Bridgetown Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Louise Lowes Headteacher Bridgetown Primary School Byron Road Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire CV37 7JP

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 July 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2012.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Along with other school leaders you have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You joined the school three years ago and, together with your deputy headteachers, you provide strong and effective leadership. As a result, your staff and pupils are proud to be part of Bridgetown Primary. The school’s governing body provides you with effective challenge and support to ensure that actions taken by the leadership team have a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. The great majority of parents speak positively about the school. They comment on the progress that their children are making, the community feel of the school and the quality of care that your staff provide. As one parent wrote: ‘My children regularly come home from school enthused by the exciting learning they have experienced that day.’

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Since the last inspection, the school has expanded in size and there are now two classes in each year group. This initially led to a period of high pupil mobility as pupils joined the school during the academic year, particularly in key stage 2. As pupil numbers stabilise, rates of pupils’ progress are increasing.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

You have high expectations of staff and these, in turn, are passed on to the pupils. You have introduced a number of new approaches to improve outcomes for pupils further. For example, teachers now use a tracking and assessment system to record pupils’ progress in all subjects. You, your senior team and teachers regularly review this information. As a result, everyone is now clearer about which individuals and groups of pupils are making good progress and who is at risk of falling behind. Approaches and interventions to address any underperformance are therefore targeted precisely. You are becoming increasingly confident about the accuracy of the data which is checked when teachers within school, and from across your local network of schools, meet to compare outcomes and standards.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Pupils talk enthusiastically about school, and relationships between pupils and adults are strong. Pupils generally behave well and say that the school’s behaviour policy, which is known and understood by all, is applied fairly. As they get older, pupils have increased opportunities to take on responsibilities. For example, school captains promote sports activities and healthy eating. The student governing body represents pupils’ views to senior leaders; raises funds, for example through the ‘Bridgetown bake-off’; and tackles issues such as dangerous parking outside school. Drama, music and sports have a high profile across the school and pupils have access to a wealth of extra-curricular activities.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Following the previous inspection, the school was asked to increase the proportion of teaching which is outstanding in order to improve outcomes in English and mathematics. From evidence gathered, teaching is strong across the school. Teachers’ skills are developed through regular training, coaching and the sharing of effective practice. New approaches to the teaching of writing and mathematics are resulting in improved outcomes across the school. You are aware, however, that there is more to do to strengthen outcomes in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

You and your governors recognised that disadvantaged pupils were not achieving as well as other pupils and you organised an external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding to help address this. As a result, you have raised the profile of disadvantaged pupils across the school. There are now strategies in place to help pupils fully engage in lessons and maximise their learning. Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support pupils’ needs and to provide access to extra-curricular activities and additional opportunities. Although outcomes and rates of progress for disadvantaged pupils have improved this year, this remains an area for further development.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

While overall school attendance was above the national average in 2016, attendance is not equally strong for all groups of pupils. You agree that there is a need to promote the importance of good attendance further.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

There is a clear culture of safeguarding within the school. You and your leadership team have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are sufficiently detailed and of a high quality. As a result, pupils are well cared for at all times. All staff have regular and appropriate training to understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. Staff are clear about what they should do if they have any concerns. You work with external agencies as necessary. Governors understand their role in overseeing the effectiveness of safeguarding.

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Short inspection of Bridgetown Primary School

Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that they are taught how to stay safe, for example, knowing who to speak to if they have any concerns. The school has its own pupil-led e-safety committee. This group identifies ‘weak spots’ in pupils’ e- safety knowledge and then takes action to address them. Recently the committee prepared and presented an assembly giving pupils information about age and content recommendations for apps and computer games.

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Inspection findings

 You have introduced a new approach to teaching writing across the school. This is having a positive impact on both the quality and quantity of pupils’ written work. Writing tasks, at the start and the end of units of work, clearly show the progress that pupils are making. Pupils now write in a variety of styles and across a range of subjects. This approach is also increasing pupils’ self-confidence as they can see themselves becoming successful writers.  Governors and the leadership team identified the need to improve progress and outcomes in mathematics. This has been a key focus over the last year. You and the subject leader introduced a new curriculum and approach to the teaching of mathematics. Training for staff, workshops for parents and an ‘inspirational maths’ week have been effective in raising the profile of mathematics across the school. While these actions have had a positive impact on progress and outcomes

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Inspection findings

for all abilities of pupils, you are aware of the need for further development, in particular the need to develop greater consistency in the teaching of problem- solving and reasoning skills.  Pupils are regularly encouraged to challenge themselves, selecting their own level of task, and moving into their ‘learning zone’. You and your team regularly review how you give feedback to pupils. This is becoming increasingly effective in helping pupils understand how well they are doing. You have also introduced 10- or 15-day challenges for some pupils. These are specific targets which pupils aim to achieve in a short time period. They are proving effective in helping pupils to identify the progress that they are making and building self-confidence. You have already planned further work to look at consistency in giving feedback across classes and in helping pupils to know the next steps that they need to take in

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Inspection findings

their learning.  Across the school you have introduced ‘Bridgetown basics’, which are a set of non-negotiable minimum standards that you and the leadership team expect to see in every classroom. These include ensuring that pupils take pride in their work, maintain good behaviour and take an active role in lessons. These approaches are effective in supporting pupils’ learning.  Pupils’ attendance improved in 2016 and attendance rates were higher than the national average. However, the attendance for pupils who have free school meals was in the lowest 10% nationally. Information for the current school year shows that overall attendance is presently a little below last year, especially for boys. Attendance for pupils who have free school meals is not improving. You track the attendance of individual pupils and contact parents when attendance drops below an acceptable level. However, you are aware of the need to do more to maximise

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Inspection findings

pupils’ attendance. The procedures that you and your staff follow, including contacting parents on the first day of absence and working with the local authority, help to ensure that pupils are safe and not at risk of going missing from education.  Provisional outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in 2017, indicate that 70% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared to 61% nationally. The school’s own information shows that more pupils are meeting the standards expected for their age, especially across key stage 2. The proportion working at higher standards has also increased when compared to 2016 outcomes.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 developments to raise standards in mathematics are embedded across the school, with a particular focus on enhancing pupils’ reasoning and problem- solving skills  strategies to support disadvantaged pupils are embedded and further developed in order to maximise their progress  actions are taken to raise the profile of good attendance in order to maintain the current overall levels of attendance and ensure high attendance from vulnerable groups

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you and your senior leadership team. We visited classes across the school, where we observed teaching and learning, spoke to pupils and looked at work in some books.

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Information about the inspection

I talked with parents at the start of the day and with pupils, both formally and informally. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I scrutinised a sample of documents, including your school self-evaluation and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

I met with five governors, including the chair of governors. I took account of 123 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 85 comments received electronically. I also took account of 39 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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