Biggin Hill Primary School

Biggin Hill Primary School Academy Biggin Avenue, Bransholme, Hull, HU7 4RL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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

 Outstanding leadership from the headteacher and a team of highly committed leaders and staff is leading to teaching and achievement improving. As a result, all groups of pupils make at least good and many make excellent progress.  By the time pupils leave in Year 6, standards in writing and mathematics are above the national average and significantly above average in reading.  Teaching is always at least good and often outstanding. Lessons are exciting and work set is at just the right level for the ability of pupils.  Some teaching, especially in reading and writing, leads to quite exceptional progress. In these classes, there is a buzz of anticipation as pupils are inspired to work at the very highest of standards.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and provide excellent support in classes and small groups.  Standards of behaviour are outstanding.  There is a tremendously happy atmosphere in school with all adults and pupils striving for their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

very best. Pupils feel very safe.  Provision in the early years is extremely effective and children get an excellent start to school. The classrooms and outdoor areas offer a treasure trove of exciting learning activities so all children thrive and achieve extremely well.  Pupils enjoy a very wide range of activities out of school hours. These include the Bransholme Orchestra, Rock Club, Breakfast Club and performing ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Shakespeare School Festival.  Governors are very knowledgeable. They work very closely with the staff team to make sure that the school continues to improve and high standards are maintained.  Biggin Hill has very high levels of support from parents. As one parent said during the inspection, ‘It’s on my doorstep and I couldn’t wish for any better.’

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes and some sessions led by teaching assistants. A number of observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Discussions were held with groups of pupils, school leaders, staff, parents, members of the governing body and the local authority representative who is also the Academy’s Improvement Adviser.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They carried out walks around the school to review the range of learning activities and standards of behaviour.  Inspectors observed behaviour during assemblies, playtimes and at lunchtime.  A range of documents were reviewed including: the academy’s own records of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, records of attendance, behaviour logs, records of checks made upon adults for their suitability to work with children, long-term plans and governing body minutes.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took into account the 26 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) and the 56 responses to the inspection questionnaire for school staff.

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Inspection team

Carol Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Biggin Hill Primary School Academy includes a nursery and is much larger than most primary schools and offers part-time Nursery education.  Biggin Hill became an academy on 1 April 2013 to form an umbrella trust with local schools in the area. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Most pupils are from a White British background and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for the pupil premium, is well above the national average. The pupil premium is funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The headteacher is a Local Leader in Education and supports the local authority to provide monitoring,

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Information about this school

challenge, support and intervention for other schools.  Biggin Hill is a strategic partner within the Tidal Teaching School Alliance where the headteacher has responsibility for leadership.  Biggin Hill meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The academy holds many awards including the International Schools Award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching even further by sharing the exceptional practice that exists in the school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The very experienced headteacher provides exceptionally effective leadership at Biggin Hill. As one member of the team said, ‘he steers the ship extremely well.’ As a result, staff, governors and pupils share a very strong sense of teamwork and a high commitment to achieve the very best in all that they do.  Senior leaders have a very accurate understanding of what the academy does well and what can be done to make it even better. Leaders’ meticulous plans and well-chosen actions ensure that improvements are extremely effective. This is seen in the very successful improvements in writing across the school.  Leaders regularly visit classrooms, check pupils’ books and assessment information. As a result, they have a very good understanding of the quality of teaching across the school. Just occasionally, opportunities are missed to share the most successful teaching that exists in the school.  Middle leaders are very effective. They have a very good knowledge of the strengths and priorities within

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The leadership and management are outstanding

their subjects and year groups. This group of leaders make important contributions to improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement across the academy.  Leaders’ checks on pupils’ progress are extremely rigorous. Expectations of pupils’ progress are very high and slight dips in performance are picked up quickly. Plans are immediately put in place to ensure that pupils are kept on track for the high expectations.  Very good relationships are at the heart of Biggin Hill’s work and success. Leaders are highly committed to working with parents and do this very well. Parents appreciate that staff listen and that the headteacher is approachable. During the inspection, one parent said, ‘If we are concerned the teachers are always there to speak to us.’  The rich and exciting curriculum is very well supported by a wide range of visits and visitors. These bring learning to life and help pupils to develop values of respect so that they are well prepared for life in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

modern Britain. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 visited Wilberforce House. On return to Biggin Hill pupils were keen to share their new learning about the trans-Atlantic slave trade and excited about opportunities to learn more about West African culture.  The primary PE and sports funding is used effectively. As a result, more pupils than previously are taking part in and enjoy a wider range of sports including baseball, dance, kwik cricket and boxing. The academy’s work with the specialist teacher at Kingswood Academy has helped to develop the skills of staff and to provide high-quality teaching of physical education at Biggin Hill.  Leaders and governors have been very effective in making sure that the additional funding the school receives through the pupil premium is used very well to improve learning for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, these pupils achieve well in relation to their peers and pupils nationally.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors and senior leaders ensure there are equal opportunities for all and good relationships are fostered. Discrimination of any sort is not tolerated.  The academy’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.  The academy works closely with the local authority whose adviser provides effective challenge for the leadership team. The headteacher also makes an important contribution to improving other schools. This includes work through the local authority’s ‘Monitoring Challenge Support and Intervention Initiative.’  The governance of the school:  The members of the governing body have a wide range of skills which help them to carry out their responsibilities very effectively. Governors review data and combine this with their knowledge of pupils’ progress to challenge leaders to build upon the already high standards.  Governors are very well informed about the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress through the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

information provided by the academy leaders. They carry out a range of visits in order to ‘test out the reality’ of leaders’ reports. These also help them to see, at first-hand, how they can support the school.  Governors are aware that teachers are set challenging targets to improve their performance. They check carefully to ensure pay increases are only awarded for good or better teaching and performance.  Governors have an excellent knowledge of the academy’s strengths and areas for improvement. They make highly effective long-term plans and decisions about staffing so that the academy continues to improve.  Governors also ensure important areas such communication with parents are strong. They have recently overseen improvements to the academy’s impressive website.  Governors are strongly committed to their own improvement and carry out reviews to ensure their work is making a difference to the pupils and community that they serve.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils at Biggin Hill show a deep desire to learn. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and respond quickly to requests and instructions from all adults in school. The high quality and considerable quantity of work in pupils’ books is testament to the outstanding attitudes seen in classrooms.  Excellence is encouraged through rewards including the Friday ‘Praise Assemblies’. These are very well supported by parents who enjoy seeing their children’s great pride as they collect their awards.  Pupils are exceptionally polite. They greet visitors with smiles and friendly ‘good mornings’. Parents commented that the school ‘insists on good manners’ and that whenever they visit ‘the children are respectful and open doors for us’.  Lunchtimes are calm and orderly occasions. Pupils chatter sociably and there is no silly behaviour. This is because all adults have the same high expectations and pupils are crystal clear about school’s behaviour

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Behaviour

and discipline policy.  Pupils are very smart in their red sweatshirts and they wear these with great pride. High standards are set around the immaculate school site. There is no litter or graffiti. As a result, pupils treat their school with respect.  Any pupils who need extra help with their behaviour or personal issues are supported very effectively by the school’s Emotional Well-Being Worker.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils understand that there are different types of bullying. They trust the adults in school and say they feel very safe because the adults ‘care for us and keep us safe, they’re like our mums and dads’. Behaviour logs confirm that bullying incidents are very rare and any concerns are always followed up meticulously.  During the inspection, pupils who spoke to the inspectors explained how the school helps to keep them safe in different situations through visits from the police, the fire service as well as through assemblies and posters about staying safe on the internet.  Child protection is a very high priority for the school. There is a full-time officer who oversees this area to ensure that any concerns are followed and checked carefully.  The academy’s large site is very secure because there are very strong systems to ensure that pupils stay

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 During the inspection, pupils described how much they enjoy their learning. One pupil said, ‘It’s brilliant because our teachers make everything fun.’ Teachers and support staff at Biggin Hill make learning and classrooms exciting places. Many examples of excellence are evident from observing teaching, analysing data and reviewing pupils’ books and these support pupils’ comments. Although these skills are not always shared the overall quality of teaching is outstanding and ensures pupils make rapid progress in reading, writing, mathematics and a range of other subjects taught including science and religious education.  The teaching of reading is a particular strength. Phonics (letters and their sounds) are taught in a systematic and very effective way. Inspectors observed Nursery children choosing objects, for example a pan, a bat and a hat and then listening for and repeating the final sound. This ensures that they develop

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

the skills needed for reading and writing. Guided reading is carefully planned across the school with an emphasis on developing pupils’ comprehension skills and their love of reading.  The teaching of writing is most effective because teachers have a good understanding of what makes a good piece of writing. They demonstrate how to write effectively so that pupils have excellent examples as models. Teachers promote writing skills exceptionally well across subjects. For example, in Year 2 books show pupils applying their learning about complex sentences to explain what sort of material would be best for Paddington Bear’s coat.  The teaching of mathematics promotes rapid progress because lessons are very carefully planned. Assessment information is used effectively and activities are at just the right level for different groups of pupils. Marking is very effective and teachers’ written comments in books help pupils to improve because

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

they pose questions and give helpful suggestions for improvement.  Teaching assistants make a very important contribution to the quality of teaching. This is because they are highly skilled and teachers plan carefully so that they are well used to support and challenge different groups of pupils. For example, during a ‘Kung Fu’ Year 5 punctuation lesson, teaching assistants gave less confident pupils the confidence to answer questions about punctuating direct speech. In a Year 6 class, a teaching assistant challenged the most able to identify participles and adverbials.  Teachers check pupils’ progress very carefully so that lessons are at just the right level to maximise learning for all groups of pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants share this information with pupils so that they know exactly what they need to do next.  Teachers’ understanding of different subjects and their specialist knowledge is very secure. They use this

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

to ask very well chosen questions that help pupils to improve their work. Pupils’ books are marked regularly. Where teaching and learning are outstanding the written comments in books are very precise and consistently lead to pupils using the feedback to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is above the national average in writing and mathematics and in reading. Reading is significantly above the national average at the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils leave Biggin Hill very well prepared for moving onto secondary school. Given their starting points this represents outstanding performance.  Inspectors’ review of work in books, visits to classrooms and school assessment information point to a pattern of rising attainment across all key stages. For example, in writing, pupils are becoming more confident to use a range of punctuation, very imaginative vocabulary and well-chosen sentence structures. This is regularly seen in topic work across a range of different subjects. The quality and standards of writing in upper Key Stage 2 is exceptionally high as pupils write at length with an excellent grasp of different types of writing including letters, stories and poetry.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In mathematics, pupils show skills in calculation and applying different methods to solve their problems. Younger pupils are especially adept at using practical resources and this enhances their understanding of the value of numbers.  Reading is a strength in the school. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in the phonics screening test at the end of Year 1 is above the national average and rising. The young pupils who read to inspectors were all confident to sound out unfamiliar words. Older pupils were able to talk knowledgeably about the wide range of books they enjoy reading.  The most able pupils achieve very well. In 2014, the progress of these pupils in Key Stage 2 was significantly above the national average in writing and above the national average in mathematics. More pupils are on track to achieve the highest Level 6.  The academy uses the extra money received through the pupil premium very effectively. It provides

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

consistently strong teaching and a wide range of well-planned support. Across the academy, disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress from their different starting points. As a result, any gaps in their attainment are closing rapidly. In the 2014 tests at the end of Year 6, these pupils were working in line with or above other pupils nationally in mathematics and reading. In writing, they were about half a term below other pupils nationally. In comparison to other pupils in school they were about one term behind in reading and about half a term behind in writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive high quality support. From their starting points, their progress rates are similar to other pupils. This is because there are strong processes in place for working with parents and others. Provision fully meets their needs and these pupils receive carefully planned support both in classrooms and in small groups. Staff who work with these pupils are

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

well trained, skilled and highly committed to ensuring that all pupils succeed.  Pupils’ achievement in other subjects is strong. For example, science books show that lessons are carefully planned so pupils develop their scientific knowledge and answer scientific questions through investigation and carrying out experiments. Religious education books give a similar picture of high quality work. For example, Year 2 writing and pictures show a very good depth of understanding about the celebration of Diwali.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Learning in the early years at Biggin Hill is irresistible. This is because everything in the classrooms and in the outdoor areas is bright, exciting, inviting and at just at the right level for young children. It is carefully planned to encourage exploration and learning in all areas through high quality talk.  Children make rapid progress from their low starting points. The proportion of children meeting the level that is typical for their age is increasing. Children enter Year 1 well prepared for learning with excellent attitudes to learning and the skills they need to make a strong start in Key Stage 1.  Behaviour throughout the early years is of a very high standard. This is because routines are well established and expectations from all adults are clear and consistent. During the inspection, children settled very quickly with few and sometimes no adult reminders.  Teaching across the early years is always at least good and often outstanding. Activities are exciting and

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The early years provision is outstanding

children quickly become absorbed in their learning. Sometimes they do this on their own and at other times work in a small groups guided skilfully by adults. Staff are imaginative in providing opportunities for children to develop their language and writing skills in a range of formal and informal activities.  Teachers use detailed systems to check closely on children’s progress. They plan work for specific needs and make sure that all groups of children including those with special educational needs and the most able get the support they need.  Very rigorous processes are in place to ensure that children are safe. For example, there are regular checks on the toilet and the outdoor areas. Children are encouraged to help by filling in simple charts. As a result, they develop high levels of responsibility and a strong understanding of how to stay safe.  Children get such an excellent start to their schooling at Biggin Hill because leadership and teamwork in

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The early years provision is outstanding

the early years are exemplary. Expectations of all team members are high and there are good programmes in place for developing the skills of all team members.  Leaders work closely with parents. For example, there are regular ‘Stay and Play’ sessions. Leaders also work closely with other schools and the private nursery on the school site. This helps them to make sure that assessment information is accurate so that children get an exceptionally good start to school.

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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 139508 Local authority City of Kingston upon Hull Inspection number 449970

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 613 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kath Cutler Headteacher Alan Chaffey Date of previous school inspection 19 November 2008 Telephone number 01482 825377 Fax number 01482 825377 Email address head@bigginhill.hull.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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