Brightwalton C.E. Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School

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110008 Unique Reference Number West Berkshire Local Authority 278341 Inspection number 5 °6 October 2006 Inspection dates Jeffrey White Reporting inspector

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

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Brightwalton School address Primary Type of school Newbury Voluntary aided School category RG20 7BN 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01488 638337 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01488 638337 Fax number 109 Number on roll (school) Mr R Kilvington Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms S Fraser Headteacher 9 February 2000 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278341 5 °6 October 2006 4°11 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is much smaller than average. It serves several parishes. Almost all pupils are of White British background. Eligibility for free school meals is well below average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is also well below average. Attainment on entry to the school is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that has improved well since its last inspection and has a good capacity to improve further. Instrumental to the school's success is the effective partnership between the headteacher, governors and staff who are committed to developing pupils' academic and personal potential. The school's key strength is pupils' excellent personal development that enables them to work in a safe and harmonious community. Pupils are articulate and enthusiastic learners. They especially enjoy expressing their views and using their own initiative, for example, in the thriving school council. They feel valued, as illustrated in a pupils' observation that 'newcomers are welcomed'. Pupils enjoy learning how to stay safe and healthy and they particularly appreciate the wide range of sporting opportunities that helps them to be healthy. They participate well in the life of the local village. Leadership and management are effective and, in tandem with the good teaching and

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Grade: 2

learning, have ensured that pupils make good or better progress and reach at least above average standards overall. Pupils make very good progress in reading, speaking and listening because these aspects are especially taught well. Consequently pupils consistently reach well above average standards. In general, pupils' performance is analysed and evaluated well, and effective action is taken to address any shortcomings. The matching of work to pupils' abilities has, in particular, improved since the last inspection. Achievement is good in the Foundation Stage and pupils continue to achieve well in Years 1 to 6. Standards in writing and science, although above average, are not always as high as in reading and mathematics. While teachers make good use of assessment findings to cater for the range of pupils' needs, they do not mark pupils' work thoroughly enough in writing and science to help them improve further.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum is enhanced well by a wide range of activities that stimulate the pupils. They enjoy most subjects but especially art and design. The teaching in general captures pupils' interests and the management of discussion is an excellent feature. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their work, are diligent, and like working on their own and with others. Teacher's discipline is effective and contributes very well to pupils' excellent behaviour. Opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of scientific enquiry are not regular enough. Pupils are well cared for and teachers and support staff give them good personal guidance. Pupils know whom to turn to if they have a problem. Targets to help individual pupils improve their work are effective in English and mathematics but pupils are less certain about their progress in science.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that marking of pupils' work helps them to improve their performance, especially in writing. • Raise standards in science by setting targets for pupils' performance and by giving them more opportunities for scientific enquiry. 2 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Achievement is at least good throughout the school because the teaching is effective. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress and achieve particularly well in personal, social and emotional development. Although standards fluctuate from year to year they are mainly above average by the time the children enter Year 1. Pupils make very good progress in reading, speaking and listening and by Year 6 standards are especially high. Pupils make good progress in mathematics and, although standards have fluctuated in recent years, overall they are well above average by Year 6. Pupils generally are highly articulate. This helps them to explain their thinking and benefits their progress. In Years 1 to 2 a lower percentage of pupils attain above average standards in writing than they do in reading and mathematics. There is some very good writing in Years 3 to 6. In Key Stage 2, pupils attain higher standards and make better

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Grade: 2

progress in their acquisition of scientific knowledge than in their skills of scientific enquiry.

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Grade: 1

Across the school pupils respond extremely well to the many opportunities for their personal development. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional. Pupils talk very well about what is expected of them and show good awareness of the school's key values of respect and care for others and being responsible for one's own actions. Their behaviour is excellent and as a result they are very keen learners. They take good care of newcomers. They are well aware of how to be safe indoors and outside in the communal areas. They especially enjoy the wide range of sporting activities and participate well in the healthy eating and cookery 'weeks'. The school council is active and pupils thoroughly enjoy the responsibility of making their own decisions, such as organising charitable fund raising events. Pupils are keenly involved in their local community, for example, they show their skills in

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Grade: 1

maypole dancing and skipping at the village fete. Attendance is good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils respond very well to effective teaching that ensures they make good progress. Lessons are well planned and expectations are high. Consequently pupils' interest is captured quickly and no time is wasted. The promotion of pupils' speaking and listening skills is a particular strength, for instance, in the discussion of a story in Years 1 to 2. Throughout the school teachers' discipline is calm and effective and contributes to pupils' excellent behaviour and self-confidence. With the help of support staff, teachers manage the mixed aged classes well and make sure that pupils' work matches their 3 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006 abilities. As a result, pupils are very diligent learners and feel they are being challenged. One pupil commented 'we are pushed hard'. Teacher's marking does not consistently show pupils what they need to do to improve, especially in writing, and this limits the

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of extra-curricular activities that enriches pupils' personal and academic development through, for example, drama and music. Pupils are regularly encouraged to stay safe and healthy especially by the wide range of sporting activities and by being taught road safety and cycling proficiency. The oldest pupils develop their financial skills by working together to manage the finances of an annual bring and buy sale in aid of charity. In general, the curriculum meets requirements and is responsive to pupils' individual needs. Several pupils speak of how much they enjoy their work in art and design, some of which is very good. Pupils develop their scientific knowledge well but there are too few planned opportunities for them to undertake scientific enquiry.

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Grade: 2

The good care, guidance and support help to ensure that pupils feel valued and successfully promote their excellent personal development. Health and safety are well catered for and child protection procedures are thorough. Good links are made with outside agencies to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. Non-teaching staff support pupils well in classrooms and elsewhere, for example, at lunchtimes. They contribute well to pupils' learning. Pupils are given effective help in lessons, for example, in their learning of phonics in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1-2. Consequently they make good progress. Pupils value having individual targets for their learning in English and mathematics and these clearly help them to be aware of their progress and improve their work. They are less sure of their progress in science, where targets are not used consistently.

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Grade: 2

The effective partnership of the headteacher and governors ensures that the school is successful and continues to improve. The school provides good value for money. The headteacher is responsible for teaching Years 5-6 for a good proportion of the school week and values highly the support of staff and governors. Governors analyse pupils' performance in national tests and the results determine the key objectives in the school's strategic planning. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and pupils' performance are generally good and are followed by effective action to improve standards, for example, in the performance of the most able pupils in mathematics in Year 2. Monitoring of pupils' work in science has not been as thorough and, as a result, 4 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006 pupils' progress is slower in scientific enquiry. Standards in writing have been helped

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Grade: 2

to improve but not as much as they should have done. The school has improved well since its last inspection especially in broadening the curriculum, making better use of assessment, and improving the accommodation. 5 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your help when I visited your school. Your school is good and I enjoyed talking to you. You make good progress because the teachers teach you well and your behaviour is excellent. You told me how much you enjoy your work and you like coming to school. Your headteacher, with the help of the staff and governors leads the school well and helps you to stay safe and healthy. I know how much you especially enjoy the after school activities including sport. Your teachers help you with your work and I have asked them to help you some more when they mark your writing. I have also asked them to give you more opportunities to do investigations in science. With best wishes Jeff White Lead inspector. 9 Inspection Report: Brightwalton Church of England Aided Primary School, 5 °6 October 2006

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