Brown Clee CofE Primary School

Brown Clee CofE Primary School Station Road, Ditton Priors, Bridgnorth, WV16 6SS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a good school

 The headteacher provides clear and determined leadership. He is well supported by staff and an effective governing body. As a result, pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching have continued to develop well since the previous inspection.  Attainment is above average by the end of Year 6 and all pupils achieve well from their different starting points.  Children make a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage and, as a result, they are well prepared for Year 1.  Teachers ask probing questions and make good use of teaching assistants to promote pupils’ learning.  Pupils are well behaved. They are considerate towards each other and take pride in their work.  Pupils feel safe and are cared for well.  Attendance is above average.  The school promotes pupils’ health and personal development well. Pupils participate in a wide range of sporting activities with enthusiasm.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, work set does not provide the most appropriate challenge for pupils.  Progress in writing is not as good as in reading and mathematics because pupils do not consistently check their spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Sometimes, marking and feedback do not show pupils the next steps they need to take to move their learning on.  There are too few opportunities for teachers to share good practice in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in seven sessions, all of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with groups of pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector listened to groups of children reading, looked at work in a very wide range of pupils’ books and analysed the school’s information showing pupils’ progress.  A range of documents provided by the school were evaluated, including assessment information, minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school action plans, the self-evaluation report, records of the monitoring of lessons and information relating to teachers’ performance management and professional development. The school website and records relating to safeguarding were also checked.  The inspection took account of 19 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View), the school’s

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Information about this inspection

analysis of a recent survey of parents’ views and spoke to parents informally. The inspector also considered the 13 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

David Evans, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  Only a small proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional government funding allocated to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics .  The headteacher joined in September 2010, following the last inspection. There have been changes of staff, including senior leaders, since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress in writing by ensuring that:  pupils are moved on to harder work as soon as they are ready  pupils always correct their spelling, punctuation and grammar  marking and feedback to pupils consistently shows them the next steps they need to take to move their learning on  there are more opportunities for teachers to share good practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and governors lead the school well. They have a clear understanding of how the school is performing and where it needs to do better.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school development plan identifies the key priorities for improvement and has a strong focus on further improving teaching and raising achievement. For example, leaders are aware that progress in writing, especially in spelling, punctuation and grammar, is not as strong as in reading and mathematics, and this is being addressed.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders check the quality of teaching, and closely monitor and evaluate pupils’ performance. Any underachievement is tackled by providing pupils with extra support when they need it. As a result, all groups of pupils in the school are making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systems to manage staff performance have been reviewed and are now robust. They have resulted in improvements in teaching and in the achievement of pupils. Teachers are held accountable for pupils’ performance. Support plans, where required, have helped to improve practice. Staff training is closely linked to the performance targets set for teachers and the governing body ensures that staff pay rises are dependent on pupils making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 While teaching is good, it is not outstanding overall. There are examples of outstanding teaching in the school, but staff do not yet have sufficient opportunities to share this best practice and to observe outstanding teaching in similar schools so that they can further improve their skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The good achievement for different groups in the school clearly demonstrates the impact of the shared commitment of leaders’ and staff to tackling discrimination and providing equal opportunities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of its pupil premium funding, providing an extensive programme of support for reading, writing and mathematics. The success of this is shown in the improved progress of those pupils eligible for support through this funding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes a good contribution to pupils’ health and well-being. The school is using the additional primary school sports funding successfully to improve teachers’ skills and to extend the range of physical education activities in the school. Specialist coaches and teachers train staff, take lessons and run activities. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ physical well-being and lifestyles.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have strong links with the local church and their community. They welcome opportunities to learn first-hand about other religions and cultures by visiting religious temples. They develop a good understanding of life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is in the process of planning its preferred approach to assessment following the removal of the National Curriculum levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority knows the school well and provides appropriate support and challenge.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are well informed and led very effectively by an experienced Chair. They have a clear view of the school’s strengths, and understand how it is doing in comparison with other schools. Governors undertake training to improve their skills and to enable them to improve their effectiveness. Many visit the school routinely and have first-hand experience of the life of the school, including the quality of teaching. They hold the school to account by setting challenging targets as part of the headteacher’s appraisal and by asking searching questions in formal and informal meetings. Governors oversee the school budget effectively and understand how extra funding, such as the pupil premium and the primary school sport funding, is spent and the effect it is having. They ensure that the school meet its statutory duties, including those related to safeguarding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. It is often exemplary in lessons, during acts of collective worship and as pupils move around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s records of behaviour and talking with pupils show that poor behaviour is rare. Pupils get on well with their teachers and with each other. They take pride in their work and behave well in lessons so that learning typically proceeds without interruption. Pupils have a good understanding of how their behaviour affects others and know that they should be kind and considerate. There have been no recent exclusions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are enthusiastic to learn. They listen carefully to the adults and concentrate in lessons so that very little time is wasted managing behaviour. Pupils take care over the work in their books and this is neatly presented, showing the consistency of their eager attitudes and drive to do well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel very safe in school, and know how to keep themselves safe; for example, when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know about the different forms of bullying, but say that bullying is very rare in school. They feel that the school deals effectively with any incidents of bullying that may arise. This is confirmed by the school’s records.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in high levels of attendance and consistent punctuality.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In the school’s own questionnaires, all staff and the vast majority of parents and carers agree that pupils are well behaved and that they are happy and safe at school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good. Teachers observe and question pupils skilfully to extend their thinking and deepen their understanding and knowledge. Pupils enjoy their learning because they are provided with interesting activities and, in the main, the work is set at the right level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Members of staff are enthusiastic and form strong relationships with pupils. As a result, pupils learn quickly and are confident and happy at school. One pupil commented that ‘Teachers always encourage us.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms are attractive and well organised. Pupils’ work is displayed with care so that pupils feel their efforts are valued.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is now good. Staff establish a balance between activities directed by the teacher and those chosen by the children, and between the indoor and outdoor environment. The children are helped to make especially good progress in their language and communication, mathematical and personal skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers across the school provide interesting activities that make pupils keen to work hard and learn. Good use is made of the outdoor environment for personal and social development. For example, in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children eagerly prepared for their tasks in the school’s outdoor ‘Forest School’ area.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to help pupils who find learning more difficult. This includes pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium and those who are disabled or have special educational needs. As a result, these pupils make good progress and achieve at least as well as other pupils in the school. Teaching assistants provide individuals and small groups with invaluable support. They ask probing questions and ensure that pupils are given confidence to tackle new activities and problems.

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The quality of teaching is good

 While expectations of what pupils can achieve are generally high, teachers do not always make sure that the work set is challenging enough to enable pupils to learn as much as they could. As a result, pupils are sometimes not given work that enables them to make the best possible progress and reach the highest levels.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ books show that they make good progress over time. Their work is marked regularly and teachers’ comments in books encourage and praise pupils’ efforts, but teachers do not consistently identify for pupils what they need to do next in order to move their learning on. As a result, pupils are not always sure how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their work. Teachers do not always check that pupils respond to the advice they are given through marking .

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment on entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage varies from year to year. This year the majority of children were working within levels typical for their age when they started in the Reception class. Children make at least good progress in relation to their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is the strongest area of achievement for all groups of pupils and this is seen particularly in the younger pupils due to their good knowledge of different letters and sounds. In 2013, an above-average proportion of pupils reached the expected level in the Year 1 screening check in phonics (letters and sounds).

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s tracking information and work seen in a wide range of pupils’ books show that pupils currently in Years 1 and 2 are continuing to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The current Year 6 pupils are performing above expected levels for their age in reading, writing and mathematics and have made good progress over time. However, progress in writing is not as strong as it is in reading and mathematics because pupils do not always check their work for avoidable mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There has been a rapid improvement in standards in mathematics and pupils are confident in their knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They are also confident in applying what they know about numbers to investigate and solve mathematical problems.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop good speaking and listening skills because they are given regular daily opportunities to discuss their learning with each other.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Recent data about pupils’ progress show that a large majority are making accelerated progress. This is as a result of improvements in the quality of teaching and the thorough assessment of pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported well. The adaptations to the curriculum for these pupils, combined with new procedures to monitor their progress and fluency in reading, writing and mathematics by skilled staff, result in good progress, and the gap in attainment between these pupils and their peers in school is narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of the most-able pupils has improved over time and is now good in all year groups. This is also the case for the least-able pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are too few pupils eligible for pupil premium funding to comment on their attainment without identifying them. The school identifies their requirements accurately and quickly puts in place effective support for their particular learning needs so that they make the same good progress as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are strongly encouraged to develop personal interests and to use their skills and talents in subjects that are not formally assessed. Pupils particularly enjoy physical education and sport. The extra funding coming into the school to support these areas is being very well spent; all pupils are benefiting and nearly all say that sport and adventure activities are amongst their favourites. The school has a strong record of successes in sport.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years are good. Effective induction systems and good links with parents and carers prepare children well for school life.

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The early years provision is good

 Children settle quickly into the Reception Year, where they are in a mixed-age class with pupils from Year 1. They are supported effectively by the teacher and teaching assistants and are helped to learn through adult- led and child-initiated learning activities. Facilities, indoors and outdoors, have recently been enhanced and are used effectively to engage children’s interest and motivate them to learn. The children enjoy school and attend regularly.

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The early years provision is good

 The teacher and teaching assistants work together effectively to provide a well-planned range of activities. Increasingly, these are ensuring that the children are achieving as well as they can. Children’s progress is monitored carefully and the staff form positive relationships with the children and their parents and carers, which supports the children’s learning and development.

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The early years provision is good

 Reception Year children and pupils in Year 1 play and learn equally well on their own, with an adult, and with each other. Staff know the children well and adapt tasks or activities to take into account their capabilities and their specific learning needs. They enable children, including those who have special educational needs, to communicate clearly, make decisions and think for themselves. They know when to interact with children while they are playing and help the children to develop their ideas or learn something new.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 123532 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 448549

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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 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Margaret Buckingham Headteacher Andrew Spreadborough Date of previous school inspection 15 March 2010 Telephone number 01746 712652 Fax number 01746 712054 Email address admin@brownclee.shropshire.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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