Broughton Community Schools (Infants)

Inspection Report Broughton Infant School

p.1

110284 Unique Reference Number Buckinghamshire LEA LEA 278400 Inspection number 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 Inspection dates John Brennan AI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Narbeth Drive School address Infant Type of school Aylesbury Community School category Buckinghamshire HP20 1NX 4 to 7 Age range of pupils 01296415642 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 00 Fax number 172 Number on roll Mrs A Lake Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs C Williams Headteacher 18 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278400 20 October 2005 - 4 to 7 21 October 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Pupils come to school from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. Three quarters of pupils are of white British descent. Other pupils come from a variety of ethnic groups, with a significant number of pupils of Pakistani origin. The proportion of pupils at the early stages of learning English is above average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is now above average, having risen in recent years. The school is smaller than it was when last inspected.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

p.3

Grade: 2

'A friendly, relaxed and stimulating place where each child is valued.' So speaks a parent who has accurately summed up this good school. Inspectors share the school's view that this is a good school that gives good value for money.Pupils from all backgrounds get on very well with each other. Great team spirit pervades the school, with parents playing an important part in the school's success. Leadership embraces pupils with differing needs. The school's care for pupils is outstanding. Those who have special educational needs and those who are at the early stages of learning English do exceptionally well. Children achieve well in Reception and the vast majority reach the expected goals for their age. Pupils progress well through Years 1 and 2. Standards in English and mathematics are above average and very high in writing. Higher attaining pupils do not do well enough in mathematics. Standards have improved considerably

p.4

Grade: 2

in ICT and are at expected levels. Art work is outstanding. Very good use of data gives the school an accurate picture of how well it is doing but more should be done to check up on the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. Improvement since the last inspection has been good, giving confidence that the school has the scope for further improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

Focus on:* Improving the teaching of mathematics, especially for the more able.* Ensuring leaders keep a closer eye on the quality of teaching and learning.

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well, standards are above average and have risen well over the past few years. Children start Reception with skills and abilities that are below average. They make good progress in reading, writing and in working with numbers and very good progress in their personal development. The vast majority reach the expected goals for their age. Good progress continues through Years 1 and 2. Pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds do as well as other pupils. Those who are at the early stages of learning English do particularly well. At the end of Year 2 standards are very high in writing and above average in reading and mathematics. Although more able pupils are especially successful in writing their mathematical skills are not as well advanced. The school has partially tackled the challenge from the last inspection of ensuring higher attaining pupils are better provided for. The school has raised achievement in ICT.

p.4

Grade: 2

Standards are at expected levels and pupils make steady progress. Standards in art are exceptionally high.Almost all pupils who have learning difficulties go on to reach expected levels by the time they leave. This represents very good progress. 2 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils develop well personally. They participate effectively in lessons and other activities, especially when given opportunities to experiment and try things for themselves. In a few lessons they are quiet and uninvolved because they are asked to listen for too long and learn by following instructions rather than by thinking for themselves. They talk about their work and say what is good and what could be better because they understand the simple colour coded marking system the school uses. Pupils' good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well supported by lessons and assemblies. Pupils show an awareness of events near and far, for example by raising money for the RNLI, and preparing the 'secret' presents for their families for Eid and Christmas. They know a lot about other's cultures because teachers make good use of events such as Eid to talk to pupils about their significance. Relationships

p.5

Grade: 2

and behaviour are very good. Pupils are considerate; they play actively and learn well together. They know why exercise is important and how to stay healthy, for example by eating the readily available fruit. The new school council makes sensible suggestions about how to improve the school. Pupils are confident that bad behaviour is dealt with immediately and said they feel very safe in school. Despite the school's best efforts, attendance dipped last year and is a little below average, because a few families keep their children off school for extended periods.

p.5

Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is mostly good. Leadership is clear about the strengths in the teaching of English but due to insufficiently accurate evaluation in mathematics there are some weaknesses here. Classrooms are purposeful places because staff and pupils get on very well. The best teaching builds on this by setting interesting tasks. This is often done by linking work across subjects and in many, but not all lessons by giving pupils freedom to express themselves. Pupils in Year 2 said they liked acting out the story of Grace Darling. It 'made it fun,' said one girl, whilst a boy said it helped 'sort my thoughts out' before writing. Instructions to lessons are made more interesting through the good use of interactive whiteboards and in Reception for example through the use of puppets such as Mrs Tall to 'talk' to children. However, in a few lessons pupils have to listen to too many instructions and can lose concentration. Most of the

p.5

Grade: 2

lessons in mathematics are too easy for higher attaining pupils because they are not given enough opportunities to solve problems or make decisions. In one lesson for example, they filled in gaps in a worksheet when totalling money. Discussions with pupils showed that some could suggest several, more efficient methods, and that they were able to record work in their own way. The outstanding partnership between teachers and teaching assistants helps pupils who have particular needs to do very well. Gentle prompting by a teaching assistant in a class discussion helped one special needs pupil join in very well with the class. The teacher seized on the eagerness with 3 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 which the pupil answered questions, thus building on the work of the assistant. In another lesson the teaching assistant joined in pretend play in a natural way to stimulate

p.5

Grade: 2

talk with pupils at the early stages of learning English.

p.6

Grade: 2

The school offers pupils a good curriculum. It is greatly enriched by very good quality creative opportunities and the ways in which work links subjects together. A theatre visit to see the 'Gruffalo' for example, led to some very high quality writing. One parent said her son 'is always chatting about his new topics'. Attractive displays of the pupils' work help pupils feel good about what they have done. Provision for pupils at the early stages of learning English is very good Provision is also very good for pupils who have special educational needs. Regular time is put aside for higher attaining pupils in writing but not in mathematics. There is a very good range of learning opportunities for children in Reception and there is a good balance between adult led and independent activities. Better resources and teaching which targets key skills have helped raise information and communication technology. Understanding of how to

p.6

Grade: 2

stay safe and healthy is well promoted. Whether it is learning French or the violin or making use of computers or taking part in a variety of sports; there is always something for pupils to do at lunchtime or after school.

p.6

Grade: 1

The school makes every effort to ensure that pupils feel secure and cared for. Parents recognise this and inspectors find the school's work in this area to be outstanding. Health and safety procedures are regularly reviewed and strong arrangements for child protection are in place. The school makes very good use of expertise on the governing body to see to it that the building is safe and meets pupils' needs very well. Recent improvements have greatly added to the facilities for disabled pupils. Pupils have great confidence in their teachers and enjoy many aspects of school life. Communication between midday supervisors and staff allows for seamless care from the classroom to the playground. Pupils who have special educational needs are very well provided for. One parent wrote, 'The school has been a great help and very supportive of his special needs'. Pupils in the early stages of learning English are very well supported. Prompt

p.6

Grade: 1

and very accurate assessment of need allow for resources, including very generous levels of extra staffing, to be used where they are most needed.

p.6

Grade: 2

As a governor says, 'We've always known that every child matters'. This positive attitude stems from the good leadership and management of the headteacher and other leaders. The strong team ethic instilled by the headteacher has galvanised all into doing their best for all pupils, especially those who are vulnerable. Strong inclusion of pupils and 4 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 parents in decisions makes for a school with a shared purpose. Standards, especially for higher attaining pupils are higher than they were than at the time of the last inspection. Despite considerable budget difficulties the school has continued to improve and is well placed to improve further still.Very good analysis of performance data gives the school an accurate picture of how well it is doing. This in turn helps it channel efforts into areas that are in most need of improvement. Improvement plans themselves

p.6

Grade: 2

are well crafted. However, because first hand observations of teaching are largely restricted to performance management procedures, the impact changes have in the classroom are not checked up on closely enough. Where a close eye is kept on the quality of teaching and learning, as in literacy, there has been significant improvement in performance. Too little has been to check on the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics, where shortcomings have a negative impact on how well higher attaining pupils do. Governors work in close partnership with the school. They have been instrumental in helping overcome a serious budget deficit. They effectively balance support for the school with the need to ask probing questions. 5 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 .

p.7

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Broughton Infant School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

p.8

Overall

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

p.9

learners?

NA 2 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

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

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 4 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

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

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 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 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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so helpful to us when we were in your school a little while ago. We enjoyed our time with you and are pleased to let you know what we found out on our visit. You go to a good school. It does all that it can to see that you are safe and happy. Many of you told us this. The headteacher, staff, governors and parents have worked very hard together to make your school attractive and friendly.There are plenty of adults in school who see to it that those of you who need extra help get all they need. You get on really well with each other and work hard. You told us how much you enjoy doing art and acting. We could see that this made learning fun. We would have liked to have taken some of your pictures home to put on our walls. There are lots of clubs for you to join and we could see that many of you enjoyed them. You told us that you like doing the interesting topics. The teachers encourage you to write in

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

interesting ways and we were impressed with how well you write. We think that those of you who are good at mathematics could be given some harder mathematics to do. Several of you told us that you found mathematics work too easy and we could see this also. There are lots of nice things to see in your classrooms. We have asked your teachers and headteacher to pop into each other's classes more often to see what is going on.

p.11