Bignold Primary School

Bignold Primary School Wessex Street, Norwich NR2 2SY

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Leadership and management are outstanding. School leaders have created a culture of excellence whereby pupils and staff can thrive.  Leaders know well the strengths and areas for development within the school. They are taking the right actions to improve the school still further.  The curriculum is broad, rich and exciting and it inspires pupils to achieve well.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, within this, the promotion of fundamental British values, are at the heart of the school’s work.  Teaching is highly effective across the school and is enabling almost all pupils to make at least good progress. Gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in the school and that of others nationally are narrowing.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They behave extremely well both in the classroom and around the school. They are confident, courteous and polite.  Leaders and managers have created a culture of

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This is a good school

vigilance which promotes outstanding personal development and welfare.  Pupils show great pride in their school. They take on roles of responsibility with maturity and are well prepared for the next stage in their education and life in modern Britain.  Governance is strong. Governors have the range of skills and experience to ensure that the school can improve even further.  In common with their children, parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.  Children settle into Nursery provision well and make rapid progress in the Reception Year.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, in a few lessons, the most-able pupils do not get work that is sufficiently challenging enough to enable them to achieve their full potential.  Teaching is not consistently of the highest standard to enable all pupils to make rapid progress.  Pupils who join the school do not always make the same strong progress as those who have been in the school throughout their education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Take action to achieve outstanding outcomes for pupils in all year groups by ensuring that: existing best practice is shared so that the quality of teaching is consistently of the highest standard the most-able pupils are always given work that is at the right level to challenge them effectively pupils who are new to the school are assessed quickly, and appropriate support is put in place to enable all of them to make as much progress as pupils who remain in school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Outstanding and imaginative leadership is bringing about strong and sustainable improvement. The strengths identified in leadership, behaviour and the early years provision at the last inspection have been built on and improvements in teaching and learning and outcomes mean that these are now good.  The headteacher has made a decisive contribution to the improvements, as recognised by staff and parents. Her commitment and vision are shared by governors and other staff, and is evidence of the school’s strong capacity for continued improvement.  School leaders have eradicated previous weaknesses in teaching through robust performance management and by providing opportunities for effective training and development for all staff. They regularly check the work in pupils’ books and visit lessons. Systems to check the progress that pupils make are also robust.  Leaders ensure that they take the right actions and that these lead to improvement. This is evident in the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

year-on-year increase in the number of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year and in improvements in the results of the Year 1 phonics screening check (the link between letters and sounds). Leaders also ensure that pay and responsibilities are closely linked to pupils’ achievement and their diligent use of additional government funding is ensuring that disadvantaged pupils progress as well as others.  The school development plan accurately identifies the correct focus and actions that need to be taken to drive further sustained development.  Leaders and staff are also effective in providing the additional support needed in and out of the classrooms to secure good progress for pupils who have special educational needs or disability.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. This is at the heart of the school’s work. School leaders have developed the curriculum in order to stimulate pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

interests and offer them a range of rich and varied opportunities. As a result, pupils are highly motivated and have very positive attitudes to their learning.  Pupils enjoy residential trips and a wide range of other visits. They also benefit from inspirational visitors, including successful sports people. During the inspection, key stage 2 pupils benefited from a visit from a theatre company. School leaders have successfully used the school’s sports funding to employ specialist sports coaches and train staff in order to increase their expertise. As a result, there is a high rate of pupil participation in sports clubs, as well as a wide range of other clubs on offer. Work in pupils’ books also illustrates the emphasis given to encouraging healthy eating and healthy lifestyles generally.  The school is committed to gaining the Rights Respecting Schools Award. Leaders promote equality of opportunity and diversity exceptionally well, for both pupils and staff, so that the ethos and culture of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

whole school prevent any form of discriminatory behaviour. Leaders, staff and pupils do not tolerate prejudiced behaviour. All pupils show a high degree of respect for themselves and others.  The school’s aims and ethos of ‘believe, achieve, succeed’ are firmly embedded throughout the curriculum. These are seen in pupils’ daily interactions with each other and adults. Pupils demonstrate excellent relationships and have a secure understanding of modern Britain and its values.  Leaders are tireless in maintaining the confidence of parents and in working in partnership with them. Almost all parents who responded to the questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school to other parents. There were high numbers of very positive comments such as, ‘Bignold is a wonderful school’, ‘all the staff at Bignold are fantastic and really care about the children’, ‘the leadership of the school seems very strong and the headteacher is determined, energetic and approachable’, and ‘the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

school is very well run’.  Staff questionnaires show that all staff fully support the headteacher. One commented, ‘Bignold has never been better’.  The local authority has worked effectively with Bignold Primary School to check the progress of the school and broker additional support when necessary. The school shares its own best practice to help other schools to develop, and its headteacher is a local leader of education.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The governance of the school Governance is highly effective. Governors are very knowledgeable and they work closely with the headteacher and have contributed strongly in driving the school forward since the previous inspection. The governing body is well led and undertakes regular training, for example in safeguarding and checking school performance. This ensures full adherence to statutory requirements. Governors visit the school regularly and share their findings with each other at their meetings. They also receive detailed reports from senior and middle leaders. As a result, governors understand very well how different groups of pupils are progressing in the school in comparison with those elsewhere and are very astute in holding the headteacher to account. Governors evaluate the impact of pupil premium and sports funding well. They are swift and accurate in identifying and tackling areas in need

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

of improvement. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff are well trained and are clear and skilled in implementing the school’s comprehensive policies and procedures. Leaders and staff are diligent in getting to know the pupils and in meeting their individual needs. The school works particularly effectively with external agencies to keep pupils safe, especially those pupils who are considered vulnerable. A high proportion of the significant number of parents who responded to the Parent View questionnaire have full confidence in the way the school cares and creates a safe culture for their children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Leaders’ determined efforts have improved the quality of teaching. Since the last inspection, there has been a strong emphasis on developing good teaching. Leaders have provided a good range of opportunities for staff to develop their skills and confidence. In particular, teachers now make much better use of regular assessments to identify the learning needs of different groups of pupils. As a result, teaching across Years 1 to 6 is now consistently good.  Teachers plan activities that make learning enjoyable for the great majority of pupils. Pupils described lessons and learning to inspectors as ‘fun’. During the inspection, pupils enjoyed a theatre group production of ‘The Railway Children’. The work that teachers planned following this, including the use of drama, resulted in high levels of motivation and engagement, and sustained and high-quality writing by pupils in the Year 3 and Year 4 classes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers have high expectations of both behaviour and learning in lessons and pupils respond very well to this. They typically show sustained levels of concentration and perseverance in lessons. This was exemplified in a Year 2 art lesson, where pupils produced high-quality drawings over the course of the afternoon. Pupils enjoy the opportunities that they are given and work very well and with great maturity and this makes a strong contribution to their good learning.  Teachers ensure that their classrooms present a welcoming learning atmosphere. They use displays innovatively to celebrate pupils’ work and to provide information so that pupils can find and use what they need to help them if they are stuck in their learning. Work displayed in corridors reflects the richness and breadth of the curriculum.  Teachers throughout the school demonstrate good subject knowledge and their well-developed

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

questioning skills enable them to probe pupils’ understanding and check their progress during lessons. They explain new ideas well and make good use of technology and various stimuli and images to support this. This was seen to good effect during a Year 3 science lesson, where pupils made great gains in their understanding of how rockets work by being given the opportunity to make and launch their own rockets. The excitement and engagement of pupils in this lesson were very high.  Good teaching has been particularly effective in reducing any differing rates of progress between groups of pupils. Disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs or disability, and those who speak English as an additional language have increased their rates of progress to catch up with the progress of other pupils in the school and sometimes even exceed it.  Pupils’ work also shows that they are given good opportunities to practise their literacy and numeracy

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

skills, including across a range of topics.  Teaching assistants have had good opportunities to develop their skills and so support particular groups and individual pupils very effectively. Inspectors saw the resulting benefits in several lessons and in the work in pupils’ books. In two Year 6 mathematics lessons, the secure subject knowledge of teaching assistants enabled the groups they were working with to make very good progress in their learning about how to find the circumference of circles. Teaching assistants also provide good care and support for pupils.  Teachers mostly plan work that challenges all pupils at exactly the right level. However, in a few lessons, this is not the case and the most-able pupils are not challenged sufficiently, which means they do not always make the progress that they should. Pupils who join the school are well supported but not all make the same good progress as those who remain at the school from the start of the Reception Year.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  School leaders have highly effective systems in place to support pupils’ welfare and safety, particularly the safety of those who are most in need. The curriculum also contributes comprehensively to pupils’ excellent behaviour and welfare, including their physical, mental and personal well-being as well as their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development.  Pupils say that they feel very safe and know they are listened to. All staff are highly trained to identify when a pupil may be at risk of neglect, abuse or exploitation. Leaders and staff work effectively with external partners to support pupils who are most in need. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including on the internet, when crossing the road and if approached by strangers.  The relationships between adults and pupils, and between the pupils themselves, are exemplary and

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Personal development and welfare

contribute greatly to the pupils’ full enjoyment of school. Across the school, pupils respect their teachers and are very appreciative of the interesting learning opportunities that they plan for them.  Pupils show high levels of self-discipline and incidents of low-level disruption are extremely rare. They show sustained concentration in lessons. They work cooperatively and willingly express and share their ideas. Their highly positive attitudes to learning contribute well to their good progress.  There are many opportunities for pupils to learn about the democratic process, for example through choosing team names, school council elections and involvement in staff recruitment. Pupils take on a range of responsibilities, such as playground buddies. Pupils raise money for a range of charities and show great awareness that many children in the world are less fortunate than them.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  In lessons and across the school and in the playground at break- and lunchtimes, pupils’ behaviour is nothing short of exemplary. Their impeccable conduct reflects the school’s effective strategies to promote high standards of behaviour.  Pupils are polite and courteous to their teachers, each other and visitors to the school. When any visitor enters a classroom, they are greeted by pupils who welcome them to their class and tell the visitor what they are learning. They show great maturity when speaking to visitors and other adults.  Pupils show mutual respect and tolerance for each other. This was particularly evident, for example, in a celebration assembly, where all pupils listened respectfully to their peers’ achievements and celebrated and acknowledged these appropriately. They are particularly kind to new arrivals to the school, helping them to settle in quickly and feel at home.

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Behaviour

 Staff who completed the staff questionnaire agreed unanimously that pupils consistently behave well and parents and pupils themselves endorse this view.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ skills and needs on entry to the school are subject to wide variation. A high number join the school at different times other than at the start of the Reception Year.  The increasing and above-average proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year shows that these children make a very successful start at school.  There has been year-on-year improvement in the proportions of pupils achieving national expectations in the Year 1 phonics screening check, which reflects rising standards in response to good or better teaching. School tracking predicts that this proportion will be above the national figure this year.  Attainment at the end of key stage 1 was below national figures in 2015. However, a small proportion of these pupils reached expected standards at the end of the Reception Year. Work in books and school tracking data show that these pupils are now making accelerated progress in Year 3 and are on track to

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Outcomes for pupils are good

meet age-related expectations at the end of the year as a result of the excellent teaching they are receiving.  Outcomes at the end of key stage 2 improved in 2015 and were broadly in line with national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics combined and for English, grammar, punctuation and spelling. The proportion of pupils making expected progress was in line with national figures for reading and writing but above for mathematics. The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress was in line with national averages for reading but below for writing and mathematics.  Inspectors’ analysis of current pupils’ work in English, mathematics, science, history and geography shows that standards of attainment are rising at key stages 1 and 2. As a result of consistently good teaching across the school, pupils in all year groups are making good progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding in these areas.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils with special educational needs or disability also receive well-planned extra adult assistance. Staff work closely with parents and external specialists to lift their confidence and promote good progress.  In 2015, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in the school was below that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. An analysis of work shows that disadvantaged pupils across the school are now making good progress and gaps in attainment are narrowing.  Historically, a higher number of pupils than average have joined the school part-way through the year and key stages. Many do not speak English and some stay for only a short time. As a result, it has been difficult for the school to evidence the same good progress for these pupils as it has for those who have spent all their time at Bignold Primary School.  Across the school, the most-able pupils are making good progress. However, an analysis of work showed

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Outcomes for pupils are good

that there are occasions when they are not challenged sufficiently to deepen their understanding and reach the very highest standards.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 Outcomes for children by the end of the early years have improved still further since the previous inspection, when they were judged to be good.  Children enter with a wide range of starting points but, for most, they are broadly typical of their age. Children make excellent progress in all areas of learning, so that the proportion attaining a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year is well above the national average. More children are now exceeding a good level of development and are exceptionally well prepared to move on to Year 1.  Leadership is outstanding. The assistant headteacher in charge of early years has taken very effective action to further improve the quality of teaching in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Teachers know the children very well and with the help of teaching assistants, they assess accurately and frequently children’s starting points in reading, writing and mathematics, so that learning can progress

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Early years provision is outstanding

swiftly. As a result, children make rapid progress across all areas of learning.  Children benefit from high-quality teaching, including in phonics, which underpins early reading skills successfully. They also learn very well by choosing their own activities from those that staff set up for them, following accurate assessments of children’s learning and careful consideration of how this can be moved on. Staff make full use of the well-equipped and spacious facilities. A strong emphasis on developing children’s use of speech helps them communicate very effectively with their friends and adults. This is especially beneficial to children who speak English as an additional language.  The carefully considered activities and events help children understand the core values of the school from an early age. The well-established daily routines and safe behaviour contribute to children’s excellent personal development. The use of a Forest School strengthens this further.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 As well as the Nursery provision, the school has also recently started to include new provision for children aged between two and three years, Bignold Butterflies. Children in this setting benefit from a rich learning environment and highly skilled adults.

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School details

Unique reference number 134955 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 10001891

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 2−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 494 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alicia Howell Headteacher Clare Jones Telephone number 01603 625721 Website https://bignoldprimary-norfolk.frogos.net Email address head@bignold.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3−4 October 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  A significant number of pupils speak English as an additional language, which is above the national average.  An average proportion of pupils have special educational needs or disability.  An above-average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which at this school provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  An above-average proportion of pupils join part-way through the school year.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school offers breakfast and after-school provision, providing care from 8am to 6pm.  There are two Reception classes in the early years, which children attend on a full-time basis.  The school runs Nursery provision on site and also provision for rising three-year-olds. Children attend

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Information about this school

both of these on a part-time basis.  There have been a number of new appointments to teaching posts since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 28 lessons or part lessons, almost all of which were jointly observed with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  They looked at a wide range of pupils’ work in books and observed at playtime and lunchtime and during assemblies.  Discussions were held with school staff, two governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors talked to pupils about the school’s work, listened to some pupils read aloud and talked to them about books that they enjoy.  Inspectors observed various aspects of the school’s work and considered a range of policies and documents. These included information about pupils’ attainment and progress, planning and monitoring documentation, the school improvement plan and self-evaluation summary, safeguarding policies, and behaviour and attendance records.  Account was taken of 82 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also spoke to

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Information about this inspection

parents as they were delivering their children to school and received an email from one parent. The questionnaire responses received from 40 staff were also considered.

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Inspection team

Joan Beale, lead Inspector Ofsted Inspector Richard Griffiths Ofsted Inspector Christina Kenna 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

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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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