Brailsford CofE Primary School

Brailsford CofE Primary School Main Road, Brailsford, Ashbourne, DE6 3DA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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, governors and staff have worked together to sustain the good achievement seen at the time of the last inspection.  Governors are knowledgeable and are effective partners in supporting and challenging the school to improve even further.  Pupils attain standards that are well above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is good because of good teaching.  Children make good progress in Reception. They develop secure early reading, writing and number skills, which prepare them well for their next stage of learning.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in their learning because of effective support from skilled teaching assistants.  Pupils have good opportunities to contribute to school life. They relish the chance to take on responsibilities and maturely carry out their tasks.  The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are proud of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their school and want to succeed. These positive attitudes to learning contribute to their good progress.  Pupils feel safe and say that staff look after them well. They know how to keep safe, for example when using the internet, and parents and staff agree pupils are safe in school.  Pupils have a good understanding of key values, such as respect and tolerance, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  The curriculum offers pupils many memorable learning experiences, including visits and visitors to the school.  Attendance is above average and punctuality is good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not have the same high expectations of the quality or quantity of written work in subjects such as science, history and geography as they do in English and mathematics.  The marking of pupils’ work does not consistently help pupils to make their work even better.  Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in checking on the quality of teaching or pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning in 10 lessons, three of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  A number of documents were examined, including assessment information about pupils’ progress, the school’s self-evaluation document and its improvement plan. Other documents that were scrutinised included those related to the monitoring of teaching, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, groups of pupils, two members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector heard pupils read and spoke to them formally and informally throughout the school day.  The inspector took account of pupils’ written work in English, mathematics, religious education, science, history and geography.  Account was taken of the 17 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the responses on the school’s own parental questionnaire. The inspector also considered the 12 responses to the staff

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 In this much smaller than average-sized primary school, almost all pupils are White British.  A well-below average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after).  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above that found nationally.  Pupils are taught in four classes. Reception and Year 1 are taught together in Class 1. Class 2 comprises of Year 2 pupils. Years 3 and 4 pupils are taught in Class 3, and Years 5 and 6 pupils are taught in Class 4.  All children within the early years provision attend full time.  Since the last inspection, there have been a number of staffing changes, including a new headteacher, who was appointed in February 2014.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum requirements for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers have high expectations of the quality and quantity of work in subjects other than English and mathematics  marking helps pupils to make even faster progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the leadership and management role of leaders of different subjects so that subject leaders are fully involved in checking on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, governors and staff have created a calm, secure and purposeful school in which pupils can flourish personally and academically. As a result, good teaching and good behaviour continue to thrive. A very positive response to the questionnaire completed by staff indicates that they feel well supported by the school’s leadership.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s views of the school’s effectiveness are thorough and accurate. The school’s actions for improvement are set out clearly in a long-term plan and this is evaluated termly to ensure that actions are on track and improvements have been made.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is good and there are effective systems for managing teachers’ performance. The headteacher monitors teachers’ work systematically to identify what they are doing well and how they could improve. The success of teachers in meeting their agreed targets determines whether they receive increases in pay, or promotion.

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The leadership and management are good

 The provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. Processes are in place to identify these pupils early and good support is given. Early years provision is also well led and managed and children have a good start to their education in the Reception Year.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders of subjects, including English and mathematics, are not influencing provision in their areas of responsibility sufficiently. The role of subject leader is undeveloped and much of the monitoring of teaching and learning is carried out by the headteacher. Subject leaders do not regularly scrutinise pupils’ work to check that the same quality and quantity of work that is evident in English and mathematics, is evident in all subjects, nor that marking is effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 The work to promote British values is good and pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand what democracy means through voting for school council members and by the weekly vote of ‘best buddy’. Respect is a key value that is promoted effectively and pupils understand why rules are important. One of the school rules, ‘I will be considerate, polite and friendly to others’, is something all pupils strive to achieve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well planned. Topics are combined carefully so that pupils understand the connections between the various themes they are studying. This also helps pupils to learn how to apply the skills they learn in one subject in another. However, teachers do not always have the same high expectations of their work in other subjects as they do in English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ personal and social development is supported well through the wide range of visits, visitors and clubs the school offers. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and all pupils are offered an equal opportunity to achieve well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding has enabled staff to provide an increased number of sporting activities including participation in inter-school sporting events. For example, all Year 5 and 6 pupils took part in a local dance festival. The good use of this funding has had a positive impact on pupils’ well-being, confidence, fitness and enthusiasm for sport.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are very few disadvantaged pupils at the school supported by the pupil premium. The funding is spent on additional teaching resources and enrichment activities to support the learning of eligible pupils. There is often no gap between the attainment of these pupils and others within the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has strong relationships with the wider community. Parents, who stated a view during the inspection, thoroughly recommend the school and feel their opinions are welcomed by staff. Leaders’ work to ensure pupils attend school and behave well is effective. As a result, pupils’ attendance is consistently above average.  The school is vigilant in respect of safeguarding. Procedures, including those for child protection, meet current requirements and all training is up to date. Statutory requirements are met.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority and the diocesan advisers provide regular support for leaders and governors that has helped them to secure good leadership. The school works with others in the local area to provide training for teachers and to check the accuracy of assessments.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are rigorous in their approach to monitoring the work of the school and challenging it to do better. They know the school well and they hold it to account robustly. To do this they make good use of data, which they understand well, and of the information they glean from visits and from the headteacher’s comprehensive reports.  Governors have undertaken a wide range of training which has helped them to be effective in supporting and challenging the school’s leaders. They contribute effectively to actions to improve the school. They use their expertise well to check on different aspects of the school’s work, for example finance. They know how the pupil premium and the primary sports funding are used to improve pupils’ performance.  Governors ensure the school meets all statutory requirements. They are knowledgeable about the quality of teaching and about how teachers’ performance is managed. They know that targets must be

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The leadership and management are good

achieved before a salary increase is awarded. They are aware how the school tackles any underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They have positive attitudes to learning. These are major factors in helping them to make good progress. Pupils want to succeed and apply themselves well to their learning. Above-average attendance and good punctuality confirm pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are respectful and caring towards others and they accept and celebrate each other’s differences. These attributes help them to understand the British values of tolerance and respect. They listen carefully to instructions and work confidently on their own, in pairs and in larger groups. They want themselves and others to succeed. In assembly, they listen with interest and spontaneously applaud or congratulate each other, and are genuinely pleased to hear about their friends’ successes.

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Behaviour

 Around the school, pupils are polite and mannerly, readily holding doors open or standing aside on corridors to let others pass. Lunchtimes and playtimes are happy, sociable occasions during which pupils play very amicably together. Pupils look smart in their uniforms and take a pride in their school. Although most pupils present their work neatly in English and mathematics, in other subjects pupils do not consistently show the same high level of presentation.

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Behaviour

 The range of opportunities for pupils to take responsibility is extensive. Anti-bullying ambassadors, peer readers and school councillors fulfil their roles and responsibilities well. All are proud to be chosen to help and represent their classmates and their school. Inspired by the recent general election, Class 4 pupils decided that they would like the school to hold its own elections- not for the Houses of Parliament, but to elect a new headteacher for the day! This effectively provided pupils with the opportunity to learn first- hand about democracy, while formulating policies that would be both popular and achievable.

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Behaviour

 There have been no exclusions in the recent past and very few incidents of poor behaviour or racism have been recorded. Pupils, staff, and parents confirm that behaviour is typically good.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Thorough checks are implemented to make sure that adults are able to work with children. Staff have completed up-to-date safeguarding training and all have signed to say they have read and understood the Department for Education document, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. The site is safe and secure and risk assessments for trips and visits are thorough.  In discussion, pupils said that they feel safe in school and on the playground. All of the parents who responded to the Parent View questionnaire agreed that their child feels safe at school. Pupils said that bullying and name-calling are rare, as confirmed by the school’s logs of incidents of bullying. Pupils know about the different forms that bullying can take, such as physical, mental or homophobic. They know what to do if they are worried or concerned by the actions of others.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to keep safe, for example on the road or if approached by a stranger. They have lessons to remind them what to do to remain safe on the internet and the steps to take should they experience cyber bullying. The posters around school show pupils’ depth of understanding in this area.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching engages pupils’ interest, involves them in their learning and increases their developing knowledge and understanding across different subjects. Relationships between pupils and adults are respectful and trusting. This ensures that pupils are not afraid to ‘have a go’ or make mistakes, as they know that adults will help them to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is particularly strong in Years 3 to 6. Here, pupils are very successfully encouraged to think for themselves, make decisions about their work and apply their learning in a variety of different contexts. They rise to these challenges exceedingly well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The most-able pupils are challenged well and the work given to them makes them think hard especially in reading, writing and mathematics. This means they make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff explain clearly to pupils what they are expected to learn. In lessons, they increase the level of challenge and adapt activities in response to how well pupils are progressing. Teachers’ questioning probes and deepens pupils’ understanding and moves their learning on.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are skilled at showing pupils how they should approach their work. For example, in mathematics, Year 5 and 6 pupils were taught how to break down the stages of a problem and were encouraged to demonstrate the reasoning that sat behind each stage. As a result, pupils had a clear outline of how to approach the activities that had been set for them. This contributed to good progress in mathematics lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is taught in an enjoyable way that enthuses pupils and helps them remember what they have learned. Staff assist pupils in seeing how reading supports all of their learning. They encourage pupils to use books to read for pleasure and books and the internet for research.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers teach writing well most of the time. Pupils’ work shows them attempting different styles of writing, from the factual to the imaginative, and it is often of good quality. However, when writing in other subjects, such as science, history or geography, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not as high as they should be. In some subjects, there is little written work evident. In addition, although most pupils take pride in their work, standards of presentation and handwriting are sometimes allowed to slip.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants contribute strongly to how well pupils learn in lessons. They follow the lead of the teacher to make sure all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, know exactly what to do. Providing good support, they make sure these pupils are involved in all parts of a lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of marking is inconsistent. There are some good examples of marking comments that have helped pupils to improve their work and thereby make faster progress. However, too often pupils do not respond to the useful guidance given and not all teachers check carefully that work marked by the pupils’ themselves or by their peers provides helpful advice for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils build on their good start in the early years and all groups of pupils continue to make good progress throughout Years 1 to 6. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level in the Year 1 phonics screening check was above the national average. This was because teachers and teaching assistants were skilled in the teaching of phonics. The very few pupils who struggle to read are given effective support and this leads to improvements. This year, all pupils are expected to achieve the expected level in the phonics check. Pupils develop a love of books from an early age and told the inspector about their favourite books and authors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over the last three years, pupils’ attainment overall by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 has been well above average. In 2014, attainment was well above the national average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. However, the proportions of pupils reaching the higher levels in all three subjects were well above average. At the end of Year 6 in 2014, attainment was well above the national average in mathematics and in the English, grammar, spelling and punctuation test. In reading and writing, attainment was average. These results represent good progress from the pupils’ starting points in Year 3. The most-able pupils were challenged well, with an above average proportion of them attaining the higher Level 5 in all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Current assessment information indicates that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is on course to be similar to that in 2014 at the end of Year 2, but is on track to be higher by the end of Year 6. Although progress is consistently good in English and mathematics, the same good progress is not as apparent in all other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The pupil premium funding is used effectively and is directed towards supporting the few disadvantaged pupils. This ensures that they make equally good progress as their classmates. The number of disadvantaged pupils in each year group is too small to compare meaningfully their achievement with that of others nationally or in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because their additional needs are identified early and are fully met through one-to-one and small-group sessions taught by highly skilled teaching assistants. Good links with external agencies also support both the academic and personal needs of individual pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils make good progress, as shown by the outcomes in end of key stage national tests. This year it is expected a few pupils will attain the levels normally associated with Key Stage 3 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join the school in Reception with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in the Reception Year because teaching is good and the proportion of children attaining a good level of development has improved rapidly over the last three years. Children are well prepared to start the Year 1 curriculum.

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The early years provision is good

 Children work and play well together and maintain concentration on their tasks for a sustained period. This was seen as groups of children read books, prepared a picnic area and developed their physical skills on bikes and scooters without adult intervention. Children are encouraged to use their phonic skills when writing simple sentences. Almost all children recognise letters and the sounds they make because of good phonics teaching.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults have high expectations of the most-able children. Children were seen accurately counting in twos to 100 from different starting points using a number square if needed. This was a challenging activity but all were willing to try. Disabled children and those who have special educational needs are well supported by staff. This has a positive impact on the rapid progress that these children make.  Children have a good sense of right and wrong and behave well. Adults foster children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well across all sessions. Staff see personal development equally as important as developing skills in literacy and numeracy. Children are safe and well looked after and confidently talk to visitors.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years is good. In the mixed-year class, staff effectively manage the needs of the early years children alongside those of the slightly older pupils. The ‘learning journals’ give a good picture of children’s development and show, from the extensive comments, how thoroughly staff assess children’s progress and plan appropriately for their next steps. The early years leader is always striving to improve provision and is, for example, upgrading pupils’ outdoor learning experiences.

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The early years provision is good

 Links with parents are good. Staff encourage parents to involve themselves in their children’s learning and progress from when children first start at 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 112804 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 449583

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 91 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Tomlinson Headteacher David Wood Date of previous school inspection 28 January 2010 Telephone number 01335 360393 Fax number 01335 360943 Email address info@brailsford.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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