Bury CofE Primary School

Bury Church of England (Aided) Primary School West Burton Lane, Bury, West Sussex, RH20 1HB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils across the school make good progress from their individual starting points. The progress pupils make between Year 2 and Year 6 has improved over the last few years.  Through good teaching, children in their Reception Year make good progress and are well prepared to move on to Year 1.  Younger pupils quickly learn about the links between sounds and letters (phonics).  Pupils across the school enjoy reading. Older pupils read with fluency and use of intonation to convey meaning.  The behaviour of the pupils is excellent. Their enthusiasm and very positive attitudes to work make an extremely positive impact on their learning.  Pupils are well looked after in school and kept very safe.  The headteacher is determined in her efforts to continue to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement across the school.  Teachers are taking on greater roles and responsibilities for the different subjects. Together

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

they form a good team that supports the headteacher well.  The quality of teaching is improving through the good support and guidance provided by the headteacher.  The school works well to remove any barriers to pupils’ learning. It ensures all pupils have an equal chance to succeed. The school challenges discrimination in any form.  The governing body has a clear focus on the achievement of pupils. Governors are now holding school leaders to account more than they have over the last few years.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stages in their education and for life in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Leaders do not ensure that teachers use pupils’ longer-term targets well enough to tell pupils what skills they need to improve in their work.  Teachers’ marking does not always give pupils clear enough guidance about how they can make their work better. They have too few opportunities to make any necessary corrections.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons and a whole-school assembly led jointly by the vicar of the local church and the headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and senior leaders. The inspector also held a meeting with members of the governing body and met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read and scrutinised samples of pupils’ workbooks.  A wide range of documents were examined, including the school’s information on pupils’ recent progress. The inspector also looked at planning and documentation about checks on teaching, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.  The inspector took into account 26 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. He received one letter from one parent or carer and an email from another. The inspector spoke with a number of parents and carers who were dropping their children off at school. The views of staff were considered through the

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Information about this inspection

six staff questionnaires returned to the inspection team.

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Inspection team

David Hogg, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average size primary school. The school has three classes. Kestrel class is made up from Reception Year children and pupils from Year 1. Pupils from Years 2 and 3 make up Barn Owl class. Years 4, 5 and 6 are taught together in Golden Eagle class.  Nearly half the pupils come from outside the local area.  Most pupils are from a White British background. There are no pupils from non-White backgrounds but there is a small proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. This is much lower than that found nationally.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported on the school roll is under 10% and is in line with the national average.  A very small number of disadvantaged pupils are supported through the pupil premium. This proportion is much lower than that found in most schools. This is funding provided to give extra support to those pupils

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Information about this school

known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than the normal times is well above the national average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that pupils are always given clear feedback in all subjects that will help them to improve their work, and have sufficient opportunities to make their work even better.  Ensure that teachers use the information they hold to better inform pupils about what they are working towards and how this will improve their skills and understanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is determined to improve the quality of teaching. Her development plans have a clear focus aimed at raising further the achievement of pupils across the school.  The school is small and this means all of the teachers have key responsibilities for improving the results in different subjects. Staff work well as a team in checking the progress pupils make. This includes the very small numbers of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils with additional needs.  Teachers make good use of information about pupils’ attainment to decide if individuals would benefit from extra help or if the help they are already receiving is accelerating their progress. As a group, the teachers form an effective middle leadership team. All staff are committed to raising standards and ensuring that all pupils have an equal chance to develop and achieve.  The school has provided good quality training for staff to develop their skills further. As a result, the

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The leadership and management are good

school has eradicated the weaker teaching which occurred in the past. This has enabled pupils to make better progress across the school. The school provides specific targets for staff, linked closely to pupils’ achievement, to which promotion opportunities and salary improvements for staff are specifically related.  The school has received a very ‘light touch’ level of support from the local authority. The school has been able to access training for both the teaching staff and the governors to improve their expertise. The local authority has reviewed pupils’ work in the light of the school’s own judgements, and has confirmed the accuracy of the school’s judgements of pupils’ achievement. In addition the local authority has been effective in helping the school to review its own work.  The school has put in place good programmes for learning. The school looks to widen the pupils’ experiences with visits to local places of interest such as a nearby Roman villa, and with a residential trip

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The leadership and management are good

to an outdoor activities centre on the Isle of Wight. The school also makes good use of visitors to enrich the pupils’ learning. For example, Years 2 and 3 pupils enjoyed a visit from an expert on the First World War. The pupils went on then to write poems that were poignant, showing they had thought deeply about the significance of Remembrance Day.  The school has close links with the local church. Through themed weeks pupils have opportunities to learn about different faiths within the United Kingdom. Pupils are active in fund-raising events for national and local charities. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is supported very effectively. As a result they are given the chance to reflect on diversity in the wider community and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Good relationships are fostered across the school.  The school uses the additional primary school sports funding very effectively. Professional coaches are

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The leadership and management are good

used to widen pupils’ opportunities to take part in sport. The pupils take part in competitions and tournaments in a range of sports including football, netball and cross-country running. School staff work alongside the coaches to improve their own skills. Leaders see it as important to ensure pupils have confidence in water and use the additional funding appropriately to provide swimming lessons for the older pupils.  An overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the Parent View online survey were very positive about the school. All of the parents and carers who talked with the inspector said their children were happy and that the children got along very well with one another. A small minority expressed concerns on Parent View about how the school dealt with bullying. The inspector found no evidence that pupils were worried or had any concerns about how they behaved towards each other.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding and child protection arrangements are robust and meet statutory requirements.  Leadership and management are not outstanding because leaders have not ensured that the quality of teaching is good enough to lead to outstanding achievement.  The governance of the school:  The governing body now has a greater focus on checking how well pupils are achieving and is more effective in holding the school to account than previously. Governors review information carefully, drawing on the expertise they have to compare the school’s results with national averages. Governors check how well the school supports disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs to make sure any targeted support is improving their results. The governing body manages the school’s budget carefully. It has also reviewed the primary sports premium funding to ensure it is well spent. The governors assess the quality of teaching in the school from the reports they receive from the

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The leadership and management are good

headteacher. They also review the school’s development plans and the school’s strategies to improve the quality of teaching in the school. They understand clearly the links between teachers’ opportunities for promotion and salary improvement and the results pupils achieve. Governors check safeguarding arrangements to ensure that they meet national requirements and that they keep the pupils in the school safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  In lessons, pupils' engagement is excellent. Pupils rise to the challenges presented by teachers and produce work of high quality. For example, pupils from the upper school class who were writing play scripts built up the characters of a superhero squirrel and his heroic turkey sidekick through very animated discussions. They did so without any direction from the class teacher.  Pupils are very aware that their behaviour will have an impact on their learning and their chances to succeed. They understand the school’s system to reward good behaviour and eliminate any that is unsatisfactory.  Around school, pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Older pupils play extremely well with younger ones.  Pupils insist that there is no bullying in school and that acts of unkindness are very rare indeed.  Pupils take pride in their work. Their literacy and numeracy books are neat and the presentation of Year 6

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Behaviour

pupils, for example in the topic workbooks, is excellent.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils say they are extremely well cared for in school. They highlight the fact that the new fencing around the school in particular makes them feel very safe. Pupils have an excellent understanding of ‘stranger danger’ and training by outside groups helps to develop their cycling proficiency skills.  Staff supervision of pupils at break and lunchtimes is very effective. Pupils are active and know they will be cared for if they were to have a bump. All staff are trained in first aid and are confident to deal with minor injuries.  Pupils are very aware, through workshops provided by the school, of the need to be careful when using the internet or playing games online. They can clearly identify dangerous situations that could occur if they shared personal information with others online.  Older pupils have excellent opportunities to take on responsibilities. For example, older pupils take care of

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Safety

younger ones when they walk to the local church for acts of worship.  Attendance in school is high and above the national average, and the school has worked successfully to encourage this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time has improved and is good overall. As a result, pupils across the school are making better progress from their individual starting points in most subject areas.  Pupils are helped to learn through tasks that are planned to match the different ages and ability groups within each class. In addition, the small numbers of lower-ability pupils receive good support from the teaching assistants who work closely alongside them. Teaching assistants question and guide pupils but still allow them to work out for themselves what they have to do. The good support these pupils receive helps disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to make similar progress to others.  The school has recognised the need to challenge the more able pupils further. To this end the headteacher now works specifically with a small group of older pupils who have good mathematical skills. Their progress has accelerated as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide pupils with general targets to work towards over a period of time. However, pupils are not always clear about what skills they have to develop to meet them. Teachers do not use the information they hold on pupils’ attainment to ensure that the targets they set allow pupils to improve their skills.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but do not always provide pupils with clear enough guidance that would help them to improve their work. Some pupils said they were not always clear about what they have to do to make their work better. They went on to say that on occasions they have moved on to a new task before they got their work back. Consequently, any feedback on their work does not help them with the tasks they are currently tackling.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small numbers of pupils in each year group over the last few years, especially in Year 6, make comparisons with national figures unreliable. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics over recent years has shown a dip compared with previous years but pupils’ progress between Year 2 and Year 6 has improved. The school’s own records of pupils’ attainment show that the progress most pupils make from their individual starting points is now good, and that attainment is rising as a result.  The school has targeted higher-ability pupils with work that has a greater degree of challenge than in the past. As a result, their progress has accelerated. The school is now enabling the most able pupils to achieve the highest levels in national tests at the end of Year 6.  The number of disadvantaged pupils in school is very low. It is therefore not possible to compare their progress and attainment with national figures with any degree of reliability. The school provides

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The achievement of pupils is good

additional support for these pupils along with support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The school’s own information shows that both groups of pupils make progress that is in line with that of others in their classes. The school remains totally committed to removing any barriers that would prevent pupils from learning. The work of teachers and teaching assistants ensures that all pupils have the chance to succeed.  Pupils develop their reading skills quickly. They go on to develop a love of reading as they move through the school. By the time they get to Year 6 they read regularly at school and at home, enjoying a range of reading material. From an early age, pupils, including those in Reception, write clearly with well-formed letters. They also develop the ability to use appropriate techniques to solve mathematical problems.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children join the school with skills that are well developed in a range of areas, for example in their ability to communicate using appropriate language. Through good teaching these foundations for learning are quickly built upon during their Reception Year. In 2014, the school’s reliable records show that 80% of the pupils had achieved a good level of development by the end of their first year in school. This indicates that pupils are well prepared for Year 1.  The children are confident in the classroom and engage enthusiastically with the learning activities available to them. They enjoy opportunities to work outdoors, in, for example, art activities linked to Bonfire night.  Children work well in some of the activities with the older pupils. For example, the class worked in pairs to build a rocket using junk and scrap materials. The children enthusiastically discussed their designs and

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The early years provision is good

talked about how they were going to build the rocket. They remained so engrossed in the task that they had to be coaxed away from the building activity to move on to the next activity.  Adults work very closely together to provide activities that engage all of the children. Staff understand that most of the children are very capable and look to extend their skills further. For example, children are encouraged to write neatly in phonics sessions and to form their letters carefully. Learning activities are planned carefully and staff make good use of their observations to identify the next steps in learning, both for the children as a group and for specific individuals.  The school has good links with parents and carers. Those who spoke to the inspector were full of praise for the school in general and for the reception staff. Those with children in Reception Year felt their children were making good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Those with responsibility for early years have a good understanding of the needs of this age group. This enables them to plan activities which are suitable for the children and enable them to achieve well.  Safeguarding arrangements specific to the early years provision are robust and keep the children safe at all times.

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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 126022 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 444212 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 Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 62 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bob Murtagh Headteacher Ann Bage Date of previous school inspection 14 May 2008 Telephone number 01798 831502 Fax number 01798 831029 Email address office@bury.w-sussex.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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