Oulton Broad Primary School

School report Oulton Broad Primary School

p.1

Christmas Lane, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, NR32 3JX

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Oulton Broad Primary School has improved rapidly as a result of outstanding leadership and staff who have a relentless drive for the highest academic success. There is a whole-school expectation that all pupils will achieve above- average standards and any barriers to this are tackled without compromising this expectation.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding throughout the school. Their progress in a wide range of subjects is rapid and sustained.  Teaching is outstanding and pupils thrive in all aspects of their learning. Teachers successfully make lessons inspiring, motivating and relevant. They give pupils the opportunity to develop mastery in a broad variety of subjects and practically apply their knowledge, skills and understanding to everyday issues.  Pupils have an exemplary attitude to their learning and develop the necessary skills to become a lifelong learner. The shared characteristics of the

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

‘Oulton Broad Learner’ are evident in all aspects of school life.  Disadvantaged pupils make the same rapid progress at the same rate as their peers. There is no gap in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and others.  The governing body balances well the need for support and challenge. Governors have an in-depth understanding of the school and are effective in supporting improvements.  Pupils wear their uniform with pride. They are proud of their achievements, the presentation of their work and the success of their school.  Teaching assistants provide skilled support to groups and individuals. They have strong subject knowledge and ask questions that promote learning.  Parents are unanimously positive about the recent changes to the school and feel confident that their children are happy, safe and make excellent progress.  Teachers check pupils’ progress meticulously and have an accurate understanding of each pupil’s

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strengths and next steps in learning. They use this information to personalise activities for every pupil and support them to make exceptional progress.  Progress in the early years is outstanding and children develop learning skills that equip them to succeed throughout their life.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed learning in 20 lessons, visited the breakfast club and attended an assembly. Several of the lessons observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, middle leaders, the school business manager, governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority and pupils.  Inspectors took into account the 24 responses to the staff questionnaire provided by Ofsted.  The team of inspectors met with parents on the playground, at an informal drop-in session and took into account the 61 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documents including the school’s self-evaluation, action plans, provision maps, records of pupils’ attainment and progress, attendance information, policies and procedures.  Systems for keeping children safe were checked, including logs, other records and risk assessments.

p.2

Inspection team

Deborah Pargeter, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Oulton Broad is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds.  Children in the Nursery class attend part time in a morning session of three hours. Children in the Reception year attend full time.  The school provides a breakfast club before the start of the school day.  A large proportion of the staff joined the school after January 2013, including all the school’s senior leaders.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, in the care of the local authority or from a family with a parent in the armed forces, is about average compared to other schools nationally.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action just below the national average.  In 2014, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

p.3

Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise overall attendance levels to at least the national figure by addressing the absenteeism of a small number of pupils and families to ensure that these pupils benefit fully from what the school offers.

p.3

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, effectively supported by the deputy headteacher, has galvanised a strong team of staff to deliver outstanding teaching that results in exceptional progress for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. The robust monitoring of pupils’ progress, coupled with strong continuous professional development for all staff, has led to inspirational delivery in the classroom and exemplary systems and strategies for improving learning.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders, including governors, ensure that every ‘Oulton Broad Learner’ develops a love of learning which prepares them exceptionally well for the next stage in their education. Positive relationships are fostered at every opportunity, and discrimination in any form is not tolerated. Pupils are inspired and motivated to develop the values and ethos advocated by everyone at the school.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders ensure that delivery of the curriculum is exciting and motivating. Different subject areas link seamlessly together. This results in a dynamic curriculum that inspires pupils and allows them to develop a depth and breadth of knowledge, skills and understanding, far beyond the remit of the National Curriculum.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Equality of opportunity is at the heart of the school’s work. The headteacher, senior leaders and governors tackle any potential barriers to learning to secure positive outcomes for all groups of pupils. Methodical tracking of the achievements of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, coupled with personalised learning and support, ensure all pupils make the same rates of progress as their peers. A pastoral worker supports the core group of persistent absentees to ensure attend school more regularly. The impact of all interventions is routinely monitored.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Meticulous monitoring of teachers’ performance is achieved through pupil progress meetings, looking at pupils’ workbooks, observing teaching and a culture of sharing good practice. All staff have embraced this ethos and openly discuss their strengths and areas for development, creating an environment where everyone is a learner, adults and children alike.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The enriched curriculum, coupled with the strong emphasis on learning skills, has resulted in pupils having a good understanding of life in modern Britain. The values of tolerating and respecting others permeates the school and pupils describe how they value people who are of different cultures and faiths. Older pupils had a clear understanding of democracy and the British rule of law.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils’ social and moral understanding is very strong and they have an excellent sense of their role in the school and wider community. Regular periods of reflection, celebration and engagement with different cultural and artistic stimuli ensure that pupils have a well-developed understanding of spirituality and a developing cultural appreciation. Annual themed weeks linked to religious education and the arts help to achieve this.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders use the school’s pupil premium grant to maximum effect to ensure that disadvantage is no barrier to participation and achievement. The impact of this expenditure is reflected in the exceptional progress and achievement of disadvantaged pupils.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 All teachers are involved in moderating standards by reviewing shared planning, looking at pupils’ books in other classes, subject-specific tours of the school and regular progress reviews. More recently, middle leaders have been appointed to influence further improvements in teaching and learning, making use of existing outstanding practice. The professional development of these emerging leaders is facilitated by senior leaders and supports the overall strategic vision of the school.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Sport has a high profile as a result of effective use of the school’s use of the primary physical education and sport funding. The school runs sports lessons, clubs and sessions before, during and after school and offers a wide variety of sports.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 All of the parents who met the inspection team were resounding in their praise of the headteacher and the teaching team. They feel the school communicates with them well described the school as happy, safe and somewhere their children can ‘make brilliant progress’. Parents commented on staff’s ‘massive capacity for enthusiasm and encouragement’ and feel confident that their children are prepared well for the next phase of their education.

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority’s well-judged support has helped to accelerate the school’s transformation. Brokering school-to-school evaluation as part of a local pilot project was particularly productive.

p.5

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance has strengthened significantly since the last inspection. The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities and provides effective strategic leadership and support for the school.  Governors, using the review of governance as a starting point, have honed their skills and understanding to enable them to provide the school with appropriate and effective challenge. They are well-informed and knowledgeable about the school, its priorities and aspects that can be strengthened further. The governing body has a clear strategic plan to ensure that improvements are sustained and Oulton Broad Primary continues to expand and flourish.  Governors know about staff performance and have appropriate procedures are in place to review this regularly and to ensure that any increases in pay are linked to how well pupils are achieving.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding in lessons, at break time and around the school; they learn without interruption or distraction. Pupils are kind and considerate to each other and to adults. They are consistently courteous and polite.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are exemplary. They all demonstrate the characteristics of an effective learner in every year group and in every lesson. All pupils used the characteristics of ‘an Oulton Broad learner’ poster frequently to chart their progress and claim the top award in the weekly celebration assembly.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils actively seek out learning opportunities. They independently describe, demonstrate and celebrate the learning skills they use, such as ‘respect everyone’, ‘work as a team’, ‘think carefully’ and ‘aim high’. Pupils routinely reflect on the next steps in their learning; in the summer edition of the school magazine, they put forward ways of enriching their learning during the summer break.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils wear their uniform with pride. They are proud of their school and everything it represents. All pupils celebrate their achievements and the achievements of other. Pupils exude an ethos of ‘it’s cool to be clever.’ This is supported by the ‘nerd’ and ‘geek’ accolades for mathematics and English, which all pupils strive for. They encourage their peers and reflect on how they can help and support others to improve.

p.5

Behaviour

 Most pupils attend very well, but overall attendance is below average because a small number of pupils have high levels of absenteeism.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Safeguarding and child protection procedures are robust, and pupils’ well-being is the school’s top priority.

p.5

Safety

 All pupils are confident that any concerns and worries they express to teachers will be resolved immediately. This was further evidenced by the excellent relationships pupils have with their teachers, based on mutual respect and understanding.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils recognised that their peers could be grumpy sometimes but described bullying as persistent unkindness and were adamant that there was no bullying at their school. They had an exceptional understanding of different types of bullying and described a broad range of strategies to prevent and report them. Pupils who were new to the school described how welcome they felt and how pro-active staff and pupils were in including them in all aspects of school life.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils recognise the dangers of social media and know how to stay safe on-line. They could describe the appropriate actions they should take to maintain their anonymity and how to report any concerns.

p.5

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching at Oulton Broad Primary is exceptional. Lessons are lively, interesting, well-paced and enjoyable. The consistently high quality of teaching is reflected the standard of work in pupils’ books, data on pupils’ progress and the glowing reports from the local authority.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All teachers have high expectations of every pupil. They set challenging targets and support pupils to enable them to achieve these. Pupils set themselves personal targets, which they helpfully include in their own work, and review to check how well they are doing. This enables the pupil to remember what they are trying to improve.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All teachers plan work that motivates and inspires pupils to excel, in all subjects. Wherever possible they link subjects and skills so that pupils are able to find relevance in their learning. Using an abridged version of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra allowed pupils in Year 5 to revise their play writing skills while recapping on their knowledge of history. A lesson designed to help pupils understand medieval social systems involved different children playing a variety of feudal roles and being given different quantities of a bar of chocolate. The subsequent discussion enriched and embedded pupils’ understanding of the system and how unfair it was.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils in Key Stage 2 review their own learning by detailing what they have done successfully and what areas they need to improve. Teachers then respond to pupils’ comments and give feedback that supports, encourages and guides. This approach to marking and feedback was seen consistently in all books. Pupils in Key Stage 1 develop and practise these skills prior to entering Key Stage 2.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils’ books are neat and well cared for. Their handwriting is generally joined and lines are drawn with a ruler. Pupils take pride in the presentation of their work.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Many mathematics lessons provide pupils with the skills to solve problems and then allow them to self- select a challenge that best meets their learning needs. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning means that all pupils stretch their understanding and demonstrate good mathematical understanding. This approach was evident in a symmetry lesson in Reception where children drew pictures using mirrors, made printed butterfly pictures, matched symmetrical pictures and created mirror images of block layouts. A similarly impressive variety of learning opportunities was observed in a prime numbers lesson in Year 4.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils develop a pleasure in reading because teachers encourage them to review books they enjoy for their peers.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers help pupils to reflect on their progress by displaying ‘then’ and ‘now’ examples of a pupil’s work on a ‘look at our progress’ board. This supports the development of self-worth and confidence while also modelling examples of outstanding progress in writing.

p.6

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants support pupils well in lessons and during intervention sessions. They use their good subject knowledge to ask pertinent questions that challenge pupils to think for themselves, so that pupils have to work things out for themselves with just the right level of support and challenge from adults.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Achievement is exceptional because pupils in all year groups make excellent progress. This represents a transformation in the past two years: in 2013 standards were below the national average, but the most recent results from national tests and teacher assessments in 2015 show that pupils have made exceptional progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children enter the school with skills that are often below those typical for children of their age. They start Year 1 with a large majority having reached a good level of development. Pupils' progress continues rapidly so that their attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 rises to significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 During the early years and throughout Year 1 pupils develop a strong understanding of phonics, the sound that letters make, and consequently their attainment in the Year 1 phonics screening check is significantly above the national average and is exceptional.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Any gaps in the progress and performance of different groups that existed previously have been closed. The school’s rigorous tracking information ensures that any pupil who is at risk of falling behind is quickly spotted and given suitable support. For example, boys had previously done less well than girls in Key Stage 2. This is no longer the case.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The latest test and assessment results indicate that disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as their peers in all subjects. School tracking data shows that disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to their classmates across all year groups. This is an improvement on previous years when the attainment of disadvantaged pupils lagged up to a year behind others in the school and other pupils nationally.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Almost half of all Year 6 pupils make better than expected progress from their starting points in Year 2, in writing and mathematics and in reading. The most-able pupils make exceptional progress because they extend their learning and develop a mastery of their subjects.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make exceptional progress because teachers address their individual needs and overcome their barriers to learning. Parents expressed particular pleasure at the progress of their children with additional academic challenges.

p.7

The early years provision is outstanding

 Leadership of the early years is outstanding because areas requiring improvement are recognised and strategically addressed, resulting in exceptional progress for children. Actions to address future areas for development are already in place and have measureable success criteria to determine impact.

p.7

The early years provision is outstanding

 Children enter the nursery with skills that are often below those typical for children of their age. In the nursery class, children enjoy their learning and develop positive attitudes and good basic skills. As they move through their Reception year children make exceptional progress with the majority achieving a good level of development by the end of the year.

p.7

The early years provision is outstanding

 All children are happy and safe. They collaborate with their peers, explore, think critically and develop creativity. The ‘Oulton Broad learner’ skills evident in the rest of the school are introduced in the Nursery and children start to use the language of learning. One four-year-old boy returned from a short writing session and declared ‘that was challenging, but I did it!’ Adults assist children’s learning by asking relevant and thought-provoking questions and guide children towards activities that stimulate and motivate them.

p.7

The early years provision is outstanding

 Teachers plan structured activities that support children’s outstanding progress in mathematics, reading and writing. Free-flowing, child-initiated activities that allow children to develop as confident, independent learners develop learning further. During observations of these sessions, all children were purposefully engaged in play that directly related to learning outcomes in the early years curriculum.

p.7

The early years provision is outstanding

 Assessment of children’s learning in the Reception class is detailed and allows teachers to determine the next steps in the child’s development. Assessments carried out when children enter the Nursery are also accurate as the leader of early years moderates them. WHAT INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS MEAN

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 124676 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 465462 Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 266 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Scarlett Headteacher Jamie White Date of previous school inspection 11–12 December 2013 Telephone number 01502 565930 Fax number 01502 514970 Email address ad.oultonbroad.p@talk21.com 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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.10