Burnwood Community Primary School

Inspection Report Burnwood Community Primary School

p.1

124221 Unique Reference Number Stoke-On-Trent LEA 281664 Inspection number 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 Inspection dates Barbara Crane AI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Chell Heath Road School address Primary Type of school Tunstall Community School category Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST6 7LP 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

p.1

01782 235577 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01782 235578 Fax number 423 Number on roll Pastor A Steele Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs D J Herbert Headteacher 27 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281664 21 March 2006 - 3 to 11 22 March 2006 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

Three Additional Inspectors carried out the inspection.

p.3

Description of the school

Burnwood is a larger-than-average primary school on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is very high. There is a much higher proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities at this school than in most schools. Pupil mobility is high, with many pupils leaving and joining the school at points other than the normal times. In the current Year 6, for example, about half of the pupils did not start their primary education at the school. Children’s attainment when they start school is very low, particularly in personal, social and emotional development and language. The school has extended provision, including a pre-school playgroup and family learning programmes.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

Inspectors endorse the school’s view of its good effectiveness. It provides good value for money. The good quality education and outstanding levels of care, guidance and support for pupils lead to their excellent personal development and good progress. Pupils achieve well and very much enjoy learning because of good teaching and the friendly atmosphere in the school. The school’s extended provision effectively benefits pupils’ learning. Parents rightly hold the school in high regard. Good provision for children when they start school, as well as the excellent links with the pre-school playgroup, means that they do well in the Foundation Stage. The tone is set for good attitudes to work and showing respect for others. Few reach the national expectations for their age by the start of Year 1, but children achieve well from a very low starting point. Most pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress in reading and

p.4

Grade: 2

writing, but they should be doing better in mathematics. Teaching is not always pitching work at the right level in mathematics for these pupils. Standards are broadly average, overall, in Year 6 and many pupils make rapid progress from Year 3. The oldest pupils last year did not do as well as they should have done in mathematics, but effective attention to what needed to improve has meant better achievement for current pupils. Pupils know what their challenging targets are and are on track to reach them. Leadership and management are good, as is self-evaluation. There is good capacity to bring about change to improve. Leaders have had a good impact on improving standards, attendance and achievement since the previous inspection. However, there is still work to do to check on how well different groups of pupils are progressing in Years 1 and 2.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

•Ensure that pupils’ achievement in mathematics in Years 1 and 2 matches their good achievement in other areas through rigorous checks on pupils’ learning and work that is well pitched to meet their needs.

p.4

Grade: 2

Achievement for almost all groups of pupils is good. Some pupils make very rapid progress over their time at the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress in all years. Foundation Stage children make a good start, even though few reach the national expectations for their age by the time they start in Year 1. From their very low point on entry, children’s achievement is good and there is particularly good progress in children’s personal, social and emotional development and speaking and listening. They develop good attitudes to work and this provides a firm platform for future success. The school’s work on improving reading and writing for pupils in Years 1 and 2 has been particularly successful and achievement is good in these areas, but pupils should 2 Inspection Report: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 be doing better in mathematics. Progress is slower here because the work lacks

p.4

Grade: 2

challenge for more able pupils and is sometimes too difficult for the lower attainers. Pupils’ achievement is often very good across the board in Years 3 to 6. Standards overall are broadly average by the time pupils leave the school but were exceptionally low in mathematics last year. Pupils’ achievement this year is better because the school has identified and worked effectively to provide a greater level of challenge. Aspirational targets are set for the oldest pupils and they are on course to meet them.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. The youngest children quickly learn the advantages of behaving well and working together. Pupils are very proud of their school and their achievements. They really enjoy school and respect their teachers. The pupils’ attitudes reflect the school’s vision of ‘working together to achieve our best’. They blossom as sensible young people who get on very well together, and are polite and considerate of others. Pupils who join at different times settle in quickly and make friends. Behaviour throughout the school is consistently good as pupils respond very well to high expectations and help to create the rules. Attendance is still a little below average but has improved greatly through the school’s rigorous efforts, and many pupils receive rewards for good attendance. Pupils comment on how they trust adults to deal firmly

p.5

Grade: 1

and fairly with any issues of bullying. Pupils in the ‘squabble squad’ help to keep the playground peace. The pupils contribute very well to the school community. The school council organises ways of looking after the environment and has arranged for signs that encourage respect for the health of the school as a non-smoking, litter-free area. Pupils take responsibilities in the wider community and the Eco Council has arranged recycling and gardening projects, reporting on their progress to the local housing office. Pupils put into practice what they learn about keeping safe and leading healthy lifestyles and greatly enjoy the school’s breakfast club and milk and fruit provision. They develop a good range of skills for future life, including participating in a savings plan in conjunction with a local building society.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage promotes children’s speaking and listening and behaviour particularly well. In Years 1 to 6, most lessons are enjoyable because teaching captures pupils’ interest. In English, particularly, lively starting activities lead to well-chosen main activities that introduce new ideas or reinforce old ones. Many lessons are stimulating and imaginative. For instance, Year 4 children were asked to taste an assortment of foods, including carrot sticks and yoghurt, to promote their 3 Inspection Report: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 ideas about descriptive adjectives. All teachers have high expectations of behaviour and insist that pupils learn and use technical language. Teaching assistants work closely with teachers and make a big contribution to the work of small groups and individual children, particularly those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

p.5

Grade: 2

In Years 3 to 6, teachers make sure lessons include tasks of varying difficulty to make sure all children are challenged by work but are not overwhelmed by it. Teachers assess pupils’ progress well at the ends of topics, and set targets for improvement. However, teaching does not make good use of assessments in mathematics to match work to pupils’ different abilities in Years 1 and 2.

p.6

Grade: 2

The good curriculum covers everything it should and is greatly enriched by clubs, such as dance, sport, music and fishing as well as a wide range of visits. Pupils speak positively about these opportunities: ‘I like the sports clubs, especially basketball’. The school pays great attention to help pupils gain a thorough understanding of how to live healthily through activities such as the ‘walking bus’ as well as through physical education lessons and science. A very good personal, social and health education programme means that children are fully aware of such risks as drug abuse. Many parents take part in the family learning sessions where they work alongside their children, for example, in literacy, numeracy or cooking. The curriculum is very well adapted for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities so that these pupils often make rapid progress. There is a good level of challenge in the curriculum for pupils in

p.6

Grade: 2

Years 3 to 6, but this is not sufficiently present for pupils of different abilities in Years 1 and 2 in mathematics.

p.6

Grade: 1

There are outstanding arrangements for the care, guidance and support of pupils, including procedures for safeguarding them. All staff work together to identify pupils’ needs, from the earliest days, and work with the pupils, their parents and carers and outside agencies to provide the right support. The school nurtures pupils’ well-being very well and the sensitive support for the emotional needs of the vulnerable pupils means that they learn as well as they can. Staff’s concern that pupils should make the right choices in life is demonstrated in the way in which they make time to talk to individuals who face problems. Pupils say that they feel well looked after and respected. The model that adults set for them contributes much to the pupils’ development as sensible, well-informed young people. Target setting, which is particularly effective in Years 3 to 6, gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve their performance. In

p.6

Grade: 1

spite of the issue over mathematics targets not being used quite as well in Years 1 and 2, pupils are given academic guidance that prepares them effectively for the next stage of their education. The school’s very good emphasis on parental involvement makes learning a family business. 4 Inspection Report: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Staff work effectively on the important things to improve pupils’ life chances because of good self-evaluation. The school’s judgement of its strengths and areas for improvement matches that of the inspectors. The school has a good track record of improving pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection and has good capacity to improve. The headteacher gives a very strong lead in promoting pupils’ personal development and achievement. She provides an excellent model for staff in her attention to the welfare of pupils most in need of support. Pupils appreciate the way in which she is always available to listen to their problems. Well-planned professional development means that skills in monitoring and evaluation are being extended and the staff are enthusiastic learners. Most recently, monitoring has focused on pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 but there is still work to do in

p.7

Grade: 2

checking how well pupils are doing in Years 1 and 2 in mathematics. Governance is good and governors ask the right questions to challenge the school. Good information about trends and data on performance and from monitoring means that they come to decisions in an informed manner. The school asks parents and other significant partners about what needs to improve and uses their ideas in making changes. Parents’ concerns, for example, about the quality of school meals, led to a better choice of food and they are regularly invited to sample the improved menus. The good management of the school’s extended provision, for example, for family learning, greatly enhances pupils’ well-being and learning. The school looks outside its boundaries to see how pupils’ learning can be enhanced and is very good at gaining support from other schools, businesses and agencies. 5 Inspection Report: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

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: Burnwood Community Primary School, 21 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

p.8

Overall

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

p.9

learners?

NA 1 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 1 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

Dear Pupils We really enjoyed visiting your school and talking with you. Thank you for the warm welcome you gave us and for helping us to find our way around. We thought that you would like to know what we found out about your school. We found that: •You enjoy school, do well in your work and respect and trust your teachers. •You are growing up very well as sensible, well-behaved young people who can face the future with confidence. •You are taught well and learn new things successfully. •There are lots of exciting things for you to take part in and you use your ideas about how to make things better in school and the community. •You know all about keeping safe and healthy. •Your school is well run and the people in charge work hard to get the best for you. •Those of you in Years 1 and 2 could do even better in your work in mathematics and we have asked your teachers to sort this out. You are a credit to your school. To help your teachers make things even better, you can keep

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

working hard, enjoying school and make the most of the opportunities they give you to do well in the future. We wish you all the very best and thank you again for helping us with our work. Yours sincerely Mrs B Crane Lead inspector

p.11