Bilton Community Primary School

Inspection Report Bilton Community Primary School

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117829 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire LEA 280161 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Judith Straw Reporting inspector

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

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School Lane School address Primary Type of school Bilton Community School category Hull, HU11 4EG 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01482 811342 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01482 811611 Fax number 263 Number on roll Revd. Richard Major Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Keith Robinson Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280161 19 October 2005 - 3 to 11 20 October 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school is slightly larger than average. The pupils come from the local village and from the outskirts of Hull. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average, but the proportion with statements of educational need is double the national average. The number eligible for free school meals is below average, although nearly a quarter of the pupils come from deprived areas. The great majority are of white British heritage, with only a very small number from minority ethnic groups. No pupil is at an early stage of learning English.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which knows itself well. Parents have full confidence in the work of the school and praise it highly. As one parent said ‘We would not like our children to be educated anywhere else.’ The school is bright and welcoming, decorated with brilliant displays of art work done by the children with a stunning centrepiece in the form of an exotic African garden. Pupils are confident, friendly and articulate. They enjoy school and say that lessons are fun and that they are never bored. The school has many strengths. Teaching and learning are good, pupils enjoy their lessons and have very good attitudes to learning. Weaknesses in assessment have been addressed. Pupils’ personal development is good. The curriculum is wide with a wealth of enrichment activities, although more access to information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum would improve it further. The school is well

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Grade: 2

led and managed and provides good value for money. There is good quality provision in the Foundation Stage. Standards are rising throughout and this good school has the capacity to become an outstanding school.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Root school curriculum planning in a precise analysis of identified weaknesses. • Further develop ICT across the curriculum. • Ensure that provision for personal, social and health education is systematically planned.

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Grade: 2

Pupils start the Nursery with standards typical for their age. They make better than average progress. The results of the 2005 national tests were above national and local authority averages. The Year 2 results have been consistently above average for both boys and girls since 2001. They dropped slightly in 2004, but returned to higher levels in 2005. Standards in reading and writing are above average and in mathematics they are close to average. Standards overall by Year 6 were average between 2001 and 2004 with just a small year-on-year improvement. The school has developed a range of strategies to raise standards that are starting to succeed. In 2004, pupils’ achievement in English was well above what might have been expected and in 2005 standards rose in all core subjects and pupils achieved well. Standards seen during the inspection were above average. Demanding targets have been set for 2006. Boys and girls of all

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Grade: 2

abilities, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make good progress throughout the school and achieve well. More pupils are now reaching the higher levels in national tests at both Year 2 and Year 6. The school is right to say that standards are rising; the inspection evidence bears this out. 2 Inspection Report: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Behaviour throughout the school is good. Pupils are friendly and courteous and they respond well to the high expectations the school has of them. They have good attitudes to learning; they enjoy coming and say the school is ‘very good’. Pupils’ attendance rate is above the national average. They feel safe and secure, and know that incidents of bullying are dealt with quickly and fairly. They have high aspirations and want to do well. Pupils agree that the school takes notice of the school council’s requests for improvements; they now have drink dispensers and more outdoor play equipment. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development is good. The pupils have taken part in an African project which has resulted in some impressive art work. The painting of an African warrior is particularly striking as an example of the pupils’ awareness of African culture. The planting of an African jungle in the school

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Grade: 2

courtyard is another example of how the pupils are helped to develop a deeper understanding of a different environment. The issue from the last inspection of needing to improve the pupils’ opportunities for spiritual development have been well addressed. The children respect and understand the feelings of others. They listen to each other’s views sensitively. They know right from wrong. They show compassion and take action by fund raising for various local and worldwide charities. The food served at lunchtime has healthy options, but also a good deal of starch and fat.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors consider that the school is modest in its view that teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching is judged to be good throughout the school which is why all pupils, including those with learning disabilities and/or disabilities, achieve well over time. Teaching is outstanding in the Nursery because of high expectations of each pupil, combined with a real sense of joy in learning. Generally, teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects and so their confidence and enthusiasm motivate pupils well. Pupils usually understand what they are to learn because teachers explain new ideas very clearly and use resources, such as interactive whiteboards, astutely to strengthen understanding. Teachers know their pupils very well and so set work which challenges and excites them. Pupils in a Year 4 science lesson, for example, responded eagerly to an experiment testing how porous different soils are. Less able pupils benefit from sensitive and well

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Grade: 2

focused support from teachers and teaching assistants. More is expected of more able pupils. This is because the schools’ assessment procedures are good. Thus, teachers use the results of assessment effectively to match work accurately to pupils’ varying 3 Inspection Report: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 needs. The rapport built up between teachers and pupils enables the pace of learning to be brisk and ensures that pupils’ concentration remains high. Occasionally, teaching is less effective. Not all teachers are wholly confident in ICT, for example, and so do not explain new concepts skilfully. Teachers sometimes do too much for their pupils and do not always involve them enough in their own learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum the children follow is very interesting; it provides a wide variety of activities and experiences which the pupils find engaging and relevant. The teachers use national guidelines to plan lessons, but the overall planning of some subjects is not sufficiently detailed. For example, the programme for personal, health and social education is underdeveloped. The school has a very good range of sporting activities both during and after school and this helps improve the pupils’ fitness levels. The children’s work and the development of their social skills is further enriched by a wide variety of cultural and social activities and visits. During the inspection, a class of pupils aged 6 went to the theatre as part of their English work and pupils aged 10 and 11 had very recently been on a residential trip to Northumberland to support their history and geography studies.

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Grade: 2

The school has a good range of guidance systems to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for. The behaviour policy, for example, gives clear and consistent rules and guidelines. The care and support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good and the system of taking them out of class for extra help is proving to be effective. Health and safety routines and risk assessments are in place. Child protection procedures are clear. These are well understood by the staff who recently received further training. As a result, pupils feel safe and secure. The pupils are prepared well for later life because they are given a good grounding in the basic skills. The school works well with parents who overwhelmingly agree that their children thrive in the warm and encouraging atmosphere the school provides.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that its leadership and management are good. The headteacher has spearheaded many successful improvements to the school, especially the recent raising of standards of pupils’ work to ensure that the school gives good value for money. He is well supported by senior staff and has brought about a greater consistency in teaching, broadened the curriculum and made thoughtful use of new initiatives, where appropriate. For example, the African garden and numerous sports activities have helped to expand the pupils’ experiences. 4 Inspection Report: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 The school has a clear picture of its own strengths and weaknesses. Its priorities rightly focus on maintaining high standards but also address important issues such as the expansion of the Foundation Stage provision. The school is a place where every child has chance to do his or her best. The school consults parents very well and acts

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Grade: 2

decisively on shared concerns. The headteacher and senior staff monitor all aspects of the school’s work thoroughly and suggest sensible ways to improve. Governance is good. Governors keep a close eye on the progress of the school and are well involved in its development. However, not all of the school’s plans are rooted in a clear analysis of identified weaknesses with the result that remedies are not always sharply defined. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and has addressed all the key issues. For example, the assessment of pupils’ work is better and pupils have greater spiritual and cultural awareness. These improvements, together with the willingness and determination of all staff to become even better, mean that the school is well positioned to develop further. 5 Inspection Report: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 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: Bilton Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 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 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 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 3 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 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

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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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk Bilton Community Primary School School Lane Bilton Hull HU11 4EG 21 October 2005 Dear Children, Thank you very much for your warm welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed our visit and the open and friendly way in which you talked to us. We really liked these things: you work hard and enjoy coming to school and you all feel safe there you were friendly, polite and well behaved. You are kind to each other and respect your teachers you say you are never bored at school and some of you prefer lessons to playtime. You obviously enjoy your lessons we thought your Nursery was a wonderful place to play and learn we know you enjoy all the clubs and different activities as well as lessons Mr Robinson runs the school well your parents and carers are right in thinking you go to a good school. We have asked your teachers to think about the following ways to help you achieve even more:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to focus school curriculum planning more precisely on identified weaknesses in your work to make sure there are enough computers and that you are taught to use them well we want you to learn more about personal, social and health education. We wish you every success in the future. You have many reasons to be proud of your school. With best wishes, Judith Straw Lead Inspector Annex B

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