Brabourne Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Brabourne Church of England Primary School

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118663 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 280366 Inspection number 14 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 Inspection dates Melvyn Hemmings AI Reporting inspector

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

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Brabourne School address Primary Type of school Ashford Voluntary controlled School category Kent TN25 5LQ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01303 813276 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01303 813276 Fax number 106 Number on roll Mr B E B Claridge Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr G M Jones Headteacher 28 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280366 14 June 2006 - 4 to 11 14 June 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Brabourne C of E Primary is smaller than average. It draws its pupils from a much wider area than the small village in which it is situated. The attainment of children on entry ranges widely and is broadly average for their age. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is below average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is average. All pupils are of White British heritage.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The school evaluates its overall effectiveness as good and inspectors agree. The school provides a good education for its pupils, is very well supported by parents and has effective community links. It gives good value for money and is in a strong position to move forward. Good leadership and management have been the driving force behind the good improvement since the previous inspection. The headteacher has developed an ethos that requires all pupils to be valued and achieve as well as they can. Consequently, teaching and learning are now good and enable pupils to make good progress and reach standards that are above average. The school’s self- evaluation is accurate. For example, it recognises the need to provide more challenge for higher-attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2. Whilst pupils respond enthusiastically to most aspects of the curriculum and enjoy coming to school, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their

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Grade: 2

information and communication technology (ICT) skills in lessons in other subjects. Pupils’ personal development is good, which has a favourable effect on the progress that they make. The school takes good pastoral care of pupils, though acknowledges its academic guidance could involve pupils more effectively in assessing how well they are doing.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Further develop strategies to raise the attainment of potentially higher- attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2. •Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop and use their ICT skills in other subjects. •Involve the pupils more effectively in evaluating how well they are doing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good. When they start school, children’s attainment varies widely but is broadly average for their age. They make good progress in the Reception class and by the time they enter Year 1, children attain the standards expected for their age, with some exceeding them. In Year 2, an above-average proportion have reached the expected level in each of the last three years, and this shows overall good progress. However, the number reaching higher levels has been below average in writing and mathematics and, despite the school’s efforts at improvement, there is more to do. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 also make good progress, with pupils in Year 6 consistently reaching standards that are above or well above average in English, mathematics and science. A higher number than average reach the higher level in all three subjects, as shown in the 2005 tests. Pupils currently in Year 6 reflect the performance of previous years.

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 Most pupils successfully meet the challenging targets set for them. The school acknowledges that progress in pupils’ scientific investigational skills is a relative weakness and requires improvement. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities or who are vulnerable make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Their spiritual, moral and social development is good, as shown in the orderly and happy atmosphere around the school. Boys and girls are open and friendly and behaviour around the school and in lessons is good. Cultural development is satisfactory. Whilst pupils have some understanding of different faiths, the school has rightly identified that more could be done to improve pupils’ awareness of life in a culturally diverse Britain. Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they are given to help others both within their classes and in the wider school community. For example, the effective school council gives pupils a voice in the life of the school. Pupils’ developing skills in literacy and numeracy effectively support their future economic well-being. However, the lack of opportunities for pupils to lead and manage activities on their own restricts their ability to make

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Grade: 2

decisions for themselves. Pupils show good awareness of how to stay safe and keep healthy. They say they enjoy school, and parents agree. This is reflected in their above-average attendance levels. One pupil told inspectors, “Even when it’s something you don’t really like, teachers make it exciting!”

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. All teachers have very good relationships with pupils and have high expectations for their academic attainment and behaviour. Teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and use a variety of teaching styles to make lessons interesting. For example, they use interactive whiteboards well to stimulate pupils’ curiosity and add excitement to lessons. Praise is used well to encourage pupils and raise their self-esteem. This gives them the confidence to carry out the challenging tasks they are given. Teachers are diligent in keeping track of how well their pupils make progress over time, although pupils have few opportunities to be involved in evaluating how well they are doing. The best marking is supportive and comments indicate to pupils what they need to do to improve their work. At times, some higher- attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2 are not set sufficiently challenging work to help them

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Grade: 2

make the progress that they could in writing and mathematics. Teaching assistants support pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities effectively so they make good progress. Pupils have good attitudes to their work and are keen to learn. This contributes positively to the good progress they make. 3 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is planned well to meet the needs of most pupils and provides a broad and interesting range of work. Themed weeks, such as the Environmental Arts week, enhance the activities planned in the different areas of learning and involve all pupils. Enrichment experiences are strong, especially in music, with a wide range of instrumental music lessons during the school day. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use their ICT skills to support work in other subjects. Opportunities for pupils to be involved in scientific investigations have been increased. However, these activities require tighter focus to develop pupils’ investigative skills more effectively. There is a good number of extra-curricular clubs. In particular, pupils are given opportunities to take part in a variety of sporting activities, which popularly promote a healthy lifestyle. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are included well in

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils. There is strong concern for pupils’ well-being, health and safety. All adults ensure that pupils work in a safe, secure and clean environment. The arrangements for child protection are good. Safety checks and risk assessments are carried out diligently. Pupils are confident that they have an adult to turn to if they are worried. Parents are very pleased with the way their children are cared for. The school has thorough assessment procedures to check the progress pupils make. Information from these procedures is used thoughtfully to set targets for pupils to develop their work. However, discussions with pupils suggest that pupils are not always clear enough about what they need to do to make their work better. There is good liaison with parents and outside agencies to support those pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Pupils are given good guidance about how to live a healthy

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management and the school’s capacity to improve are good. The headteacher has high aspirations for all pupils and has developed a strong sense of teamwork with all adults in the school. There is a good focus on promoting the pupils’ personal and social development as well as their academic skills. This is reflected in the positive ethos apparent throughout the school. Managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the school well, as is shown in their accurate self-evaluation. This has enabled them to correctly identify areas for development, such as providing more challenge for higher-attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2 and improving pupils’ investigative skills in science. However, some of the action plans of subject co-ordinators contain 4 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 too many targets and are not focused enough on raising standards. Performance

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Grade: 2

management is linked well to school improvement and staff professional development. There are good systems to track how well pupils are progressing towards their targets. The procedures to monitor teaching and learning that identify teachers’ strengths and areas for development are effective. The governing body contributes effectively to the work of the school. Issues from the previous inspection have been dealt with effectively. 5 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 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. 6 Inspection Report: Brabourne Church of England Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 14 June 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 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 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 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

Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and finding out about all the things that you do. We would like to let you know that we found your school to be a good one. These are the things that your school does particularly well:- •Your teachers help you to make good progress and achieve good standards. •You are cared for and looked after so well by all adults. •Your behaviour is good and you work hard in lessons. •You are given interesting activities and so enjoy coming to school. How we think your school could make things even better for you:- •Make sure all pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve as well as they can. •Provide more opportunities for you to use your skills in information and communication technology to support work in other subjects. •Give you more responsibility in deciding how well you are doing and how you could further improve your work. Thank you once again for being so friendly and helpful.

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