Badgemore Primary School

Badgemore Primary School Hop Gardens, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 2HL

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher leads a committed staff team. All who work at the school ensure that pupils succeed both academically and personally. The school is welcoming, inclusive and at the heart of the local community.  Teaching is now typically good. Teachers plan purposeful lessons so that pupils learn well.  Governors provide the right level of challenge and support for leaders. They demonstrate a determination and ambition to continue to improve the school’s performance.  Pupils’ outcomes are good. From starting points which are below those that are typical for their age, pupils make good progress.  Children in early years make good progress. They make a positive start because they are taught well, feel safe and like school.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils feel

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

valued, safe and secure.  Pupils’ behaviour is positive both in class and around the school. Pupils are courteous towards adults and caring to each other.  Leaders have ensured that pupils enjoy an exciting curriculum. The range of subjects and activities taught provide a wide range of opportunities, which motivate pupils to try their best.  Parents are pleased with the quality of education provided. They appreciate how well the staff know and care for their children.  Staff are proud to be part of the school community and work well together.  The attendance of pupils is beginning to improve but is below the national average.  Pupils do not make strong enough progress in mathematics. This is because they do not have enough opportunities to practise their skills across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to ensure the most able pupils make stronger progress in mathematics, by: – offering more opportunities for the most able to practise their mathematical skills, solving a wide range of problems across the curriculum – ensuring that the most able extend and deepen their understanding more effectively.  Improve presentation and handwriting across the school.  Work more closely with the families of pupils with high levels of absence so their attendance improves.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher has worked with determination to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. With her assistant headteacher, she has created a culture of positive action that has raised pupils’ achievement and helped unite the staff in driving improvement. Leaders are ambitious for further improvements.  Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s work is accurate. Improvement plans reflect a clear focus on the right priorities to make the school even better. Joint observations with the headteacher showed that her judgements are accurate and that feedback to teachers focuses on the ways in which they can improve their practice.  Central to the school’s caring approach is the importance of each pupil. All adults make increasingly accurate checks on pupils’ progress and support each individual’s specific learning needs. Pupils flourish in an atmosphere of mutual respect and in the school’s safe and happy environment. Staff and pupils do not tolerate discrimination of any sort.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Staff’s morale is high because senior leaders create a culture in which teachers are challenged, supported and enthused. In the online staff questionnaire, all staff agreed that leaders treat staff fairly and with respect. They are proud to be members of the Badgemore staff team.  Subject leaders contribute to school improvement effectively. They undertake lesson observations, lead training, and scrutinise pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. They have helped to eradicate weak teaching and develop a culture of continuous improvement.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have ensured that learning engages pupils and sparks their interest. Leaders are developing a curriculum that gives pupils good opportunities to apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Pupils describe a range of experiences they enjoy, such as the development of their bee hive, active and practical lessons, and after-school clubs, including gymnastics, art and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

cookery clubs. Outdoor learning is a key component of the curriculum and helps to develop pupils’ social and emotional skills. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their forest school, where skills are taught in the outdoor environment. Educational visits in the local community enrich their understanding of where they live, for example visits to the local theatre and rowing museum. Leaders acknowledge that there is more to do to further develop the curriculum in all subjects.  Leaders make effective use of pupil premium funding to provide additional support, both in the classroom and by developing pupils’ emotional and social skills. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils grow in confidence and make good progress.  Leaders ensure that in this school every pupil is known as an individual. This commitment gives every pupil an equal opportunity to achieve success. Additional funding is used effectively to support pupils with SEND.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The school promotes pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values effectively. For example, leaders foster the principles of democracy by supporting pupils to elect members of their school council. Leaders develop pupils’ understanding of the school’s core values, ‘respect, friendship, resilience and courage’, and encourage pupils to display these qualities frequently, both in and beyond the school.  The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through its strong and caring ethos. Adults provide positive role models as they show empathy, respect and kindness. As a result, pupils are considerate and thoughtful. One pupil said, ‘We are one community.’ They have extremely positive relationships with adults and one another.  The school uses the primary physical education (PE) and sports premium effectively. Leaders use this funding to support the training of staff and to provide professional

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

sports coaching to take place. Pupils talk enthusiastically about sport and say that the school encourages them to look after their physical health.  The school has a good relationship with the local authority and has benefited from its well-targeted challenge and support. This has been particularly useful in helping to improve the quality of teaching and in checking the accuracy of leaders’ judgements.  The school’s breakfast club and after-school club are well led and managed. They provide a safe and nurturing environment that supports pupils’ social development.  The majority of parents who responded to the online survey, Parent View, stated that they would recommend the school to others. One parent summed up the views of many by explaining: ‘I feel the quality of teaching and care received is fantastic. I can’t recommend this school highly enough.’

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Governance of the school

 Governors are effective and ambitious for the school’s future success. They share the passion of senior leaders to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils.  The role of each member of the governing body is clearly defined so each governor knows what they need to focus on. They visit the school regularly and know how teaching is developed. They take part in learning walks and talk to the pupils about their learning.  Governors have a good understanding of how the pupil premium and the PE and sports premium are being spent. They know the positive impact of both these funding streams on pupils’ outcomes.  Governors make sure that they remain effective by attending training and sharing their learning with each other. They are fully committed to equality of opportunity and hold leaders to account to ensure they fulfil their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. School leaders ensure that staff are well trained and vigilant in checking that pupils feel safe. Leaders respond promptly to concerns. They ensure that there is early help in place for vulnerable pupils and their families, both from within the school and from external agencies. As a result, pupils and families receive the support they need in a timely manner.  All staff and the majority of parents who responded to the online survey agree that pupils are kept safe and are well looked after. One parent said, ‘It has a calm and nurturing environment and one in which my child is thriving.’ Pupils said that they feel safe and know who to speak to if they have any worries.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers plan work which is interesting and engaging for pupils. There are many activities which encourage pupils to think for themselves and work collaboratively. This motivates pupils and secures positive attitudes to learning.  Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong and, as a result, pupils work hard, are willing to take risks and want to do well. Pupils are confident to ask if they do not understand as they know that staff will help them.  The school teaches reading effectively. Improvements to the teaching of phonics ensure that pupils develop key reading skills quickly. The school promotes pupils’ enjoyment of reading well. Teachers introduce interesting books to the class and provide a number of effective ways to encourage pupils to read widely, exploring a range of genres and authors. Pupils say that they enjoy reading. There are many opportunities for pupils to apply their reading skills finding information and researching

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

topics across the curriculum.  The teaching of writing is effective and teachers ensure that pupils learn to write for different purposes and audiences. Pupils cover a range of writing styles and their skills are developed progressively. Pupils develop their understanding of grammatical and spelling rules and other key skills through activities completed during English lessons.  The teaching of mathematics is improving and providing greater challenge through the development of tasks. Activities encourage pupils to develop their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding. They apply their understanding in problem-solving situations. Mathematics is generally taught well, resulting in good achievement across the school. Nonetheless, there are too few opportunities for pupils, especially the most able, to apply their mathematical knowledge in a variety of ways in subjects other than mathematics. Work in books demonstrates that pupils occasionally complete work

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

which does not make them think hard enough about their learning. Indeed, the most able pupils in mathematics commented that they would like more-challenging work.  Teaching assistants provide very effective support to pupils, particularly to those with SEND and those who are at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language. An example of this is the start-of-the-day support given to individuals and groups to help them to access the key learning that will be covered during the day. In addition, pupils who speak English as an additional language are provided with opportunities to learn key vocabulary to help them fully access the subjects being taught. This helps them to make good progress.  Teachers use a range of methods and resources to help disadvantaged pupils make good progress. For example, play therapy is used to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs and an accelerated reading programme has enabled disadvantaged pupils to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

make stronger progress.  In some classes, across both key stages, the presentation and handwriting in pupils’ books are untidy. This suggests that pupils are not taking sufficient care with how they present their work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  All pupils feel valued and equality of opportunity is clearly part of the culture of this community school. Pupils are very confident when they mix with other pupils and adults. Pupils play enthusiastically and they help and support one another, aiding their good progress. One pupil said, ‘We are inclusive, everyone knows everyone.’  Leaders place a strong emphasis on pupils’ emotional well-being. Confidence and self- esteem are promoted well. Adults have a genuine warmth and concern for all pupils, particularly for those who may have difficult situations to deal with. A great deal of work goes into making sure that all pupils are happy, safe and secure. This is illustrated by the nurture room, which is a safe environment that enables pupils to learn effectively.  Pupils show a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying and say that bullying is

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Personal development and welfare

rare in their school. They are very knowledgeable about how to stay safe, and this includes fire safety, road safety and safety when using the internet.  Some parents who completed Ofsted’s questionnaire raised behaviour and bullying as a concern. The inspector considered a range of evidence which shows that bullying and racist incidents are rare. Pupils who spoke with the inspector confirmed that this was the case.  Discussions with those staff who support pupils with additional needs show that the school has effective links with external agencies, and that it is very active in supporting pupils and families who need additional help.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are proud of their school, saying it is ‘awesome, fun and interesting’. They enjoy taking on additional responsibilities. As an example, the sports captains organise activities during breaktimes and promote respect and equality.  The school manages behaviour well. Pupils understand the consequences of poor behaviour and why it is important to behave well. Pupils who spoke to the inspector had a good understanding of right and wrong. They also said that behaviour was typically good in the school.  In lessons, pupils show respect and work collaboratively with each other. They accept and embrace all of the different cultures within the school. One pupil said, ‘We are from loads of different places and we all get on.’  Pupils behave well in lessons and teachers use their positive attitudes to help strengthen progress within their learning. On very rare occasions, when the teacher

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Behaviour

has not pitched the learning at the right level for some pupils, a few lose concentration and become distracted. This gets in the way of their learning.  Pupils’ attendance is lower than the national average. Leaders have worked hard at identifying ways it can be improved and there are signs, this year, that attendance is better, especially for those pupils who are persistently absent.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Current assessment information indicates that pupils in most year groups make good progress across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. Leaders rigorously monitor the progress of all pupils and this helps them to intervene and support pupils to catch up if they fall behind.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is improving steadily and in 2018 was close to the national average. Teachers have improved the teaching of reading and the vast majority of pupils are currently making good progress.  Most pupils make good progress in key stage 1. In 2018, most Year 2 pupils attained the expected standards in reading and mathematics in the end of key stage 1 assessments. Teaching provides a good level of challenge for the most able pupils in Years 1 and 2. The proportion of pupils achieving above the expected standard in reading and mathematics was above average in 2018.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The attainment of Year 2 pupils in writing was below the national figure in 2018. The school’s records and inspection activities indicate that pupils’ writing attainment is improving and that the attainment of current pupils is better than attainment last year.  At the end of key stage 2 in 2018, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading was lower than the national figure. Writing attainment was in line with the national average but attainment in mathematics was well below average. The small number of pupils in Year 6 in 2018 means that the performance of each pupil has a marked impact on the school’s overall results. In 2018, one third of Year 6 were pupils with SEND, which influenced the standards reached.  In 2018, not enough Year 6 pupils, particularly the most able, reached the higher standard by the end of key stage 2 because they were not consistently given sufficient

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Outcomes for pupils Good

challenge in lessons and this slowed down their progress.  The school’s information about the current Year 6 pupils indicates that they are making better progress than in the past. The work seen in their books during the inspection confirms this. This indicates that current Year 6 pupils are better prepared for secondary school.  Pupils with SEND receive good support from both teachers and teaching assistants, tailored to their specific needs. They are currently making good progress from their individual starting points.  Pupils’ work in subjects such as geography and science shows that they understand increasingly complex concepts as they move through the school.  Pupils typically achieve well across the broad curriculum. Work in books shows that pupils deepen their understanding in a wide range of subjects. For example, pupils have opportunities to develop their questioning and enquiry skills in history. Art and

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Outcomes for pupils Good

music lessons enable pupils to develop a wider cultural awareness and contribute to current pupils’ good outcomes.  The school uses pupil premium funding well to provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged. The small number in each year group means it is hard to make meaningful comparisons without identifying individual pupils.

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Early years provision Good

 The early years provision is well led and managed by an enthusiastic leader. The setting provides a stimulating environment where children can learn and thrive. A wide range of exciting, well-planned indoor and outdoor learning activities is provided.  Children start in the early years with skills and knowledge that are well below those typical for their age. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is in line with the national average.  Adults work effectively as a team, planning activities to stimulate children’s curiosity and help them learn well. The range of outdoor activities support the development of children’s social skills, for example the ‘mud kitchen’ and the ‘talking den’ encourage children to ask questions and contribute their ideas. They work happily in groups, learning to share resources and take turns.  Children behave well in the early years setting and respond appropriately to adults’

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Early years provision Good

instructions and guidance. As a result, they learn to become independent and play together well with their friends.  Children with SEND and disadvantaged children are well supported in their learning and make strong progress in all aspects of their learning.  Parents told the inspector that they find it easy to communicate with the adults in school, and that their children are happy and safe. The safety and well-being of every child is at the forefront of everything the school does. One parent said, ‘It is a caring and nurturing environment that encourages individuality.’  Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Adults are vigilant and ensure that children are safe and well cared for. As a consequence, children are happy and enjoy their learning.

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School details

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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.badgemore.oxon.sch.uk

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School details

Email address head.2513@badgemore.oxon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 – 19 June 2015

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in four classes. Reception children attend full time, in a combined class with Year 1 pupils. Year 2 is taught in a single-year-group class. There are combined classes for Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by funding through the pupil premium is below average. In 2018, there were fewer than five disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 and Year 6.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.  There have been considerable staff changes since the last inspection, including senior leadership. A new headteacher was appointed in September 2017. The majority of teachers have joined the school within the last year.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this school

 The school has received support from the Oxford’s school improvement team and Oxfordshire local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in 10 lessons. All observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector observed the school’s work. He looked at a wide range of documentation, including: safeguarding documents; the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its own performance; and pupils’ work in books.  To gather pupils’ views, a meeting was held with a group, in addition to informal conversations with others during lessons and at breaktimes. The inspector listened to pupils read and talked to them about books they enjoy.  Meetings were held with school staff, four members of the governing body, and with parents and carers.  The inspector considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and 29 responses to the online pupil questionnaire.  The inspector took account of 42 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, including eight free-text comments.

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Inspection team

David Harris, lead inspector 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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