Bessacarr Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 23 May 2006

Inspection Report Bessacarr Primary School

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106739 Unique Reference Number Doncaster LEA 277617 Inspection number 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Rosemary Eaton CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Ellers Avenue School address Primary Type of school Bessacarr Community School category Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 7DT 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01302 535110 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01302 371191 Fax number 293 Number on roll Mrs A Chapman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms J Darby Headteacher 31 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277617 22 May 2006 - 3 to 11 23 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school. Very few pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion from minority ethnic groups is around average with just a small number in the early stages of learning English. A very small minority of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Above average numbers of pupils join or leave the school during the school year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school providing good value for money. The inspection confirms the school's view of its overall effectiveness and each aspect of its work. Children in the Foundation Stage are provided for well and so they make good progress. During Years 1 to 6, pupils achieve well, reaching high standards by the time they leave school because the quality of teaching is good and provides plenty of well planned opportunities for all pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. However, there are fewer chances for them to use information and communication technology (ICT) to help them learn. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They develop into confident and well rounded individuals, with a strong awareness of how to stay safe and healthy. Their behaviour is outstanding. The good quality curriculum meets pupils' needs as they move up through the school. It provides pupils with a wide

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Grade: 2

range of enrichment activities. Pupils' personal development is supported by well organised arrangements to care for them. Their progress in English and mathematics is tracked carefully but assessment procedures are not as effective in science and ICT. Most subject managers do not take enough responsibility for analysing how well pupils are learning; senior staff carry out this role. Nevertheless, the school is well led and managed. The headteacher's leadership is strong, ensuring that there has been good progress since the previous inspection. Accurate self-evaluation systems contribute to the school's good capacity to continue to move forward. Extremely strong partnerships with parents and representatives of the wider community enhance pupils' learning and personal development.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to apply their ICT skills to help them learn independently. • Develop more rigorous systems for checking that all pupils are making the expected progress in science and ICT. • Involve subject managers more in tracking pupils' progress to make the management of the school even more effective.

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Grade: 2

When they join the Nursery, children's attainment is broadly average. They make good progress during the Foundation Stage, most reaching the expected standards by the end of the Reception Year and many exceeding them. Their achievement is particularly good in: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; and personal, social and emotional development. Since 2001, the school's results in the Year 2 and Year 6 national tests have nearly always been well above average. Unusually, pupils often do better in writing than in reading. In response, the school is currently making concerted efforts to raise standards in reading and observations during the inspection confirm this is being successful and standards are rising. By the end of Year 2 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 6, standards are well above average and pupils throughout the school achieve well.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar progress. The school sets challenging targets for Year 6 pupils to achieve and in 2005 these were mostly surpassed.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. They are happy to come to school where their behaviour is outstanding, especially in the dining room and during assemblies. Pupils enjoy lessons and have good attitudes to learning. Some say they particularly like challenging work such as problem solving in mathematics and choosing materials for technology projects. Attendance is average but there are no unauthorised absences. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are respectful and considerate of others. 'Playtime Pals' help children socialise and those from all ethnic groups work and play together harmoniously. There is a new, but active, school council which is working hard to promote healthy lifestyles. Councillors have successfully canvassed for a salad bar at lunchtime and organise a raffle to reward those who choose healthy eating options. Some parents say their children have been

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Grade: 2

'inspired' to make sensible choices. Pupils learn how to keep safe, for instance, when travelling to and from school. As well as developing the necessary basic skills in literacy and numeracy, pupils willingly take on responsibilities, which also help to prepare them for their future well-being, for example, distributing playtime equipment. However, their ability to use ICT to help them learn independently is less well developed.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers use their thorough knowledge of each subject in order to plan interesting lessons, helping pupils to make links between different aspects of the curriculum. For example, when learning about bees, Reception year children practised their communication and writing skills effectively. The teacher made good use of her assessments of each child's learning to make sure the tasks closely matched their needs, for instance, giving higher attaining children the opportunity to practise their independent writing. Occasionally, within a lesson, particular groups are given work that is not quite hard enough, slowing down the pace of learning. Large classes are managed well, helped by teachers' good organisation and very positive relationships with pupils. Good use is made of interactive whiteboards to help pupils to learn. For example, in a mathematics lesson, Year 1 pupils enjoyed

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Grade: 2

working against a timer as they moved numbers into place on a grid. Teaching assistants make very strong contributions to learning, for instance, by boosting pupils' reading skills. This is a good example of the way the school's priorities are translated into consistent approaches within each classroom. 3 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets statutory requirements and matches the needs of all pupils as they move up through the school. Literacy and numeracy skills are promoted in lively ways that make pupils think and prepare them well for their future lives. Pupils say that their work is often fun; their view accurately reflects the stimulating learning experiences both in and beyond the normal school day. The good quality provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education promotes pupils' high levels of confidence, enabling them to express themselves and their views. This starts in the Foundation Stage, where children have plenty of opportunities to make choices and act out roles. Activities ensure that older pupils know how to make a difference to the lives of others and can contribute well to the community. However, the curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to use ICT for learning, other than

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Grade: 2

in timetabled sessions. Parents and pupils appreciate the wide range of exciting activities outside lessons and participation rates are high. Sporting talents in particular are nurtured and pupils are introduced to new opportunities, such as French, instrumental tuition and tennis.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. Those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or speak English as an additional language are supported well and helped to make good progress. Parents are very happy with the way the school looks after their children. Child protection procedures are in place and risk assessments and health and safety checks are carried out meticulously. Pupils are made aware of possible dangers and of how to take care of themselves outside of school. Arrangements for transfer to secondary school and for children joining the Nursery are very good. Considerable progress has been made in establishing systems to track pupils' progress in English and mathematics but there are insufficient data both to carry out effective monitoring and target setting and to track pupils' progress in science and ICT. Pupils are becoming increasingly involved in discussing their work with teachers in order to

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. With very strong support from the assistant headteacher, the headteacher has done an excellent job in enabling the school to continue to move forward during the current year, despite the prolonged absence through ill-health of two key senior managers. This success has owed much to the team spirit within the school, which also contributes to its good capacity to improve further. Staff have willingly taken on additional tasks and supported each other. The arrangements for finding out how well the school is performing are well organised and 4 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 provide a very accurate overview. Determined to provide all pupils with equal opportunities to achieve, senior staff analyse thoroughly all available assessment data, identifying apparent discrepancies or weaknesses and how these can be remedied. However, most subject managers are not sufficiently involved in this process to play

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Grade: 2

a full role in identifying and implementing improvement strategies. Developments are planned carefully and a close eye is kept on progress towards targets. As a result, there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. Parents' views, which are very positive, are taken fully into account and a number of excellent opportunities are provided for them to support their children's learning. For example, in the Foundation Stage, the enormously successful 'Share' project enabled parents to gain 'an insight into learning' and ideas for developing children's skills at home. Links with an impressive range of organisations and other schools are outstanding, enhancing pupils' achievement and personal development. Governors fulfil their responsibilities well, are very supportive, and are currently considering more ways of finding out about the school at first hand. 5 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Bessacarr Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school. We really enjoyed our short time with you. This letter is to let you know what we think about your school. We were extremely impressed with your behaviour, consideration for others, and good manners. Well done! You all work hard in lessons and make good progress, in reading, writing and numeracy, for example. You have good teachers and all the adults in school work hard to make sure you are safe and happy, with interesting activities in and out of lessons. However, we think you should have more chances to use computers to help you learn, not just in ICT lessons. A close eye is kept on how well you get on in English and mathematics, but your progress in science and ICT isn't followed so carefully. We think the teachers in charge of subjects should look more closely at your learning, so that they are involved more closely in finding ways to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help you make even better progress. Your headteacher sees to it that the school runs smoothly and keeps improving. Your parents think you go to a good school and we agree with them.

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