Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School

Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School Conynham Lane, Canterbury, CT4 5JX

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher, supported by an effective governing body and committed staff, has ensured that pupils’ achievement is good.  Pupils develop good skills in reading, writing and mathematics, and standards are above average across the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding and pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress.  Teachers and teaching assistants are well trained and supported to improve their knowledge and skills. As a result, teaching has improved rapidly since the last inspection and pupils are now making good progress.  High-quality teaching in Reception enables many children to reach good levels of development.  Excellent promotion of pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s success.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are eager to learn and their attitudes both inside and outside the classroom are exemplary. They feel extremely safe and well cared for.  The wide variety of themes and activities provided by the school ensures that pupils develop skills in a broad range of subjects.  The governing body effectively holds the school to account for its performance and the management of its finances.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching is not yet outstanding so not all pupils achieve as well as they could.  A few less-able pupils are not achieving their full potential in mathematics.  Marking of a few pupils’ books does not always lead to improvements in pupils’ knowledge and skills.  A small minority of parents and carers feel that they are insufficiently informed and involved in their children’s progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 16 lessons, 11 of which were jointly observed with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and inclusion manager. Inspectors carried out a series of short visits to other lessons across the school and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, as well as a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 89 responses to the online Parent View survey, the five additional letters and messages they received, as well as the views of the parents and carers they met. Inspectors also considered the 42 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s own information about pupils’ achievement. Inspectors also took into account the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plans, safeguarding policies, and records and documents relating to staff

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Inspection team

Justina Ilochi, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector Angela Podmore Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average sized primary school. Every year group from Reception to Year 6 has two classes.  The proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium is lower than the national average. This additional government funding is for children who are looked after and for pupils known to be eligible free school meals.  Most pupils are White British. Few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a below- average proportion speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is above the national average. The percentage supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is in line with the national average.  It has recently formed a formal partnership, called the ‘ Canterbury Collaborative’, with other local schools in Kent.  The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching from good to outstanding so that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress, by ensuring that:  the good practice already identified in some year groups is shared across the school  all pupils, especially the less able, are supported to do as well as they can in mathematics  marking of pupils’ books always leads to improvements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve ways of communicating with parents and carers and involving them in the learning of their children.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards are high at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. In 2013, almost three quarters of pupils in Years 2 and 6 attained the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Current school data as well as work seen in pupils’ books confirm that standards remain high.  Most children enter Reception with skills which are expected for their age. Good teaching ensures that many children achieve well to reach good levels by the time they move on to Key Stage 1.  Since the last inspection, pupils have made increasingly rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils, especially the few that speak English as an additional language, are working at higher levels than similar pupils nationally.  The school’s structured approach to developing reading through phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is having a positive impact, and pupils’ reading is secure across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Volunteers support children’s good reading, ensuring they read widely and often.  Writing is improving rapidly and pupils enjoy presenting their ideas in different ways and for different audiences, in a range of subjects. Teachers make sure that children understand the importance of neat presentation and accurate spelling, handwriting and punctuation across all subjects. In addition, teachers enable all pupils, particularly the most able, to extend their ideas and reach the levels they are capable of. This enhances pupils’ progress.  Achievement in mathematics is generally good because of the increased emphasis on teaching problem-solving skills. However school records confirm that a few less able pupils are not doing as well as they could in mathematics.  The school actively promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination effectively. It ensures that disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and the few pupils for whom

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The achievement of pupils is good

English is an additional language benefit from additional support. Consequently, they make good progress from their different starting points.  Gaps have closed in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils supported through additional funding. In 2012, this group of pupils were more than two years behind other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2013, they were between 4 months to one year behind. This year, reliable school data show that, in almost all year groups, pupils eligible for extra support have done better than other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching is enabling successful learning in reading, writing and mathematics. However, not enough is outstanding in order to maximise all pupils’ achievement in every class across the school.  In Reception, staff provide a stimulating, happy atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors. Children quickly learn to work well with each other and make good progress. For example, the teaching of phonics is having a strong impact on children’s early reading and love of books.  The planning of learning is consistent across the whole school and helps pupils to make good progress. For example, support assistants are used to guide pupils’ learning in one-to-one sessions and in small groups, so all pupils make good progress. As a result, pupils, including those who are at a very early stage of learning to speak English as an additional language, make rapid progress.  Teaching is good and most pupils are engaged in and excited about tasks. Their positive

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The quality of teaching is good

attitudes help them to learn well and make good progress. However, such high levels of engagement are not always to be found in mathematics lessons. This is because less-able pupils sometimes find the work too difficult, which hinders them from reaching their potential.  Adults who support pupils in need of additional help, including those with special educational needs, play a significant part in pupils’ successful learning. This is because they are well briefed to support selected pupils.  Teachers’ marking provides clear guidance for pupils about how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. Most pupils are given sufficient time to act upon the advice they are given, revisit their work and make it better. However, this is not consistent throughout the school. Marking in a few books still does not show what pupils need to do to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Teachers and other adults create a calm and welcoming school which promotes reflective learning and celebrates the achievement of its pupils. Pupils value their excellent relationships with teachers and other adults, all of whom make a very strong contribution to their personal development and well-being.  Pupils have exceptionally well-developed social skills. They actively seek opportunities to help each other during lessons and in the playground. They are eager to learn and are highly motivated. Pupils get on extremely well together and respond positively to adults and this contributes a great deal to their successful learning.  Pupils value the many opportunities they have to take on important roles and responsibilities, such as giving out equipment and deciding playground rules.  Pupils respond to staff instructions immediately and interruptions to lessons are very rare. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

fully understand the consequences of unacceptable behaviour and encourage each other to abide by the school rules. There have been no exclusions since the last inspection.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils have an extremely well- developed awareness of different forms of bullying and learn about internet safety. They say that bullying is extremely rare and are confident in the school’s ability to deal with it swiftly, were it ever to happen.  Staff are tenacious in ensuring that all pupils attend school very regularly and consequently, their attendance has been above average for the last two years.  Staff and the governing body check the site very carefully to make sure that pupils are kept safe. Pupils who spoke with inspectors confirmed that they feel completely safe and very well cared for. Parents, carers and staff support this view.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, backed by the governing body and a committed staff, has ensured that most pupils are helped to achieve as well as they can.  Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This has led to the elimination of weaker teaching and high standards of pupils’ work, particularly in writing.  Underpinning the positive picture of good pupil achievement is the strength of systems for checking pupils’ progress. The improvement of this aspect of the school’s work has resulted from leaders’ successful focus on this in their management of the staff’s performance. Teachers and support staff have benefited from high-quality training, particularly on phonics and number work. This has led to improved teaching across the school in these areas.  Subject leaders are developing well as middle leaders and have successfully played a part in evaluating the quality of teaching. This has led to a unified approach to checking pupils’ progress

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The leadership and management are good

and lesson planning regularly across the whole school. In addition, middle leaders have also worked closely in partnership with staff in other schools to raise standards even further in their subject areas.  The wide variety of activities provided by the school, including after-school clubs and visits, ensures that pupils develop skills in a broad range of subjects and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Activities to promote pupils’ personal development and well-being have ensured that these are established strengths of the school. The school offers a variety of popular activities, including musical and sporting events, which pupils say they love.  The school actively promotes physical education and sports. It ensures that pupils are given ample opportunities to be physically fit and to learn to play a range of sports. It has increased its participation in sporting competitions with local schools and is using its additional sports funding

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The leadership and management are good

well to improve pupils’ skills.  The school’s promotion of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is exceptional and is underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos. Pupils are encouraged to celebrate the diversity of different cultures from Reception onwards and time is made for reflection. Assemblies successfully promote pupils’ understanding of moral issues.  The school engages well with parents and carers. Many of them, encouraged by the school, take full advantage of opportunities to help their children to read more widely at home. However, a few parents and carers feel that the school does not sufficiently inform and involve them in the learning of their children.  The school is appreciative of the valuable support which the local authority provides.  The governance of the school:  The governing body makes an effective contribution to the quality of education the school provides. Governors pay close attention to the school’s information about pupils’ progress and

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The leadership and management are good

performance. They know where the school is doing well and where it needs to improve. They also know how additional funding is allocated and are aware that achievement for those receiving it is good. Governors have had relevant training about keeping the school under review. As a result, they have a clear awareness of the main strengths within teaching and how well pupils achieve. They hold the headteacher to account for the school’s performance and the management of its finances, which are sound. Governors have overseen the pay policy for staff and have clear procedures for checking the link between how well staff perform and the salaries they receive. They make sure that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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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 118654 Local authority Kent Inspection number 450902

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 406 Appropriate authority Kent Chair Jeremy Hayter Headteacher Renuka Chinnadurai Date of previous school inspection 24  25 January 2013 Telephone number 01227 830276 Fax number 01227 830649 Email address office@bridge.kent.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 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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