Skip to content

Help us get it right

Sign in (free) to send feedback, so we can tell you when it's fixed.

Schools & FE · School inspection (CIF)

Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley

Inspected 4 Jun 2014 · published 25 Jun 2014 · URN 120120

Help us get it right

Sign in (free) to send feedback, so we can tell you when it's fixed.

Original PDF ↗

Summary

Requires improvement

Doris Bell (lead), Julie Griffiths

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Inspection date verified

    4 Jun 2014

  • Inspectors verified

    Doris Bell, Julie Griffiths

  • Leadership and management AI-checked

    Requires improvement

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Requires improvement

  • Previous overall verified

    Outstanding

  • Postcode verified

    LE9 6QX

  • Name on report verified

    Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley

  • URN verified

    120120

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

Join free to get a short, plain-English summary of any report.

Grade profile

Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2008.

  • OverallRequires improvement
  • Leadership and managementRequires improvement

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+10Mostly positivemore positive than 43% of reports of this type graded Requires improvement
OutstandingGoodRIInadequate

In line with other reports of this type graded Requires improvement.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praiseimprovinggood progressoutstandingeffectiveenjoystronghighly effectiveclear
Criticismrequires improvementtoo fewnot alwaystoo ofteninadequatenot good enoughnot consistentlyerrors

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsWhat needs to improveAbout the inspection positive critical
  • Findings458w+87
  • What needs to improve2412w−2

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
10
Words of findings
2,779
about usual (typical 3064)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 47, typical 47
Average sentence
20 words
Next steps
8
typical 8
Hedged sentences
6%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 12%What needs to improve 65%About the inspection 22%

Full report text

Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley Blenheim Crescent, Broughton Astley, Leicester, LE9 6QX

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

p.1

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

 Teaching requires improvement because it has not been good enough over time to ensure all pupils achieve well.  Teachers’ expectations are sometimes too low, particularly for more-able pupils, who too often are not given hard enough work.  Pupils make less progress in mathematics than in English. Their knowledge and use of number is underdeveloped and they have too few opportunities to practise and apply their mathematical knowledge in other subjects.  Pupils’ work in mathematics is not always set out neatly, nor is it marked consistently well. Consequently, errors occur and recur.  Leadership and management require improvement because the skills of those who lead and manage different subjects are underdeveloped. They do not use data sufficiently to identify priorities or help teachers plan challenging lessons in their subjects across the school.  The action plans for different subjects do not focus enough on improving pupils’ progress, or

p.1

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

show how progress towards stated priorities will be measured.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher is successfully improving teaching and learning by managing teachers’ performance well.  Pupils’ achievement in writing, which has been a whole-school focus, it is now mostly good.  Children in Reception are being taught well and have made good progress this year.  Governors have made good use of recent training to improve their ability to question and challenge the school. They now do so robustly.  Pupils behave well. They feel safe and praise the school for teaching them how to keep safe.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 2 of 10

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited nine lessons. Teaching and learning were observed jointly with the headteacher in two of them.  Inspectors also observed play and lunchtimes and held discussions with pupils, governors, staff and a representative of the local authority.  The 28 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered and an inspector spoke to a sample of parents as they brought their children to school.  The 20 responses to the questionnaire for staff were also considered.  A wide range of documents were examined, including information about pupils’ progress and attendance, the school development plan, the school’s self-evaluation document and records and policies about safeguarding and the quality of teaching.  Inspectors also examined the work in pupils’ books. Some of this was also done jointly with the headteacher. They also sampled guided reading sessions and sessions where pupils were

p.2

Information about this inspection

learning phonics (the sounds that letters make). They also listened to some pupils read.

p.2

Inspection team

Doris Bell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Julie Griffiths Additional Inspector Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 3 of 10

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Virtually all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational need.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is below average. The funding is for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.  After a period with an acting headteacher, the school appointed a new headteacher for September 2012. A new deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2013.  At the time of the inspection, pupils in Years 4 and 6, and the staff who normally teach them,

p.3

Information about this school

were out of school on a residential visit. Information about the progress of these pupils, and how well they are being taught, was gleaned from examining their books, records of their progress, and discussions with the headteacher.  Additionally, pupils in Years 3 and 5 were not being taught by their usual teachers.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Across the school, ensure teaching is consistently good or better by:  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do, especially in Years 3 and 4  ensuring that more-able pupils in all year groups have hard enough work to do at all times  making sure pupils understand the importance of doing corrections so that they can avoid making the same mistakes in the future  checking that teachers’ marking, particularly in mathematics, consistently gives pupils clear guidance of what needs to be improved.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in mathematics by:  improving pupils’ knowledge of multiplication tables and sharpening their ability to recall number facts rapidly and accurately  giving pupils more opportunities to use their mathematical learning to solve problems and to apply their mathematical learning to work in other subjects  improving the presentation of pupils’ work to avoid errors in calculation and measurement.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management on teaching and learning by:  developing subject leaders’ skills in understanding data so that they lead their subjects effectively by quickly identifying and addressing aspects of provision where improvements are needed  making sure that, as the new curriculum becomes embedded, teachers understand how to ensure pupils develop their skills progressively in each subject  introducing clear, measurable milestones into all action plans so that leaders can see how well the school is progressing towards the priorities set for each area. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 4 of 10

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By 2013, results had declined to average in Year 2 and Year 6 because not enough pupils had made good progress over time. Although improving, pupils’ progress is still too variable. In particular, the work in pupils’ books shows it is much weaker in Years 3 and 4 than in the rest of the school.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Limitations in pupils’ ability to calculate rapidly have held back their progress in mathematics. Progress is also hindered by pupils’ carelessness in the way they set out calculations. Inspectors saw several examples of scruffy, hand-drawn shapes and number lines in pupils’ books that had compromised their accuracy in measuring and when using different methods of calculation.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, pupils, especially the more-able, are too often asked to repeat work they have already understood instead of being moved on to solving problems using the skills they have learned. Additionally, pupils have too few opportunities to use their mathematical skills in different subjects.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The results of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 were broadly in line with the national average last year but were below average for those who re-took the checks in Year 2.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The initiatives to help pupils who find reading difficult, such as the introduction of guided reading sessions throughout the school and careful liaison with parents, are proving effective. Of the pupils who were heard reading in different year groups, most enjoy reading, and read well.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The whole-school focus on improving reading and writing in the past two years is paying off and the quality of pupils’ handwriting is often impressive. Punctuation, grammar and spelling are usually accurate, handwriting is normally neat and legible, and pupils’ sentence structure and their use of paragraphs are good.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are confident and articulate and they have a good range of vocabulary. They use their literacy skills well in topic work, and use their topic work well to improve their writing and give it purpose. Boys’ writing is improving because lesson activities are imaginative and resources stimulating, and this make them want to write.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although the progress made by pupils supported by the pupil premium also requires improvement, across the school it, too, is speeding up as a result of the well-focused one-to-one and small-group tuition these pupils receive. There were too few of these pupils in last year’s Year 6 to compare their results with those of other pupils, or pupils nationally.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs benefit from being taught on their own or in smaller groups. As a result, they, too, generally make steady progress.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils enjoy and participate well in the wider range of sporting and exercise activities, including competitive sport, that are available to them as a result of the sports funding. Specific sessions to improve the movement skills of the youngest pupils are helping to improve their overall physical fitness and control.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Typically, children start school with the skills expected for their age. Pupils currently in Reception are making good progress. Their written work in particular shows that they will start Year 1 at a higher level than previously. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 5 of 10

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although improving, teaching still does not consistently get the best from the pupils. Too often, pupils of all abilities do work of the same level of difficulty and work is not always set at a suitable level. This particularly affects the more-able pupils because their work is not always hard enough. Pupils’ books show that teaching is weakest in Years 3 and 4.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics in particular requires improvement throughout the school. It is a major focus for development this year. Insufficient emphasis is placed on developing number skills and using them to solve mathematical problems, and marking is frequently not good enough because it does not consistently show pupils how to improve.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers too readily accept mathematical work that is scruffy and untidy. There are too few opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in different subjects.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading and writing, including phonics, is rapidly improving, following robust action and effective leadership by the newly appointed headteacher, after a period in which the school had been resistant to change. It is now mostly good. In most classes, pupils’ literacy work is marked well, with clear guidance for pupils on how to improve. Pupils usually respond to this by doing corrections, which teachers then acknowledge. The changes the headteacher has introduced have moved pupils’ learning on well but are not fully in place throughout the school or in all subjects.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers are making better use of what pupils already know when they plan new work. Typically, objectives for lessons are clear, as are the steps pupils need to take to reach them, and teachers question pupils carefully to probe their understanding and extend their thinking.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Support staff work closely with teachers to help disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs to understand what they need to do and to participate fully in lessons.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff ensure pupils explain what they are learning clearly and, increasingly, pupils are able to assess their own work accurately against set criteria. This is helping them to progress. In reading and writing particularly, pupils are rising well to these challenges and their work is improving.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is good in Reception. Staff provide interesting and exciting activities that stimulate pupils’ curiosity and spur them on to learn more.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well so that learning proceeds uninterrupted.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents and pupils say the school manages behaviour well and inspectors agree. Pupils understand and appreciate the systems in place to promote good behaviour and understand the importance of behaving well in lessons so that learning can proceed uninterrupted.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The ‘Peace Garden’ is used very effectively by the school to reinforce the values it is trying to instil in pupils and to give them a quiet area where they can sit and reflect, and many use it. Pupils are mostly caring and respectful. They enjoy coming to school and want to learn. Their attendance remains above average. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 6 of 10

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils readily accept each other’s differences and support each other well. For example, Year 6 pupils, who have been trained as ‘super leaders’, develop a sense of social responsibility by supervising the play shed at lunchtime and by supporting younger pupils at play or with reading.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe and describe how they are taught to stay safe, including when using computers, the internet and mobile phones, riding bicycles or crossing the road.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand what bullying is and readily differentiate between bullying in its different forms and just ‘being mean’ or unkind from time to time. The school council has worked hard, for example, with bullying surveys, to raise awareness of what to do should anyone know of or experience any bullying.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has good procedures for dealing with any isolated instances of bullying, so that confidentiality is maintained and both the perpetrator and victim receive the different support they need.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers of different subjects and aspects of the school’s work have not always known about or made the best use of the data on pupils’ progress and attainment to help pupils learn well. Teachers do not receive sufficient advice from subject leaders on how to ensure the work pupils are set is progressively and appropriately challenging as they move through the school.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 In the past, the school’s action planning has too frequently focused on improving resources and provision rather than on improving pupils’ learning. Plans do not contain ‘milestones’ or precise criteria that set out clearly how the school’s progress towards its priorities will be measured.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum requires improvement to ensure that mathematics skills are promoted better and in different subjects. However, a good start has been made on implementing the new curriculum and ensuring that literacy and personal development skills are promoted well within it. The curriculum is further enhanced by the good range of well-attended clubs and extra-curricular activities.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has accurately identified and prioritised what the school needs to do to improve. She is successfully involving staff and governors every step of the way so that they understand why changes are being made and what impact they are having. The willingness of most teachers to improve their teaching and thereby pupils’ learning is one of the key factors in the better progress pupils are now making in most year groups.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 With the appointment of a new deputy headteacher, the school now has a strong senior leadership team with the capacity to improve the school further. The school now has an accurate view of where improvement is needed, and has set the right priorities to get that improvement.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. Actions taken to improve reading and writing throughout the school have proved successful and an equally robust approach is being taken to improve children’s early grasp of mathematical concepts and skills.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The management of teachers’ performance is now good. Teaching and learning are checked frequently and rigorously, and staff are given clear guidance on how to improve. Areas for improvement are always followed up including and where necessary, additional support and Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 7 of 10

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

training is provided. Teachers know how their targets fit into the school’s overall priorities and arise from the school’s self-evaluation.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school caters well for a wide range of disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs and it makes good use of external agencies to help the pupils learn. The new leader for this aspect of the school’s work has made a good start on improving the provision.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. It is reflected in good relationships throughout the school, in the pupils’ positive attitudes to school and to learning and in their good behaviour. It also manifests itself in the pupils’ acceptance of each other’s differences and their understanding of different faiths and cultures.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Equality of opportunity is promoted well in relation to breaking down stereotypes and eliminating any form of discrimination, including the use of racist and homophobic language. It is not as evident in the provision to help more-able pupils learn as well as they should.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided good support for the school’s governance. It recognises the strength of the headteacher and her ability to improve the school and halt the recent decline in standards.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures, including for child protection, meet the government’s current requirements and all training is up to date. The school is vigilant in checking that all staff and volunteers are suitable persons to work with children.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has used training opportunities well to improve its systems and procedures and hold the school to account. Governors now question the school much more robustly about its effectiveness than in the past. They visit to gain information at first hand and have been particularly vigilant in monitoring the impact of pupil premium spending. They understand data about pupils’ performance, know the school well and play an important part in improvement planning. The headteacher keeps them well-informed.  Governors ensure that reviews of the performance of teaching and support staff are carried out and that pay awards are linked to it. They support the head well in making difficult decisions so that the school gets the best for the pupils, and ensure leaders challenge any staff whose performance is not good enough. They have made sensible decisions about how

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

to use sports premium funding. The funding has been used wisely to extend sporting and exercise activities and to train staff to teach physical education and sport better. Governors are adamant that, should the funding cease, the school will be well placed to continue what it has started. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 8 of 10

p.7

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

p.8

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. Inspection report: Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley, 3–4 June 2014 9 of 10

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 120120 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 444282

p.9

School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 206 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Stephenson Headteacher Mandy Fieldsend Date of previous school inspection 15 April 2008 Telephone number 01455 283247 Fax number N/A Email address admina5@orchardcofe.leics.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

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

p.10

Discuss this inspection

Members compare notes on inspectors and inspections here. Join free to read and post.

Join the discussion