Burley Primary School

BURLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th – 10 th November 2004

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BURLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Burley Primary - 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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BURLEY 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. Burley Primary - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4-11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 107

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Church Lane Burley Ringwood Hampshire Postcode: BH24 4AP

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01425 403375 Fax number: 01425 402508

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr Ed Gurd

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Burley Primary is a popular school that draws most of its pupils from its local area in and around the village of Burley. A considerable minority of pupils are, however, brought to the school from a wider area. The socio-economic circumstances of the pupils are above average. The school has a below average number of pupils taking free school meals. Pupils’ attainments on entry to the school are above average. Almost all the pupils are of white British extraction and all have English as their first language. There are 106 pupils on roll, including 15 in a single age group reception class. Other pupils are taught in mixed-age group classes. There are 9 pupils (9 per cent) with special educational needs, ranging from moderate learning difficulties to a number with complex difficulties. This is a below average percentage. One pupil has a statement of special educational need. The number of pupils leaving and joining the school other than at the usual times is below average. The

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

school gained ‘healthy school’ status in Year 2004.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Over the last two terms, there have been a significant number of staff changes. After the last headteacher left to take up a post in another school, the deputy headteacher became the acting headteacher. This deputy is now on maternity leave, so the new headteacher is supported by an acting deputy headteacher. At the end of the term prior to the inspection, a further teacher took up a post in another school. At the time of the inspection, therefore, the headteacher and one senior teacher had been in post eight weeks. One other class was being taken by a teacher temporarily covering for the teacher on maternity leave. Burley Primary - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

18354 Rowena Onions Lead inspector Foundation stage English Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology Music Special educational needs 19338 Graham Ellis Lay inspector 12367 Anthony Green Team inspector Mathematics Science Religious education History Geography Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’, which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Burley Primary - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Burley Primary School is a good school. Because teaching is good, pupils achieve well. Overall leadership and management are good and the school gives good value for money. Parents are very pleased with the quality of education provided for their children. Pupils are delighted with their school.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• Year 6 pupils attain high standards in mathematics, science, speaking, listening and reading. • Pupils are actively and successfully helped to become pleasant, mature individuals. • Pupils are well taught through the effective teamwork of teachers and teaching assistants. • Governance is very good and this has been instrumental in ensuring that the school has maintained the good quality of education provided during the recent disruption in staffing. • The new headteacher has made a dynamic and effective start to leading the school. • Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in learning to write. • Pupils are not always clear about how to improve their work. • Pupils with special educational needs are provided for well. There is particularly effective provision for those with complex difficulties. • The programme of work in information and communication technology (ICT) is not as effective as it should be.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made satisfactory improvement since its last inspection. Aspects identified for improvement have been appropriately addressed. Standards in most subjects have been maintained at the previously high level, but they have dropped relative to national standards in writing. Standards in ICT are less good than they were.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English A B B D mathematics A* B A B science A B A A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Because the school has very small year groups (there being, for example, only nine pupils in the 2004 Year 6 group), trends in results, as shown in the above table, are less reliable and need to be looked at with this in mind. Burley Primary - 7 Pupils’ achievement is good overall. Children achieve well in the reception year and by the end of the year most reach the national goals set for children of their age, and many exceed these. Good achievement is maintained in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and science, and standards are high at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6. Achievement in writing is, however, only satisfactory and standards are average and this means that overall standards in English are relatively lower (although still above average). Last year’s Year 6 pupils had not made as much progress as similar pupils nationally in English, but had done well in mathematics and science. Pupils with special educational

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

needs do well and most pupils attain the expected level (level 4) by the time they leave the school. Pupils with complex difficulties make particularly good progress. Although higher- attaining pupils achieve in a satisfactory way overall, their relative achievement has not been as good as that of their peers. This has been identified and work begun to enable these pupils to make better progress. This is already making an impact. Pupils achieve well in religious education and history and attain above average standards in these subjects. Because the teaching of ICT skills is not as systematic as it should be, achievement in the subject is only satisfactory.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development, are good overall . Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are very good. They are enthusiastic and positive and work and play very well together. Of particular note are the relationships in the school, particularly between older and younger pupils. Moral and social development are very good while spiritual and cultural development are satisfactory. Attendance is very good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a good quality of education . Teaching throughout the school is good overall, although the teaching of writing is only satisfactory. Teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants is strong and this helps all pupils, but especially those with special educational needs, to learn well. The use of assessment is satisfactory, but the aspects which directly involve pupils need improvement. The curriculum is satisfactory, but does not fully promote learning in writing and ICT. It is well extended by a wide range of extra activities and clubs. There are satisfactory procedures for care, health and safety. Links with parents and the community are very good and directly influence the achievement of the pupils.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good overall. The new headteacher has made a very strong start in sensitively evaluating provision and identifying areas for improvement. She has been given good support by the acting deputy headteacher, and the new senior management team is working well together. As a consequence of the staff changes, the overall management of the school is currently satisfactory, but systems are being developed to re-establish good management. The management of the inclusion of all pupils is already particularly successful. Governors support the school very well and are very active in the way they help to promote the good quality of education provided. They ensure that all statutory duties are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Burley Primary - 8 Parents are very positive about the school. They are well informed and this helps them to support the school’s work and their children very well. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the school and all its aspects. They like the activities they do, their friends and their teachers. Others agreed with one pupil who said, “The reception class children are lucky, they have another six years here”.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Raise achievement in writing by improving the teaching of writing for different purposes. • Make objectives for learning in lessons and over time clear to pupils and help them to evaluate their success in achieving these. • Review and improve the ICT curriculum and the impact it has on pupils’ achievement. Burley Primary - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Achievement is good. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. Standards are well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English in Year 6. Standards in Year 2 are well above average in speaking, listening, reading and mathematics but average in writing.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils attain high standards in speaking, listening and reading in Year 2 and Year 6. • Pupils gain very good mathematical skills and understanding. • Achievement in writing needs improvement. • Children in the reception class make good all-round progress. • Attainment in the aspect of scientific enquiry is high. • Pupils with special educational needs do well in meeting targets set for them. • Achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) could be better.

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Commentary

1. Pupils achieve well overall. Standards in speaking, listening and reading and in mathematics and science have been maintained since the last inspection at a well above average level, although standards in writing are now only average.

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Commentary

2. Children enter the reception class with above average attainments. They achieve well in all aspects of their education and, by the time they enter Year 1, they have attained and often exceeded the goals set for children of this age.

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Commentary

3. Because the school has relatively small year groups, there are natural fluctuations in the level of attainment year on year. In the 2004 national end of Key Stage 1 assessments for Year 2 pupils, standards in reading, writing and mathematics were well above the national average and above those attained in similar schools. Pupils achieved well. High standards have been maintained in speaking and listening, reading and mathematics for the current Year 2 group and in these subjects pupils achieve well. Achievement in writing for the current Year 1 and 2 groups is, however, only satisfactory.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 18.5 (17.6) 15.8 (15.7) writing 17.5 (17.4) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 18.1 (19.0) 16.2 (16.3) There were 15 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year. Burley Primary - 10 4. In the 2004 end of Key Stage 2 national assessments for Year 6 pupils, pupils attained well above average standards in mathematics and science and above average standards in English. The standards they attained in reading were considerably higher than those they attained in writing. When compared with pupils who had attained similar standards at the end of Year 2, pupils attained well above average standards in science, and above average standards in mathematics, but did not do as well as the majority in English because standards in writing could have been better. As there were only nine pupils in the year group, the table of their results has been omitted from this

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Commentary

report. When the data for this very small year group is analysed, it is evident that the majority achieved well but a very small minority of higher- attaining pupils achieved in only a satisfactory way. Data shows that this was a pattern that was repeated through the school, especially when the higher-attaining pupils were the oldest in the mixed- age classes. The school is aware of this and has begun to try to improve the progress of this group. Better progress is already evident, particularly in Years 3 and 4.

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Commentary

5. The new headteacher has already done considerable work, with the support of the senior management team, to identify ways in which pupils’ achievement can be improved still further. As well as identifying the work needed in writing and with higher-attaining pupils, the team has rightly identified that better use of assessment, especially a greater emphasis on involving pupils, could improve pupils’ rate of progress still further.

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Commentary

6. Throughout the school pupils achieve well in learning to speak and listen and, by the time they reach Year 6, they are articulate and confident speakers. They can use language to discuss and debate, as well as to organise their ideas. Achievement in reading is also good and equips pupils well, enabling them, by Year 6, to read for pleasure and for research. Achievement in writing is affected by two factors that cause it to be only satisfactory overall. Although pupils are taught basic skills of spelling, punctuation and handwriting well, they are not given sufficient structured teaching in how to put these skills together to write for different purposes and audiences. Additionally, they are not given sufficient opportunity to practice writing, either in English lessons or in other subjects.

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Commentary

7. Achievement in mathematics is good. Pupils gain good numeracy skills, which they are able to apply accurately and speedily. Good mathematical language is developed and this enables pupils to talk about their work and to use the concepts they have gained when thinking and talking about new work.

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Commentary

8. Pupils also achieve well in science. A particular strength is the way in which pupils in both Year 2 and Year 6 organise and undertake scientific investigations. A relative weakness is their ability to write about what they have done and found out. This is because they are not given sufficient opportunity to practise this skill.

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Commentary

9. Because provision is very good, pupils with special educational needs achieve well overall. They achieve very well in English where they often experienced more initial difficulty. As a result, the majority of pupils reach the expected level (level 4) in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the school in Year 6. Pupils with complex difficulties achieve very well because they receive very well thought through teaching and support. Burley Primary - 11 10. It is clear from conversations with pupils that, in the past, there has been good coverage of the ICT curriculum and this has enabled pupils to achieve in a satisfactory way over their time in school. Staffing changes have, however, meant that much of the staff expertise and additional provision have been reduced. Although pupils throughout the school are having sufficient teaching and access to ICT activities to make secure progress, there is insufficient rigour in the planning of how skills are to

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Commentary

be taught and used to ensure that standards in ICT are as high as they could be.

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Commentary

11. Pupils achieve well in religious education, exceeding the expectations in the locally agreed syllabus by the time they leave the school. Achievement is also good in history, and above average standards are successfully promoted.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

The school successfully promotes very good standards of behaviour and attitudes to work. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• High expectations are set for pupils’ conduct. • The school successfully stimulates pupils’ interest in learning and their enthusiasm for the range of activities provided. • Very good social and moral education helps pupils become thoughtful in the way they talk and act towards others. • Relationships between pupils and adults are very good. • Attendance is well above the national average.

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Commentary

12. The high standards of pupils’ behaviour set out in the previous inspection report continue to be maintained, reflecting the school’s high standards of conduct, which are conscientiously and consistently reinforced by the staff. This has resulted in the creation and maintenance of a very positive environment that enables pupils to achieve well. Pupils’ behaviour is very good in lessons, around the school, in the playground and on formal occasions, for example in assemblies. No bullying or aggressive behaviour was observed and the school has good procedures to deal with incidents should they arise. No pupils have been excluded from the school.

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Commentary

13. Pupils enjoy school and speak of it with pride and enthusiasm. The staff’s clear expectations successfully motivate learning. Pupils have a strong sense of commitment and are willing to undertake responsibilities and demonstrate initiative. Older pupils look after younger ones including leading them into class from play and assisting with play equipment, computers and the library. The personal development of children in the reception class is promoted well and most will exceed the national goals set for their personal, social and emotional development by the end of the year.

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Commentary

14. In lessons, pupils are focused on their work, pay attention to their teachers and enthusiastically join in activities and discussions. They maintain very good levels of concentration, work well together and assist each other’s learning. The school promotes their Burley Primary - 12 sense of achievement with the celebration of personal as well as academic performance. As a result, pupils are keen to talk about their work and achievements, expressing themselves openly and confidently.

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Commentary

15. The school’s overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good and their personal development is well developed during their school life. The very good provision for their social and moral provision set out in the previous inspection report has been maintained. The school’s ethos is inclusive and caring. Members of staff are good role models and their reinforcement of moral standards is reflected in pupils’ good understanding and respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. The school has a very strong sense of community and shared values, which successfully stimulates a spirit of mutual support and cooperation. Boys and girls and pupils of differing ages mix very well together. Pupils are given opportunities to reflect in assemblies and, on occasion, as part of work in subjects such as art and science. Spiritual development is not yet, however, an element that is systematically

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Commentary

considered when lessons are planned and the overall provision is only satisfactory. Similarly, although adults take care to promote understanding of culture in lessons such as art, music and religious education, a lack of overall planning means that opportunities are sometimes lost to further promote pupils’ cultural understanding. Provision for cultural development is satisfactory, which represents an improvement since the last inspection.

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Commentary

16. The very good relationships are major strengths and strongly underpin pupils’ learning. The school’s warm, family atmosphere permeates its whole life and is a decisive factor in pupils’ personal development. They are encouraged to explore their own and others’ feelings and concerns in an environment that appreciates their opinions. Pupils feel valued by teachers and other adults and they reciprocate accordingly. Pupils are polite, courteous, and developing in maturity.

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Commentary

17. Attendance is well above the national average and unauthorised absence is well below average. The school successfully promotes attendance by its wide range of good quality activities so that pupils are keen to attend.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.3 School data 0 National data 5.5 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education. Teaching and the curriculum are both good. There is good provision of extra-curricular activities. The school provides satisfactory levels of care. Links with parents and the community are both very good.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Assessment is satisfactory overall, although there are some stronger aspects.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Burley Primary - 13 • Very good pupil management and strong relationships help pupils to learn well. • There is very positive teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants. • Teachers try hard to interest and motivate pupils. • Pupils are not systematically taught and encouraged to challenge themselves. • The teaching of writing needs improvement. • Pupils with special educational needs are actively helped and supported in making good progress. • The pace of activities is sometimes too slow.

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Commentary

18. Pupils are taught well and the overall quality of teaching and learning has been maintained since the last inspection. In the reception class, calm, well-structured teaching assists the children to settle well, find an enthusiasm for learning and to gain new skills quickly and effectively. This good quality teaching and learning continues as pupils move through the school.

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Commentary

19. Very good relationships result from very good management of pupils. This allows the pupils to work in a purposeful atmosphere that actively encourages concentration and application. Teachers make efforts to interest pupils by choosing motivating activities that suit their ages and interests, for example when Years 1 and 2 were asked to write instructions for a dragon’s meal. Pupils are, as a consequence, motivated to try hard.

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Commentary

20. On occasion, however, teachers allow the content of the lesson to become more important than the intended learning. Pupils are not always told what is to be learned in a lesson and teachers are not clear enough in telling pupils how they will know they have been successful in their efforts. This reduces pupils’ ability to target their efforts and to challenge themselves. Higher- attaining pupils in particular, are not always sure how to take an ‘extra step’ in their learning. Additionally, marking is not used as well as it could be to indicate to pupils where their work shows they have been successful in their learning and aspects of their work that could be further improved. Targets are now being set for pupils to assist them to know how to improve. Because this system is relatively new, pupils are not yet sufficiently accustomed to the use of targets to enable them to use them to the full.

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Commentary

21. Teachers and teaching assistants work together very well as a team. Teachers make good use of assistants in a number of different ways including: • Planned dialogue between teacher and teaching assistants during the initial part of lessons. • Assisting groups of pupils as they work. • Supporting pupils using computers. • Assessing pupils. This teamwork means that pupils can have double amounts of adult intervention and this has a very positive effect on their learning.

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Commentary

22. Although most subjects are taught well, the teaching of writing is an exception. The teaching of writing is only satisfactory because, although the basic skills of spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting are carefully and effectively taught, pupils are not sufficiently systematically taught how to write in different ways and for different purposes, and this has a negative impact on pupils’ achievement and the standards Burley Primary - 14 attained. In the one unsatisfactory lesson seen, there was a lack of clarity about what style of writing pupils were studying and thus their learning was impaired. Insufficient opportunity is provided for writing in the course of lessons, both in English and in other subjects. Conversely, speaking and listening and reading are taught well and there are plentiful opportunities for pupils to practice these skills throughout each day.

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Commentary

23. Teachers use a good range of methods to teach the pupils. They are aware of the need to mix activities so that pupils remain interested and attentive. There is a good amount of practical activity. ICT is used to support learning in other subjects, but the lack of systematic planning for this and for the teaching of ICT skills means that learning in ICT is no more than satisfactory.

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Commentary

24. Pupils with special educational needs are well taught, both in class and when they are withdrawn for extra teaching. Well-structured work and well-timed interventions by knowledgeable teachers and assistants ensure good progress. Pupils with complex special educational needs are particularly well taught and supported and are advantaged by their attendance at this school. The new headteacher has correctly identified that a very small number with additional potential have not always been fully challenged and work has already begun to address this. This work is already having an impact especially in Years 3 and 4.

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Commentary

25. In general, time in the early part of lessons is used well, although there are some occasions when introductions are too long. Where timetabled lessons are overlong, however, the sense of urgency is sometimes lost as the lesson progresses, and the pace of the activity slows. When this is the case, teachers and pupils are not making the best use of the time available.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 22 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 1 2 14 4 1 0 0 The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

26. The overall use of assessment is satisfactory. It is good in the reception class where well- organised assessment helps the teacher quickly identify how best to teach and help the children. In the rest of the school, teachers assess pupils’ attainment regularly and know what to teach next. A wide range of records is maintained but their use is sometimes unclear. The new headteacher has rightly recognised the need to review current systems so that teachers’ time and effort are used efficiently. As identified above, there is a need to improve aspects of assessment that directly involve pupils.

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The curriculum

The range, breadth and balance of curricular opportunities that cater for the interests and needs of the pupils are satisfactory. Opportunities for enrichment of the curriculum and extra-curricular provision are good. The quality of accommodation is good, as are the quality and quantity of resources. Burley Primary - 15

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a good range of out-of-class clubs and activities. • Good use is made of visits and visitors to enrich the curriculum. • The allocation of time for some lessons is too long. • Potential links between some subjects are under exploited. • There is very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The curriculum for reception children in the year is restricted by the lack of a secure outdoor area. • There is a good number of well qualified teaching assistants to help promote pupils’ learning. • Accommodation and resources support learning well.

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Commentary

27. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular sporting and creative activities such as art, netball, French, guitar, football, choir and athletics. Pupils throughout the school have the opportunity to take part in these activities. Visits and visitors make a good contribution to the curriculum and support many subjects well. The local vicar, for example, leads assemblies and visits classes, and players from Southampton Football Club teach football skills. Visits consolidate and enrich subject teaching and include a Roman palace, Sparsholt Agricultural Centre, the Synagogue in Bournemouth and the ‘Mary Rose’ Tudor warship museum in Portsmouth. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils look forward to and enjoy a residential visit that includes environmental and outdoor adventure pursuits. All these extra activities make the curriculum more relevant and interesting for pupils. They support pupils’ interest and motivation in their work and

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Commentary

also result in the good personal, social and health development of pupils.

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Commentary

28. It is evident from class timetables, teachers’ planning and lessons observed that the time allocated to some lessons is too long, especially literacy and numeracy. This results in the pace of lessons slowing down during group activity sessions. Pupils often achieve the objective with time to spare but teachers feel obliged to continue the group activities in order to use the time allocated. This also impacts on the following lesson, which can then be too short to give pupils time to achieve as well as they might if given a longer amount of time for their work.

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Commentary

29. Planning is based on national guidance and published schemes. The school plans schemes of work on a two-year cycle to ensure that pupils do not repeat work in their second year in the same class. This work was completed after the last inspection and improved the curriculum at that time. The present cycle of planning ensures that the majority of pupils, including lower-attaining pupils, achieve well, but means that links between subjects are not fully exploited. Opportunities to link writing and ICT to other subjects, for example, are not comprehensively planned for and are often missed. There are, however, some good links made between mathematics and other subjects. The development of the curriculum, including the further development of links between subjects, has been correctly identified by the school as an area for improvement.

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Commentary

30. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good, being very well organised by the coordinator. Provision for pupils with complex needs is particularly effective and ensures that these pupils are fully and meaningfully included in all lessons. Work has begun to further promote the achievement of higher-attaining Burley Primary - 16 pupils. Some additional provision has been made for pupils who are gifted and talented, for example through coaching in football, and a governor has been recently appointed who has a particular interest in promoting work with gifted and talented pupils further.

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Commentary

31. Although the curriculum for children in the reception class is satisfactory, its breadth and balance are affected by a lack of opportunity for children to work with minimum supervision outdoors. A fence to provide the facility has been planned for some time but not yet provided. The teacher plans a wide, interesting curriculum for the children, but there is sometimes an imbalance between adult-directed activities and self-chosen ones, which is having an effect on the children’s ability to work and play independent of an adult.

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Commentary

32. The accommodation is good and has been sympathetically enlarged over a number of years. Since the previous inspection, the hall has been enlarged and now meets requirements for teaching physical education. The outside environment is spacious but the use of the grounds as an aid to learning is underdeveloped. This is an area for improvement already identified by the new headteacher, the senior management team and the governing body. A governor with the necessary expertise has now been co- opted to the governing body to help develop this aspect of education. The school is an attractive and positive learning environment for pupils and the whole site is well cared for.

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Care, guidance and support

The school has satisfactory procedures for care, welfare and health and safety. Pupils receive satisfactory support, advice and guidance for their personal development. Induction is good, as is the involvement of pupils in the school’s work and development.

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Care, guidance and support

• Pupils are helped and supported to become relaxed and confident individuals. • Pupils are not yet able to make full use of the targets set for them in helping them improve their work. • The school provides good standards of health and safety. • Children are helped to settle easily into school. • Pupils’ views are sought and valued.

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Care, guidance and support

33. Pupils are very happy in school. They feel part of a caring community, in which they are confident, trust the staff and are aware how they can obtain help. The school’s small size is generally a positive factor in pupils’ welfare. Teachers and other staff know them very well. Their personal development is informally but well monitored, so that staff can quickly recognise their needs and thereby provide good standards of pastoral support and care. Staff act quickly to assist any pupil who is concerned or in need of personal support. There is good, effective liaison with outside agencies and professionals to assist the education of pupils with special educational needs. These links ensure that staff have sufficient expertise to help pupils with a range of difficulties, some of which are complex. The newness of pupils’ involvement in academic target setting means that academic support and guidance is not yet fully developed

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Care, guidance and support

and thus not having full effect on achievement.

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Care, guidance and support

34. The school’s overall provision for pupils’ care and welfare is satisfactory. There are good policies and procedures relating to health and welfare and first aid. The supervision of pupils is Burley Primary - 17 good. Staffing changes have meant that Burley staff who were trained in child protection issues are no longer in the school. Although they have mostly had sufficient training elsewhere, new staff have not yet received training or guidance in the particular procedures of Burley Primary School. This training is organised and is to take place imminently.

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Care, guidance and support

35. Staff work closely with parents and there is effective liaison with staff of pre-schools. The school’s caring environment ensures that children entering reception and those transferring from other schools are supported well. As a result, children settle in quickly and happily to their new school.

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Care, guidance and support

36. The school’s overall arrangements for involving pupils in the work and development of the school are good. There is an openness in which they are encouraged to comment on school matters. Their views are actively sought and valued including through an annual pupils’ questionnaire. There is an active school council involving Years 1-6. This gives pupils valuable experience of representation and enables them to contribute to the running of the school. There are regular meetings as well as opportunities for feedback and discussion of issues in individual classes. Pupils report that their views are taken seriously and acted upon where possible.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has very good links with parents and the community and good links with other schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The very good relationships between parents and the school ensure strong parental support. • The school has established very wide reaching links with the community. • Links with other schools broaden the education provided.

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Commentary

37. Parents hold the school in very high regard and are very appreciative of its work, demonstrating this by providing very good general and financial support. A significant number of parents provide direct help in classes with activities such as supporting reading.

p.17

Commentary

38. A significant minority of parents in the parents’ questionnaires said they did not feel comfortable about approaching the school with their concerns and that the school did not seek parents’ views or take account of their suggestions. The inspection team agrees with the majority of parents that there are many opportunities for them to approach the school informally as well as formally because the school adopts an open- door policy in its relations with parents. The success of this is evident in that most parents feel the school is accessible, that they are welcomed and that members of staff are approachable. The team’s view is that the school values parents’ views and takes active steps to consult them, for example it recently proposed guidelines on homework following parental concerns and these were only implemented after those parents who responded had been consulted.

p.17

Commentary

39. The school communicates frequently with parents. There are frequent and informative newsletters and regular curriculum information, which are appreciated by parents. As Burley Primary - 18 a result, parents are both productively informed about the school’s educational direction and are better able to support their children, for example with homework.

p.17

Commentary

40. Parents are kept well informed of their child’s progress through formal consultation meetings with staff and plentiful informal contact throughout the year. Meetings are very well supported by parents. Pupils’ reading and homework diaries provide a good additional source of information. The pupils’ annual reports are satisfactory. There is, however, no consistency in the provision of targets for improvement. Where they are provided, some are well focused in the core subjects, while others are not sufficiently specific. Children’s attainment is not directly related to national curriculum levels, other than in the provision of national test results at the end of Years 2 and 6. A significant minority of parents in the parents’ questionnaires did not feel they were well informed about their children’s progress and to this extent the team agrees with them.

p.18

Commentary

41. The school has established very good links with the community. There are links with the church and the vicar regularly assists with assemblies and religious education. Older members of the community regularly visit the school for lunch, when they are looked after by pupils. There is a very good two-way relationship between the school and the village, with local businesses donating to school funds and the school acting as a focus for such activities as providing photocopying facilities for village organisations. There are good links with the parish council and the school makes regular contributions to the parish magazine. The community as a whole provided significant financial support to the funding of the new school hall.

p.18

Commentary

42. The school has good links with the secondary school to which most pupils transfer, other local primary schools and with the local pre-school. The secondary school provides valuable assistance with teaching French while a local technology college provides technical support for ICT. There are productive links with other small village schools, providing shared provision for sport.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The overall leadership and management of the school are good. The new headteacher is already providing good leadership, as are other staff with key responsibilities. The governance of the school is very good. Management of the school is currently satisfactory.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

• The recently appointed headteacher has high aspirations and a clear vision for the way in which the school should develop. • The new management team is providing decisive leadership of key aspects of the school. • The governing body is integral to the good leadership and management of the school. • Finances are controlled and managed well.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

43. The leadership of the school is good. Although recently appointed, the headteacher has been quick to make a considerable impact on the development of the school. Self-evaluation is being used well to identify areas for development. The headteacher has quickly assimilated and understood the school’s strengths and areas for development and is setting appropriate school targets to maintain and promote high standards through improving assessment, aspects of the curriculum and the role of subject coordinators. She is building on the existing, well-focused, school improvement plan in order to move the school forward. She has established very good relationships with staff to ensure that morale remains high during a Burley Primary - 19 period of staff changes, by ensuring that staff are involved with and support actions taken or planned. Management is satisfactory because the headteacher has not been in post long

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

enough for new initiatives and processes to have had an impact.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

44. The acting deputy headteacher makes a positive contribution to the school as a senior manager, subject coordinator and leader of the foundation stage. She has supported the headteacher very well as she establishes herself in the school. The senior management team consisting of the headteacher, acting deputy headteacher and a newly appointed teacher is ensuring a very good climate for learning, where staff work well together and where the pupils are able to achieve well.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

45. Key aspects of the school, such as the leadership and management of special educational needs, benefit from more established leadership. Leadership and management of special educational needs are particularly effective. The foundation stage is led well and this ensures that children have a positive start to their education. Where subject leadership is established, for example in science, it is effective. The leadership and management of some other subjects, for example ICT and English, are only satisfactory because changes have made the provision less effective than it was. In all subjects, new coordinators are rapidly ‘getting to grips’ with their roles and have the determination, vision and understanding to make rapid improvements.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

46. The governance of the school is very good. The governing body supports the school very well and is willing to challenge and question where appropriate. The chair of governors is experienced and knowledgeable and is committed to the school. The chair of the finance committee fulfils his duties well and has been instrumental in ensuring the ongoing development of accommodation and resources. The governors are eager to continually extend and improve their own performance and the performance of the school. They have a very good understanding of the strengths of the school and areas for development, and governor appointments have been made to ensure a wide range of skills and interests which meet the needs of the development of the school. The inclusion of governors with expertise in the use of the environment and in developing the provision for gifted and talented pupils is an example of this. Governors also contribute well to the day-to-day life of the school, which, in turn,

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

enhances their knowledge of the education provided. They ensure that all statutory duties are met.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

47. New staff are given good support. A temporary teacher in school during the inspection felt well supported by colleagues and had quickly settled into the routines of the school. The handbook for new teachers is clearly written and is a good aid to induction.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

48. The finances available to the school are used effectively, and spending decisions focus on raising standards. All educational developments are costed and linked closely to the items identified on the school’s improvement plan. Financial arrangements in the school are clear and are kept in good order by the school’s administrative officer and the finance committee of the governing body. The proportion of the budget that is carried forward to the next year is appropriately allocated to retain current staffing levels and to introduce a national workforce agreement to give teachers non-contact time for planning, assessment of pupils’ work and management of subjects.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 373,750 Balance from previous year 8,861 Total expenditure 370,304 Balance carried forward to the next 12,307

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Expenditure per pupil 3,595 Burley Primary - 20 49. When consideration is given to the satisfactory improvements since the last inspection, the well above average standards achieved in reading, speaking and listening, mathematics and science, the good quality of education provided, the good leadership and the very high parental satisfaction, the school provides good value for money. Burley Primary - 21

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. The good provision in the reception class has been maintained since the last inspection. Teaching, learning and achievement are all good and most children are set to meet the national goals by the end of the year. A good number will exceed these. The provision is well led and managed.

p.21

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s confidence is very successfully developed. • Skills in independently choosing what to do and how to play need to be more actively promoted. • Children rapidly become settled in school and interested in the activities provided.

p.21

Commentary

51. Good quality, consistent, calm teaching in which high standards of behaviour and conduct are expected successfully provides children with a secure environment in which they can relax because they are sure of what is expected of them. Personal skills, such as dressing and undressing, are promoted through day-to-day activities and children rapidly become independent in this. They are not as independent when playing because many lack experience of organising themselves. This is an aspect of the provision that needs more emphasis. The lack of a secure outdoor space does not assist the teacher to provide a wider range of activities that children can choose and undertake independent of an adult. Children gain from the very positive relationships actively promoted by the teacher and teaching assistant. They learn to work as part of a group as well as directly with adults. The type and range of activities with which

p.21

Commentary

they are provided excite them and make them into enthusiastic learners.

p.21

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Early skills in reading and writing are very systematically taught. • Children are encouraged to become increasingly articulate. • Not all children are sufficiently confident to try to write independently.

p.21

Commentary

52. Good teaching of communication, language and literacy successfully promotes good achievement. Careful attention to spoken language enables children to build on the Burley Primary - 22 good levels of language many possess when they enter school. Vocabulary is taught in combination with all activities. There are good levels of talk between adults and children and increasingly between children. Those who enter school with less developed language skills are helped to improve. Basic skills in reading and writing are taught in short sessions each day. The quality of these sessions is often very good and children develop, for example, their knowledge of the link between sounds and letters and how to use this when reading and writing well. They learn a good number of strategies to use when they read or write new words. Children are, however, a little dependent on adults when using their skills. Some are reluctant to ‘have a try’ when

p.21

Commentary

playing at writing a message in the role-play area. The number of adults in the classroom, although positive in many ways, makes the promotion of independence more difficult.

p.22

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children like mathematical activities. • Mathematical vocabulary is developed well.

p.22

Commentary

53. Good daily teaching with a careful emphasis on the development of mathematical thinking and language means that children learn and achieve well. They gain skills in the use of number and in learning about shape, space and measurement. When given the opportunity, they greatly enjoy playing with mathematical equipment, for example pretending to be Bob the Builder measuring up for some home improvements! This enthusiasm for work in mathematics should prepare them well for future learning.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Learning is made interesting and relevant to the children. • A wide range of linked activities is provided.

p.22

Commentary

54. The breadth of pupils’ knowledge of the world is successfully increased by good teaching. Activities are planned to link together as part of a ‘topic’ so that children begin to be able to make connections between different aspects of their learning. During the inspection, the topic was ‘sounds’ and children were undertook such activities as listening and identifying sounds, making sounds with musical instruments, matching sounds with pictures on the computer and taking a ‘wellie’ walk through the autumn leaves. The activities were well received by the children who found them Burley Primary - 23 interesting and enjoyable. At the same time, skills such as the ability to use their senses and to identify similarities and differences were being well promoted.

p.22

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Physical activity in lessons is well taught. • Children do not have sufficient opportunity to take exercise outdoors. • Finer motor skills are developed well.

p.23

Commentary

55. The teaching of physical development in dedicated sessions is good. Activities such as dance and gymnastics help the children to learn to control their movements as well as to enjoy physical activity. There is opportunity to climb and balance in these lessons as well as outside on a well-designed activity area. The use of the outdoors is, however, more restricted than it should be and children cannot take physical activity sufficiently freely or often because of the restriction discussed above. Finer physical skills are taught well. Children are encouraged to use a range of tools, including pencils, scissors and brushes, properly. This has a positive impact on their handwriting skills.

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

56. There was insufficient evidence to enable a judgement about the quality of provision in creative development. Planning shows that the children are given appropriate opportunities to undertake creative activities. Music is taught both by the class teacher and by a specialist music teacher. The short music session observed was productive in promoting good singing skills.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are well taught so that they reach high standards in speaking, listening and reading. • Teachers are not all sure how best to teach pupils to write for a range of purposes. • The new coordinator has already identified ways in which the subject could be improved. • Pupils are not fully helped to know how best to improve their work.

p.23

Commentary

Burley Primary - 24 57. Overall achievement in English is good, but achievement is better in speaking and listening and in reading than it is in writing, where it is only satisfactory. High standards in speaking, listening and reading have been maintained since the time of the last inspection, but standards in writing are not as high as they were. Inspection evidence is that current standards in both Year 2 and Year 6 are well above average in speaking, listening and reading but only average in writing.

p.24

Commentary

58. In the 2004 national tests, Year 2 pupils attained well above average standards in both reading and writing and Year 6 pupils attained above average standards in English. Standards amongst the Year 6 group were higher in reading than they were in writing. The progress this group had made since Year 2, in comparison with similar pupils nationally, was below average, in part because of their progress in writing and in part because a very small number of potentially higher-attaining pupils did not achieve as well as they should have. The new headteacher and new English coordinator have analysed the data and identified these issues for focused improvement work. Although early days, improved achievement is already evident in Years 3 and 4 in particular. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress in English and the vast majority of pupils reach the expected level (level 4) before they leave the school.

p.24

Commentary

59. Teaching and learning are good overall. There is some very good teaching of speaking, listening and reading and this promotes high standards. Pupils are given every opportunity throughout the day to discuss their work and their thinking. Vocabulary is extended in all lessons and teachers have high expectations of the way in which pupils will speak. By Year 6, pupils are highly articulate in many contexts. They listen well, consider what has been said and formulate thoughtful replies. They are able to use their very well developed language skills to help them to process and assimilate new learning.

p.24

Commentary

60. Reading is well taught and pupils achieve well. Basic skills are taught thoroughly, so that Year 2 pupils confidently attack new words with a well-developed range of strategies. As pupils get older, there is good teaching of skills such as skimming, scanning and note-taking, which enables pupils to use their reading to effect. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about books, although some older pupils identify a need for more books to widen choice.

p.24

Commentary

61. Writing is taught and learned satisfactorily. Achievement in attaining basic skills is good because these are taught systematically and well. Too often, however, pupils lack teaching in how to write well in different ways and for different purposes and, although Year 6 pupils know the basic rules for writing in these different ways, their writing lacks the sophistication that is evident in their speaking and reading. Some teachers are unsure how to promote this better. The newly appointed coordinator is, however, introducing better practice to the school through her own good-quality teaching of writing.

p.24

Commentary

62. There are many positive elements of teaching in lessons including: • The use of teaching assistants to enable more targeted teaching of different groups of pupils. • The efforts made to provide pupils with interesting and varied tasks. • The high expectations of behaviour, levels of concentration and activity. Burley Primary - 25 • Careful teaching of pupils with special educational needs.

p.24

Commentary

63. The overall leadership and management of English are currently satisfactory but, as identified above, the new coordinator has already made a good start in her role. Assessment is used appropriately to enable teachers to plan appropriate levels of work for pupils, and new tracking systems are beginning to be used well to assist managers to identify strengths and weaknesses in provision. Assessment is not used as well in lessons or in marking pupils’ work. Teachers do not systematically tell pupils the intended learning for every lesson and do not help them to understand how they will know when they have been successful. Pupils are, therefore, not able to target their efforts and are unable to challenge themselves to improve. Marking is conscientiously done but is not as helpful as it should be in promoting improvement.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

64. Pupils have good opportunities to use speaking, listening and reading skills across many subjects. The use of writing in other subject is much less well developed and not yet systematically planned for. Opportunities for writing in some subjects are limited by the length of time allocated to the subject during the week.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards by Year 2 and Year 6 are well above average. • All pupils are assisted to do well; teaching assistants make a significant contribution to this. • Many good aspects to teaching ensure that pupils learn well. • Pupils like mathematics and work hard. • Pupils are not made sufficiently aware of how they can improve their work.

p.25

Commentary

65. Standards by the end of Years 2 and 6 have been maintained since the previous inspection because of the overall good teaching throughout the school. In the 2004 end of Year 2 and 6 national tests, pupils attained well above average standards and those in Year 6 had made better than average progress since Year 2. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well because of good teaching and support. No differences were observed in the achievement of boys and girls.

p.25

Commentary

66. Teaching and learning are good overall and the quality has been maintained since the previous inspection. No lesson observed was less than satisfactory and one lesson was very good. Work is generally very well matched to the individual needs of pupils, which supports their good achievement, although opportunities for the very highest- attaining pupils are not always planned for and so they do not always achieve as well as they might in the lesson. Teaching assistants are very well deployed to teach or support individuals or groups. They have a very good understanding of their role and support lower-attaining pupils well, especially those who have very specific needs, Burley Primary - 26 which ensures that they make equally good progress. Good use is made of regular homework, which supports and consolidates class work. Teachers manage their pupils very well and so lessons are calm and purposeful. This, and the generally

p.25

Commentary

appropriately matched work, results in very good attitudes by pupils who enjoy mathematics lessons, want to learn and who work very well together.

p.26

Commentary

67. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. The best marking includes comments and targets to move pupils forward in their learning, but often marking is mainly ticks to acknowledge that the work has been seen and is correct. Although group targets are often displayed on pupils’ tables and inside their mathematics books, pupils do not always understand them and are also not aware of their individual targets for improvement.

p.26

Commentary

68. Teachers plan well for the different ability groups within their class. In the best lessons, the objectives of a lesson are shared well with pupils so that they know what is to be learnt and why. In the satisfactory lessons, this does not always happen. Additionally, teachers do not always stress the importance of talking about what method is being used or encourage pupils to expand their explanations in order to share different methods. Teachers do not always use the end-of-lesson recap session to return to the objectives to encourage pupils to self-assess whether they have achieved the objectives, so that they are aware of their own learning and areas for improvement.

p.26

Commentary

69. Leadership and management of mathematics are good. During the absence of the coordinator on maternity leave, the headteacher has reviewed the subject and developed a good understanding of its strengths and areas for development, based on very comprehensive analysis of school data. The school’s self-review has already highlighted planning for two age groups within a class, assessment of pupils to inform planning and the use of ICT to support mathematics as the main areas for the development in order to maintain the high standards, especially for the highest- attaining pupils.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

70. Good use is made of mathematics and numeracy across the curriculum, which ensures that pupils have a good all-round knowledge of mathematics. In science, for example, pupils draw charts and graphs to record the swings of a pendulum and graphs to show temperature changes. In history, pupils use time-lines to develop their understanding of chronology.

p.26

SCIENCE

Provision in science is good. Burley Primary - 27

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well, especially in the aspect of scientific enquiry. • Teaching assistants support pupils very well. • Very good use is made of practical activities to develop pupils’ scientific thinking. • Pupils behave very well in lessons and enjoy science. • Marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. • Older pupils do not have enough opportunity to write in science. • The subject coordinator supports colleagues well.

p.27

Commentary

71. Standards in the 2004 national assessments for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils were well above the national average and this has remained the case. Standards have improved since the last inspection. Achievement of pupils is good. A particular strength of lessons is the practical element, which encourages pupils to think and reason for themselves. By Year 6, pupils have a very good understanding of a ‘fair test’, where one variable is changed each time whilst the others remain constant.

p.27

Commentary

72. The quality of teaching is good and has been maintained since the previous inspection. Lessons are well planned and resourced and include practical activities, demonstrations and investigations that interest and motivate pupils to work hard and improve their knowledge and understanding. In all lessons, learning support assistants work very well with teachers and support pupils’ learning very effectively, particularly lower-attaining pupils and those with very specific educational needs. Teachers manage behaviour, especially in practical lessons, very well, which results in pupils being able to concentrate on their investigations and learning and so make good progress. Pupils co-operate with each other well and support each other’s learning in groups and paired activities. As a result of the good teaching, pupils enjoy science.

p.27

Commentary

73. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. The best marking includes comments and targets to move pupils forward in their learning but examples were seen of teachers’ marking being mainly ticks. Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ work, however, is generally good and is used well to match tasks to pupils’ prior attainment so that good learning is promoted.

p.27

Commentary

74. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The coordinator has a good understanding of the strengths of the subject and areas for development. She has rightly identified the need to promote links between science and other subjects. In the younger classes, pupils are encouraged to write about their experiments and investigations, which consolidates and extends writing skills appropriately. By Year 5 and 6, however, opportunities for pupils to develop writing are missed as they often simply copy their method and results from the board. Good use is made of mathematics to support work in science.

p.27

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

As very little teaching of ICT could be observed during the inspection, it is not possible to make a judgement about the overall quality of the provision or the quality of teaching and learning. Burley Primary - 28 75. Discussions with pupils reveal that, in the past, there has been good learning and use of ICT in the school. Year 6 pupils have covered all aspects of the required ICT curriculum. Of late, however, staffing changes have meant that those that led ICT and did much of the teaching in the school have left, and this has left current provision in need of review and development. Over time, Year 2 and Year 6 pupils have achieved in a satisfactory way, but their current speed of progress requires improvement. The new headteacher has quickly identified this and ICT is a key item on the new school improvement plan.

p.27

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

76. Although teachers are planning for the use of ICT in lessons, there is insufficient clear planning as to how and when ICT skills will be taught over time. Most pupils have the advantage of extensive experience of ICT at home and this is not reflected in the planning which is currently based on a largely unaltered national scheme of work. The range of ICT being used in lessons is now relatively narrow with an emphasis on research and presentation of work. Pupils have less experience of aspects such as control technology. The small amount of teaching of ICT seen during the inspection was largely conducted by teaching assistants. Although teachers and teaching assistants have sufficient knowledge and experience for the level of work being undertaken, it is clear that further training is required in order to broaden the curriculum.

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

77. The school has adequate ICT resources but the arrangement of these, with computers being placed in separate locations, makes teaching larger groups or whole classes of pupils difficult and demanding greater staff expertise.

p.28

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

78. There is adequate use of ICT in most subjects, but this is not sufficiently well planned to ensure that opportunities are not missed.

p.28

HUMANITIES

History was inspected in full and is reported below. Religious education was sampled as only one lesson was timetabled during the inspection. Geography was also sampled.

p.28

HUMANITIES

79. The geography curriculum is broad and balanced and enriched by visits. Planning ensures that it is relevant and interesting for pupils. Good use is made of visits to enhance pupils’ learning by first-hand experiences. Year 5 and 6, for example, visit the nearby river at Mill Lawn to study the development and flow of a river and Sparsholt Agricultural College for a woodland trail. The residential visits for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils also support geography well. In the lesson observed, teaching and learning were satisfactory. The teacher used a video well to demonstrate the uses of water but, because the objective for the session was unclear, pupils were not able to focus their attention on key elements of the video as well as they might.

p.28

HUMANITIES

80. Standards in religious education in both Year 2 and Year 6 are above those set out in the locally agreed syllabus for Hampshire. Standards have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils’ achievement is good and has also improved since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be sound. Years 6 pupils spoken to demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the main units studied, for Burley Primary - 29 example Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, and recalled key facts and stories well. They compared the common elements of different religions and commented on the symbolism used.

p.28

HUMANITIES

81. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are effectively taught to identify similarities and differences between their own beliefs and those of others. There is clear expectation that pupils will respect the opinions and beliefs of others. These positive attitudes are evident in pupils’ everyday behaviour and in their discussions about different faiths. Their work in religious education plays an important part in pupils’ understanding of different cultures and beliefs. In the Year 1 and Year 2 lesson observed, resources were used very well to develop pupils’ understanding of the similarities and differences between a Synagogue they had visited in Bournemouth and the local church as places of worship. All pupils’ understanding of the importance of the church in Christianity and within the local community is enhanced by the close links between the school and the village church. The vicar regularly visits the school to lead assemblies and pupils go to the

p.29

HUMANITIES

church for festivals such as Harvest and Christmas.

p.29

HUMANITIES

82. Religious education is well resourced with artefacts that stimulate pupils’ interest. The themes to the daily assemblies also support religious education well. The theme during the inspection week, for example, was remembrance, which also linked to Remembrance Sunday. Planned opportunities to use ICT to support the subject are underdeveloped.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils develop a good knowledge of the key historical events and figures studied and a good understanding of chronology. • Teaching is good overall. • Good use is made of visits to enrich the history curriculum. • Pupils enjoy history.

p.29

Commentary

83. Because the quality of teaching and learning is good, standards in Year 2 and Year 6 in history are above the average and pupils’ achievement is good. Lessons are well planned and work is well matched to the different groups within a class. In one lesson observed teaching was excellent.

p.29

Commentary

Example of outstanding practice Teachers use role-play well to interest and motivate pupils to work hard and to improve their knowledge and understanding. In an excellent lesson the teacher dressed as a Victorian ‘school ma’am’ and played the part of a strict Victorian teacher. By touching a ‘button’ she let the pupils know that they were being ‘transported’ to the 1900s or returning to the present. The mix of role-play with careful questioning and discussion helped pupils to quickly understand the similarities and differences between education in the Victorian period and today. Pupils were absorbed as they sat in straight rows and attempted, in total silence, to write on slates in copperplate writing such phrases as ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. In the resulting discussion, pupils made Burley Primary - 30 very good comparisons between the different periods, including the way in which girls were treated in

p.29

Commentary

comparison to boys, which the girls in particular thought to be very unfair! The teacher then used modern technology to project a video clip of a Victorian class, which contained the same elements and information, onto the whiteboard. The ‘first-hand’ experience of life in a Victorian classroom, meant pupils watched with full understanding.

p.30

Commentary

84. This overall good quality of teaching results in pupils enjoying history lessons so that they are very well motivated, interested and behaved. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subject and bring it to life through role-play and visits, which contributes to the good achievement of pupils. In a Year 1 and Year 2 lesson, pupils visited the Burley village war memorial to investigate when the memorial was built, the dates and names on the memorial and the significance of the memorial for the village of Burley. Before walking to the memorial, the teacher showed and discussed a photograph of the great-great-grandfather of one of the pupils. Pupils listened in wrapt attention as she talked about the photograph and eagerly looked for his name on the war memorial. This prompted pupils to discuss other names on the memorial and family connections.

p.30

Commentary

85. Although no direct teaching was observed in Year 5 and Year 6, the analysis of pupils’ books, displays and teachers’ planning confirm that standards are above average. Year 6 pupils spoken to showed a good recall of the topics studied and a good knowledge of key facts from the periods covered. They also confirmed that it is a subject that they enjoy.

p.30

Commentary

86. Good use is made of visits and visitors to bring the subject to life and to capture pupils’ interest and imagination. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has visited the school and played music with Tudor and Victorian themes. Visits to places such as Burley village, Beaulieu House and The Mary Rose Tudor ship are used well to provide historical experiences. Sound leadership and management ensure the maintenance of the good provision since the time of the last inspection.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Art and design, music and physical education were sampled. Design and technology was not inspected.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

87. The curriculum in art and design provides good opportunities for pupils to experience a wide range of different types of artistic activity. Skills are appropriately developed and work around the school indicates that standards reached are about average. Pupils like art and a large number choose to attend the lively after-school art club. In the lesson seen, good teaching ensured that pupils developed skills they were going to use in creating a design after the work of William Morris. Pupils were confident in talking about the work of the artist, which they had researched in a previous lesson through use of the Internet. They were less confident about their own abilities when undertaking the practical activities.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

88. The school employs a specialist music teacher who undertakes most of the music teaching in the school. During the inspection, most of the work was focused on singing. The teacher used her good subject knowledge to assist the pupils to better their performance. The singing of the Year 1 and 2 pupils in the lesson observed was of high standard. Planning shows that pupils have opportunity to learn about other Burley Primary - 31 aspects of music, and informal discussions showed that they enjoy their lessons in the subject.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

89. Discussion with the subject coordinator and scrutiny of planning and schemes of work show that, in physical education, pupils are involved in a full range of gymnastics, dance, athletics and games activities. Teachers use a published scheme to support planning and teaching. Swimming is taught in Year 4 at the pool of Ringwood secondary school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

90. The subject is enriched well by after-school clubs and activities, which are attended by a large number of pupils, inter-village school team tournaments, inter-village school sports’ days for Years 1 and 2 and Years 3 to 6, and the Year 5 and 6 residential visits, which include outdoor and adventurous activities. Southampton Football Club teaches groups of pupils from Years 1 and 2 and 3 to 6 after school. A parent governor also takes after-school football groups.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

This area of the curriculum was sampled.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

91. The programme for personal, social and health education is good. In the reception classes personal, social and emotional development, especially those elements that relate to self-care, self-control and living in a community, is well developed. As they grow older, pupils are given many opportunities to develop greater personal and social understanding through both day-to- day example and expectation set by all adults in the school, and through the well thought out programme for personal, social and health education which includes class discussion times.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

92. The school makes good use of visitors to extend knowledge and understanding. Visitors include a police officer and nurse to discuss personal, social and health issues, including those related to drugs and sex education. The ‘healthy schools’ project has successfully promoted pupils’ understanding of healthy eating and even the youngest can talk about what makes a healthy or unhealthy diet. The school cook was very closely involved in this initiative and instrumental in its success, both as cook and as a governor of the school.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

93. The school council successfully promotes understanding of citizenship as council members discuss with their own classes issues related to the school and then take these matters to the full school council before reporting back on decisions made. Burley Primary - 32

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 2 Attendance 2 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 4 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 2 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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