good as other pupils, and in some cases better. More-able pupils are also helped to make good progress through additional support when needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The guidance teachers give to pupils on how to improve their work is inconsistent. In Year 5, pupils used constructive advice to edit their writing and achieve high standards. Other guidance, however, is sometimes too general to be helpful and pupils are not always given the opportunity to act upon it.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers and adults ask pupils questions which help develop their understanding and make them think deeply about their learning. They encourage the pupils to answer in full sentences and make sure that their responses are grammatically correct. Rather too often questioning restricts pupils’ responses to single words or phrases, which are not as effective in extending learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is systematic and effective. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use their knowledge in solving problems or in practical situations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Leaders ensure that clear procedures are in place and staff are rigorously checked prior to appointment. Pupils know how to stay safe in different situations, such as when riding their bikes. They talked knowledgeably to inspectors about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are attentive in lessons and move around the school calmly and politely. Teachers act as good role models for courteous behaviour in the way they speak to pupils, who respond well. During the inspection pupils were overheard saying ’excuse me’ and apologising if they had disturbed anyone during a lesson.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils who have difficulty in managing their behaviour are well supported and disruptions to lessons are rare. Pupils value the system which rewards good behaviour and are keen to earn praise, stickers, badges and privilege cards.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand what bullying is and the different forms it can take, including cyber-bullying. They told inspectors that bullying does sometimes happen in the school. However, it is always dealt with and they feel confident to tell an adult if they have any problems. ‘Worry boxes’ in classrooms are checked by adults and pupils say this is useful for anyone who may feel anxious or upset.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has worked with parents to improve attendance, which is now in line with the national average. The breakfast club is well attended and has helped reduce absences and improve punctuality. Parents spoken to during the inspection said that their children enjoy coming to school and this was reflected in the positive attitudes of pupils seen during the inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well led by the headteacher and her senior leaders. They regularly check how well pupils are doing and rigorously track their progress. Any pupils in danger of falling behind are quickly identified and support is provided to help them keep up. As a result, all pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The same rigour is not yet applied in other subjects, where more could be done to make sure that assessment information is available and used to help pupils make even better progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in the specially resourced base and in the rest of the school is rigorously checked to make sure that appropriate support is helping them achieve well.

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The leadership and management are good

 Despite a number of changes in staff, the headteacher has ensured that the good quality of teaching has been sustained. The appraisal system for checking teachers’ performance, introduced last year, has contributed to the good teaching across the school. Individual targets are used by the headteacher and the governing body to judge whether pay rises and promotion are justified by results.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is developing links with other schools to provide opportunities for teachers to share ideas and develop their expertise. The new primary sports funding is also supporting developing the skills of staff. It pays for coaches who work alongside teachers. This gives pupils high quality sports lessons while improving teachers’ own techniques. The grant also funds an after-school sports club and a sports summer school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is interesting and makes pupils want to learn; it is enhanced by visitors to the school and trips. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their trip to the Black Country Museum. One boy said, ’It’s like learning but having fun at the same time. When you’re having fun, you learn well’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Topical subjects such as the World Cup generate debate: for example, in Year 6 pupils discussed footballers’ pay while Year 4 pupils wrote about why some Brazilians may not welcome hosting the event. Pupils visit different places of worship to help develop and understanding of, and respect for, others’ religions and beliefs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity well and makes sure that no groups of pupils achieve less well than others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has received good support from the local authority. Regular meetings with the School Improvement Officer, who has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, has helped leaders draw up plans to improve the school. While providing advice and support, the School Improvement Officer also challenges leaders to make sure the actions in the plan are carried out and have a positive impact on the school. This has helped the school improve over recent years, and particularly since the previous inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governors are very supportive of the school. They understand its strengths and how it can improve and regularly visit to see how well it is doing. In meetings, governors ask the headteacher and senior leaders challenging questions to make sure that improvement continues to raise standards.  Governors manage the school’s finances well. They check that the pupil premium is helping eligible pupils do as well as their classmates. Governors understand that the primary sports funding is providing more opportunities for pupils to take part in physical activities. Governors also appreciate how the new appraisal system has contributed to the good teaching. They make sure that teachers’ pay rises are linked to the progress that pupils make and that teachers have high quality training opportunities.  Governors make sure that national requirements for safeguarding and child protection are

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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 104290 Local authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 442548

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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 258 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Warner Headteacher Kay Mason Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2012 Telephone number 01902 558230 Fax number 01902 558234 Email address bushburyhillprimary@wolverhampton.gov.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 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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