Badsley Primary School

Inspection Report Badsley Moor Infant School

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106833 Unique Reference Number Rotherham LEA 277640 Inspection number 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 Inspection dates Ms Joyce Taylor 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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Badsley Moor Lane School address Primary Type of school Rotherham Community School category South Yorkshire S65 2QS 5 to 7 Age range of pupils 01709 828665 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01709 838792 Fax number 259 Number on roll Mr John Hirst Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Julia Remington Headteacher 18 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277640 3 May 2006 - 5 to 7 4 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

Badsley Moor Infant School is situated close to the centre of Rotherham. It is a large school, with almost 20% of the pupils from minority ethnic groups. Almost all speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is much higher than average. Slightly more pupils than average have learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) and the proportion having statements of special educational need is higher than in most schools. The pupils come from an area experiencing high levels of social and economic difficulty. The school has a stable pupil population but over the past three years there have been several new members of staff, including the headteacher. The school is part of an Education Action Zone. It has gained the Active Mark and Artsmark Silver Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Badsley Moor provides a good quality of education for its pupils. This matches the school's view of its performance. Standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2 and pupils make good progress overall. Achievement in literacy is good, and has improved recently due to newly designed and effective targets in reading and writing. However, achievement in mathematics for more able learners is not as good as it should be. Achievement in art and design is high, resulting in pupils reaching above average standards in this subject. The curriculum and pupils' personal development are good, as is the provision for their care, guidance and support. Quality in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Children made satisfactory progress and made a secure start to their education. However, sometimes children in the Foundation Stage are not challenged enough by the tasks they are given. Teaching is good overall, but sometimes

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Grade: 2

projects aimed at improving learning are not consistently applied in all classes. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a clear view of what needs to be done for the school's performance to improve and is taking effective action to make this happen. When evaluating its performance, the school has accurately identified the areas necessary for improvement. This shows that it has a good capacity to improve further. It provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise the level of expectation and challenge for more able learners in mathematics in Years 1 and 2 and for children in the Foundation Stage when they are working at independent activities. • Ensure all teachers implement and sustain newly-introduced learning activities for pupils.

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Grade: 2

Progress is good in relation to children's prior learning. When children start in Reception their standards are well below average in all areas of learning. Speaking and listening skills are particularly low. Children leave Reception with below and sometimes well below average standards but from the start, their steady progress is evident. Standards at the end of Year 2 are broadly average. Pupils achieve well in literacy because of good teaching and almost all meet the high expectations the school sets for them because individual targets for improvement are precise and challenging. In mathematics, achievement is satisfactory overall. As yet, expectations in mathematics 2 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 have not been so precise and targets are not challenging enough for the more able learners. In art and design achievement is high and the pupils reach above average

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Grade: 2

standards. The school's effective approach to identifying and supporting vulnerable pupils, those learning English as an additional language and those with LDD ensures they achieve as well as their peers.

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Grade: 2

The overall provision for pupils' personal development and well-being is good. Pupils enjoy being at school, behave well and have positive attitudes to learning, listening well and concentrating on their work when working independently of teachers and support staff. Badsley Moor School is becoming increasingly successful in its aim 'to encourage children to have pride in their achievements, their relationships with peers and their environment'. Pupils understand how to stay fit and healthy, enjoy taking part in a variety of physical activities, and choose healthy snacks. Attendance has improved over the last two years and is broadly in line with the national average. The school has effective systems to encourage pupils to attend, and presents both individual and class awards for good attendance. Absences are followed up thoroughly. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils express their feelings

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Grade: 2

well and know they are valued as individuals. They are encouraged to 'do something that makes them feel proud' and they are able to develop important life skills, such as working as a team and listening to others through their roles on the school council. They are encouraged to be thoughtful and reflect on personal issues. Local clergy and members of the community from other faiths visit school, and the pupils are encouraged to think of others in the wider community by supporting 'breakfast for the homeless' and raising money for a school in Africa.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. In most lessons work is planned thoroughly and matched well to the pupils' needs, enabling them to make good progress, especially in reading and writing and art and design. New active learning tasks, for example those involving drama, are used effectively, particularly extending the learning of pupils in mathematics who are average and below average attainers. However, this new initiative is not evident in all classes so some children cannot use play to make sense of what they have learned. In several instances, the more able pupils in Years 1 and 2 are not 3 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 given challenging enough tasks in mathematics either in role play or more formal situations, often they can quickly complete their activities and this slows their progress. In Reception children learn well in focused teaching sessions and outdoors but some

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Grade: 2

of their independent activities become repetitive and hence insufficiently challenging. This slows progress. The school is developing good systems to monitor pupils' progress. Senior staff know how well pupils are doing and can identify those who should be progressing faster. This information has been used most successfully to raise reading standards, with some learners exceeding the school's expectations. However, targets are not yet used as effectively to enable more able pupils to make better progress in mathematics. A positive learning environment is created as teachers develop good relationships with pupils in their class. Parents are very supportive of their school. As one parent commented, 'I believe that the school works hard at trying to achieve each individual child's potential'. Systems to help teachers identify and support pupils with LDD are good. Effective teaching assistants make a positive contribution to pupils' learning

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It goes beyond statutory requirements and is generally well matched to the needs of the pupils, although the school recognises the need to improve the mathematics curriculum. Pupils are keen to learn and are given the opportunity to develop key life skills, for example taking responsibility for completing their work at a good pace, from an early age. Pupils particularly enjoy their learning when it is enriched by first hand experiences, such as growing their own plants in a 'garden centre', observing tadpoles develop and making visits in the locality. They speak enthusiastically about 'literacy week', which takes place each year. This year pupils had the opportunity to work with an author to develop key literacy skills through puppet making, speaking and listening activities as well as writing their own books. They 'swept the board' at the most recent 'Roscars' film making event when they won first, second and third place!

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Grade: 2

The school gained the Artsmark Silver in 2005 and pupils continue to produce a wide variety of high quality artwork, successfully demonstrating the use of a variety of media 4 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 and techniques. They keep fit as they take part in a good range of sporting clubs, ranging from gymnastics to golf. The physical education programme has improved to the level where it qualified for an Active Mark award. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the local environment, through initiatives such as 'Kerbcraft'.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are cared for very well. They feel safe and secure in school and help each other; for example, through the 'friends' corner' to support those who are lonely. The school council members said 'when someone is upset, teachers always help'. Staff make good use of outside agencies when necessary. Parents are involved closely in their children's education and get useful information about their progress. The school also runs consistently attended classes for parents who want to help with their children's learning. When the children transfer first from the Nursery and later to the junior school, the transition is planned well to ensure they have no worries. Arrangements for child protection and risk assessments when the pupils make visits, for example, are thorough and effective. Pupils have productive targets for improvement in literacy but not yet in other subjects. Clear and thoughtful notes of Reception children's personal

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Grade: 2

development record their well-being alongside their standards. The development of these young learners is very clearly documented.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher knows the school well and has a clear view of how she wants it to be. Her drive and determination ensure staff work well together and are eager to improve. Self-evaluation is good. The school accurately identifies its strengths and recognises that some areas still need improving. Well designed assessment data, recently collated, show where weaknesses lie and the school improvement plan details the strategies to be followed to remedy them. For example, the plan shows that learning targets for mathematics are to be introduced in the autumn to match those already in place for literacy. The headteacher and deputy work well together but do not always delegate responsibility for monitoring ongoing improvements to other staff. As a result, some new ideas are not developed as quickly and widely as they might be. Parents are very happy with the school: they feel that whilst it is approachable and

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Grade: 2

concerned for their children's welfare, it also works to help them understand more about their children's learning. The headteacher and deputy, supported by governors, have successfully created an environment in which teaching and learning are improving. As a result, the school's capacity to improve further is good. 5 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 Until recently, governors' meetings were held jointly with the governing body of the junior school. This meant time became limited during meetings when discussing the needs of the school and governors had insufficient insight into the working of the school. This practice has been discontinued. Governors now evaluate improvements more thoroughly and are beginning to provide the headteacher and staff with clear and informed backing; for example, in reviewing school data. 6 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 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. 7 Inspection Report: Badsley Moor Infant School, 3 May 2006 to 4 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 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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 3 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 2 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 3 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 2 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 3 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 your help when we visited your school earlier this month. We very much enjoyed watching you work and talking to you in the classrooms and around the school. We think that your teachers work hard to make sure that your activities are interesting and good fun. In English and art you are learning well. We noticed how much you enjoyed your lessons and we were impressed with the way you are growing in confidence. You also told us that you feel safe and secure in the school and that your teachers are friendly and helpful. We have asked your headteacher and her staff to carry on with their good work and we have suggested that they look at three areas to make things even better: (1) to help some of you do even better in mathematics (2) to make sure that the good things that happen in different classes are available to all of you You can help the teachers by listening carefully to their advice and carrying on working as hard

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

as you can every day whilst you are at school. You are enthusiastic about your school and we hope you carry on enjoying lessons and helping your teachers make Badsley Moor Infant School a happy and successful place for learning.

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