Burrowmoor Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 February 2012 Inspection number 378138 Burrowmoor Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 110639 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 378138 Inspection dates 23–24 February 2012 Lead inspector Nick Butt

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julie Southwell Headteacher Anna Traer-Goffe Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2008 School address Burrowmoor Road March PE15 9RP Telephone number 01354 652330 Fax number 01354 661149 Email address office@burrowmoor.cambs.sch.uk

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Registered childcare provision EY 377785 Burrowmoor Pre-Nursery and Childcare Number of children on roll in the registered childcare provision Date of last inspection of registered childcare provision 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 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

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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 telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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

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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.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Christopher Christofides Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 30 lessons taught by 17 teachers; meetings were held with parents, carers and pupils, two members of the governing body, including the Chair, and a wide range of staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation including self-evaluation documents, strategic plans and other development plans. Inspectors scrutinised 201 questionnaires returned by parents and carers and those returned by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Burrowmoor is larger than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are White British. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. The school meets current government floor standards which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school offers wrap-around care and has a Pre-Nursery for up to 20 2-3 year old children, a breakfast club and an after-school club. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Burrowmoor is a satisfactory school. As a result of improvements to teaching and the curriculum standards are rising and progress is accelerating, especially in writing this year. It is not good yet because there is not enough consistently good teaching; and attainment in writing, while improving, is not at national expectations in all year groups. Pupils have weaknesses in their grammar and do not always have sufficient opportunities to practise their literacy skills in other subjects. There is outstanding practice in the Nursery, but the outdoor areas for the Reception classes are under-developed.  Achievement is satisfactory. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy participating fully in lessons. Attainment in English and mathematics is broadly average overall, and progress is satisfactory.  Teaching is satisfactory. Children benefit from high quality provision in the Pre- Nursery and Nursery with activities planned that meet their needs extremely

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Key findings

well. Elsewhere in the school there are examples of good practice, but this is not consistent. A new approach to teaching reading is having a beneficial impact. At times, more-able pupils are not sufficiently challenged to make good progress and the pace of lessons slows. In the best lessons pupils have opportunities to shape their own learning and develop independence, but this is not widespread across the school.  Behaviour and safety are good. There is a culture of respect in the school that is highly valued by pupils and parents and carers alike. In the playground and around the school pupils are most considerate towards one another. They say there is no bullying of any kind.  Leadership and management are satisfactory. Strong leadership of teaching and the management of performance by the headteacher and deputy headteacher are driving improvement and ensuring that more of the teaching is good or

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Key findings

better. The governing body provides a good level of challenge and support and is extremely knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and areas to develop.  Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards and achievement in writing further by:  building on work to develop pupils’ grammar and vocabulary  giving more opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy skills across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that all of it is good or better by:  ensuring more-able pupils are always sufficiently challenged  maintaining a brisk pace throughout lessons  promoting pupils’ independence in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Help to make the Early Years Foundation Stage consistently outstanding by:  sharing and consolidating the best practice in the Pre-Nursery and Nursery  improving the Reception outdoor areas to promote high quality provision in all areas of learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy learning, particularly when they are actively involved. For example, Year 3 pupils were highly motivated, armed with a word, to find a classmate with a related word as part of a study about limericks. This helped them to understand the importance of rhyme. Given well-organised resources, pupils in a mixed Year 1 and 2 class worked systematically to find out how many ways they could use coins to make up a sum of money. They were engrossed in their work and well challenged, the more-able pupils having more complicated sums to find. Pupils’ progress is not as good as in these examples when the task is not correctly pitched to their ability, or when they have limited opportunities to make choices about their learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment is average overall, but there is some variation as Year 5 pupils had a period of staffing uncertainty when they were younger and missed out on aspects of learning. The school is working well to help them catch up where gaps exist in their knowledge and understanding, especially of writing. A recent ‘sleepover’ and ‘stargazing’ project gave them plenty of inspiration. Progress is rapid in the Nursery because of the outstanding teaching and is satisfactory in Reception. Children leave the Early Years Foundation Stage with broadly average outcomes and achieve satisfactorily in Key Stage 1 and 2. Attainment in reading is average by the end of Year 2 and when pupils leave the school in Year 6. The progress of boys has accelerated because of a new approach to reading that introduces books that appeal to them and an element of competition. This has resulted in boys having a real enthusiasm for reading and often spending time in the library before school and at

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Achievement of pupils

break times, practising their reading and completing electronic tasks linked to the Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make satisfactory progress like their peers. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution in supporting pupils. Careful tracking of their progress identifies swiftly any at risk of falling behind so that timely interventions can be provided. There is targeted support for the very few pupils who speak English as an additional language which enables them to participate fully in lessons. Apart from variations in the attainment of Year 5 pupils, and in writing, all groups of pupils are attaining in line with pupils nationally. Useful work to focus pupils on improving their grammar and vocabulary is having a beneficial impact in raising writing standards. Almost all parents who responded to questionnaires said they felt their children were making good progress. Inspectors found that progress is accelerating, but overall remains satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching

The planned curriculum is precise, structured and generally taught well, although there is some unevenness in its impact on individual lessons. Teachers share lesson objectives with pupils and indicate to them some of the steps to success that will help them to achieve the desired outcomes. Pupils use resources well, including technology, and they say that they find lessons mainly interesting and enjoyable. Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good in lessons and they apply themselves wholeheartedly to their tasks. For example, Year 6 pupils enjoyed working together to plan slides for an electronic presentation about the moral dilemma of global warming. They chose their target audience and searched the internet for relevant information to support their arguments.

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Quality of teaching

In the best lessons teachers maintain a brisk pace that challenges and inspires pupils. Nursery children loved making a film about a ‘bear hunt’, entering enthusiastically into the rich language of the song and its energetic actions. They were very proud when their parents and carers watched the recording. This made a very positive contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as they collaborated together, reflected on their experiences, and enjoyed the moment. Throughout the school pupils take opportunities to reflect upon their learning and have a good understanding of the targets that will help them to improve their writing in particular. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well aware of the next steps in their learning and staff help them to see the progress they are making. Marking in books is good and shows pupils how to improve. Where the

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Quality of teaching

pace of learning slows, this is often because teachers keep pupils for too long before allowing them to commence independent tasks, or plan work that does not sufficiently challenge more-able pupils in particular, so that they do not achieve as well as they could. In the Reception classes, the outdoor areas are not sufficiently stimulating environments to promote all areas of children’s learning.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents and carers who returned questionnaires believe that their children are taught well. Inspectors found that there is an increasing proportion of good or better teaching, but that this is inconsistent across the school and the impact of Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Typically, pupils say that behaviour is very good, a view supported by the vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire. Pupils treat one another with respect, and are invariably courteous to staff and other adults. They are keen to talk about their work and speak highly of their experiences of school. They have very positive attitudes, so that even when the pace of teaching is not brisk enough, or when they are not sufficiently challenged, pupils remain cheerful and purposeful to make the most of their learning. Pupils say that there is no bullying of any kind, including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to special educational needs. They accept one another’s differences and celebrate diversity. Where occasional name-calling occurs, pupils say staff are swift to deal with it. Almost all parents and carers said their children feel safe at school and pupils have a

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

good understanding of how to keep safe and avoid hazards. They know about food safety and what to do in the event of fire. The valuable work of the school’s family inclusion worker has helped to reduce persistent absence and attendance has risen rapidly and is now above average.

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Leadership and management

Speaking of the staff, a parent commented, ‘They are forward-thinking, innovative and think ‘outside the box’, motivate children’s ideas and are prepared to embrace alternate teaching approaches’. Clear vision and ambition from the headteacher and deputy headteacher, combined with an enthusiasm and desire to move forward from staff, give the school a strong momentum for change. Innovations to the teaching of writing and reading have had a beneficial impact on raising standards and have motivated pupils, especially boys. Regular feedback to staff about their teaching and professional development designed to tackle specific aspects of learning have helped the proportion of good or better teaching to increase. Regular pupil progress meetings hold staff to account, and good use of data ensures that leaders and managers know clearly how different groups in the school are performing. Some of these improvements are relatively recent, and the impact of leadership and

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Leadership and management

management over time is satisfactory. The school is fully inclusive, tackles discrimination robustly and promotes equality well. The school’s caring ethos ensures pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable receive good support. Strategic plans reflect accurate self-evaluation and are assessed frequently to make sure the school is on track to meet its challenging targets. The governing body plays an influential role in giving the school strategic direction and in asking searching questions. Members of the governing body ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met, and that staff are well trained and all checks are carried out when recruiting. There is a strong capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is broad and balanced and enriched well, with trips to places of interest, such as the Viking Centre in York as part of a history project and a local wind-farm for environmental work. The curriculum has a positive impact on pupils’ Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, such as through the Nursery children’s Chinese New Year celebrations, when they made a dragon. Special events, linked to topics such as the Africa topic in Year 2, promote other cultures and give pupils the opportunities to experience dancing and drumming and issues around fair trade and sustainability. Pupils gain insight into life in Kenya through communicating with their link school, and undertaking a joint project to grow sunflowers and tomatoes. Pupils develop their basic skills across different subjects, but do not always have sufficient opportunities to practise their literacy skills. The breakfast and after- school clubs provide a safe and healthy environment for pupils to relax and enjoy one another’s company.

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childcare provision

Up to 31 children are registered for the 20-place childcare provision. The quality of the provision is outstanding. The Pre-Nursery is a bright, warm and welcoming environment, where resources are easily accessible for children. Children settle very quickly and thoroughly enjoy their experiences. For example, children took great pleasure in matching the number they were holding to one on the back of a chair, or interacting with a puppet show about the three little pigs. Routines are very well established and children’s behaviour is excellent. Outstanding leadership and organisation ensure that all welfare requirements are fully met and that the curriculum is exciting and colourful, with a wide range of resources for children to enjoy both inside and outside. Highly skilled adults use questioning extremely effectively to involve children in learning and to extend their experiences. There is excellent communication with parents and carers and staff keep careful records of

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childcare provision

children’s progress, so that they build up a full picture of their achievements. These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage of the registered childcare provision, inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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childcare provision

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage for the registered provision

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Burrowmoor Primary School, March, PE15 9RP

Thank you for welcoming us to your school and sharing your views with us when we spoke with you and also by filling in the questionnaires. We are glad you enjoy learning and agree with you that behaviour is good. The school provides you with a satisfactory education. Your work in reading, writing and mathematics is improving, and most of the time your lessons are interesting and enjoyable. You take good care of one another and are polite and friendly. You have a good understanding of how to stay safe. Children in the Pre-Nursery and the Nursery do extremely well. Your headteacher and deputy headteacher, along with the governing body, are helping the school to improve even faster.

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Inspection of Burrowmoor Primary School, March, PE15 9RP

We have asked them to:  help you to do even better in writing by improving your grammar and vocabulary and practising what you know in other subjects  make sure the work really makes you think and gives you opportunities to make choices about your learning  improve the outdoor areas to the Reception classes so that children have a good variety of experiences when they work outside.

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Inspection of Burrowmoor Primary School, March, PE15 9RP

You all can help by telling your teachers what you enjoy about learning and doing your best to improve your writing.

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Inspection of Burrowmoor Primary School, March, PE15 9RP

Thank you once again for your help, and our best wishes for the future.

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Inspection of Burrowmoor Primary School, March, PE15 9RP

Nick Butt Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . 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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