Bramford Primary School

Bramford Primary School Chad Road, Coseley, Bilston, WV14 9TU

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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 Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Good leadership and management, since the school became an academy, have made impressive improvements to teaching and achievement through rigorous monitoring.  Morale is high in the school because weaknesses in provision are squarely addressed and action leads to improvement.  Pupils make good progress because teaching is well focused on what pupils must learn.  Achievement in reading and mathematics is improving rapidly. The gaps between the achievement of girls and boys, and disadvantaged pupils and others, are reducing.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. The school is orderly, attractive and stimulating.  Pupils want to learn because they enjoy lessons.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and helps pupils to understand life in modern Britain.  The governing body is well informed and effective.  Safeguarding is robust and pupils feel safe.  There are good links with parents and carers about

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their children’s progress.  The academy trust provides a good structure for supporting the school’s improvement.  There is good emphasis on teaching basic skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Adults interact very successfully with children, extending their understanding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While the curriculum is broad and balanced, teachers do not create enough opportunities to develop pupils’ abilities to reason and solve problems.  Not all pupils read widely.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there are occasions when children do not have enough opportunities to become inquisitive learners, particularly when activities are not directed by adults.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons. In addition, they carried out learning walks to check on pupils’ learning and behaviour.  A wide range of pupils’ work from each key stage was closely examined. Inspectors listened to some pupils reading and talked to them about their books.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the senior leadership team and middle managers. Discussions were held with five governors, including the governor with responsibility for safeguarding. The academy trust leaders were also interviewed. Discussions were held with groups of pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2 and inspectors spoke informally to pupils during and between lesson observations.  A wide range of school documents were scrutinised, including development plans, the school’s self- evaluation report, monitoring files, information on performance management, finance and safeguarding documentation and policies.  The views of 70 parents and carers on the Ofsted website Parent View were analysed, as well as the

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Information about this inspection

school’s own parent questionnaires.  Inspectors analysed questionnaires from 49 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Kathy Hooper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than average and numbers are increasing.  The school became an academy in June 2013 sponsored by the Griffin Academy Trust. This is its first inspection since that time.  A new headteacher was appointed shortly before the school became an academy.  Since becoming an academy, approximately half of the staff have changed.  The school has a nursery that caters, part time, for 78 children. Its ‘wrap around’ provision caters currently for 10 children. Children attend the Reception class full-time.  The pupils are largely White British, with very small numbers of pupils from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language.  A higher than average proportion of pupils is disadvantaged and is supported by extra funding through pupil premium.  While the proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is smaller than average, there is an average proportion of pupils who have statements of special educational needs.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is provision for before and after school activities and holiday care for which there is a small charge. After school clubs are free.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement by:  challenging pupils to reason, analyse and interpret information  ensuring all pupils read more widely  eradicating the differences in attainment between different groups of pupils  engaging children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in more activities that encourage them to become inquisitive learners.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other leaders have brought about huge improvements in provision. As a result, morale is high. Leaders’ analytical approach to the evaluation of teachers’ work and pupils’ progress ensures that priorities are accurate and precisely identified. Half of the staff have changed since the school converted to become an academy. Teaching across the school is good and has brought about marked improvements in pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team is vigilant, knowledgeable and well supported by the academy trust and by external advisers. There is great attention to detail and a well-worked out cycle of frequent monitoring activities. All elements of the cycle are harmonised to inform the next stage of development and provide evidence of achievement. As a result, there is a culture which sets high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Equality of opportunity is well addressed. Pupils’ progress and the work of teachers are at the core of all the school’s work. Gaps in the progress of different groups of pupils are reducing. The most and the least able pupils are equally valued.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior and middle leaders are very well informed and have improved the quality of provision through their ‘can do’ approach to problems. Teachers’ plans are rigorously monitored on a weekly basis and considered alongside examination of pupils’ books, their progress and observations of lessons. Reviews each half term are focused on priorities identified through the monitoring. There is similarly clear oversight of the progress of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 A comprehensive programme of training is tailored to teachers’ individual needs and has extended staff knowledge of learning in different subjects. Whole school monitoring, linked to targets for teachers to improve their work, and improved accuracy in assessing pupils’ achievement enable all staff to share senior leaders’ high expectations.

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The leadership and management are good

 The environment is bright and attractive because there are stimulating displays of pupils’ work. The school operates as a calm, orderly learning community within which pupils and staff at all levels are bent on improvement. The senior leadership team has the confidence of staff and parents because of their high expectations and good communication.

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The leadership and management are good

 Additional funding, including the pupil premium and the primary sports funding, is well focused on raising the performance of pupils. The achievement of disadvantaged pupils has accelerated due to well-targeted support. Pupils understand how to keep themselves healthy. The vast majority of pupils take part in physical activities on a regular basis. Individual learning needs of pupils are well understood by teachers and their assistants. Well-focused training has enhanced the staff’s subject knowledge.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy trust provides a strong support structure within which the school can discuss issues relating to its improvements and learn from other schools. Additionally, the school has a strong partnership of local schools that is used well to improve the accuracy of its assessments of pupils’ attainment and to extend the learning of its most-able pupils. The expertise of consultants is wisely used to gain external perceptions of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has reviewed its curriculum, taking account of new government guidance, including that to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and well enriched through visits, visitors and whole-school events, such as ‘Extreme Reading’ where pupils identified a wide range of situations in which they could read beyond the classroom. There are residential opportunities and a very wide range of well-attended before- and after-school activities. However, there are relatively few activities that develop pupils’ reasoning skills in order for them to solve challenging problems.

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The leadership and management are good

 Links with parents, carers and the community have been strengthened since the school became an academy. Pupils’ attendance and behaviour are closely monitored to ensure that pupils have the best possible conditions for learning. The principles of respect are modelled well by staff throughout the school. Safeguarding procedures are robust and meet required legislation. Policies regarding complaints and child protection are in place and appropriately applied. Safeguarding training is up to date for all staff and governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed of pupils’ progress and teachers’ work. It uses its members’ experience and skills well to support the school. They have focused working parties; for example, on the use of information and communications technology, that inform the school’s development plan. Governors have a good understanding of the performance of different groups of pupils which they use to formulate their own plan for development. They have a clear policy on the appraisal of teachers, including rewards through the pay structure for good performance. Governors are well trained and understand their responsibilities regarding safeguarding. They check regularly that procedures meet requirements. The school is well placed to continue to improve.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school is orderly and pupils are polite and keen to discuss their learning. Pupils present themselves well and arrive promptly for school, ready to learn. Their attendance is similar to that in other schools.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy school. They also enjoy their homework because it includes a range of practical activities that encourage their parents and carers to become involved. Older pupils understand their targets and know how to make their work better.

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Behaviour

 There have been considerable improvements in behaviour since the school became an academy. Pupils concentrate very well in all lessons. Those pupils with challenging behaviour have appropriate support to help them improve and are well focused in lessons.

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Behaviour

 There are buddies in each year who encourage the full involvement of all pupils in activities at break and lunchtimes. There are supportive relationships between pupils and good oversight by staff. The school council makes sensible suggestions for improving the school.

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Behaviour

 A very high proportion of pupils attend an after-school club. A wide range of clubs involve physical activities that appeal to the full range of interests from dance to football. Pupils’ enthusiasm is promoted by a physical education specialist who takes them for physical education lessons and encourages their engagement in clubs.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils, their parents and carers and the staff all confirm that pupils feel safe.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are using the internet in school and at home. They understand about different kinds of bullying and know what to do in the unlikely event of it happening to them. Racist incidents are rare. Pupils are confident that staff will be supportive in the event of any thoughtless behaviour and they speak warmly of their teachers’ help and encouragement.

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Safety

 Pupils understand how to keep themselves healthy. Pupils are proud of their awards for eating vegetables and fruit. Older pupils, acting as monitors, are vigilant about handing out the awards, refusing to do so until vegetables and fruit have been consumed. Food provided at lunchtimes is good quality and well cooked so that pupils enjoy eating their vegetables. Healthy eating is well promoted in the school’s popular breakfast club.

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Safety

 Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good. Assemblies, school rules and routines, whole-school activities and events promote pupils’ personal development well. There are good opportunities for reflection on learning in lessons. In a Year 3 lesson, pupils explored what heaven might be like. Respectful relationships are modelled consistently by staff.

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Safety

 Pupils learn about British values through their lessons in history, geography and religious education. Tolerance and respect for different lifestyles are reinforced through day-to-day activities. Pupils learn about different cultures though visits and visitors. Pupils have taken part in a youth parliament and local council elections.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching of reading, writing and mathematics over the past two years and high expectations have led to pupils making good progress in lessons and over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Resources have been extended to support learning. For example, those to help pupils’ understanding of number. More books and other reading materials that appeal to different pupils’ interests promote their achievement in reading. A good range of strategies ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs become confident and make good progress. They are fully engaged throughout lessons and discuss their learning well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work well. In many books, there is a detailed dialogue between teacher and pupil about their work and how to improve. Assessment checklists and self- and peer-assessments also help pupils to know what to do to improve. Pupils’ books show that they have acted on advice from their teachers and this is helping them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers assess pupils’ work frequently and accurately. They make good use of progress data and other information regarding previous learning and abilities to plan activities. Work is well-matched to pupils’ level of understanding and their interests. In a phonics lesson, Year 2 pupils rehearsed the letter sounds being taught until they were secure before applying their understanding to their own writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is an agreed approach to behaviour management that is applied consistently. There is very little off- task or disruptive behaviour. Where pupils make outstanding progress, they develop their thinking and reasoning skills while solving problems. On these occasions, they are fully engaged and challenged.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are well trained and question pupils well to ensure their understanding. They work effectively with different groups of pupils, including the most able, to reinforce and extend their understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons where pupils’ achievement was outstanding, teachers had planned key questions that prompted pupils to think hard and promoted high levels of understanding. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, the teacher had prepared a series of questions that took most-able pupils’ thinking onto an increasingly higher plane when they were interpreting graphs. However, scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that pupils are not challenged often enough to question and interpret information across a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress has been rapidly improved by good teaching and well-focused, prompt support for those pupils found not to be making sufficient progress. A comprehensive programme of training designed to improve staff knowledge of mathematics, reading and boys’ writing, coupled with stringent monitoring, have brought about good improvements in pupils’ achievement in all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment when they joined Year 1 from Reception last year, was broadly average. Key Stage 1 achievement shows good improvement over two years, particularly in boys’ writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the time they reach the end of Key Stage 2, data indicates pupils are achieving at levels comparable with those of their peers nationally. Pupils’ achievement in writing is good. In 2014, a smaller proportion of pupils attained the higher levels in tests in reading than is the case nationally. However, the school’s data from monitoring illustrates well how progress is improving throughout the school. More than half of current Year 6 pupils are well placed to attain the higher levels in tests in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015. Scrutiny of pupils’ work and observations of their learning in lessons confirm that pupils are making good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving rapidly. In 2014, disadvantaged Year 6 pupils were five terms behind their peers nationally in mathematics and four terms behind in reading. However, an unusually large proportion of disadvantaged pupils in that cohort had statements of special educational needs. Current data shows that the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is reducing and their progress in reading, writing and mathematics is comparable to that of other pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The weakness in spelling identified in last year’s tests has been firmly addressed. The weaker performance of some Year 6 pupils in 2014 in tests of spelling, punctuation and grammar has been analysed and a range of support has been put in place. The gap in the performance of boys and girls in reading has been reduced.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of the vast majority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good in reading, writing and mathematics. This is due to teachers’ and teaching assistants’ better understanding of individual needs gained from training, and good links with outside agencies and the pupils’ parents and carers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most-able Year 6 pupils demonstrate high levels of reasoning when they interpret graphs and draw conclusions. They analyse their own performance in mathematics to identify ways to make their work better. They write excellent, imaginative stories that contain more than one storyline and ‘cliff hanger’ endings.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most-able Year 2 pupils write in paragraphs using connectives and understand clauses. In mathematics, some are working at levels expected of pupils in Year 3. They are very confident with numbers and some of them work on open-ended problems.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ reading has improved as a result of a greater emphasis on this essential skill and access to a wider range of texts. Nevertheless, not all pupils read widely for pleasure.

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The early years provision is good

 Provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage is good because leaders, managers and staff work well as a team. Leaders analyse evidence of children’s learning and reflect on how best to improve provision. Where weaknesses, are identified these become priorities for action. For example, reading workshops were held for parents because of the limitations identified in children’s reading. The identification of relative weakness in physical development has highlighted the need for large climbing equipment.

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The early years provision is good

 The majority of children’s development on entry is below that typical for their age. Children settle well when they start school, and when they move from Nursery to Reception. The proportion reaching a good level of development, by the end of the Reception Year, is broadly average. The differences in attainment between boys and girls, evident when they start school, have reduced considerably by the end of the Reception Year. They are well prepared for Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Children have a good beginning in the nursery. Their good understanding of routines encourages cooperative and safe behaviour. They begin to learn basic numeracy and literacy skills. For example, children took turns to test each other about which objects had disappeared in a game with ten children using five objects. Some of them could recall two missing items, sometimes giving good clues, such as an initial letter, to prompt their less confident classmates.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s behaviour is good. They are considerate with each other and visitors. Adults provide good role models in terms of respectful relationships and promote communication skills well through all activities. The school’s work to keep children safe is good. The environment is well maintained and attractive and staff are well trained.  Teaching is good and promotes children’s good achievement in literacy and numeracy. Activities are clearly explained and resources are well chosen; for example, those to help them count. Children make good progress because adults work very well with them, extending and reinforcing their understanding. Adults engage children well in continuous talk about what is happening. There are clear routines and children are able to predict events, such as clearing up.

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The early years provision is good

 Assessments of children’s progress are accurate and comprehensive. They are used well to plan next steps and to identify where extra support is needed.

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The early years provision is good

 Although adult led activities promote learning well, for example in number, there are occasions when children do not have enough freedom to make choices and devise activities that help them to become inquisitive learners.

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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 139437 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 449832

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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 sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 493 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Loach Headteacher Claire Williams Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01384 818915 Fax number 01384 818915 Email address info@bramford.dudley.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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