Bournehall Primary School

Bournehall Primary School Bournehall Avenue, Bushey, WD23 3AX

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is exceptionally well led by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, with the strong support of the Chair of the Governing Body. Their high expectations are shared by all staff and governors, and they have the strong support of parents.  The school’s leaders and staff team have been highly successful at rapidly raising standards. They have improved the quality of education since the last inspection.  The sharing of teachers’ best practice is highly effective. Staff work very closely together to ensure that pupils build the skills they need.  Marking is highly effective in every subject and every year group.  The range of subjects and learning activities make an excellent contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Parents are highly positive about all aspects of their children’s education.  Pupils’ behaviour is usually exemplary and they have exemplary attitudes to learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Subject leaders are highly effective at introducing new ideas to the school that continue improvements but they do not always spend enough time seeing how well pupils are doing in lessons.  The school’s work to tackle discrimination of any type is highly effective. Pupils happily work and play together.  Pupils say they feel very safe and very well looked after. Their enjoyment of school and commitment to their learning are shown in their attendance, which has risen and is above average.  Teachers have high expectations for what pupils can achieve, and are effective in motivating and enabling pupils to enjoy school and learn well.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational or behavioural needs are exceptionally well cared for.  Teaching assistants and other adults work closely with teachers to ensure that pupils, including those who have specific learning needs, do not fall behind.  Pupils make good and often outstanding progress in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

all classes. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment is well above average and has risen in each of the last four years.  Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their next stages in education and for life in modern Britain.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make an excellent start to school and in developing their reading, writing and number skills. They make rapid and sustained progress across all areas of learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed a wide range of lessons, part-lessons and activities taught by all teachers at the school, as well as groups led by teaching assistants. Some observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Inspectors also observed assemblies, lunchtimes and playtimes, as well as pupils arriving at and leaving school.   Discussions were held with pupils, parents, teaching and other staff, school leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.   The inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books, listened to pupils read and talked to pupils in every class about their work.   The inspectors took account of the 63 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and the 22 responses to the staff questionnaire. Inspectors also obtained the views of a number of parents collecting their children from school.   The inspectors observed the school at work and considered a range of documentation. This included

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Information about this inspection

school and other data on pupils’ progress and attainment, school improvement planning and the school’s work to judge its own performance. In addition, the inspectors looked at minutes of governing body meetings and documentation relating to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. 

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Inspection team

St.John Burkett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bournehall Primary School is an average-sized primary school.   Just over half of the pupils are White British. Among other pupils, at least 17 ethnic groups are represented. An above-average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.   An above-average proportion of pupils joins or leaves the school partway through their primary education.   The school receives pupil premium funding for one in six of the pupils on roll, which is close to the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.   One in seven of the pupils at the school are disabled or have special educational needs. This is similar to the national average.   The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics. 

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Information about this school

 Children begin school full time in the Reception class. 

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of subject leadership in the school by ensuring that subject leaders use the time available to them to see how well pupils are working in their classes.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The dedicated and outstanding leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher has enabled pupils to achieve success and staff to teach to a high standard. They have ensured that the range of subjects taught is closely matched to the interests of pupils. They are well supported by the Chair and a knowledgeable governing body, and highly positive staff who all share leaders’ commitment in helping the school to continue to improve.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is uncompromising in the belief that pupils from the local area, including those with particular educational needs can flourish and succeed within the strong community which has been created. She has created exceptionally robust and successful systems for the way the school is organised and set high expectations for outstanding standards, which are increasingly being met.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and subject leaders carry out their duties rigorously. They collaborate extremely well, monitoring all aspects of the school’s work closely to ensure pupils do their very best. The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed very effectively.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is thorough and accurate, and the results are used to inform the next steps needed to raise standards to even higher levels. The careful coordination of teachers’ planning, rigorous scrutiny of pupils’ books, rigorous tracking of performance data and attentive listening to all pupils’ views through the ‘News and Views’ assembly and other means, contribute to an effective appraisal of the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum is rich, varied and well balanced, and there is a very wide range of lunchtime and after- school activities available to pupils. By working towards a range of nationally recognised awards, such as the British Council International School Award and the LOtC (Learning Outside the Classroom) Mark, pupils’ learning is extended and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. For example, for the LOtC Mark, pupils have the opportunity to learn in the school’s outdoor classroom and in other areas created for them outside, such as around the fire.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The system for teachers and other staff to share their best practice is highly effective in helping pupils to achieve well. The consistent quality of teaching across the school is impressive.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The learning activities set for pupils of all ages and abilities are very good at promoting excellent achievement. Tasks are highly challenging. The school’s ‘Challenge’ system is particularly effective because it allows, with guidance, pupils to select one of three levels of challenging work for each lesson. This inspires pupils to do as well as they can. In response to the national changes being made to assessing primary school progress, the school is developing a thorough new system.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Careful use of the pupil premium has led to rapid progress being made by disadvantaged pupils so that, by the end of Year 6, all pupils achieve at least the expected level for their age.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The School Improvement Partner has worked closely with the school to provide a high level of challenge to the headteacher. The headteacher makes sure that the advice of the School Improvement Partner is always acted upon promptly and effectively.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has very effective arrangements for safeguarding its pupils and it ensures that statutory requirements are fully met. A high proportion of staff are trained in child protection and the school employs family and community workers who work throughout the year, not just in term time.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school makes use of its national primary school sports funding to train staff and to provide pupils with additional sporting activities, including more opportunities to take part in competitive sport. Pupils take part enthusiastically and in high numbers. They say they greatly enjoy the opportunities they are given.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Subject leaders are highly effective in working together with staff to improve how subjects are taught. Together, they identify where improvements can be made and introduce new ideas to the school. For example, improvements in the way reading was taught led to higher levels of achievement, and the newly revised curriculum ensures all pupils are interested in what they are learning. However, subject leaders do not always take the time available to them to see how well pupils are working in classes across the school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is highly effective. The governing body is led by an experienced and effective Chair. Governors are exceptionally well informed and have an excellent understanding of the school’s performance, including the quality of teaching because they receive high-quality information from the headteacher and because they are welcomed into all aspects of the school’s life and activities, including school improvement activities. They make visits which demonstrate a high level of knowledge about the work the school does, and which enable them to check that pupils are receiving a high-quality of education.  Governors ensure that financial resources are well managed, including the use of the pupil premium, and the additional sports funding. They are involved in setting targets for the headteacher, and they make sure that teachers’ pay awards are linked to their performance and the progress their pupils

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The leadership and management are outstanding

make. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements are closely reviewed and fully meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are highly positive about their school and act responsibly in managing their own behaviour and that of other pupils in the school.

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Behaviour

 The school has encouraged pupils to be articulate, and they freely express their views about standards of behaviour and the importance of showing respect for each other. This message is quickly embraced by those joining partway through the year and contributes to the friendly, harmonious community atmosphere of the school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are exceptionally positive in their attitudes to learning and take great responsibility for helping each other in their work and across the school. Year 6 pupils show visitors around, run lunchtime activities such as a chess club and lead the ‘News and views’ assemblies, at which all pupils are asked their views about a range of topics, such as the rewards they can earn at school. Pupils in Key Stage 2 act as buddies for younger pupils, listening to them read.

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Behaviour

 The school teaches pupils about a range of issues including bullying. Pupils say there is always an adult on hand to deal with any issue which may arise, and that adults go beyond what might be expected to help them to work and play happily.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has risen and is now above average because the school has taken firm action to follow up absences. They have worked closely with parents to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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Behaviour

 Pupils, staff, parents and governors are proud of their school. The school buildings and grounds are impressively litter free, and pupils take great care of their classrooms and school environment. They have places where they can sit quietly and reflect, as well as the opportunity to join a wide range of clubs at lunchtime and after school. Pupils all speak positively about how much they enjoy and value being a part of the school, and this is evident in their very smart appearance and their impeccable manners.

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Behaviour

 Parents, pupils and staff agree that behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. A significant number of pupils at the school have educational needs, which means they also need to be supported for their behaviour, and staff at the school manage this well. Other pupils help by including all pupils within their activities. However, just occasionally, the pupils being supported can disturb the concentration of others.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All parents responding to Parent View agreed that their children felt safe at school. Parents express great confidence in the care the school provides for their children.

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Safety

 Pupils have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe in and out of school. They are knowledgeable about e-safety and understand the potential dangers of misusing the internet. A recent workshop on this for parents, which was put on at the same time that pupils were learning about e-safety, was particularly well attended.

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Safety

 Pupils are very aware of the different types of discrimination because the school engages in a wide range of programmes, including some designed to teach them about racist and homophobic bullying. As part of its work in promoting tolerance and combating discrimination, Bournehall has become a Rights Respecting School, Fairtrade School and a Stonewall School Champion. Pupils are adamant that discrimination never happens in school, and that bullying rarely, if ever, happens. Inspectors noted that all pupils worked and played happily together throughout the school.

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Safety

 Staff and some governors are recently trained in first aid, safer recruiting and other areas which help to keep pupils and staff safe. Administrative arrangements to ensure all personnel are safe to work with children are rigorous and child protection is outstanding. The family and community workers work with families all year round, including families new to the country. Several parents told inspectors how staff go out of their way to help and support families when issues arise. The school carefully tracks children’s progress and identifies where additional support, including emotional or parental support, is available for any who may require it.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 School leaders have placed a strong focus on ensuring high-quality teaching and learning. Consequently, the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is outstanding. The expectation that pupils help themselves and others to learn is particularly effective and contributes to the positive atmosphere and pupils’ enjoyment of lessons. ,  Teaching is equally strong in all subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers and other adults communicate their high expectations, and lessons have an excellent variety of challenging activities and opportunities for pupils to be involved throughout. The school’s system of pupils choosing their own level of challenging work from three prepared for the lesson works well because pupils have been taught well how to make such a choice. Pupils are highly motivated by working with others and by the interesting tasks which teachers plan and set for them.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils know what is expected of them and so they learn exceptionally well. They enjoy developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills across different subjects. They are highly responsive when teachers and supporting adults question them closely to encourage them to think more deeply, and they are skilfully helped to work things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants make an important contribution to developing pupils’ excellent learning and progress. The quality of their questioning is very high. They know the pupils well and are sensitive to their needs. Consequently, they help to ensure that all pupils make the very best progress that they can. Learning Support Assistants are effective in supporting the special educational needs of pupils at the school and in helping those pupils who are learning English as an additional language. Across the school, pupils are articulate and learn to speak English well.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers very effectively link activities with pupils’ overall targets so that they understand exactly what is expected of them and how they can achieve greater success. Pupils say they understand what they are aiming for and the older pupils find it helpful to use prompts about how to succeed when regularly reviewing and checking their own work. They readily show that they have the highest motivation to achieve their absolute best.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Marking across the school is thorough and pupils receive the most helpful feedback through spoken comments during lessons. The highly effective system which ensures work in all subjects and age groups is marked equally well ensures pupils’ progress rises because they understand how to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils help each other to learn and to work out the answers to problems they are given. They have been taught skills to check their own work, and this helps them to learn quickly and accurately. They are beginning to discuss and check their answers more often within their working groups, and this is making their work even more accurate.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children usually start in the Reception class with skills and understanding that are at levels below those typical for their age, particularly in literacy and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, they are about two terms ahead of other pupils nationally in the levels they attain in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Year 1 pupils consistently achieve results that are well above national expectations in the annual screening check on their knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters make). The proportion of pupils achieving the standard in the Year 2 retakes varies because of the number of pupils who have special educational needs in each year group.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment varies from year to year because of pupils’ different starting points and the varying number of pupils in each year group who are new to learning English or who are supported for their special educational needs. In 2013, attainment in Year 2 was well above average, although it fell back in 2014. Nevertheless, the school’s data shows pupils made good and sometimes outstanding progress over their time in Key Stage 1. For pupils currently in Year 2, school data shows more pupils are on track to reach higher levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils in Year 6 make good progress. The school’s data shows pupils are on track to make progress in 2015 which is above that achieved in 2014. This is because the quality of teaching in the school has risen.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The most-able pupils increasingly make good progress. The school has improved the way it works with and challenges the most-able pupils to improve their work faster. Inspectors noted that all such pupils were working on tasks which were effective in rapidly extending their learning. Where pupils show a particular talent, the school is careful to make special provision to work with parents to provide suitable work which ensures they learn well.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium are given support to promote their learning based on an individual assessment of their needs. Consequently, they make outstanding progress and the gap between their attainment and that of other pupils has closed. In Year 6 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were around a year ahead of pupils nationally in reading and writing, and half a term ahead in mathematics. In comparison with their classmates, disadvantaged pupils were more than half a term ahead in reading and a term and a half ahead in writing. They were two terms behind their classmates in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils have very positive attitudes and high levels of enthusiasm for reading. They use the phonics skills they have been taught to work out unfamiliar words. In Key Stage 2, a wide range of reading material is used to support learning across all of the subjects of the curriculum. Pupils make very good use of the library.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The additional sport funding is used well to develop and enhance pupils’ skills and to bring exciting and different sports into school, such as cricket. Sport has an increasingly high profile in the school and the school has entered competitions, such as for netball and basketball, in which they have been successful.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive exceptionally good-quality support from early on and achieve very well as a result. The use of additional funding has been used effectively to train staff, such as for autism and visual impairment, and the school prides itself in its record of working with all pupils, whatever their need. The new code of practice for special educational needs is effectively implemented across the school.  Pupils joining the school partway through the year soon settle into the welcoming, community environment and they quickly catch up with their classmates, making at least good and frequently outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils who are learning English as an additional language and those from the many ethnic groups at the school achieve as well as their classmates.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 The leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage has had an extremely positive impact on the progress children make in the Reception class. She is very ably supported by experienced staff working across the school. Consequently, the children are immersed in a rich and varied world of interesting activities.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children start at the school with an understanding of letters and numbers that is often below that typical for their age. By the time they finish their Reception Year, a growing proportion of children have well- developed skills and abilities in all areas of learning. The proportion achieving the expected levels of skills and understanding is similar to that seen nationally. This represents outstanding progress in relation to their starting points. Pupils of all abilities develop very positive attitudes to learning and they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education in Year 1.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding. Staff keep a very close check on children’s learning, carefully assessing what they understand. Assessments are accurate and staff use their observations of what the children know and can do to plan new work and to create ‘learning journeys’ which show how quickly children are learning and what they need to do next. The other staff and parent helpers who support activities in the Reception class are well briefed and ensure that all children join in and are challenged to learn well through the questions they are asked. As a result, children make rapid gains in their learning and personal development.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Teachers plan carefully so that they cover all areas of learning, both indoors and out. The outdoor area has recently been improved with the provision of new equipment, and this has created spaces which allow children to be inspired and their imagination to grow. One group of children was digging to ‘build a house for me and my team’ and the teaching assistant used the finding of worms to skilfully develop children’s fascination. Another group were enthusiastically acting out a play read by their teacher. In both examples, and elsewhere across the class, the language and discussion led by the adults made children think hard and helped them all to learn rapidly.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children’s behaviour and safety are outstanding. They quickly learn to share and play together and, increasingly, to concentrate for longer periods. They develop a thirst for learning. Excellent support is given to disabled children and those who have special educational needs. This enables them to achieve as well as their classmates.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children start at the school having attended a wide range of pre-school and nursery settings. The school is beginning to work with some of the pre-schools to develop the way they prepare children to school, such as through teaching phonics in a similar way.

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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 117296 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 448491

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Diana Brown Headteacher Jill Litchfield Date of previous school inspection 15-16 March 2010 Telephone number 020 89504438 Email address admin@bournehall.herts.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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