Other · Ofsted report

Bradshaw Hall Primary School

Inspected — · published 16 May 2001 · URN 131554

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Full report text

BRADSHAW HALL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 th –8 th February 2001

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BRADSHAW HALL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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BRADSHAW HALL PRIMARY 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. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Vernon Close Cheadle Hulme Cheadle Cheshire

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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: Reverend Charles Nevin

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: N/A Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

Mr R Gill 4074 Registered inspector Mathematics, English as an additional language and music What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? Dr J Cross 8988 Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with its parents? Mrs S Cook 14842 Team inspector Foundation Stage and English How well are the pupils taught? Mr D Wilkinson 3240 Team inspector Equal opportunities, science, information and communication technology and physical education Mrs J Schaffer 23698 Team Inspector History and geography Mrs P Peaker 12060 Team Inspector Special educational needs, art and design, design and technology and religious education. How good are the curricular opportunities?

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responsibilities

Independent School Inspection Services (ISIS) 15 The Birches Bramhope Leeds LS16 9DP

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responsibilities

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: Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 5 The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7 - 11

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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12 - 15

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a slightly larger than average sized primary school for boys and girls aged between three and eleven years old. It has 258 pupils on roll with 39 children in the nursery who attend part-time . At the time of the inspection there were 32 children on roll of reception age. They are taught in one reception class and one mixed-age class for reception and Year 1 children. The majority of pupils are from the immediate locality. Taken together, pupils’ attainment on entry is generally above that found nationally. However, there are some years when the attainment of the intake is closer to that found nationally. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is close to the national average. There are currently no pupils with a statement of special educational needs. There is a high proportion of pupils (14 per cent) for whom English is an additional language. About a third of these pupils are at an early stage in

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

their learning of English. Currently, seven different heritages are represented in the school with a small proportion of refugees. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly typical. The school became an amalgamated infant and junior school in April 1999, but only opened on a single site in September 2000.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Bradshaw Hall Primary School is already an effective school with many strengths. This results from a very well managed process of amalgamation. The proportion of pupils reaching nationally expected levels at the age of eleven in English, mathematics and science has, in the past, exceeded national expectations. This year standards are currently closer to the average because the number of pupils who find difficulty with learning is higher than normal. The good quality of teaching generally has a positive effect on pupils’ learning throughout the school. The headteacher, staff and governors have been very effective in establishing the new school and a context in which good teaching and learning can take place. Expenditure for all pupils is slightly higher than average, but nevertheless, the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Provides strong leadership that has managed the process of amalgamation very well. • Creates the context in which pupils are very keen to learn and behave very well. • Teaches pupils well with one in four lessons promoting a high quality of learning. • Manages funds, resources and the school building very well to create a positive culture of learning throughout the school. • Involves parents very closely in the education of their children. • Provides the context in which pupils’ moral and social development is very good.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ achievements in information and communication technology (ICT). • The use of assessment information to plan new work, provide targets for individual pupils and track their progress more closely. • Further challenges for higher attaining pupils. 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

This is the school’s first inspection. It has made very good progress since the process of amalgamation started in 1999. Where relevant, the headteacher and governors have continued to tackle successfully the key issues for action contained within the report for the, Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 8 now closed, infant school − for example, in the standards achieved in religious education. The junior school was never inspected due to the timetable for amalgamation. The teaching of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy has continued to play a major feature in the curriculum. The provision for pupils with special educational needs has improved rapidly of late. The system for identification of older pupils was inadequate at the time of the amalgamation. This meant that pupils who found learning difficult were not identified soon enough and their low achievement continues to effect the school’s average grades. There is

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

now a good system in place and pupils with a special educational need are well supported. The governing body is very well organised to carry out its responsibilities of developing this new school even further. There is still more to do to complete the work of amalgamation and to ensure that all teaching fully meets the needs of pupils, particularly those who are capable of higher attainment.

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STANDARDS

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

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compared with

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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compared with

English N/A A C C well above average above average A B Mathematics N/A B D D average below average C D Science N/A B C C well below average E

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compared with

This table shows that pupils’ average attainment, at eleven in 2000, was similar to the national average in English and science, but below it in mathematics. The same pattern exists when the school’s results are compared to those achieved by schools with a similar free school meal figure. This was a year group that contained many pupils who found learning difficult and a significant proportion that had joined the school in the juniors. There were, in mathematics, too few that achieved at the higher level and comparatively too many that did not reach the expected level. This had a detrimental effect on the school’s average grade. Standards have been better in previous years. For example, in 1999, the year of amalgamation, pupils were well above the national average in English and above it in mathematics and science.

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compared with

Standards achieved by eleven year olds in English, mathematics and science are currently average. Once again the number of pupils that experience difficulties in learning is likely to effect the school’s average grades, but the governors have set some very ambitious targets for Year 6 pupils and strategies are in place to attempt to achieve them. Currently, pupils are on course to meet or at least get close to them in mathematics, but in English the targets may be over-ambitious.

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compared with

Overall, pupils’ learning, throughout the school, is good and they achieve well. This includes the pupils for whom English is an additional language. They are well taught and make rapid progress in learning English. Most invariably do as well at eleven as other pupils in the year group. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well due to the good support they receive from teachers and special needs assistants. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 9 By the age of five, children well exceed expected levels in language work. They exceed them in mathematics and in finding out about the world. In creative development, physical development and personal, social and emotional development achievements are, as would be found in many other schools. Pupils in the juniors fall well below expected levels in ICT. This is because the school has only just received enough computers to teach the skills required and it is too soon to see the benefits. Computer skills in the infants are well

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compared with

established and pupils reach expected levels by the time they are seven. In all other subjects most pupils achieve what is expected for their age except in art and design where standards are higher than found elsewhere.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very positive attitudes towards their learning. They like school, are very enthusiastic about their work and are highly motivated.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils are very well behaved in lessons and around the school. There are no exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good throughout the school and pupils' personal development is good. They enjoy taking responsibility for minor duties and show reasonable initiative. Pupils do not use the school library enough to find things out for themselves.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance The attendance level is good and the rate of unauthorised absence is typical of primary schools nationally. The vast majority arrives at school punctually.

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

Lessons seen overall Good Good 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

The quality of teaching and learning was satisfactory or better in all but one of the lessons observed: in 60 per cent of lessons teaching was good or better and in 20 per cent of all lessons it was very good. Five per cent of teaching was excellent. In the one unsatisfactory lesson, teaching expected too little of the pupils in physical education and they made slow progress in developing skills in dance. Teaching is generally good throughout the school and, as a result, learning is good overall, except in ICT where pupils’ experience with computers, in the juniors, has been too limited. Very good and excellent teaching is characterised by enthusiasm and exciting ways to promote learning to which the pupils respond in a very positive way making rapid progress. The weakest aspect of teaching is in the use made of test results to set targets for pupils’ learning, the assessment of pupils’ progress in lessons

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

and the involvement of pupils in talking about their own successes and areas for development. The teaching of English is good in the infants and very good in the juniors. It is often very good in lessons devoted to the National Literacy Strategy, where reading and writing are most proficiently taught. The one drawback is that higher attaining pupils do not write enough, at length, and have limited opportunities to carry out research tasks that involve Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 10 a wide variety of writing skills – from note taking to the finished copy. The teaching of mathematics, using the National Numeracy Strategy, is generally good throughout the school with some excellent teaching in the lower juniors. Good teaching is now helping pupils to make achievements that are good compared to their levels of attainment at the age of five. This is partly because the school is now meeting successfully the needs of older pupils with

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

special educational needs. However, there is still more to be done to provide challenge for those pupils capable of higher attainment, particularly in writing, mathematics and ICT in the juniors as well as science in the infants. Beyond English and mathematics, teaching is good overall in religious education, physical education and art and design. It is good in science for seven to eleven year olds. It is also good overall in the nursery and reception classes.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. Pupils experience an interesting range of activities including extra-curricular activities. The school makes very good use of its links with other schools in the area to ensure a broad and interesting curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well due to the helpful support they receive.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Teachers provide the right level of work for these pupils. Consequently, they make good progress and achieve the standards they should by the time they are seven or eleven.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development This is good overall, the strongest element being the very successful cultivation of pupils' moral and social development. The spiritual dimension is well provided for and cultural developments are promoted well through art, music and religious education in particular.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Suitable emphasis is placed upon pupils' welfare, health and safety, and the school aids their personal development well. The procedures to monitor and support pupils' academic progress are not well developed because assessment information is not used sufficiently as a guide.

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Aspect Comment

The school has established effective links with parents and they are generally supportive. Parents of new entrants to the nursery are provided with particularly good quality information by the nursery staff. The involvement of parents has a very significant impact on the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been particularly effective in managing the amalgamation. Managers for English, mathematics and science are working extremely hard to ensure that pupils reach even higher standards. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 11 How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors have successfully steered the amalgamation through many difficulties. They have been instrumental in creating a new school which is well established for high quality learning to take place.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is well aware of its strengths and weaknesses related to the creation of a new school. The headteacher is particularly skilled at managing the developments in teaching and learning that are required.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good use is made of resources, including grants for staff training and special educational needs. There is currently a large financial surplus, but this is all allocated for use in furthering the development of this new school.

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Aspect Comment

There is a good number of teachers and support assistants. They are all generally well deployed although some classroom support assistants are not well used in lessons where the teacher needs to speak to the pupils as a class. On these occasions support staff play too passive a role. The accommodation is very good and maintained to a high standard. The outside play area for the youngest children is not well equipped for physical development, but this is a key priority for the school and funds have already been allocated to remedy this situation. Resources for teaching and learning are good and used well, but software for use with computers is in short supply. The governors take a very forward looking and active interest in all aspects of school life. They seek information from all sources, including parents, and they work very well to find ways in which to run the school more efficiently and effectively.

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improved

• Their children like school. • The staff are approachable. • The help given to their children to become mature and responsible. • Their children are expected to work hard and do their best. • The school is well led and managed. • Homework. • Information about how their children are getting on. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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improved

Inspection findings agree with all that pleases the parents most and with what they would like to see improved apart from the range of activities outside lessons. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular clubs. Although the amount and content of the homework set is appropriate, parents' concerns about the new homework arrangements are well founded because there is too much confusion, in parents’ minds, about the way in which children ought to tackle these tasks and how parents can support these activities at home. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and achievements

1. The overall attainment of eleven year olds in 2000 was similar to the national average in English, mathematics and science when these subjects are taken together, but below the average in mathematics. The same pattern exists when the school’s results are compared to those achieved by schools with the same number of free school meals.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. The school’s results at eleven often relate to the number of pupils who find learning difficult and the number of pupils who joined the school in the junior department. The Year 6 class in 2000 contained many pupils who found learning difficult and who had not enjoyed a full system of support for those difficulties over a number of years. The number of pupils reaching the expected level in English and science equated well with the national figures. In mathematics, however, not enough achieved at the higher level and too many did not reach the expected level for the school to equate with, or do better than, schools nationally. In 1999, the year of the amalgamation, Year 6 pupils did considerably better. For example, in 1999, pupils were well above the national average in English and above it in mathematics and science.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Standards achieved by eleven year olds in English, mathematics and science are currently average. This is another year group in which there are a significant number of pupils who find learning difficult. The school is now well organised to cater for their needs, but time is short. Challenging targets have been set in English and mathematics for eleven year olds, but the school will struggle to meet them given the ground that some pupils have to make up. Nevertheless, many are on course to reach or go beyond the expected level. There are suitable plans to provide extra tuition for all pupils that need an extra boost, but some pupils’ lack the ability to write at length and do not possess speed and flexibility in mental arithmetic. This means that the ambitious targets may not be achieved.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The results for the national tests taken in 2000 show that pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics, at the age of seven, are much higher than that which is achieved at eleven. In 1999 the results were even better for seven year olds. This comparison of two different year groups is not helpful to understand how the new school works. The results at the age of seven depend a great deal on pupils’ attainment on entry to the school. In some years this is above what would normally be expected. Where this is the case, pupils generally achieve well above average at the age of seven. However, there are years when the attainments on entry are more typical and therefore results at the age of seven are not so high compared to the national average. The 1997 group of seven year olds, in the now closed infant school, achieved standards that were similar to those found elsewhere. Most of these pupils are now approaching their Year 6

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The school’s results and achievements

national tests, but have been joined in the juniors by a significant number of pupils who find learning difficult. This explains why standards are as they are in 2000. Current attainment in Year 2 is more typical in terms of the national average. 5. Initial assessments on entry to the reception class show that this year the intake was above typical levels in literacy and mathematics. This is borne out by the findings of the inspection. In all areas of learning except physical development, creative development and personal, social and emotional development where attainment is typical of that found in most other schools, children are on course to achieve beyond what is expected of them by the age of five. They make considerable progress in the nursery class and then progress flattens out to satisfactory in the reception class except for the Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 13 small group of reception-aged children who are in the mixed-age class, where progress

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The school’s results and achievements

6. In English, pupils’ current standards in Year 6 are better in reading than they are in writing, because general standards in handwriting, spelling and composition do not often extend beyond average. Pupils’ achievements in reading are well supported by adults from within the school and at home. This is having a positive effect on standards. Pupils’ achievements in listening and talking about their ideas are good. They are encouraged to take part in lively discussions during the lessons, but they are not so good at explaining and drawing conclusions verbally about what they have done.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. In mathematics, pupils in Year 6 are reaching required levels. The crucial factor in whether or not the school will achieve its ambitious target is the number of lower attaining pupils and how many of them will reach the expected level. The amount of individual help they receive to tackle their own particular gaps in understanding is not always sufficient. This has an effect on their achievements.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. In science, many pupils have acquired a satisfactory level of scientific knowledge by the time they are eleven. They are able to conduct experiments into physical processes, make predictions and record results well. This good work is not developed further to allow the older and higher attaining pupils, in particular, to carry out more advanced independent learning activities. For example, there are too few opportunities for pupils to use reference materials such as CD-ROMs to broaden their scientific knowledge. This lack of additional opportunities in learning affects achievements and the results overall.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Beyond English, mathematics and science, pupils’ attainment is typical for their age in virtually all subjects. In ICT, standards are not high enough in the juniors because, until very recently, a lack of computers has not allowed teaching to build up skills and knowledge, in a step-by-step fashion, that would help pupils to achieve expected levels by the age of eleven. The school also makes too little use of computers in classrooms to extend pupils’ learning and provide extra challenges for those capable of higher attainment.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and pupils who have come as refugees are assessed by the specialist service from the local education authority, often in their home language. This provides good guidance for teachers to provide the right level of work for them. In consequence, they make good progress and achieve the standards they should, even in English, by the time they are seven or eleven.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well due to the special support they receive from teachers and classroom assistants. There are good procedures in place that help the school to identify at an early stage pupils who may be having difficulties. The school follows guidance issued by the local education authority and regularly receives good quality professional help from the Learning Support Service. Individual education plans are thorough and are very helpful in enabling class teachers to provide work that helps pupils to make good progress.

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The school’s results and achievements

12. Pupils who are capable of much higher attainment often lack extra challenge. For example, in mathematics they are given more difficult work to do but in too great a volume. Consequently, their achievements are not always as high as they should be because they have too little time to tackle the more demanding work that require more advanced skills in problem solving. The attainment of boys and girls is generally similar Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 14 although the test results show slight variations from year to year depending on the individual pupils involved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils of all ages, including those with special educational needs and pupils for whom English is an additional language, have very positive attitudes towards their learning. Right from the nursery they like school, are very enthusiastic about their work and are highly motivated. They have a very high level of interest and involvement in the activities set for them. As they get older pupils in the infants and juniors work very well independently for sustained periods during lessons such as in the daily lessons in literacy and mathematics. They collaborate and co-operate very effectively when working in small groups, thinking things through well and sharing ideas and materials maturely. For example, in a very successful Year 4 mathematics lesson the pupils gave the teacher their full attention and interest. Their oral contributions to class and group discussions and their application to subsequent set independent work were

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

excellent and enabled high quality learning to take place.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Parents are correct in thinking that pupils of all ages are generally very well behaved in lessons and around the school. Pupils' very good conduct also significantly contributes towards the good progress made in lessons because their learning is usually uninterrupted by distractions. For example, in a mixed-age reception and Year 1 gymnastics lesson pupils' excellent behaviour throughout played a large part in their very successful, safe setting up and use of the apparatus. No time was wasted through inappropriate behaviour, which enabled the pupils to concentrate fully on practising and refining their sequences.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. In the playground pupils generally play happily, organising their own games and making good use of the equipment that is provided to channel their energies. Pupils from ethnic minorities and those with special educational needs are fully integrated into friendship groups. During the inspection period no child appeared isolated in the playground and there was no anti-social or racist behaviour. The school's detailed records show that such incidents do arise very occasionally. No pupil has been excluded from the school since the amalgamation. The school has received refugees from a number of countries and pupils from several different ethnic communities, which have been settled for some time. All are given a warm welcome and made, as far as possible, to feel at home. They respond very well to this. They are polite and very well behaved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Relationships are very positive throughout the school and pupils' personal development is good. They enjoy being helpful to others, undertake their roles as monitors responsibly and show reasonable initiative, for example, by organising fund-raising activities. Older pupils take pleasure in looking after younger ones on rainy days when playtimes are spent indoors, a new opportunity for them since the amalgamation. Pupils of all ages show a very high level of respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others within their culturally diverse school community. They show particular sensitivity, kindness and consideration towards those for whom English is an additional language by befriending and offering help to try to overcome their difficulties. An insufficiently developed aspect of pupils' personal development is their capacity to take initiative for their learning within lessons. This is only at a broadly typical level because,

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

for example, pupils do not use the school library enough to find things out for themselves. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 15 17. Attendance is good, the level being above the national average. The rate of unauthorised absence is broadly typical of primary schools nationally. Pupils generally arrive punctually at the start of the school day and lessons begin on time. The small minority of latecomers, although in the main just a few minutes late in reaching their classrooms, interrupt the registration period and may miss important messages.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching is good overall. It is very good or excellent in a quarter of lessons and satisfactory in 35 per cent of lessons. In only one lesson seen during the inspection was the teaching unsatisfactory. The school's system of monitoring teaching has identified aspects that need to be improved. The school has started on many initiatives to improve teaching and these are being successful.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Children in the nursery make good progress and receive good teaching. In the reception year teaching is often good in the mixed-age class and satisfactory in the other class. The keynote to the successful teaching in the nursery is the way in which teachers and support staff create confidence and instil in children positive attitudes to all tasks and activities. This has a beneficial effect on children's learning. They are engrossed in all the activities they do, whether they are playing on their own or with others, or learning a new skill with the teacher. All teachers skilfully target questions to individual children to ensure their understanding, and teachers of the mixed-age class make sure children are learning at a level according to their age and ability. Occasionally, in the reception class teaching does not have effective strategies to ensure children's good behaviour, and work sometimes is not well matched to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

children's level of attainment. Support staff often effectively help children with their learning, but on occasions they are not briefed well enough. For example children were ecstatic about blowing bubbles with giant bubble blowers. They were 'saucer eyed' with wonder at the huge bubbles they produced, but the support staff did not capitalise on children's experiences and encourage them to observe what was happening. Teachers of children aged three to five are well organised and make good use of lots of imaginative and stimulating resources. Imaginative play areas like the 'fairy godmother's castle' make learning exciting.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching is good for five to eleven year olds. It is of a very high quality in Year 4. In this class the enthusiastic teaching communicates itself to pupils and motivates and stimulates their thirst for learning. Excellent preparation, novel ideas for presenting lessons, the challenging tasks and the imaginative use of resources inspired pupils to think deeply and do their best. For example, in an excellent English lesson in Year 4 the music of Smetana was used very well to denote the progress of a river. Pupils also sketched before they wrote their pieces about the river. As a result of this superb scene setting, the writing produced was picturesque and evocative.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Examples of good teaching are found in all classes and very good teaching is seen throughout the school. However, there is a wide variation in the quality of teaching between classes, particularly in the juniors where the lessons range from excellent to generally satisfactory. This is because there is no finalised policy for teaching in this new school and consequently teachers lack the formal guidance for their work. There is a draft document being discussed and the headteacher and deputy headteacher have been very active in promoting discussions about good practice in teaching and learning. Teachers' planning is usually good. The teachers' plans mostly indicate what is to be learnt in lessons and lessons begin effectively with a good discussion about what pupils will learn. However, there is not enough oral assessment at the end of lessons, which requires the pupils to explain what they have done, how well they have

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 16 achieved and what they need to try harder in, or improve, next time. This weakness in lessons applies just as much to art, for example, as to mathematics. Occasionally teachers do not plan well enough for the higher attaining pupils. They provide extra work for pupils when they have completed their work but this is not always sufficiently challenging, for example in mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Staff have a good knowledge of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. The school's implementation of the strategies is good and has helped in providing more brisk teaching that concentrates on what pupils need to know. Classes are split in Year 6 for English and mathematics and while this arrangement works well in English it is not as effective in mathematics. Pupils are sometimes grouped in Year 6 mathematics lessons according to ability with the higher and lower attaining pupils grouped together which makes it difficult for the teacher to challenge the higher attaining pupils in the mental arithmetic sessions and at the same time include the lower attainers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teacher's management of pupils is a strength. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and expect pupils to apply themselves to their work with commitment. In both the infant and junior sections of the school, teachers are well prepared and use a range of good quality and stimulating resources. Support staff are mainly deployed effectively, particularly to support pupils with special educational needs or those for whom English is an additional language, but there are times when they are not well deployed in the oral parts of lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching in all subjects, except in ICT for seven to eleven year olds, helps the pupils achieve what is typical for their age. Teaching is particularly good in English, mathematics, and science for the juniors, for physical education, religious education and art and design it is good throughout the school. Pupils who are capable of achieving highly, in English, mathematics and science, are generally well catered for but are sometimes disadvantaged by not being set challenging enough activities, and having too few opportunities to talk about their own learning at the end of the lesson. Apart from in the nursery, pupils throughout the school do not have enough opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and undertake activities to increase their independence. These are relative weaknesses in otherwise good teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those from different ethnic groups are assessed well. This helps teachers provide work at the right level for them and they learn quickly because of this. They benefit from well-planned collaborative work. In Year 5, for example, pupils worked well together in small groups, talking amongst themselves about the options open to them to produce collectively a large diagrammatic picture of the gods of Ancient Greece.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The good teaching results in good learning where pupils' levels of concentration are high, and pupils gain knowledge and understanding at a good pace. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well. Good support is given to pupils who speak English as an additional language particularly when they are supported by specialist teachers who act as interpreters. The often high level of learning that these pupils achieve sometimes surprises teachers. For example, one child was able to understand the complex issues and arguments of a debate. Often these pupils achieve as well or better than their classmates do, as they become more proficient in English.

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Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 17 27. A good range of learning opportunities is provided through the formal curriculum, which meets statutory requirements. The school is at an early stage in implementing the new national guidelines for most subjects. In response to these documents, each subject has appropriate status.

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28. Children in the nursery and reception classes are provided with a wide range of activities. The curriculum for the reception children is not the same in each class. Although children in the mixed-age class receive a slightly different curriculum, the quality of the teaching compensates for this.

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29. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy are effectively implemented and are firmly embedded in the school's routines. Planning is firmly rooted in the programmes of study of the National Curriculum. Consistency is good because teachers' planning makes good use of the agreed schemes of work. It is monitored effectively by the co- ordinators. A weakness in planning, however, is that there is a lack of opportunities for higher attaining pupils to tackle more demanding tasks, for example, to research and write at length about their findings. On these occasions, they make unsatisfactory progress in relation to their ability. ICT is underdeveloped and there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use and improve their computer skills in a range of subjects.

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30. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and they enjoy access to the full breadth of the curriculum. The recommendations of the Code of Practice are met successfully. Good clear records are kept and the provision is monitored well by the co-ordinator. Problems are identified at an early stage. Individual education programmes set out clear targets showing how these will be achieved and evaluated. Careful arrangements are made to ensure that special provision does not compromise pupils' access to the full curriculum. The generally effective use of classroom support assistants enables pupils with special educational needs to participate as fully as possible in lessons and to make good progress in relation to their abilities.

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31. The pupils for whom English is an additional language have full and equal access to the curriculum regardless of gender or ethnicity.

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32. Provision for out-of-school activities is good for all pupils and does much to enrich the curriculum. There are opportunities for pupils to participate in cross-country, drama and country dancing as well as a number of other sporting activities. All teachers are involved in providing activities. Older pupils enjoy a residential visit in the summer term where they concentrate on outdoor pursuits and developing their skills in ICT. This has a positive effect on their physical, intellectual and social development. Visitors to the school include a local minister and a volunteer from a national charity. The school's involvement with this project is helping pupils to appreciate the contribution which older people can make to their school community.

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PUPILS?

33. Although not yet timetabled consistently through the school, personal, social and health education is given a high profile in the way that it is taught informally or included in National Curriculum lessons. There is a good policy and a scheme of work, which includes sex and drug education. Religious education makes a positive contribution to pupils' learning about membership of a community and individuals' roles and responsibilities.

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34. In addition to links with the primary partnership schools, there are good links with the secondary school to which most pupils transfer at the age of eleven. In Year 6, a member of the modern foreign language department teaches pupils French and German each week and this helps to prepare pupils for their next school. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 18 35. The school’s overall provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its pupils is good. All aspects are promoted well, but a great strength is that the school teaches pupils to make decisions based on good moral values.

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PUPILS?

36. Provision for spiritual development is good. There is a well-planned programme of assemblies with a variety of themes predominantly Christian in character. Pupils come together to spend time thinking and learning about issues related to their own growing awareness of the choices that confront them. For example, in an assembly for the younger pupils, a little drama presented by Year 2 helped others to think about what they expect from a good friend, whilst in a whole school assembly a visitor from the local church led thoughts on the great variety of ways we love one another. Time for quiet reflection and recognition of a Supreme Being help pupils to experience worship. The enjoyment and spontaneous expression of feeling which characterises singing in the juniors is a significant factor in raising pupils’ awareness of spirituality. However, the cramped space for infant assemblies does not contribute to pupils’ awareness of

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occasion and contemplation. High quality displays on aspects of Christianity and other world religions demonstrate to children the importance adults place on religion.

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PUPILS?

37. The very good provision for pupils’ moral development starts in the nursery. Through careful planning and organisation children are made aware of, and quickly learn, what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. In the infants and juniors, teachers have high expectations that pupils will behave well without the necessity of reward or sanctions. This is under-pinned by the code of behaviour which teachers and pupils draw up together as a whole school at the beginning of each academic year. Because pupils have participated in making the rules they have ownership of them and an understanding of their purpose. The very good relationships between teachers and pupils ensure that moral issues are discussed and pupils feel that their opinions are valued. The headteacher sets a high standard in all areas of moral teaching with the clear support of the whole staff.

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PUPILS?

38. Pupils are aware that parents and governors are very supportive of the school’s values and this contributes to the good feeling of a school community and the very good development of pupils’ social awareness. Pupils are given appropriate responsibilities within the everyday working of the school. They are also given regular opportunities to put forward their own views and to share them with others. However, there is room for further improving provision for developing pupils’ initiative, and the school has already discussed plans to start up a school council. Pupils have the opportunity to join one of the several after-school clubs and there is a much enjoyed school production at Christmas. There is a tradition of generosity in raising funds for charities and very often pupils use their own initiative to propose a way of supporting a charity or responding to a disaster in the news. The recent floods in the Gujerat particularly

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PUPILS?

concerned the pupils because the village they had been studying in geography was in that region. The pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity to develop their social skills further during a residential visit.

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PUPILS?

39. Cultural development is good. The school has planned numerous outside visits and invitations to visitors in order to develop pupils’ understanding of their own cultural traditions and the ethnic and cultural diversity of society. For example, a recent focus on Chinese culture and religion resulted in a memorable musical experience provided by a Chinese musician and a demonstration of traditional Chinese watercolours by a painter. Pupils’ study of art highlights the role great artists play in society and pupils in Year 4 learnt to appreciate the vibrancy of African art when designing and making African masks. An appreciation of literature including the work of Shakespeare is an Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 19 integral part of pupils’ work in English. Stories from different cultures are studied in all year groups. The school promotes a good understanding of the culture of others by asking parents, relatives and other adults to share their own stories and artefacts with

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pupils. In this way, for example, the school takes good account of the different religions and cultures of its pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school places a suitably high emphasis on pupils' welfare, health and safety, and aids their personal development well. Parents appreciate greatly this aspect of school life. The school's procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils' academic progress are less successful because assessment information is insufficiently used as a guide.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The mid-day staff are suitably trained to provide effective supervision and maintain the high level of care, further helped by half-termly meetings with the deputy headteacher to discuss any issues that arise. They are alert to pupils' needs and sensitivities and deal with these well. In lessons pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are ably supported by teachers, non-teaching assistants and visiting specialists.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Suitable procedures are followed for dealing with emergencies, child protection issues, accidents, illness and the administration of medicines. Although good documentation exists to clarify most of these procedures, this is not yet collated into a staff handbook for the new school. This would make it easier for new staff, including supply teachers, to assimilate the information. Health and safety considerations received a high priority during the amalgamation and the governors are appropriately involved in promoting health and safety. Staff make regular checks of the premises, but risks are not formally recorded.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school has good procedures for overseeing and promoting regular attendance. The registers are monitored closely for class attendance levels and patterns of absence by individuals. The education welfare officer makes fortnightly checks and follows up any concerns. Reasons for absence that the school cannot authorise are explained well to parents in the prospectus. The small minority of parents who fail to inform the staff if their child is absent are suitably contacted by the administrative staff for explanations. Full annual attendance is appropriately rewarded but there are no rewards that are realistically attainable by the majority of pupils. Punctuality is promoted satisfactorily. Late arrivals are noted down and persistent lateness appropriately followed up but the recording system is only applied after the first ten minutes of the school day. This does little to deter those who arrive during registration.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

The registers of attendance are kept open for half an hour, the maximum recommended period. Although this process meets statutory requirements it fails to improve punctuality to any extent.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. High standards of behaviour are promoted well with particularly good procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppression. The good support of parents is suitably encouraged by clearly explaining the rationale behind the school's positive approach to behaviour and discipline. The emphasis is rightly placed on working together with parents to promote behaviour in school that 'reflects the standards expected in a good home'. The keystone to the approach is respect for others, achieved by praising and rewarding good practice to set the example, and firmly yet calmly curbing inappropriate behaviour. Staff expectations regarding pupils’ conduct are consistently high. Very occasional incidents of bullying and racism are dealt with appropriately and sensitively once staff are aware of the problem. Parents are suitably involved at an early stage, Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 20 detailed records are kept and appropriate reports made. The headteacher plays a

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major role in moderating unacceptable behaviour by talking to pupils about their feelings and emotions and helping them to understand the impact of their actions upon others.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school is able to contact the local support service for pupils who speak English as an additional language and for pupils who are refugees to ask for an assessment of their knowledge in their own language. This is then considered alongside their need to learn English. Pupils at an early stage of acquiring English have an individual education plan. There are clear procedures for the early identification of pupils with special educational needs. The provision is good and pupils make good progress. There is consistent support for the pupils from classroom assistants who contribute well to the good progress these pupils make. They work alongside the pupils in the classroom promoting self-esteem and supporting learning effectively. Work is carefully planned to match the needs of the pupils. Pupils receive good support from the Learning Support Service, which helps the school with the identification of pupils with special educational

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needs and regularly provides essential support to the pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The pupils undertake a series of nationally recommended assessments as they pass through the school and a lot of data is collected. Having gained this information, the school is only now able to make the best use of it to set targets for individual pupils or groups of pupils. The school is currently making use of computer software to collate all the test information and use it to provide vital information about what needs to be improved for classes and individual pupils. This is a very good initiative, but it is too soon to judge its benefit. There are no consistent arrangements for assessing progress in subjects other than English, mathematics and science, whether to inform the planning of work or to give parents clearer information about their children’s progress in annual reports. The new assessment co-ordinator recognises, correctly, that a lot more emphasis needs to be placed on oral assessment during a lesson that

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

involves both teachers and pupils. This is usefully a tenet of the new teaching and learning policy. The nursery staff monitor closely what children are doing, and adults leading activities complete assessments which are used to keep a record of children's individual achievements, and to inform teachers' planning. The good arrangements for assessment in the nursery have a positive influence on children’s learning. Staff in the reception and reception/Year 1 classes keep records of what children can do, but not enough use of these assessments is made to help teachers plan the next steps in learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The quality of the marking of pupils’ work is variable. At best, teachers offer encouragement and suggestions as to how work might be improved. On occasions, however, marking is little more than a series of ticks. The use of the plenary sessions, advocated in the National Strategies for Numeracy and Literacy, has been enthusiastically embraced by the teachers and is also used in other subjects. Teachers use these sessions to build pupils’ confidence, but the effect of this work is variable because in many cases teachers do not pinpoint the essential learning that has taken place. They do not talk about specific targets that pupils may have been challenged with or involve the pupils in discussing their own learning. Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 21

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. In the short time since the amalgamation the school has established an effective partnership with parents. They, in return, are generally supportive and their practical help makes a very significant impact on the work of the school. Parents are very pleased with the way that the staff managed the amalgamation and see a 'ripple effect of improvements'.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The partnership with parents is fostered very well by the nursery staff through the very good information provided about nursery routines, what and how young children learn and the progress they are making. Every half-term parents of nursery children are informed about topic themes and are given a brief outline of what the children are to be taught in each area of learning. Parents are suitably encouraged to talk to their children about these activities and to provide artefacts to stimulate their learning - for example, unusual clocks in relation to the theme 'Night and Day'.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. In the infants and juniors the quality of information is good overall but parents are right to point out that there are weaknesses, particularly in relation to the annual written reports on their children's progress. These report meet statutory requirements and are broadly satisfactory. They inform parents well about achievement in English and mathematics, albeit in rather stilted language, but do not sufficiently identify the next steps needed for improvement. Other subjects are reported upon too generally, more in terms of coverage and enjoyment levels than in attainment and progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. However, the many strengths in the school's communication with parents far outweigh these weaknesses. Parents appreciate the welcome they receive in school and the approachability of the staff when they have questions or concerns. They are updated effectively about everyday school life through regular newsletters and are actively encouraged to learn more about what is taught through very successful occasional meetings. Recently the focus has been on mathematics and the enjoyable informative evening attracted a large appreciative audience. All parents, including those who did not attend the meeting, received a useful leaflet explaining in simple terms the typical targets in mathematics for pupils in each year group. It also included helpful suggestions as to how parents might help their children to learn mathematics at home. However, regarding curriculum information generally, once children have left the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

nursery parents are not briefed about current topics and planned learning. This makes it more difficult for parents to support their children’s learning at school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Parents are given three formal opportunities annually to consult with class teachers about their children's progress and the broad choice of appointment times encourages high attendance. Parents are welcome to make arrangements to contact the staff at other times and an informal annual open evening successfully enables them to view pupils' work. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are involved at an early stage and kept well informed about their children's progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. Parents expressed significant dissatisfaction with several aspects of homework. Whilst they appreciate the school's quick response to their previous requests for more homework some have reservations about the packs of work introduced recently in the juniors. The school joined an initiative with other local schools to issue these packs for completion by the pupils over six weeks. Some parents are critical of the system, others critical of the content of the packs. Their concerns regarding content question whether the work is matched appropriately to their child’s level of attainment and whether it sufficiently reinforces work in current lessons. Inspection findings are that the homework is broadly typical of that set in primary schools nationally in quantity and Bradshaw Hall Primary School - 22 content. However, inspectors are in agreement with parents who feel that children of this age range lack the maturity to organise their work effectively over a six-week

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

period. Follow-up of completed work, particularly important where there are problems, is also insufficiently timely.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. Parents are included and involved from all ethnic groups represented in the school, sometimes to talk to a class about their religion or culture. This is a very productive way of helping all pupils learn about religion. Parents at the school have welcomed pupils who have come from other countries and in particular those who have suffered the trauma of war and disturbance.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Parents support their children's learning effectively at home and the contribution that they and other volunteers make in school to standards and pupils' personal development is very good. The parent and friends association is extremely active in organising and publicising an extensive programme of social and fund-raising events for all the family to enjoy. A parent representative successfully links each class, including both nursery groups, to the association. The staff appreciate the way that the former infant and junior associations have amalgamated to create this thriving body that raises substantial funds for the benefit of the pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. The misgivings that some parents have about the range of activities outside lessons are unfounded. The school provides a broad range of extra-curricular clubs for infants and juniors.

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