Bromley Heath Infant School

Bromley Heath Infant School Quakers Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 6NJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good school

 The drive and passion of the headteacher is central to the continuing success of the school. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher.  Staff share the determination of the headteacher for all pupils to enjoy school and become successful learners.  The quality of teaching is good, with some practice that is outstanding.  Pupils are making at least good progress in reading, writing and mathematics as a result of consistently good teaching.  Teachers use assessment information effectively to ensure that pupils are well taught in phonics and reading.  Leadership of the early years is strong. As a result, children settle in quickly and make at least good progress in all areas of their learning. This ensures that they are well prepared as they enter Year 1.  Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. This is reflected in the school’s attendance which is consistently above the national average.  The behaviour of pupils and their attitudes to

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This is a good school

learning are good. They play well together and demonstrate good social skills.  The work to keep pupils safe is effective. The school provides a nurturing environment in which pupils feel secure and can thrive.  The curriculum has been carefully designed to excite and motivate pupils. It is complemented by a wide range of enrichment activities to which all pupils have access.  The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. School leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  Governance is effective. Governors know the school well, are supportive and appropriately challenge school leaders.  Relationships with parents are strong. The overwhelming majority of parents are delighted with the school and are pleased with the education and care their children receive.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some pupils do not always make rapid progress, especially the most-able pupils in their reading and writing.  Leaders’ checking of the impact of actions taken to improve outcomes for pupils is not yet as rigorous as it needs to be.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the achievement of pupils so that:  a higher proportion make outstanding progress  the most-able pupils in particular consistently reach the highest levels of achievement in reading and writing.  Ensure that all leaders, including governors, rigorously monitor and evaluate the impact of the actions they have taken in order to determine what works well and why.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The drive, passion and high aspirations of the headteacher are integral to the continuing success of this school. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders who share her vision for the school to become outstanding. Staff questionnaires clearly demonstrate that the headteacher has the support of the whole staff. ‘This is an amazing place to work’ was a typical comment made.  Subject leaders are effective in leading their areas. They quickly identify areas of weakness and implement effective action plans to support staff in improving these areas. For example, following the dip in the 2015 phonics screening check, decisive action is being taken to ensure that this does not re-occur.  The targets set for teachers are used to good effect to hold staff to account and to support their training and development. A robust cycle of monitoring is used by leaders to ensure that teaching is consistently

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

good or better. As a result, pupils make good progress with some making outstanding progress.  The curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that it excites and motivates pupils. Each new topic is introduced and concluded with a ‘wow’ day. Topics taught provide a good range of activities that promote enjoyment and enthuse learners. Activities planned by teachers result in pupils producing high- quality work, especially in their writing. This demonstrates the good progress that they are making across all aspects of their learning. Pupils also spoke about the ‘awe and wonder’ weeks the school plans. They relish the opportunities these weeks provide to enhance their learning.  The school provides pupils with a wide range of enrichment activities which are well attended. Pupils talk excitedly about the clubs they attend, which include gardening, dance and guitar clubs. Sports funding is effectively used to provide a range of additional opportunities including tennis and rugby. Additional

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

funding is spent wisely to provide effective support to those pupils for whom it is designed. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make good progress in all areas of their learning.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded throughout the curriculum and clearly reflects the school’s core values of independence, respect, confidence, perseverance and pride. These underpin all the school does in inspiring pupils to be ’the best that they can be’, now and as they grow into adults. Pupils have a good understanding of cultures and faiths other than their own. They understand and value that everyone is different.  The school works well to develop these young pupils with an awareness of life in modern Britain. For example, they have a growing understanding of democracy through the election process of the school council. Even very young pupils were able to explain the fairness of how they voted to select their own

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school council.  The school’s capacity to improve further is strong. School self-evaluation is accurate and development plans identify those areas in which improvements need to be made. However, leaders do not always sufficiently check the impact of their actions to ensure that all pupils are making the best possible progress.  The school works successfully within an informal network of local schools. Leaders and staff welcome the opportunity to share ideas and observe teaching. This allows the sharing of best practice and also offers an independent view of how well the school is providing for its pupils.  The governance of the school – Governors share the ambition and drive of the headteacher. They have a good and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and where improvements need to be made. They know how well pupils are performing in relation to other schools nationally. Through visits to classrooms, talking

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

to pupils and meeting with leaders, governors have a detailed understanding of the quality of teaching and the impact this has on pupils’ progress. They understand how good teaching is rewarded and would also support the withholding of pay awards if performance was not good enough. Governors ensure the financial stability of the school by close monitoring. For example, they are knowledgeable about how pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it has on the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Governors are aware that they need to monitor the impact of actions taken by leaders with greater rigour to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they can. Inspection evidence found that governors are taking swift action to tackle this aspect of their role.  The arrangements for safeguarding, including child protection, are effective. Leaders and governors create a safe culture in school. They keep themselves well informed of current guidance by attending training.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

They ensure that policies and procedures are fully adhered to by staff. For example, lunchtime supervisors have received recent training in child protection. As a result, they are confident in how to identify and report concerns. The school works closely with other agencies, as appropriate, to keep pupils safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good, with aspects which are outstanding. Inspection evidence, including joint observations with leaders and discussions with pupils, combined with an analysis of the school’s monitoring records, confirms that teaching is typically good.  Teachers’ assessment of what pupils can and cannot do is accurate and effective. As a result, pupils across the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and some are making outstanding progress, for example in their reading. Pupils have a good understanding of what they need to do in order to improve their work. This is due to teachers consistently applying the school’s marking and feedback policy. Pupils are increasingly able to check their own learning and improvements in their work and that of their peers.  Teachers know their pupils well, which enables them to plan lessons that interest pupils and build on their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

previous learning. This ensures sustained progress for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs. In a Year 2 phonics lesson, the teacher skilfully questioned pupils’ understanding and quickly tackled errors, for example in pronunciation and the spelling of specific words. This consolidated pupils’ learning which they could then use accurately in their writing.  Teachers have secure subject knowledge. For example, in a Year 1 lesson on ‘bossy verbs’, the teacher’s good subject knowledge meant that activities were well matched to pupils’ abilities. Additionally, the most- able pupils were provided with challenging tasks that made them think carefully and develop their skills further, making good progress in their writing. Pupils’ books show this high-quality work is typical.  Teachers set meaningful homework. Pupils are expected to read regularly at home. The school provides a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

wide range of information for parents both on the website and during events held in school to enable them to effectively support their children at home. Parents told inspectors they welcome this: for example, the guidance they have been given in supporting their child’s development in reading and the recent session on the new curriculum.  Almost all parents who responded to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View, or who spoke to inspectors consider that the school provides them with accurate information about how well their children are doing. During the inspection, a planned afternoon for Year 1 parents to sit with their children to look at their work was visited by an inspector. There was a buzz of excitement as pupils were sharing their books with their parents. All parents spoken to were delighted with their child’s progress. They appreciate the opportunities the school provides in keeping them up to date with how their child is getting on. Parents also

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

appreciate the effective guidance they are given to help their children with their learning at home.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The policies and procedures for keeping pupils safe are fully embedded in all aspects of the school’s work. Staff take good care of pupils by keeping vigilant and ensuring that their safety is never compromised.  The school works effectively with outside agencies to maintain the safety and well-being of pupils and to ensure that pupils receive high-quality care and support.  Risk assessments for a wide range of activities are in place which leaders monitor closely. For example, risk assessments for outside learning are comprehensive and rigorously applied. Consequently, pupils have the opportunity to enjoy their outside learning including the climbing of trees and other climbing equipment.  Pupils have a good awareness of their personal safety appropriate for their age and stage of development. For example, they learn about not approaching or talking to people they do not know.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their attendance levels which are above the national average.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are courteous and polite. They care for others around them. This was exemplified during the inspection when a pupil asked politely if an inspector needed a friend. This was because the inspector was sat on the ‘buddy bench’ during a playtime. Older pupils act as ‘buddies’ to younger pupils.  The school manages pupils’ behaviour well. School records show very few incidents of poor behaviour over time. The school has responded effectively to the very small number of incidents that have happened. There have been no reported racist incidents or exclusions.  There can be occasions when children become boisterous but this is quickly dealt with by staff without crushing pupils’ enthusiasm.  Pupils know about different forms of bullying. Their view is that little or no bullying occurs in the school and they are confident that any disputes they may have are quickly dealt with by staff.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Children enter the Reception classes with knowledge and skills which are broadly typical for their age. As a result of good, and at times outstanding, teaching, children make at least good progress. By the time they leave the early years, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is above the national average and continues to rise year on year.  Pupils enjoy reading. The majority are confident in using their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics), to read unfamiliar words. In 2015, there was a dip in the Year 1 phonics screening check. The school has taken swift action to ensure that this is not repeated. Current progress information shows that pupils are able to use their strong phonic knowledge to good effect in their reading throughout the school.  In the 2015 national testing, the proportions of the most-able pupils achieving the higher levels improved.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

However, this strong progress in reading has not been consistent for this group. School leaders are not complacent following this improvement. They are monitoring carefully to ensure that pupils across the school continue to make good progress with their reading.  The progress pupils make in writing is good. In 2015, there was a further increase in the percentage of pupils achieving at least the expected level in Year 2. However, not all pupils make the rapid progress of which they are capable, especially the most able. Leaders are tackling this well. Standards continue to rise.  Outcomes in mathematics improved in 2015 with pupils making at least good progress. The school continues to ensure that the quality of teaching in mathematics is never less than good. Consequently the progress of all pupils is at least good.  The small number of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs or disabilities make at

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Outcomes for pupils are good

least good progress in reading, writing and mathematics given their starting points. This is as a result of the effective use of pupil premium money and the high-quality teaching these pupils receive.

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership and management in the early years are good. Areas of learning are well organised, providing children with a wide range of exciting activities to make links in learning and stimulate their creativity. For example, children were absorbed in making ‘mud cupcakes’. They talked confidently about the ‘recipe’ they were using. Later, they were able to demonstrate their early mark-making skills in their recoding of the activity. The leader has correctly identified that the outside environment needs further improvement so that children have access to high-quality learning opportunities across all areas of learning.  The leader for the early years demonstrates a determination for constant improvement. She robustly analyses assessment information regularly to check how well children are doing. From her analysis she trains and works with the Reception staff and pre-school staff to decide on activities which will continue to

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Early years provision is good

raise children’s outcomes. For example, she has worked with pre-school staff on teaching early reading and writing. Consequently, children are entering the Reception with better skills in these areas.  The transition arrangements from pre-school to the Reception classes are of a high quality. As a result, children settle quickly into school life, grow in confidence and make good progress in developing the skills they need to become good learners.  Relationships between staff and children are a strength. This enables children to thrive and develop in an environment where they feel safe and nurtured.  In 2015, children made at least good progress from their starting points because of the consistently good or better teaching they receive. A high proportion of children leave the Reception classes with skill levels above national averages in all areas of learning. This ensures that they are well prepared as they move into

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Early years provision is good

Year 1.  Behaviour is good. Routines have quickly been established and are consistently applied by all staff in and outside the classroom. The safety of children is good. Staff are appropriately trained in all aspects of keeping children safe. They are vigilant and know how to report any concerns they may have.  Parents are delighted with how quickly their children settle into school and with the education their children receive. Parents told inspectors that their experience of the school so far is ‘brilliant’ for many reasons. They talk of how the staff care for their children and the opportunities they have to talk with the teachers in these early days.

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School details

Unique reference number 109029 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 10001135

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Colin Cooper Headteacher Tina Long Telephone number 01454 866777 Website www.bromleyheathinfantschool.co.uk Email address school@bhinfants.org.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 March 2011

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Information about this school

 Bromley Heath Infant School is average-sized when compared with primary schools nationally.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals and those in local authority care.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  Children in the early years are taught in two classes on a full-time basis.  A breakfast club and tea club run by the junior school on the same site are available for pupils. These clubs were not part of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons or part lessons, many of which were joint observations with school leaders.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, staff and governors. A meeting took place with an officer from the local authority. Inspectors took into consideration the responses of 23 questionnaires completed by staff.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection, including the school’s development plan, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, and data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress.  The quality of work in pupils’ books was scrutinised by the inspection team.  Inspectors talked with groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  The 89 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were taken into account. Inspectors also spoke to

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Information about this inspection

parents informally at the start of the day and considered correspondence submitted to the team during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Hazel Callaghan Ofsted Inspector Helen Springett Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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