Other · Ofsted report

Burbage Junior School

Inspected — · published 22 Jun 2000 · URN 119964

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Summary

No overall grade in this framework

Margaret Sandercock (lead), Mike Brogden, Much Wenlock

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Inspectorssingle source
Margaret Sandercock, Mike Brogden, Much Wenlock
Postcode verified
LE10 2AD
URN verified
119964

Page 1 of 17

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+64Positivemore positive than 62% of reports of this type

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Praiseexcellentvery wellstrongimprovedstrengthsvery highgood progresshigh expectations

Criticismpoorinsufficientlackinconsistenciesweaknessweaknessesseriouslyconcern

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improveLeadership positive critical

Findings2415w+72
Leadership1051w+63
What needs to improve1670w+39

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Pages: 17
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Average sentence: 19 words
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Findings 43%Leadership 19%What needs to improve 30%About the inspection 9%

Full report text

BURBAGE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Burbage, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 2AD

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BURBAGE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Burbage Junior 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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BURBAGE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Burbage Junior- 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Grove Road Burbage Hinckley Leicestershire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Peter Worton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 20 – 23 May 1996

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Team members

Mike Brogden Registered inspector Jane Chesterfield Lay inspector Sylvia Oultram Team inspector Margaret Sandercock Team inspector

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Team members

Mike Brogden Ferndale Shipton Much Wenlock Shropshire TF13 6LB

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OfSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE Burbage Junior- 4

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REPORT CONTENTS

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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REPORT CONTENTS

• The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very good and some excellent. • The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in managing the school. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs and the quality of their teaching is excellent. • The behaviour and attitudes of the pupils are very good; there is a strong sense of mutual respect between staff and pupils. • The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with national averages and when compared with similar schools.

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REPORT CONTENTS

• Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning have not been implemented, other than in mathematics. • The pupils are not given enough opportunities to use their initiative and develop responsibility.

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REPORT CONTENTS

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 13

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REPORT CONTENTS

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 14 Burbage Junior- 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Burbage Junior School caters for 375, 7 to 11 year olds and is larger than average. It serves part of the Burbage electoral ward for which the census data shows a range of economic circumstances. Many of the 37% of pupils who attend from outside the school's catchment area come from less privileged families in the ward. The number of pupils who claim free school meals (4.8%) is well below the national average (20.3%) but the school estimates that the percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is about double the actual take-up. The number of pupils on the school’s special needs register (57) is below average but the number with statements of special educational needs (7) is above average. There are no pupils with English as an additional language. The attainment of pupils on entry to the junior school, as measured by the National Curriculum tests taken in the infant school, has consistently been

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

above the national averages in each subject.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school and deservedly popular in the community. High standards are reached in both work and behaviour because the school is very well led and the quality of the teaching is almost always good and often very good. There is no unsatisfactory teaching. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well:

• high standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science; • good and very good quality teaching with some lessons being excellent; • excellent provision and very good teaching for pupils with special educational needs; these pupils reach good standards in relation to their particular learning needs; • strong and purposeful leadership by the headteacher, well supported by staff and governors; • very good behaviour and attitudes to the school by the pupils; • a high level of satisfaction by the parents.

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What could be improved:

• strategies for the head and staff to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning are not established; • the pupils are not given enough opportunities to use their initiative and develop responsibility; • there are insufficient opportunities for the pupils to apply their skills and knowledge in investigative and problem-solving activities. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was previously inspected in May 1996. The developments made since then have enabled the school’s high standards to be maintained and in several aspects to be improved. The previous report criticised the structure of responsibilities held by teachers but these have been reorganised and the roles of the curriculum leaders have been clarified so that they now make a full contribution to the school’s continued improvement. It also found a lack of balance amongst the subjects of the curriculum but this is no longer the case. The provision for the teaching of information technology has been much improved and this is beginning to bear fruit in raised standards of learning. It was not possible to observe many lessons in information technology during this short inspection but the indications are that the school is now well placed to teach the subject to high standards. The quality of teaching has improved and

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

standards in several subjects are even higher than they were in 1996. The staff and governors responded well to the findings of the previous inspection, other than in the need to implement monitoring and evaluation strategies which are only just getting underway. The school is in a very good position to continue to improve because it has both skilled leadership and effective and hard working staff. Burbage Junior- 6

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

1997 1998 1999 1999 very high A* English B A B B well above average above average A B mathematics A A A B average below average C D science A A* A A well below average very low E E*

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Key

These are very good results, showing that the school builds successfully on the standards the children reached in Key Stage 1. In 1999, the percentage of pupils attaining the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics was above the national average and well above in science. Over half of the pupils reached the higher Level 5 in English and in science and more than a third reached this level in mathematics. This too is much higher than the national average. The school is also doing very well in comparison with schools of similar intakes and the results have been consistently good over time.

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Key

The pupils’ work scrutinised during the inspection confirms the standards reached in the National Curriculum tests. The school’s targets for English were exceeded by the test results in 1999 and the targets for 2000 have been revised upwards.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The pupils are very enthusiastic, are keen to work and concentrate well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Their behaviour is very good, both in lessons and around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships The relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff are very good and there is a strong sense of mutual respect.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance There is a very good level of attendance and punctuality. The pupils want to come to school. The lessons run very promptly and no time is wasted.

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Aspect Comment

These aspects are strengths of the school, stemming from the high percentage of good teaching, the respect and care for the pupils shown by the staff and the school’s very clear expectations. The pupils’ personal development could be even better with greater scope given to them to develop responsibility and to use their initiative. When these opportunities are offered the pupils respond well. Burbage Junior- 7

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

In about three-fifths of the 41 lessons observed during the inspection, the teaching was good and in a further third the teaching was very good or excellent. The remaining lessons were satisfactory and none of the teaching was unsatisfactory. The teaching of the pupils with special educational needs was particularly good. The high level of good teaching was apparent in all the subjects observed, enabling the pupils to make good progress, not only in the core subjects but also, for example, in art, music and physical education.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The best teaching makes considerable demands upon the pupils and they rise to the challenge. Not a minute is wasted as the lessons develop and the pupils know exactly what is expected of them. The teachers’ enthusiasm inspires the pupils, for example, in the English lessons when the teachers share their own love of the language. The work is well matched to the range of the pupils’ previous attainments. High standards of behaviour are expected and the pupils behave very well. There is an encouraging, supportive but challenging atmosphere and a strong sense of mutual respect between pupils and teachers. The result is that the pupils do a lot of productive work.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is suitably broad and the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education are given appropriate weight. The range of extra- curricular activities is very good and the curriculum is enhanced by field trips.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The requirements of pupils with special educational needs are very well met by both excellent provision and very good teaching. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their learning needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The pupils’ social development and moral development are very well provided for. The school’s high expectations in these areas are reflected in the pupils’ attitudes. Their cultural development is also well provided for except that there is little evidence of work to extend their multicultural awareness. Their spiritual development is less well provided for.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares for its pupils very well. Their safety is taken very seriously and the high standards of discipline ensure that there is no oppressive behaviour.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s curriculum reflects the breadth of the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Agreed Syllabus for religious education. It is noteworthy that the school’s provision for the arts is maintained and good standards achieved as well as the expected focus on the core curriculum. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities in which high standards are also attained. A particular strength is the provision for pupils with special educational needs. The pupils are very well cared for. There continues to be a need to extend the pupils’ multicultural awareness and insufficient attention is given to their spiritual development, both in assemblies and in class lessons. Burbage Junior- 8

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by the deputy head, by curriculum leaders, by other staff and by the governors. The school is focused upon continued improvement.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfil their responsibilities well and several are actively involved in the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance This aspect of the school’s management is still a weakness, as identified in the previous inspection report. Whilst there are regular and informative analyses of pupils’ attainment data, few systematic classroom evaluations have been conducted, other than recently as part of the implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. The school does not therefore have the necessary systems to ensure that more of the teaching reaches the standards of the very best.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good use is made of all teaching and support staff, of the material and financial resources and of the building and grounds. Good modifications to the building have been made and more are planned. Teaching and cloak spaces have been improved and a central resource area and an excellent library have been set up, although the library is at times under-used. The school applies “best value” principles to its purchases.

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Aspect Comment

This is a very well led school and staff feel supported, encouraged and empowered; there is very good teamwork in the school. Despite the criticism in the previous inspection report, a programme of systematic and rigorous classroom evaluation has not been established but recent work by the deputy head in evaluating progress in the implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has begun to prove the worth of such exercises. The school’s evaluation of its achievements in the National Curriculum tests and of the pupils’ individual attainments is good, however, and enables appropriate targets to be set for continued improvement.

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What pleases parents most: What parents would like to see improved:

• high standards in the pupils’ classwork, sport, music and behaviour; • the provision for pupils with special educational needs; • children enjoy coming to school; • the headteacher is approachable and welcoming and interested in all of the pupils; he quickly resolves any problems; • the range of extra-curricular activities. • some parents want more homework (but others say there is enough); • some parents want more information about the curriculum; • some parents want more extra-curricular activities.

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What pleases parents most: What parents would like to see improved:

The responses at the registered inspector’s meeting with parents, replies to the questionnaire (with a very high return rate) and written comments sent by parents are almost all very positive. The high level of parent confidence and support for the school is also reflected in the large proportion of pupils whose parents have chosen the school despite it being out of their catchment area. The inspection team agrees that parents are right to be pleased with this school but does not agree that there is insufficient homework Burbage Junior- 9 or that the range of extra-curricular activities is limited. The year group letters sent at the beginning of each term give a useful outline of the term’s learning topics though some are more detailed than others. At the parents’ meeting, some parents said that they had not seen these and it is not clear why this was so.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

1. The commitment to good teaching in the school is shared by both the teachers and the support staff and evident not only in class lessons but also in the extra-curricular activities. It also applies to the work with pupils with special needs. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed during the inspection and only a few lessons were simply satisfactory. The quality of teaching is even better than it was at the time of the previous inspection.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

2. The staff are also very committed to continued improvement and this is evident in the considerable programme of in-service training that they support. Much of the school’s in-service training is organised through the local development group of schools and this is a successful joint enterprise which enables schools to make maximum use of their training budgets. The school’s enthusiasm for in-service training for all staff has recently been recognised by an Investors in People award.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

3. The high proportion of very good teaching reflects the high level of professional expertise amongst the staff. In these lessons, the teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and enthusiasm, which they communicate to the pupils, and very effective use of time. They manage the pupils well and allow only the absolute minimum of time for activities such as registration, getting ready for physical education and moving about the school. Their good discipline ensures a maximum emphasis upon learning and the pupils do a lot of productive work.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

4. The core subjects of English, mathematics and science are taught very well. In English, frequent opportunities are grasped in which the pupils have to apply what they have learned in sustained writing activities. There are many examples of different forms of writing to be found in the pupils' English books and in their work in other subjects. There are also some inconsistencies, for example, in history where in some classes the pupils’ writing skills are not capitalised upon or extended when simplistic worksheets are provided which require one word answers.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

5. A particular strength of some of the teaching in English is the teachers’ own love of the language and their willingness to share this with the pupils. For example, one teacher told her class, “This makes my heart pound and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.” Comments such as these have a beneficial effect upon the pupils’ attitudes.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

6. Examples of very good teaching were observed not only in English but also in mathematics when rapid mental arithmetic promoted an eager response from the pupils; in science when the teacher’s demonstration with a kettle and tea promoted learning about solubility; in physical education where there was a very good atmosphere of focused learning; in a whole-school session in which the teacher’s expertise produced very good quality two-part singing and in art where the pupils were encouraged to represent flowers with pastels. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is also very good, with accurate judgements about the steps the pupils need to take which ensure good progress as well as confidence. The teaching in the school is characterised by high expectations, a good pace, good time-keeping, careful planning to meet the range of pupils’ learning needs in the class, meticulous record keeping and effective marking and target setting that enable the pupils to see

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

what they need to do to improve. Burbage Junior- 10 7. Classroom support staff make a major contribution to the quality of the teaching in the school, backing the teachers’ work with matching strategies. The school rightly values the high quality of the support given by these members of staff.

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The quality of the teaching is good overall, with nearly a third of the lessons observed being very

8. The very good discipline, well organised lessons and pace of the teaching, whilst being very important strengths, also lead to too much direction by the teachers at times. In science there is not enough evidence of pupils designing experiments and investigations to test their own theories. For example, in an otherwise good lesson, too many clues were given to the pupils so that instead of acting as scientists, they were led to propose the answers the teacher expected. The work in the pupils’ books indicates that this may be the case in several subjects, at times. More opportunities are needed in most subjects for the pupils to use their initiative and to apply their learning, whilst maintaining the current high standards of knowledge that they are attaining.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

10. The leadership of the headteacher is an important feature in the success of the school and this is recognised and valued by staff, governors and parents. He is very ambitious for the school and expects it to continue to improve. He communicates this vision well and is successful in promoting a strong team spirit which enables the deputy head, curriculum leaders and other staff to feel empowered to fulfil their roles. As a result, everyone works hard, taking a pride in the school and seeking the best for the pupils.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

11. There are very clear systems and routines which support the teachers’ work and effort is not wasted in producing extensive paperwork. The school’s policies are brief and concise, enabling the staff to know what is required. The school development plan is seen as an important improvement tool and used by curriculum leaders as a guide to their work. Good and detailed records are kept of the pupils’ progress, including samples of their work in the “blue folders.” The record keeping and target setting for pupils with special educational needs are exemplary.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

12. The governors are very supportive. The headteacher sees them as “critical friends” and some of them are sufficiently active in the school to be able to act in that way. The headteacher’s written reports to the governing body, however, do not contain much information that would enable them to evaluate the school’s work. In part, this weakness reflects the school’s lack of monitoring and evaluation strategies.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

13. The provision for and teaching of information technology were key issues for improvement following the last inspection. A great deal of work has been done to develop the subject since then. Up-to-date computers have been installed and the relatively new co-ordinator has ensured that an appropriate and systematic curriculum is being established. Few opportunities were available during this inspection to observe the teaching of information technology but the evidence is that the school is now well placed to implement the new National Curriculum requirements and to do so to a high standard. The co- ordinator recognises the need for continued staff training and has a clear view of what needs to be done, including a programme for the regular replacement of the hardware, to ensure progress. These developments in information technology are a good example of how well the school is managed: the co-ordinator is empowered to give good leadership; the budget is targeted at an area for improvement;

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

the development plan identifies the stages to be undertaken and a long-term view is employed to ensure that the resources are kept up to date. As this area is identified in the development plan as an improvement priority for the school, the co-ordinator needs time to monitor and evaluate progress in classrooms. Currently provision for this is not made.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

14. Since the last inspection, the school has made good progress. The results of the National Curriculum tests have improved at least at the national rate and in English and science at a faster rate. The school Burbage Junior- 11 maintains its comparative edge with similar schools in the country. The quality of teaching is even better than it was at the time of the previous inspection, including the teaching of pupils with special educational needs. The school is well placed to continue to improve.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and the quality of their teaching is excellent.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

15. The overall proportion of pupils on the special needs register is lower than average. A major part of the reason for this is the school’s policy to identify pupils’ needs as early as possible, give frequent, sustained and high quality support to bring them up to the levels of their peers and take them off the register. This is excellent practice.

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The headteacher gives a strong and purposeful lead and is well supported by staff and governors in

16. The special needs co-ordinator works assiduously to ensure that the planning for special needs pupils is appropriate and she keeps the most meticulous records. The individual education plans drawn up for the pupils are of the highest quality. Three special needs teachers work with the pupils, along with two support staff. Their work is excellent. Class teachers too, give very good support for their pupils with special needs. This area of the school’s work is a particular strength.

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The behaviour and attitudes of the pupils are very good; there is a strong sense of mutual respect

17. The behaviour of the pupils is consistently well managed in the school. There is a clear policy and well-established routines. The pupils know exactly what is expected of them and they respond very well. There is no oppressive behaviour and any incidents that cause pupils concern are rapidly dealt with. Parents are very confident in the school’s high standard of behaviour and comment that this is to be seen not only around the school but also when the pupils are on field trips or other out of school visits. No time is lost in having to deal with misbehaviour and the lessons are therefore very productive. The occasional misdemeanour is handled with tact and there is a very strong sense of mutual respect between pupils and teachers. This is also reflected in the courtesy that is shown to both staff and visitors.

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The behaviour and attitudes of the pupils are very good; there is a strong sense of mutual respect

18. The very good behaviour of the pupils is also to be seen in whole school sessions in the hall, in the swimming pool, in the playgrounds and when eating lunch. It is also evident when pupils are changing their books in the library. This, however, is one of the few occasions when there is no direct supervision of the pupils and the pupils are allowed to exercise self-discipline.

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The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with

national averages and when compared with similar schools.

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The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with

19. Since the last inspection in 1996, the school has maintained its good standards in English, mathematics and science, as measured by the National Curriculum tests taken by eleven year olds. It has kept pace with the rising national averages and, in particular, has exceeded these in the numbers of pupils reaching the higher Level 5 in each subject. When compared with schools with similar intakes, the school is doing very well.

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The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with

20. The good standards of literacy and numeracy are evident not only in English and mathematics lessons but also in other subjects, for example, when the pupils write in geography and history and when they use numeracy skills in science. A particular strength is the attention given to the pupils’ skills in writing at length, for example, in story writing in English and in sustained argument or factual writing in science. Some of this work reaches very high standards. Burbage Junior- 12 21. The school achieves a good balance between the required subjects, something that the previous inspection found wanting. Whilst appropriate priority is given to the core skills of literacy and numeracy, there is also a strong emphasis given to the arts and to other subjects such as history and geography. Good standards are being reached in these subjects too although some could be even better if the use of undemanding worksheets was reduced (for example in history) and the pupils were

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The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with

taught to apply more of their learning to new situations (for example, in scientific investigations). Some parents have commented that they think the more capable pupils are not sufficiently challenged but the evidence of this inspection and of the national tests is that the school is successful with pupils at all levels of capability. However, giving the pupils scope for more imaginative responses or for making decisions about appropriate strategies and materials would increase the level of challenge for all pupils, including the more capable ones.

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The standards reached by the pupils are high; they are above average both in comparison with

22. Good standards are also being achieved in extra-curricular activities, for example, in sports and in music. The range of extra-curricular activities is good. The standards of singing is very good, both as a whole school singing together and in the choirs. Similarly good standards were observed in the after-school netball session.

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Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching

and learning have not been implemented, other than in mathematics.

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Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching

23. The quality of the teaching in the school is good and some is very good or excellent. The standards of the pupils’ learning are good but these standards could be even better if the current very good and excellent teaching were more prevalent. The lack of systematic and regular monitoring and evaluation strategies means that the best techniques are not well enough identified and promoted. At present (except for some monitoring of English when the National Literacy Strategy was introduced), only mathematics lessons have received any monitoring, evaluation and feedback to teachers but the outcomes have been valued by the staff and the teaching has benefited.

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Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching

24. The school was urged to implement monitoring and evaluation strategies by the previous inspection report but has shied away from doing so. The headteacher and staff now realise from the experience with mathematics that these strategies are beneficial. It is not just a question of making further improvements to the teaching and ironing out the inconsistencies to enable the school to continue to develop: the teachers need feedback on their strengths so that they may deservedly take both pride and satisfaction in their work.

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Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching

The pupils are not given enough opportunities to use initiative and develop responsibility.

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Strategies for senior staff and curriculum leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching

26. Because the school’s routines run very efficiently and the discipline is well managed, there are few opportunities in the school for the pupils to use their initiative and their good discipline to take more responsibility for themselves and for others. The school rightly believes that everyone should feel a duty to care for everyone else but without the opportunities for pupils to take on particular tasks and duties within classrooms and around the school, it is difficult for them to put this philosophy into practice. Scope needs to be provided for the pupils to exercise more self-discipline (which they do well in their unsupervised visits to the school library, for example) and to apply their undoubted skills of courtesy and helpfulness. Burbage Junior- 13

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

27. In order to continue to build upon the very good standards provided by the school, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) establish a regular and systematic programme of classroom monitoring and evaluation and scrutiny of pupils’ work, based on the priorities in the school development plan, so that the strengths in the teaching may be identified and shared and inconsistencies ironed out;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) ensure more scope for the pupils to apply their skills and knowledge in problem-solving and investigative activities that require less teacher direction;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) provide more opportunities for the pupils to use their initiative and exercise responsibility, for example, by undertaking more tasks and duties in classrooms and around the school. Burbage Junior- 14

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