Bottesford Church of England Primary School

Bottesford Church of England Primary School Silverwood Road, Bottesford, Nottingham, NG13 0BS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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 Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders pay careful attention to improving the school and, in particular, raising the quality of teaching. This has resulted in pupils making sustained good progress in reading, writing, and mathematics.  Children get off to an excellent start to their education in the Reception Year, where the high quality of teaching, coupled with the rich environment, captures their imaginations very well.  Across the school, the quality of teaching is good. Teachers check the progress of the pupils carefully and are held to account by leaders.  Pupils behave well in lessons as well as during breaks, lunchtime and around the school. They are well-mannered, polite and courteous at all times.  Pupils make good progress. The 2014 end of Year 6 national test results show that pupils' attainment in reading, writing, and mathematics has risen to the high standards expected of this school.  Subject leaders, including those new to their roles,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

check the quality of teaching in their subjects very well. The headteacher is supported well by the leadership team in her commitment to school improvement.  The effective governing body has an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school. Governors check carefully the progress of pupils with subject leaders.  The school provides a broad and interesting curriculum that promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet strong enough to ensure pupils make outstanding progress, particularly those who are less able.  Teachers do not always challenge pupils to think harder or more deeply.  Some work set by teachers for pupils, including the less able, is sometimes too easy or too difficult.  The quality of support given to pupils by teaching assistants is not always effective enough. This is because their work is not checked closely enough by leaders and they are not given enough guidance on how to improve their work.  The performance of girls in their mathematics does not always match that of boys in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons or parts of lessons, of which two were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and reviewed the work in their books.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, pupils, parents, members of the governing body, and members of the teaching staff.  Inspectors took into account the results of the school’s recent parental surveys, the 88 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, one letter from a parent, and 27 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body, and school policies.

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Inspection team

Faheem Chishti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bottesford Church of England Primary School is an average-sized primary school.  Bottesford converted to become an academy school on November 1 st 2012. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding which in this school supports pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is very low.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language is much smaller than that found nationally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in reading, writing, and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding by:  nurturing the talent and expertise in school, so that the best teaching can be shared with all staff  ensuring that teachers encourage pupils to think harder and spur them to complete tasks more quickly and in greater depth  making sure that work is pitched at the correct level of difficulty and provides appropriate challenge, particularly for the less able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders improve the quality of support provided by teaching assistants by:  providing further training for teaching assistants to develop their practice  checking more carefully the improvements in progress made by pupils who are supported by teaching assistants.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the performance of girls in mathematics by providing work that captures their interest more effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well led by the headteacher and senior leaders, who have an accurate understanding of its strengths and areas for development. Together with the governing body, they ensure the school achieves the high standards expected of it.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a very good knowledge of how to keep track of pupils' progress and do so on a regular basis. However, the way they tackle differences in progress, for example, the comparatively slower progress of girls in mathematics, is not always sharp enough.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff with additional responsibilities, including subject leaders, fulfil their duties well. They analyse data well and check closely the progress of particular groups. For example they are now focusing more on the progress of less-able children, which has not been checked sufficiently well in the past to make sure that these pupils make the progress expected of them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leaders responsible for disabled pupils and those who have a special educational needs are helping these pupils to make similar good progress to others in the school. However, they do not check closely enough on the impact of extra support provided for less-able pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Checks on the quality of teaching are robust. Key strengths and areas for development are highlighted clearly and provide leaders with an accurate view of its effectiveness.

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The leadership and management are good

 Although the school has some outstanding practice, this is not used effectively enough to promote innovation and raise the overall quality of teaching still further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity well and, generally, ensures no group of pupils progresses less well than others. All pupils, whatever their needs, are involved fully in the life of the school. For example, the high-quality music tuition provided by external staff is made available to all pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The appraisal system for checking teachers' performance has contributed well to sustained good teaching over the last two years. Individual targets are used by the headteacher and the governing body to judge whether pay rises and promotion are justified by results.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is in the early stages of identifying a preferred approach to assessment following the removal of National Curriculum levels, working closely with the local cluster of schools to arrive at an agreed approach.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has implemented the new requirements for the curriculum well, with a continuation of teaching through discrete subjects. The school demonstrates its commitment to providing breadth and balance in the curriculum by ensuring a wide range of subjects are studied in depth.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school works hard in preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain. For example, regular visits to places of worship in Leicester ensure pupils have a good understanding of the different cultures and faiths represented in Britain today and what they have in common.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures pupils have a lasting sense of enjoyment of music during their time at Bottesford Primary. For example, during the inspection, pupils prepared enthusiastically for the annual Harvest Festival at their local church.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents who spoke to inspectors were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate the close links between the school and the village community and say that 'teachers care deeply for their children'. Parents’ responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were also overwhelmingly positive. A very small minority was unhappy about some aspects of the school's work. However, senior leaders recognise these concerns and are working to address them effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding extends the many opportunities pupils have to be involved in sporting activities effectively, including a greater range of after-school clubs. Participation rates have risen and pupils from Years 1 to 6 are involved in a range of sports such as tennis, golf, outdoor adventure, and gymnastics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body have the relevant skills to provide sufficient support and challenge to school leaders and carry out their statutory duties well. They have up-to-date knowledge of pupils' achievements and have a good understanding of the key areas for improvement. They are aware of the progress made by different groups of pupils in school. They make good use of school data and are provided with support in making detailed analysis. They are aware of the use of performance management to reward good teaching and to tackle aspects of weaker teaching. Named governors take an active role in their areas of leadership and meet regularly with school leaders to check on the impact of actions in their area of responsibility.  Leadership roles within the governing body are alternated regularly to ensure all governors maintain an active role and are equally skilled in challenging the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors make appropriate use of information to plan the use of funding such as the pupil premium and the primary sports funding. They ensure that pupils benefit from the impact of such funding.  The governing body ensures that safeguarding procedures are robust and meet current requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy coming to this close-knit village school and say that they enjoy learning. They are enthusiastic, eager to learn and those with leadership roles in school, clearly, take their responsibilities very seriously.

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Behaviour

 In the vast majority of lessons, pupils' attitudes to learning are very good and they participate well. On occasion, when they are not engaged fully by the teaching, they fidget, or become distracted, but this is not common and does not affect the learning of others.

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Behaviour

 The school council is involved in the running of the school. For example, councillors ensure playtime is safe by planning a rota for the use of the climbing frame at break times. A selection of pupils from the school council makes presentations regularly to the full governing body. Their meetings are minuted carefully and their concerns are taken forward by school leaders.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour during lunchtimes, break-times, and around the school is polite and orderly, resulting in a pleasurable social experience.

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Behaviour

 Attendance remains consistently well above average because pupils enjoy coming to school, take care of each other, and because parents value the close community links maintained by the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are well looked after and say they feel safe in this school.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good awareness of different forms of bullying, including physical, mental and cyber-bullying. They understand the dangers and risks of the internet and say they have been taught about this in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work seen in last year's books, as well as the work completed in the first few weeks of this term, shows that the quality of teaching is consistently good across the school and across different subjects. This matches the school's own checks on the quality of teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers, usually, have a good understanding of pupils' individual needs and, therefore, are able to set work that is often at the right level for each pupil. Occasionally however, the work provided for some pupils can be a little too hard, or too easy. This results in some pupils not getting on with their learning as quickly as they could.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately and use this information to help the pupils improve. They mark pupils’ books in a systematic and helpful manner. Many pupils respond thoughtfully to teachers’ comments and usually have enough time to carry out tasks suggested to them by their teachers when showing them how to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading is effective. Most pupils have opportunities to read every day and often have more than one book they can take home to read.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Practical resources and computers are used well to engage pupils’ interest, particularly to promote their writing skills. For example, everyday and unusual objects were used in a Key Stage 1 lesson as a stimulus for the development of good descriptive language.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Mathematics is taught effectively, particularly for more-able pupils in the school. For example, more-able Year 6 pupils were challenged with some very difficult problem-solving activities. This high level of interest in mathematics was not matched by less-able pupils, particularly among girls, because the work did not capture their imaginations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 On occasion, the pace of learning slows for some pupils. This can result from the teacher’s focus on particular children at the expense of others, or when the style of questioning results in some children waiting for too long during lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of support provided by teaching assistants, when small groups of pupils work away from the classroom, is not as effective as that found within lessons. This is because the teaching assistants are not always sufficiently well-briefed about the tasks they will carry out. Leaders have not checked the impact of this work as closely as they have checked the work of teachers.

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is good

 Pupils start in Key Stage 1 with skills broadly typical for their age. They make good progress throughout the school. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been well above the national average in reading, writing, and mathematics for the past two years. In 2013, standards of pupils in Year 6 were broadly average. However, the school’s data show that, in 2014, Year 6 pupils' standards were well above average in reading and mathematics and above average in writing.

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is good

 The results of the Year 1 check on pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds (phonics) show standards in 2013 were considerably above the national average. During the inspection, pupils used their phonic knowledge well to read and spell unfamiliar words. Standards in reading remain high at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, with most pupils reaching the required standards expected of them at the end of the Key Stage. In the last two years, the proportions of pupils making better than expected progress are usually above the national average.

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is good

 The quality of writing across the school in a range of subjects is of a high standard. Although not as many pupils achieve the highest standards in writing as they do in their reading or mathematics, standards remain above the national average at the end of Key Stage 2.

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is good

 The achievement of pupils in mathematics is good. Although standards at the end of Year 6 in 2013 were slightly below average, school data show now that standards are above average in 2014. The proportions of pupils achieving the highest levels, including level 6, are a strength of this school. The progress of girls in mathematics however, is sometimes below that of boys in school, and occasionally, that of their peers nationally.

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is good

 Many pupils make more rapid progress than that normally expected, especially higher-attaining pupils, who make exceptional progress in mathematics. This is because they set high standards of themselves and have clear targets, which they know they must achieve. By contrast, some less-able pupils do not always make the progress that is expected of them, as they are often not challenged enough to reach the standards of which they are capable.

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is good

 In 2013, there were no disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 to make a comparison with other pupils in the school or with those nationally. However, disadvantaged pupils in other years do as well as their peers in school and their progress is checked very carefully by their teachers and school leaders. Pupil premium funding is used to provided specific English and mathematics support for pupils in small groups, usually led by teaching assistants. However, their progress in these sessions is not as carefully checked as it is during lessons.

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is outstanding

 Children in the Reception classes get off to strong start to their education. This is as a result of excellent leadership and strong teaching from expert staff who care deeply about the children in their setting. This area is a strength of the school because staff have an exceptional understanding of their subjects and because children are engrossed in their learning more often.

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is outstanding

 Most children begin school with skills and knowledge typical for their age. Children of all abilities make good, and often better, progress, with the vast majority of children leaving the Reception Year working above the level expected of them. They are therefore very well prepared for their next stage of education in Year 1.

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is outstanding

 Children have settled in extremely well to life in school, even though they have only been attending for a few weeks. This is as a result of the careful planning completed by staff who have an excellent relationship with nursery settings, as well as with parents, and have ensured the transition to school has been a smooth one, particularly with the children’s health and self-care.

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is outstanding

 Children are highly motivated and quickly show that they can learn independently, often making use of adults as other 'helpers' who they are not shy of ‘instructing’ to enable them to complete their task. For example, several boys building a space ship with garden materials were able to share the workload, as well as getting an adult to help with digging.

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is outstanding

 The Early Years leader has trained other adults well in the accurate use of systems to assess children's progress. This information is used extremely well to plan the next steps in learning for children throughout the setting, as well as through focused group tasks.

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is outstanding

 Parents play an active role in their children's education through the good use of 'home-links books', as well as by coming into school during lesson time as part of 'open sessions'. This excellent practice enables them to see their children actively learning in the classroom. WHAT INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS MEAN

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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 138905 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 448703

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 264 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tracy Gardiner Headteacher Louise McGrory Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01949 842224 Fax number 01949 842224 Email address school@bottesford.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 .

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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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