Berkeley Primary School

Berkeley Junior School Marsden Drive, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN15 8AH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school has improved significantly since the previous inspection. The strong leadership of the headteacher, ably supported by leaders at all levels has improved the quality of teaching and raised pupils’ achievement.  Governors are very ambitious for the school and are effective in holding leaders to account for the quality of teaching and learning.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning, their behaviour and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding. Pupils show high regard for others. These positive attributes, along with the responsibilities pupils take on in school, prepare them well for life in modern Britain.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding. Strong teamwork among staff results in pupils building successfully on what they have already achieved.  The curriculum is outstanding. It engenders among pupils a real love of learning. Extensive enrichment activities add to the high quality experiences pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

have to extend their knowledge and skills.  Pupils make good progress. By the end of Year 6, they attain standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. An increasing number of pupils are working at levels higher than those expected for their age.  Parents are very happy about how well their children achieve. They particularly appreciate that the headteacher and all staff are very approachable. Parents are kept fully informed about all aspects of the school’s work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough of the teaching is outstanding and expectations are not always sufficiently high of the less able pupils in reading and mathematics.  When marking work, not all teachers follow the school’s own policy, so that pupils can understand what they have done well and how to improve their work further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching throughout the school, including numerous shared observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to them read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and subject leaders. The inspectors also had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, current data on pupils’ progress, and planning and monitoring documentation. Inspectors reviewed the spending of funding for disadvantaged pupils and primary school sports funding. Records relating to behaviour and attendance, as well as documents relating to safeguarding were also taken into consideration.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors reviewed 14 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The views of a number of parents the inspectors spoke with during the inspection were also considered as well as the results of the school’s own survey of parents’ views conducted in October 2014.  The inspectors also took account of the 24 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaires and talked to staff during the inspection about their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 This is an above average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  About 17% of pupils (below national average), are from various minority ethnic groups. An increasing number of these pupils who are of Polish or Lithuanian heritage are at an early stage of learning English.  A significant minority of pupils join the school partway through their Key Stage 2 education.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils deemed disadvantaged and supported through the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those children in the care of the local authority.)  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The governing body federated with the governing body of the partner infant school in February 2015.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress in all subjects by improving teaching so that more of it is outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers have higher expectation of those pupils who are less able so that they have the right level of challenge to achieve more, particularly in reading and mathematics  all marking provides guidance to pupils as to how well they have achieved and what they need to do to improve their work, in line with the school’s own marking policy  teachers check that pupils respond to this guidance in subsequent work and learn from their mistakes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s outstanding leadership has been instrumental in driving school improvement relentlessly since the previous inspection. With good support from other leaders and governors, she has secured good teaching and learning and the school’s capacity to improve further is good.  Leaders and governors have successfully addressed the areas for improvement raised at the previous inspection. There is a strong culture of high aspiration and ambition in the school. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. A rich, dynamic curriculum is driving pupils’ eagerness to learn. Pupils, parents and staff are right to think highly of their school.  The quality of teaching is monitored rigorously. Senior leaders and subject and year group leaders are all effectively involved in observing pupils’ learning and work. Their checks identify where teaching needs to improve, and senior leaders ensure that staff have the training and support they need to improve their

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The leadership and management are good

skills. Termly meetings on pupils’ progress are used well to make sure all pupils are on track to achieve well. This process is successful in helping teachers perform well. Teamwork among staff, including teaching assistants, is good.  Any pupils at risk of falling behind are identified early and additional support is planned promptly. With an increasing number of pupils joining partway through Key Stage 2, leaders act quickly to integrate these pupils, for example by organising specialist support for those who are new to learning English.  The outstanding curriculum is exceptionally well planned. It enhances pupils’ learning and skills through a wide range of subjects, activities, events and clubs. Pupils enjoy their learning because they have a say in what they learn. There are music, drama and community events which pupils enjoy in activities beyond the classroom. Initiatives such as the ‘Safety at Work’ project give pupils a valuable insight into the world

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The leadership and management are good

of work. Through cultivating the gardens they develop their horticultural skills of growing, harvesting, cooking and selling the produce they have grown.  Underpinning the curriculum is the school’s very good programme to develop pupils’ personal skills. Pupils’ learning about different religions helps them to reflect on their actions and behaviours and how these impact on the lives of others. Pupils have excellent opportunities to explore diversity and the need to show respect and tolerance towards those who are different to themselves. Initiatives such as work on Africa, social reforms in Victorian times, democracy, the justice system and Children’s Rights are exceptionally powerful in helping pupils evaluate the world in which they live. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The primary school sports funding is used effectively to provide specialist coaches, train staff to raise their

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The leadership and management are good

expertise, for example in dance, and for pupils to compete with others and visit other schools to access high-quality sports facilities. Pupils’ involvement in sports is very high. They are very proud to represent their school at inter-school events and even more so as they regularly collect the silverware.  The school is implementing national changes to assessment and effective partnership work with other schools is strengthening the competence and confidence of staff. Teachers have received effective training to ensure assessments are accurate and reliable.  The pupil premium funding is used very effectively to provide high quality support for disadvantaged pupils so that they achieve well. The gap in their achievement compared with their classmates is closing rapidly.  Safeguarding systems meet current requirements. Policies are up to date and effective. Pupils are safe and well cared for; any concerns that arise are investigated promptly. Care arrangements are outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is very committed to equal opportunities for all its pupils and focuses strongly on raising the achievement of all groups of pupils and tackling discrimination. This high commitment is evident in the very many ways the leaders make sure all pupils are included in its many events, clubs and visits.  The local authority has provided effective support in helping the school move forward since its previous inspection, especially in monitoring the school’s performance and providing staff training. Leaders have worked with the local authority and local schools to develop the expertise of staff and share good practice.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is effective, well organised and well informed. Governors are highly supportive but also ensure that leaders are sharply focused on raising pupils’ achievement. They ask probing questions about pupils’ progress and question the data they receive to check that the interventions being

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The leadership and management are good

implemented to boost achievement are doing so effectively. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s current performance and what the school needs to do to improve further. With governors now federated with their counterparts in the infant school, partnership between the two schools has been strengthened effectively to ensure even better transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.  Governors successfully monitor the impact of the additional funds for sports and the pupil premium. They know that while the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others in the school was too wide in 2014, it has almost closed this year. They know that the sports funding is being used to broaden pupils’ access to sports activities. They make sure that the management of teachers’ performance is effective in improving teaching and hence raising pupils’ achievement. They make sure that teachers are rewarded only when they are able to raise achievement.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The school provides a very calm, orderly environment where the focus on learning and achievement is high. Pupils’ work is valued through attractive displays and this motivates them to try even harder with new learning.  The management of behaviour is consistently good. Pupils know what is expected of them during lessons and around the school generally. Pupils, staff and parents speak highly of the typically high standards of behaviour and strong relationships in the school.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are extremely positive. They are excited by the work they do and this supports their good achievement. They particularly enjoy opportunities to undertake challenging tasks that extend their knowledge and skills. A number of pupils said, ‘Teachers make learning fun. Working hard at school is important if you want a good job one day. If you get stuck, teachers help you get it right.’

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Behaviour

 Relationships throughout are excellent. Pupils get on extremely well with others and are particularly good at working together. The more able readers, for example, regularly listen to their less confident classmates and older pupils work with younger ones to help them develop in confidence and increase their aspirations. Pupils are extremely polite and courteous; welcoming visitors to the school and speaking highly of everything the school does for them. These high quality relationships and mutual respect provide very strong support to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils are extremely proud of their school. Many say that everything about the school is brilliant because teachers and other staff really want them to enjoy school and do well. They say that ‘teachers are strict but fair and only want us to do our best.’  Attendance is above average. Most pupils attend regularly because they want to be at school and because

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Behaviour

their parents value learning. One parent said, ‘My children cannot wait to get to school because they love being here and would come in the holidays if the school was open. The school has a real family feel and we all feel part of it.’

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say that they feel safe and well looked after at school and that if they are upset or worried staff will help them.  Potential risks, for example for school trips, are assessed carefully and pupils receive regular advice from safety officers to help them understand how to stay safe outside school. Assemblies and other activities reiterate messages about internet safety, the dangers posed by social media sites and cyber-bullying. Pupils know to report such threats immediately to their parents or teachers.  Pupils say that there is no bullying at school. They say that this is because the school is like one big family where they have to look out for each other. They say that even incidents of name-calling are rare, ‘that is not how we should behave. We should be kind to others because it could happen to us and we would be upset’. They know that teachers would deal with any incidents promptly because it is not allowed.

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Safety

 The school’s safeguarding systems are very strong. Attendance is checked carefully and parents know to inform the school early if their child is going to be absent. Staff are especially vigilant in checking that pupils with special educational needs or those who are disadvantaged receive the support they and their families need promptly. Excellent care arrangements ensure that pupils who join partway through their schooling are integrated quickly and specialist support is organised for those who are learning English as an additional language.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school’s relentless efforts to improve the quality of teaching have resulted in teaching that is consistently good and a significant proportion is outstanding. Pupils’ progress is now good and more pupils are achieving at the higher levels in all subjects. There is a calm, purposeful and productive atmosphere in every classroom and pupils work hard to do their best. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils promote good learning.  Teachers have secure subject knowledge and modify the curriculum creatively to plan topics and themes that hold pupils’ interest effectively. They ask probing questions that make pupils think about their learning and so deepen their knowledge and understanding. They plan activities that build effectively on what pupils have achieved previously and the planning is generally very accurately matched to pupils’ ability. Occasionally, particularly in reading and mathematics, less able pupils do not achieve as well as

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The quality of teaching is good

they could because they are not challenged sufficiently.  Reading and writing are taught well. Pupils apply their basic skills relatively accurately in other subjects although occasionally, in their eagerness to work quickly, a few make errors in their spelling, grammar and punctuation and this detracts from the overall quality of their work. When these errors go unchecked, pupils continue to make the same mistakes and so their work does not improve quickly.  In reading, a few less able readers fail to use all the strategies they have learnt previously to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary confidently and to make better sense of the texts they are reading. These pupils are receiving good individual support to plug gaps in their skills from the past and standards in reading are rising quickly.  The teaching of mathematics is good and pupils are making rapid progress as a result. Teachers help pupils develop their skills in calculation and investigation. Pupils apply methods with confidence. For

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The quality of teaching is good

example, in Year 5, pupils enjoyed puzzling out the cost of various fruits to solve multi-step problems. The level of challenge was high for all pupils but with timely support from staff, pupils soon realised that they needed to work systematically in order to complete their work successfully. Less confident pupils, who initially struggled to interpret the problems, made good progress once they understood what they had to do.  Teaching assistants contribute very effectively to pupils’ learning. They work in close partnership with teachers and show a very good understanding of how to support and challenge pupils of all abilities. They are particularly well deployed to support individual pupils or small groups who have specific needs. They have undertaken effective training, particularly regarding assessment and, as a result, pupils with special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and pupils learning English as an additional language make good

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The quality of teaching is good

progress.  Marking is generally good and there are examples of exemplary practice. However, not all marking is done to the same standard. It is not always clear to pupils why their work is good or what they need to do to improve next time. Teachers do not always check closely enough that all pupils respond to the feedback they receive and so, in some cases, pupils’ subsequent work is not as good as it might be.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now good. Pupils are achieving well because the quality of teaching is now good.  Pupils start in Year 3 with standards that are broadly average for their age.  In the 2014 tests and assessments, overall standards for pupils at the end of Year 6 were above average and progress is even stronger this year. Pupils in Year 6 are working at above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics and an increasing number of pupils have been registered for the higher Level 6 papers in 2015.  The most able pupils make good progress in all subjects as they move through the school. They understand how to write effectively for different purposes, for example, diaries, news reports, letters and factual accounts. They are confident in applying their mathematical skills in data handling, calculations and

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The achievement of pupils is good

problem solving and work quickly and accurately to complete the challenges they are given.  While expectations are generally high of pupils, those who are less able occasionally do not make more rapid progress in reading and mathematics because they are not always given enough challenge.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their different starting points because they are supported effectively. The systems to identify these pupils early and to monitor their progress closely are very effective. Booster activities and one-to-one support are carefully matched to pupils’ specific needs. School leaders refer to specialist providers where necessary so that every pupil makes good gains in their learning.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve well. In 2014, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were three terms behind their non-disadvantaged classmates in writing and mathematics and four terms behind in reading. Compared

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The achievement of pupils is good

with all pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils were two terms behind in writing and mathematics and three terms behind in reading. The school’s current data show that disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 are now only one term behind in mathematics and writing and two terms behind in reading compared with non-disadvantaged pupils in the school. Gaps in achievement are closing rapidly and in some year groups lower down the school the gaps have closed because systems to support these pupils are very effective.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including the small proportion who speak English as an additional language, achieve well if they have been at the school for long enough because they are supported very effectively, both by staff in the school and through specialist support from outside providers.  Pupils who join the school partway through their Key Stage 2 education are integrated quickly. If they are

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind in their learning they receive appropriate support to help them catch up and make good gains in their learning. Providing they are in the school for long enough, they attain as well as their classmates.

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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 117781 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 462623

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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 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 345 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Veall Headteacher Paula Bennett Date of previous school inspection 30 October 2013 Telephone number 01724 867065 Fax number 01724 873037 Email address admin.berkeleyjuniors@northlincs.gov.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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