Bugbrooke Community Primary School

Inspection Report Bugbrooke Community Primary School

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121800 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire LEA 281106 Inspection number 6 June 2006 to 7 June 2006 Inspection dates Chris Kessell AI Reporting inspector

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

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High Street School address Primary Type of school Bugbrooke Community School category Northampton, Northamptonshire NN7 3PA 5 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01604 830610 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01604 832877 Fax number 294 Number on roll Mr Simon Chick Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Cotter Headteacher 7 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281106 6 June 2006 - 5 to 11 7 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is above average in size. Although the vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage, a small number from other ethnic backgrounds also attend. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is about average. Children join the school with levels of attainment similar to those found nationally. The number of pupils who either leave or join the school at other than the usual times is quite high, particularly in Years 3 to 6. One fifth of the current Year 6 pupils have joined the school since Year 2.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This popular and friendly school provides a good education for its pupils and good value for money. This matches the school's own evaluation of its provision. Children get off to a good start in Reception. They make good progress and enter Year 1 with standards that are higher than normally expected. As a result of good teaching and the pupils' enthusiasm for learning, the majority of pupils make good progress during their time at school. By the time they leave, standards are usually above average. At times, the marking of work by teachers could be more helpful to pupils and, occasionally, higher-attaining pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work. The school recognises the need to improve its procedures for tracking pupils' progress and recently has also introduced individual targets for pupils in reading and writing. It is too early to judge the overall impact of these measures. The school takes good care of its pupils and this is reflected in their good personal

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Grade: 2

development. Pupils are happy, articulate, confident and mature. Parents are very supportive of the school. This is reflected in the successful fundraising and the many activities provided by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, senior staff and governors provide clear direction. As one parent acknowledged, 'the school moves from strength to strength'. However, the school's procedures for monitoring and evaluation, particularly of the quality of teaching and learning, are underdeveloped. The school has addressed most of the issues arising from the last inspection and has the capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that higher-attaining pupils are given work that is consistently suited to their needs, and improve marking so that it contributes to pupils' learning. • Provide opportunities for leaders and managers to monitor the quality of teaching and learning more rigorously. • Press ahead with developing procedures for recording and tracking pupils' progress, and ensure that pupils are provided with individual targets in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Children generally enter Reception with average standards, although their communication, language and literacy skills are lower. Good provision in Reception enables most children to make good progress so that by the time they enter Year 1 they achieve standards above the expected levels, with the exception of their literacy skills, which are average. The good start that pupils get in Reception is successfully built on in Years 1 and 2, which is an improvement compared with the last inspection. The pupils make good 2 Inspection Report: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 June 2006 progress, particularly in reading and writing. By the end of Year 2, standards are above average in reading and mathematics and well above average in writing. Pupils attending the school continuously through Years 3 to 6 make good progress towards realistic and challenging targets. However, the standards reached by the end

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Grade: 2

of Year 6 can vary each year as a result of significant numbers of pupils either leaving or joining the school. For example, in 2005, standards, although average, were lower than previous years. Current standards in English, mathematics and science in Year 6 are above average. As a result of good support and well-organised provision, pupils with learning difficulties make good progress. This is also the view of many parents, who are pleased with the support provided for their children.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils greet each other warmly at the start of the school day. They co-operate well in class and during playtimes they play happily together. Pupils say they feel safe in and around school. They behave well in lessons. They like the 'buddy' system and say that the 'friendship' bench, which is for anyone who is feeling unhappy, really works. They are particularly friendly to visitors, for example, smiling as they stand aside at doorways. Pupils' obvious enjoyment of school is reflected in their good attendance. They acquire good basic skills to help them in their future working lives. As a result of events such as Healthy Eating Week, pupils are aware of how to stay healthy and they understand the importance of a well-balanced diet. They take regular exercise and join in with after-school clubs, such as football and netball. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

particularly proud of the school's cross-country team. The school is working to further promote pupils' understanding of cultural diversity. For example, a visitor shared some experiences of voluntary work in Sri Lanka. Pupils value the work of the school council and feel it represents their views well. Pupils also work with the wider community, contributing to local events such as church festivals and raising money for various charities.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, enabling the majority of pupils to make good progress. In all classes, the pupils show good attitudes to work and are very enthusiastic about their learning. The strong relationships between pupils and adults contribute significantly to the pupils' good achievement. However, despite their enthusiasm for learning, not all pupils present their work as well as they could do. Lessons are interesting and classrooms are calm working environments. The school has recently introduced targets for individual pupils in reading and writing. A small 3 Inspection Report: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 June 2006 minority of pupils are confused by what their targets mean and the targets are not often referred to in the teachers' marking. A few teachers encourage pupils to self-assess their own work and this good practice is working well. Marking does not always inform the pupils how to improve. Teachers plan lessons that build on pupils'

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Grade: 2

previous learning and use a range of approaches that best suit pupils of all ages and abilities. However, on occasions higher-attaining pupils could be challenged more. Teaching assistants provide good support to individual pupils and groups. Their contribution supports learning well.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and supports pupils' good achievement and personal development well. The school's successful focus on improving pupils' writing skills has resulted in high standards in writing at the end of Year 2. Good emphasis is placed on developing key skills. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to underpin teaching and learning in many subjects, although the school acknowledges the need to further develop the use of interactive whiteboards in classrooms. Pupils participate in a broad range of additional activities, including learning to speak French. Visits and a wide variety of visitors enhance pupils' awareness of the wider world. During the inspection, the Year 6 pupils were on a residential visit to Norfolk. Pupils enjoy taking part in many clubs and a good number learn to play a musical instrument. They have good opportunities to take part in sporting activities, some of which are

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Grade: 2

led by professional coaches. Healthy eating, sex education and awareness of the dangers of drugs and smoking feature strongly in the school's good personal, social and health programme.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good levels of care and support. Child protection procedures are secure. Parents are particularly impressed with how well their children are supported when they join the school. New pupils settle in quickly. The school is developing new procedures to track pupils' progress and these are still being focused on. The guidance offered to pupils towards achieving targets is satisfactory but not yet consistent throughout the school. The few pupils with emotional or behavioural difficulties are supported well and progress well with their learning. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties are carefully evaluated and the school has good links with other professionals to support these pupils if necessary. Communication between the school and parents of pupils with learning difficulties is good. Pupils receive good guidance on how to stay safe and how to avoid risks. The local community police officer has spoken to pupils about

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Grade: 2

keeping safe and anti-social behaviour. 4 Inspection Report: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. There is a strong focus on meeting the needs of all pupils so that they achieve well, though there remains work to be done to secure consistency in the level of challenge for the higher-attaining pupils. The attention given to improving pupils' writing has had a significant impact on the high standards reached at the end of Year 2. Issues from the last inspection have been addressed satisfactorily and the school has an accurate view of its work. Provision in Years 1 and 2 is now good but the monitoring of teaching, which was an issue at the last inspection, remains underdeveloped. Governors visit the school regularly, often to look at specific aspects such as the use of ICT, the findings of which are discussed at governors' meetings. They have a good overview of the school and offer staff a good level of critical challenge, for example, checking on the progress of priorities in the school improvement plan. Last year they

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Grade: 2

recognised that standards declined for pupils at the end of Year 6, and they are fully aware of the causes. The school has the capacity to improve further. Parents and pupils are consulted regularly and their views taken seriously when considering school developments. Links with other schools are very good and partnership bids for funding, for example, to provide lessons in French, help the school maximise its resources. 5 Inspection Report: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 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: Bugbrooke Community Primary School, 6 June 2006 to 7 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 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 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

Dear Pupils, Many of you will remember that we visited your school recently. Thank you for being so friendly, welcoming and polite. We were sorry that we did not meet the Year 6 pupils but hope you enjoyed yourselves in Norfolk. This letter is to tell you what we found about your school. What your does school well •Most of you learn well, make good progress and reach standards that are higher than those found in most other schools. •You enjoy school and get on with each other really well. You work well together and your levels of attendance are good. •The staff take good care of you so that you feel safe and happy at school. •The school is good at welcoming new pupils and helping them to settle in. What we have asked your school to do now •Make sure that you are all given hard enough work all of the time and improve teachers' marking so that you are given good advice on how to learn even more. •Provide time for staff

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to watch each other teach and you learn. •Keep an eye on the progress that all of you are making towards your targets. Best wishes to all of you at Bugbrooke. Yours sincerely, Chris Kessell Lead Inspector

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