Bollinbrook CofE (A) Primary School

Inspection Report Bollinbrook CofE Primary School

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111360 Unique Reference Number Cheshire LEA 278668 Inspection number 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 Inspection dates Mr Paul Bamber 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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Abbey Road School address Primary Type of school Macclesfield Voluntary aided School category Cheshire SK10 3AT 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01625 423652 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01625 423652 Fax number 193 Number on roll Mr J Castle Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Michael Waters Headteacher 17 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278668 19 September 2005 - 4 to 11 20 September 2005 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Bollinbrook is an average-sized voluntary-aided primary school. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds. There is a lower than average proportion of pupils who take a free school meal or with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. No child has a statement of special educational needs. Few pupils have a first language other than English or are from backgrounds other than white British. When children enter the school in the reception class, they have the skills expected for their age. The school is currently without a deputy headteacher and the headteacher is relatively newly appointed. Until the new deputy headteacher is appointed, Year 6 children are taught by a temporary teacher. The school has been awarded a Silver Artsmark recently and is part of a local school's learning network.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005

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Grade: 3

The school considers that its effectiveness is good. Whilst inspectors agree that some aspects of its work are indeed good, especially children's personal development and their curriculum, the judgement is that the school's overall effectiveness is currently satisfactory. The children benefit well from strong partnerships with a feeder playschool and the high school to which most children transfer. The quality of provision and standards in the reception class are satisfactory with many good features. Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress as a result of sound teaching and accurate assessment. Good links with parents and outside specialist help contribute well to pupils' health and safety and their enjoyment of learning. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. The school is well led by the headteacher, but there are some weaknesses in curriculum co-ordination. The school evaluates its own performance

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Grade: 3

satisfactorily and the current improvements in this aspect of its work mean that it has good capacity to improve. The school offers satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve writing standards throughout the school. • Enhance the support for those children who struggle to reach expected standards in national tests. • Help teachers to conduct their lessons with more pace and to involve the children more in assessing how they are getting on. • Ensure that the curriculum co-ordinators become more involved and influential in monitoring standards and analysing pupils' progress across the school.

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Grade: 3

Children attain broadly average standards overall. There was a very good improvement in the standards attained by Year 6 children in the 2005 national tests, compared with the previous years. Very challenging targets have been set for the current Year 6 for the 2006 national tests. At this early stage of the academic year, indications are that these may not be fully met, particularly in mathematics. Standards have remained broadly average in Year 2 over the last two years, which represents a slight fall compared with the preceding years, with a significant fall in writing last year. Indeed writing has been rightly identified as a priority for improvement by the school. Even within the overall, good performance in the Year 6 English national tests last year, a significant minority of children, mainly boys, failed to reach the expected standards in writing. Overall, children make the progress expected of them from the reception

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Grade: 3

class through to Year 6. However, the 2005 Year 6 national test results indicated that recently introduced, effective systems to analyse children's achievements in greater depth have resulted in improved performance by Year 6. A key element of this was the more focused support given to those Year 6 pupils who struggled to achieve expected standards. The school has acknowledged that detailed analysis of children's 2 Inspection Report: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 performance throughout the school is required to enable all those who need it to benefit from specific support. Children with learning difficulties successfully reach the short-term targets set for them. However, test data show that until very recently too few children reach the expected standards. More able children and those from minority ethnic backgrounds make similar progress to their peers.

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Grade: 2

The school successfully promotes children's personal development and well-being. Children respond well to the good quality spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision. They reflect on their talents in assembly and enjoy singing. Children recognise the need for rules and have helped write some of them. The school council, however, is too reliant on the support of staff. The children are capable of taking more responsibility and having a greater say in the running of their school. They all understand that they are fortunate enough to have a comfortable life and so they raise funds to help those less well off. From an early age, children learn to co-operate in pairs and teams. They are becoming more aware of British culture and, through activities such as a visit by an Indian dancer, understand more of other cultures. Children enjoy coming to school because what they learn is interesting and they feel

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Grade: 2

safe and well cared for. Their well above average attendance and good punctuality demonstrate how happy they are to come to school. Behaviour is good across all classes, though a few Year 6 children lack maturity and concentration. The inspectors found no evidence to support the view of very few parents who think that there is overly rough play in the playground. In discussion, children endorsed inspectors' findings. The school's programme to promote healthy living is good and children know a great deal about food and exercise. However, their snacks and lunch boxes do not always reflect their understanding of what foods are good for them. Children know how to stay safe, for example, asking adults to plug in electrical items and observing rules when using the Internet. Children have the skills to stand them in good stead in the next stage of their schooling. They have basic literacy and numeracy skills, are keen to learn, understand the need

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Grade: 2

for rules and know that, as a Year 6 pupil said, 'with privileges come responsibilities'.

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Grade: 3

Overall, teaching, learning and assessment are satisfactory, enabling most pupils to make steady progress. There have been recent improvements in assessment systems, in the use of new technologies and in a greater awareness by teachers and support staff of the children's specific needs. As a result, much of the teaching observed had many good features. Teachers use resources well to engage children's interest and warm relationships exist between staff and children, resulting in positive learning. A 3 Inspection Report: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 relative weakness noted in some lessons was a lack of pace in learning, particularly for those children who work on their own whilst the staff focus on a particular group of pupils or individuals. Children generally enjoy learning and being challenged to think. In the reception class, one four-year old exclaimed at finally, correctly distinguishing

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Grade: 3

between 10 and 100, 'I've got it! I've got it. I knew I'd get there in the end'. Good use is made of specialist teachers, in music and to promote the older children's problem-solving skills in mathematics. A child in Year 5 remarked 'I like these problem-solving lessons - they are hard but fun!' The best features of learning are when children work in pairs or teams to discuss how they will tackle their work. This provides them with effective skills for the later stages of their education. However, children are insufficiently involved in assessing their own progress or that of others in order to understand better how they can improve. The areas for improvement outlined earlier in this paragraph explain why inspectors' view of the quality of this aspect of the school's work was not as high as that of the school.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a wide and rich curriculum that fully meets the needs of all children. Statutory requirements are met in full. Basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT) are taught well and children use their skills to support their learning in other subjects. Careful planning of what is taught ensures that children build on what they already understand. The music programme, taught by a specialist, provides high-quality opportunities for everyone to perform. The school's commitment to providing children with a broad curriculum is exemplified by their recent award of a Silver Artsmark. The school has a good programme for health education, including sex and relationship education. Children with disabilities and/or learning difficulties follow the same curriculum as others and are set tasks at their own level. The school makes good use of local landmarks to stimulate children's interest

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Grade: 2

in their studies, as well as going to more distant places, such as the theatre, to broaden children's experience further. Children's personal skills, teamwork and independence, are developed during the residential visits in Years 4 and 6. The good range of after-school clubs build and expand on the school's work and are well attended. The school extends the most able children through its work in music and theatre and by involvement in local activities for the gifted, such as the recent 'science day'.

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Grade: 2

This is a caring school in which all staff know and care well for all the children. Arrangements for the safeguarding of children are good. Risk assessments, particularly on visits, are rigorously undertaken and child protection procedures are widely known and followed. The good induction arrangements help children joining the reception class to settle quickly into school routines. Parents think highly of the effective links, often through the arts, with the local High school. 4 Inspection Report: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 Children know how to stay healthy, including what foods to eat, and how to stay safe. The school monitors children's academic and social progress adequately and has good systems to pass on this information to parents. Reports include challenging targets for each child for the next academic year. There are good procedures for the early identification of children with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties and disabilities. Parents of these children are kept fully informed of their child's programme and outside agencies are used well to support the work of the school. Children make good progress towards their short-term targets. Effective use of test data to focus support for older children is beginning to result in them making better progress than in previous years. One parent praised the school by commenting, '...the school has shown dedication, action and commitment to supporting my child's learning needs.'

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Grade: 3

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. The relatively new headteacher provides good leadership. He has astutely identified the school's strengths and weaknesses and has successfully promoted a strong sense of teamwork amongst the staff and governors. This team has produced a pragmatic development plan, which successfully focuses on the key areas for improvement. The systematic management systems currently in place, hold much potential for significant improvements in children's standards and achievement and to support staff in their drive towards even better practice. It is these strengths which provide the school with a good capacity to improve further. The effectiveness of middle managers in monitoring and influencing provision throughout the school has been rightly identified as a key area for development. Although systems for self-evaluation are improving, the school acknowledges that

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Grade: 3

they have not been in place long enough nor are they yet being used throughout the school, in order to help improve all pupils' performance. The governors carry out their duties as expected and are influential in ensuring that children are safe and healthy. Those who are able to involve themselves directly in children's learning, or who have specialist expertise, for example, in ICT are in a good position to support teachers and to monitor provision. Parents' views are canvassed regularly by the school and their suggestions and concerns are taken seriously. The school currently holds a substantially higher than recommended contingency fund. It has been explained clearly how this will be spent for the benefit of the children. Improvements in the quality and use of technology and in the provision of further support for those children who require extra help are the main foci for spending. Given the outcomes of the school's provision, satisfactory value for money is provided.

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Grade: 3

5 Inspection Report: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005 .

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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: Bollinbrook CofE Primary School, 19 September 2005 to 20 September 2005

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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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 2 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 3 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 3 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

As you know Mr Madely and I visited your school recently, to find out whether it was giving you the education that you deserve. Thank you for making us so welcome, chatting to us in such a friendly way and letting us know so many interesting things about your school. In many respects we agree with your view that the school is good but we think that there is a little more to do before the school is good in all aspects. The things that particularly pleased us were: - you enjoy lessons, especially those in which you had opportunities to work together; - you behave well and most of you listen carefully to your teachers; - you are well cared for and taught to be healthy and how to be safe; - your headteacher has introduced new things into the school that are already helping you to improve your work. We have asked the school to do the following things to help you improve: - make sure that your writing gets better;

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- to give more help to those of you who find your work quite hard; - move lessons along a bit quicker so that some of you can complete more work in the time; - for your teachers to find out more about the things you need to work on, so that you improve. Thank you for helping us with the inspection of your school. We hope that you continue to enjoy school and do well with your work and carry on trying really hard to improve.

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