Bursar Primary Academy

Bursar Primary Academy Bursar Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, DN35 8DS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well from their different starting points and make good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding make good progress and for some it is outstanding. As a result, many have now caught up with others in their class.  The quality of teaching is good overall and outstanding in Year 6. Teachers have good relationships with their pupils and a good understanding of the subjects they teach.  Attendance has improved and is now above average. Pupils enjoy coming to this very safe and caring school.  Pupils display outstanding attitudes to their work, encouraging one another to do their best. This makes a significant contribution to the good progress they make in their lessons.  The headteacher and senior leaders have worked successfully to drive improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Governors are experienced, well informed and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

know how to hold leaders to account.  There is a positive atmosphere among the staff and pupils; all are passionate that this improving school can be better still.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards by the end of Key Stage 2 are not high enough to represent outstanding progress from pupils’ starting points.  The quality of teaching is not consistently high enough to ensure all pupils make the best possible progress, particularly in Year 4.  Opportunities to extend pupils’ writing in a wide range of subjects are better in some classes than others.  The quality of marking is improving, but could be better still, particularly in Year 2 mathematics’ books.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons or small group activities, of which three observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, senior leaders and school staff. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work in lessons, listened to them read and met with a group from Key Stage 2.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the on-line survey (Parent View). Inspectors also spoke to a number of parents during the two days of the inspection and considered a number of letters from parents. Inspectors were also pleased to consider a letter sent by a child in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Inspectors took account of the 24 questionnaires returned by members of the school staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, looked at progress data, work in pupils’ books, information about the management of teachers’ performance, records relating to behaviour and

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Information about this inspection

safety, as well as documents relating to child protection and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Jim Alexander, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lynne Davies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is much higher than average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding provided for children who are looked after by the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.)  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school runs a breakfast club.  Bursar Primary Academy converted to become an academy on 1 September 2012. When its predecessor school, Bursar Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be

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Information about this school

good.  Since becoming an academy, school leaders have been providing and receiving support and training to a small group of local schools.  A number of new staff have been appointed this year, including a deputy headteacher, who teaches in the Early Years Foundation Stage and a new teacher in Year 4, who started at Easter.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching outstanding in order to raise standards further by the end of Key Stage 2, by:  making sure the quality of teaching continues to improve, particularly in Year 4, so that pupils are further helped to catch up with work which has been missed  improving consistency in the quality of marking, so all pupils receive clear guidance about what they need to do to make their work better, particularly in Year 2 mathematics books  providing more opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are well below those typically expected for their age and are particularly low in their language and number skills. They are helped to settle quickly and soon make good progress. As a result, they are well prepared to start Year 1.  By the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils who can read as well as expected is average and improving every year.  Support staff have recently introduced a new system to provide further encouragement for those pupils that did not enjoy reading. This is proving successful and pupils across the school now enjoy reading and make good progress.  In 2013, standards at the end of Year 2 were average in reading, writing and mathematics. This year pupils are doing better still.  Standards by the end of Year 6 in 2013 were average in mathematics and writing and below average in reading. However, this represented good progress from pupils’ much lower starting

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The achievement of pupils is good

points. Again, standards by the end of Year 6 are set to rise this year, particularly for those pupils who are reading at the higher levels.  School data, lessons observed and work seen in pupils’ books show that most pupils are making good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics.  Since September, pupils in Year 4 have made the progress expected of them, but no better. Since Easter, however, pupils’ progress is quickly improving, although there remain some gaps in what they should know by now.  The school has successfully focused on improving pupils’ writing, particularly their presentation skills and the basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Pupils make good progress in their mathematics because they now have a firm grasp of the basics and can use what they know to solve problems.  Pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding, including those known to be eligible for

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The achievement of pupils is good

free school meals, make good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. For some, the progress is excellent. As a result, the majority of pupils are now only one month behind others in their class in reading and writing and two months behind in mathematics. Indeed, many have caught up completely. This is one example of the school’s commitment to tackle discrimination and provide equality of opportunity for all pupils.  Pupils who are from minority ethnic backgrounds are helped to make the same good progress as others in their class.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs are also supported well. As a result, they also make good progress in their reading and writing, and increasingly good progress in their mathematics. However, this can vary from class to class and is better, for example, in Year 6 than it is in Year 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from a good range of activities, both inside and outdoors. They are encouraged to play together nicely and develop confidence to ask for help when required.  Teachers have placed a great emphasis on pupils presenting their written work to a high standard and displays around the school are bright, colourful and attractive. Pupils are obviously proud of what they achieve.  Teachers help pupils to think carefully about their work and provide opportunities to foster their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, in a Year 6 poetry lesson, pupils were encouraged to consider the arguments for and against capturing wild animals.  Some teachers provide their pupils with opportunities to write at length across a wide range of subjects. This helps to develop their individual writing styles very well. However, not all teachers provide this opportunity, which limits the progress made by some pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In mathematics, teachers make sure pupils develop a secure range of calculation skills and then provide tasks that challenge their understanding well.  Well-trained and effective support staff make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. They use a good range of questions to consolidate and extend pupils’ thinking. This additional help is also very effective at helping to build pupils’ self-confidence and create a ‘can do’ atmosphere in school.  In the majority of classes, teachers keep a sharp eye on how well pupils are doing and move them on quickly when they have understood a task and are ready for the next challenge.  Teachers have enabled pupils to use information technology effectively to support their learning.  The quality of teaching in Year 4 has not helped pupils make good enough progress this year. However, while pupils’ progress is now improving quickly, there remain gaps in what pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

should know and understand.  The quality of marking is improving, but can be better still. All teachers offer praise and encouragement, recognising pupils’ efforts. Many teachers provide clear guidance for pupils to understand what steps are required to improve the quality of their work. However, there remain some examples where pupils’ errors in mathematics are not picked up quickly enough, particularly in Year 2.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They settle exceptionally quickly in lessons and display very positive attitudes to their work. This makes an important contribution to the good progress they are making in their lessons.  Pupils are very keen to live up to teachers’ high expectations of their behaviour and work. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils were working equally well with the teacher, the teaching assistants or by themselves. The teacher has developed positive relationships with pupils so that they are confident to express what they are finding difficult. This enabled adults to respond quickly, ensuring the level of challenge was right for each pupil. As a result, pupils were able to understand how to measure the internal angles of shapes.  Excellent behaviour was observed at playtime and during the lunch break. Pupils were keen to point out that this was typical. Pupils are well informed about all types of bullying and say that it

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

‘never happens, but if we do fall out, our teachers are quick to help’. Pupils are also taught how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is now above average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has also fallen and is now much lower than average. Pupils take pride in their school, arrive on time and are smartly dressed.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Meticulous records are kept by leaders regarding pupils’ welfare. This enables even the most minor concern to be followed up robustly. The pastoral care and support provided to pupils by the school staff is excellent. Child protection policies are clear and safeguarding arrangements are very secure.  The breakfast club provides a happy and safe start to the school day.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has led the school with a friendly, yet relentless ambition since the school became an academy and is determined that it becomes better still. She offers teachers, pupils and parents a clear direction for the future.  The headteacher has built an effective senior leadership team. The deputy headteacher has overseen improvements to the Early Years Foundation Stage and has a clear understanding of what effective provision looks like and supports staff to give their best.  The assistant headteacher has overseen improvements to the teaching of mathematics and to the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2.  The headteacher has developed effective systems for managing staff performance. Lessons are checked regularly and feedback given, identifying where improvements are needed. Staff say that they are very well supported and appreciate the training they receive.  Systems to enable the school to judge how well it is doing are robust, accurate and inform

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The leadership and management are good

school improvement plans, which focus on appropriate priorities.  Middle leaders, who oversee English and mathematics, have benefited from ongoing training and have a good understanding of what is working well and what needs further improvement. The leadership of special educational needs provision is currently being overseen by an external consultant.  The pupil premium funding is used very well, for example in providing small-group support or one-to-one help for individual pupils. Leaders work effectively to ensure different groups have an equal chance to succeed.  Leaders have ensured that the new primary school sports funding is being used to increase opportunities for pupils to take part in competitions and after-school clubs, as well as to improve the quality of pupils’ ability to swim; an important skill in this seaside town. However, procedures to measure the impact of these improvements on pupils’ achievement are only at an early stage

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The leadership and management are good

of development.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. It means that they develop into thoughtful and considerate young people by the time they transfer to secondary school.  School leaders regularly support other schools in the locality with regard to staff training or the assessment of pupils’ work.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed. It challenges school leaders and holds them to account for pupils’ achievement. It compares how well the school is performing against others nationally. Governors are strong supporters of the school. They understand the headteacher’s direction and value her commitment and leadership. They have an accurate knowledge of the quality of teaching and the impact on pupils’ learning because they visit school regularly, observe teaching, look at work in books and speak to pupils about how well they are learning.

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The leadership and management are good

They oversee the performance management of staff and support leaders when difficult decisions are required. Governors check on the use of additional funds, for example the pupil premium funding, and ensure good value for money. They robustly check on safeguarding and child protection arrangements to ensure the best practice is always implemented.

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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 138467 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 443880

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Norton Headteacher Angela Pomfret Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01472 691798 Fax number Not applicable Email address head@bursaracademy.co.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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