Burnt Oak Primary School

Burnt Oak Primary School Richmond Road, Gillingham, ME7 1LS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 The headteacher and her team have secured significant improvements in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching since the previous inspection.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress across the school. They get off to a good start in the early years. Children’s needs are met well and the children acquire new skills quickly.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, good teaching successfully engages pupils and promotes their good progress. Teachers meet the emotional, social and academic needs of different groups of pupils well.  Pupils’ good behaviour enables pupils to work and play together well. They are tolerant and respectful.  Pupils are kept safe at school and are taught how to avoid risks in the local community. This is preparing them well for life beyond school.  The knowledgeable governing body successfully supports and challenges the school’s leaders.  Leaders make good use of information on pupils’

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

progress to identify and then support those who need additional help.  Disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given high quality guidance to help them make good progress.  Pupils’ learning is enriched by the clubs, visits and sporting and musical activities which contribute greatly to their enjoyment of school.  Leaders and teachers welcome pupils from a wide range of backgrounds. They provide a safe and secure haven for pupils to work in and care for them well. Consequently, there is a happy atmosphere in school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress is more uneven in writing than in reading and mathematics. Teachers do not always expect enough of pupils, especially in Key Stage 2.  Pupils’ attainment has not yet reached average levels in all subjects by the end of Year 6.  Pupils do not always take sufficient care with the presentation of their work.  Teachers are sometimes too slow to adapt work when pupils are finding it too hard or too easy.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 18 lessons, five of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made other, short visits to lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body.  The inspectors took account of the views of 23 parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also analysed the school’s own surveys of parental views and talked to parents at the end of the school day.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, heard pupils read and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress; planning and monitoring documents; the school development plan; records relating to behaviour and attendance; safeguarding information; and health and safety documentation.  The inspectors analysed 38 questionnaire responses from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British, but around one in 20 have Eastern European backgrounds.  Children in the early years are taught full time in one of two Reception classes and part time in the Nursery.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported though the pupil premium is higher than the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for children who are looked after by the local authority.  A higher than normal number of pupils join or leave the school during each year.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The children’s centre which shares the school building is inspected separately. It was last inspected in April

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching and continue to raise pupils’ levels of attainment at the end of Year 6 by ensuring that teachers:  more quickly adapt work in lessons if pupils are finding it too easy or too hard  always expect enough of pupils when they are writing, especially in Key Stage 2.  Improve pupils’ presentation of their work by ensuring that pupils understand the importance of being neat and tidy all of the time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The high aspirations of the headteacher for her pupils in this rapidly improving school are shared by all staff. She and her leadership team are steadily improving the quality of teaching. This means that pupils are now making good progress across the school and their attainment is rising in all year groups.  Leaders are committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity and to the fostering of good relationships. All leaders, including governors, are tolerant and respectful in their dealings with pupils, staff and parents.  The school has a legacy of underachievement and leaders are aware that pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 is still not as good as it should be. Teachers are being challenged and supported to improve. Leaders make good use of training in areas such as the management of behaviour to develop teachers’ skills and to ensure consistently good practice across the school. They set teachers clear targets for

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The leadership and management are good

improvement and then follow them up quickly to ensure that they are having the desired effect.  The school makes good use of information on pupils’ progress to check how well pupils are doing. Leaders quickly identify and support any pupils who are in danger of falling behind so that they can catch up.  Middle leaders, such as those who are in charge of subjects, contribute effectively to improvement. They are very enthusiastic and understand clearly what they need to do to help pupils do better. For example, work is already underway to improve pupils’ writing.  The curriculum provides a wide range of subjects and topics which helps pupils do well and contributes to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy the large number of clubs, sports and educational visits. They are especially positive about ‘WOW’ events, such as a recent ‘university week’. These help to bring subjects alive and

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The leadership and management are good

raise the aspirations of pupils. There are no signs of discrimination in the school. All pupils have full and equal access to everything that the school provides.  The school uses its primary sport grant successfully to support pupils’ physical development. For example, this money funds a specialist sports coach who takes some physical education lessons and works with pupils at lunchtimes. This has been effective in promoting pupils’ well-being and also developing teachers’ skills and confidence. Pupils participate in a range of local tournaments and thoroughly enjoy physical activity.  Additional funding is used effectively to provide disadvantaged pupils with extra support, both in and out of lessons, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The support is having a positive impact on their academic progress. It is also effectively promoting their social development by, for example, funding specialist staff

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The leadership and management are good

to help pupils who are finding home or school life difficult.  The headteacher and staff have established productive partnerships with parents. School questionnaires demonstrate that most parents have positive views about the school and how it is improving. The strengthening relationship between home and school is being supported well by the school’s strong partnership with the children’s centre.  The local authority has provided the right level of support for this school to secure the needed improvements over the last two years.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. They are thorough and ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has played a key part in school improvement since the previous inspection. Governors know the school well. They make good use of information provided by the headteacher to check the achievement of pupils and to evaluate how well the school is performing in comparison with others. They also have good procedures for finding out things for themselves. For example, they look at pupils’ books before their meetings. Governors regularly review the use of the pupil premium so that they can be certain that is it being used to good effect to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Governors know how effective the teaching is and ensure that only good teaching is rewarded financially through thorough performance management arrangements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Most parents and staff agree that pupils behave well. Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. Their conduct around school is good. Their positive attitudes towards learning have made an important contribution to their improved achievement since the previous inspection. They work hard nearly all of the time and are determined to improve, although some do not understand the importance of taking care over their work and presenting it neatly.  Pupils are kind to each other and polite and respectful to adults at all times. They have good manners; it is normal for pupils to hold doors open for adults, and the youngest children automatically say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ without prompting. They play happily together at playtimes.  Pupils are friendly and sociable and keenly take responsibility. They eagerly talk to visitors about their work and how well they are doing. Some of their comments to inspectors included, ‘Learning is fun,’ and

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Behaviour

‘You know when you come into school that you will have an enjoyable day.’ Older pupils happily help younger pupils by, for example, being ‘reading ambassadors’ who share books with children in the early years. Pupils from different backgrounds get on well together. They are sensitive to each other’s views and happily support pupils who are newly arrived at the school.  Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour extremely well. They have high expectations in this area and apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently.  The school provides good quality support for children who have behavioural or emotional difficulties so that they can improve their social skills. The school’s success in integrating these pupils is one of its strengths. The Place2Be Room, where pupils can go to talk through issues, helps them to learn strategies for dealing with worries or problems.  Pupils who arrive during the school year settle quickly because, ‘The teachers are kind and the children

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All staff and most parents agree.  Leaders take this aspect of the school’s work very seriously and they use every opportunity to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. For example, assemblies and work in lessons explore potential risks and dangers so that every child is keenly aware of road safety, ‘stranger danger’ and how to keep safe when using the internet.  Pupils say they feel safe nearly all of the time and are always very well looked after by staff. They know whom to turn to if they have a worry and are very confident that issues will be tackled quickly. As one pupil said, ‘The grown ups are good listeners.’  Pupils know about bullying and the different forms it might take, such as name calling and cyber bullying. Although none was seen during the inspection, behaviour logs show that there has been some poor behaviour or, as pupils called it, ‘falling out’. Pupils said that this usually happens when chasing games at

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Safety

playtimes get out of hand. School records show that when this does happen it is tackled quickly by staff and the issues are resolved. Pupils confirmed this to be the case most of the time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good, resulting in pupils making good progress across the school.  Teachers get on well with pupils. They make learning fun and pupils are fully engaged in lessons. They make good use of praise to boost pupils’ confidence and to help them understand what they can achieve if they work hard.  Reading and mathematics are taught effectively. Pupils read regularly and they are given good support to help them improve if they are struggling. The good teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) also leads to rapid improvement. The teaching of writing is not consistently good, however, because teachers do not always expect enough of pupils, especially in Key Stage 2.  Teachers check pupils’ learning carefully by asking pupils probing questions that make them think, or by listening in on their discussions. Teachers often use pupils’ responses to correct errors or to introduce new

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The quality of teaching is good

ideas. This means that most of the time work is adapted well to meet pupils’ different needs. However, occasionally, teachers do not change work quickly enough in lessons if pupils are finding it too hard or too easy.  Teaching assistants make a very positive contribution to the learning of pupils of all abilities, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They are skilled and successfully complement the work of the teachers. They receive extensive training in a range of support programmes which enables the pupils they work with to make good progress.  Teachers assess the progress pupils make accurately and regularly and keep a careful track on their achievement over time. These checks enable them to put effective additional support in place quickly if pupils are falling behind.  Most parents are positive about the quality of teaching. They are becoming increasingly involved in their

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The quality of teaching is good

children’s education by hearing them read or helping with homework. The school has good systems for ensuring that pupils who do not get this help at home are not disadvantaged by, for example, giving them extra opportunities to read to adults in school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment has been improving quickly since the previous inspection and pupils are now making good progress across the school.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was the best ever for the school in 2014, being broadly average. This improved attainment is beginning to filter through to Key Stage 2, although this is not yet reflected fully in national test results at the end of Year 6, which have been below average for several years. However, pupils’ books and school data show that those in Year 6 are already working at higher levels than in previous years. The school has responded decisively to previous weaknesses in provision by giving pupils, especially in Year 6, extra help.  Across the school, pupils read confidently. Their knowledge of phonics has been improving quickly over the last two years. This is reflected in the national phonic screening checks at the end of Year 1, with the

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The achievement of pupils is good

proportion of pupils reaching the expected level being slightly above the national average in 2014 for the first time.  In mathematics, older pupils are becoming much more confident about applying their knowledge to problems and investigations. Younger pupils count accurately and have a secure understanding of concepts such as shapes and simple fractions.  Pupils’ attainment in writing is lower than it is in reading and mathematics because teachers do not always expect enough of pupils, especially in Key Stage 2.  The school ensures that all groups of pupils do equally well. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, like their classmates, make good progress. This is because they receive carefully planned support that successfully meets their needs.  The most-able pupils make good progress because they are challenged fully most of the time. Their progress is especially rapid towards the end of Key Stage 2 because they are given additional support to

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The achievement of pupils is good

help them fulfil their potential. For example, the most-able mathematicians in Year 5 attend ‘master classes’ at a nearby University.  Disadvantaged pupils supported through additional funding are now making good progress across the school. In national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2014, eligible pupils were about a term behind their classmates in reading and writing and around a year behind in writing. When compared to pupils nationally, they were about a year behind in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the gap is now closing rapidly in all year groups, reflecting the school’s successful and much improved approach to raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. This is being achieved through the effective use of support, both in and out of lessons, that is well focused on individual needs be they social or academic.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those who have Eastern European

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The achievement of pupils is good

backgrounds, achieve well. They make good progress in learning spoken English, even if they have been in school for only a short time.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision prepares children well, both socially and academically, for life in Year 1. They achieve well in both the Nursery and Reception classes.  When they start school, very few children are working at a typical level of development for their age. Children’s attainment by the end of the Reception year has been improving and in 2014 the proportion reaching a good level of development was slightly above the national average. There is a similar picture in the current year with children making good progress in all areas of learning.  Teaching is good. Teachers and other adults work together well to plan work that provides the right level of challenge for all, including the most-able children, disabled children and those who have special educational needs. Reading and mathematical skills are introduced quickly, with writing and phonics being taught especially well. Consequently, the most-able children are already able to write short sentences that

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The early years provision is good

retell a story and to spell out words for themselves.  Children who speak English as an additional language take a full part in activities. There is a successful focus on ensuring that they understand new vocabulary so that their speaking skills improve quickly.  Adults successfully support children’s social development from the moment the children start school. Consequently, children quickly develop positive attitudes towards their work and learn the importance of behaving well. There is a delightful atmosphere in class, with children working together happily, supporting each other well and conducting themselves sensibly. Children are very clear about how to stay safe. For example, they have learnt not to talk to visitors in the classroom until an adult has told them who they are.  Teachers have organised the large open-plan classroom imaginatively to take account of the different needs of Nursery and Reception children. Children are able to choose where to work and do so sensibly.

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The early years provision is good

There is also a large and attractive outdoor area, although this is not always used quite so well to support learning in all aspects of the curriculum.  Good leadership and management ensure that children work and play in a safe and attractive environment. Children’s progress is checked thoroughly to ensure that all are doing well enough. Good quality support is quickly given to those who need extra help.  Leaders work closely with the children’s centre to develop a good partnership with parents as soon as their children start school. This helps to secure a happy start to school life for children and their families.

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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 131527 Local authority Medway Inspection number 453599

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 442 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Reese Headteacher Heidi Barton Date of previous school inspection 13–14 February 2013 Telephone number 01634334344 Fax number 01634336689 Email address office@burntoak.medway.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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