Brownsover Community School

Inspection Report Brownsover Community Infant School

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125618 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire LEA 281967 Inspection number 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 Inspection dates Mike Capper RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Webb Drive School address Infant Type of school Rugby Community School category Warwickshire CV23 0UP 2 to 2 Age range of pupils 01788 547660 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01788 547660 Fax number 212 Number on roll Mr K Floyde Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Judy Ryan Headteacher 8 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281967 7 November 2005 - 2 to 2 8 November 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

This small infant and nursery school is situated in Rugby. Nearly all pupils come from the local area which consists mostly of private housing. Pupils in the Nursery attend for either a morning or an afternoon session. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the number identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities. There are ten pupils learning English as an additional language who need extra support. The most common languages spoken by these pupils are Gujerati or Panjabi. Children’s attainment on entry to the Nursery is above average. There has been a complete change in teaching staff since the last inspection, with three teachers new this term. The headteacher took up post in January 2005 and the deputy headteacher in September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that provides sound value for money. The school is emerging positively from a period of instability caused by a high turnover of staff. The new headteacher and deputy headteacher have an accurate view of school effectiveness and the inspection team agrees that pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In the Nursery and Reception classes good teaching helps pupils to reach good levels of attainment and to make good progress. In Years 1 and 2, where teaching is satisfactory, standards continue to be good but progress slows because teaching is not always challenging enough and does not consistently meet differing needs. Although above average overall, attainment is weaker in reading and writing than in mathematics and science. Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils are happy, enthusiastic and enjoy coming to school. Procedures for monitoring and reviewing the performance of pupils are

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Grade: 3

sound although the role of governors and subject leaders in monitoring teaching and learning is underdeveloped. The headteacher has very high aspirations for the school and there have been many good recent developments although they have not been in place long enough to have had a major effect on achievement. Standards are lower than at the time of the last inspection but have improved in the last two years. The drive and commitment of senior managers mean that the school is moving in the right direction and is able to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise achievement in reading and writing, especially for more able pupils •ensure that teachers always expect enough of the pupils •make more use of assessment information to plan work that consistently meets differing needs •develop the role of governors and subject leaders in monitoring how well the school is doing.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In the Nursery and Reception classes children’s attainment is good and the good teaching means that children make good progress from their differing starting points. Attainment is better than in recent years and most children are on target to exceed the expectations for their age by the end of the year. Children already listen well and speak very confidently. They are very independent for their age. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 but do not always reach the challenging targets that have been set for them. By the end of Year 2, attainment is above average in reading, mathematics and science. However, in reading, too few pupils for their capability achieve the higher Level 3. Test results in writing have been exceptionally high for the last two years but the work seen in current books does not reflect these high standards. Writing is not presented well enough and is often poorly

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Grade: 3

punctuated. 2 Inspection Report: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 There are no significant differences between the attainment and achievement of different groups of learners, and those with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress. Pupils identified as having English as an additional language are quickly integrated into school life and make the same progress as others.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are polite and friendly and behave well throughout the school day. Their good attitudes and behaviour support learning well, helping them to remain attentive. Attendance is good because pupils enjoy school especially French, swimming and meeting their friends. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. For example, Year 2 pupils wrote their own prayers for the Harvest assembly and Reception pupils increased their knowledge about the festival of Diwali by handling a good range of artefacts, and making their own pictures and divas. Pupils know why they need to behave well. They work together sensibly and help each other in lessons and at playtimes. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of keeping safe and healthy. They enjoy ticking the ‘Healthy Foods’ chart when they eat fruit and vegetables. Pupils are active at school by swimming, playing football, and skipping and climbing at

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Grade: 2

playtime. They make a positive contribution to the community for their age, and develop good social skills that will help them in the world of work. Pupils take responsibility well, for example they contribute to the smooth running of the school by distributing fruit and milk, counting the smiley faces for the best class award, and taking part in a recycling scheme.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall. Teaching is good in the Reception classes where members of staff monitor the progress of each child closely and use this information effectively to support learning. Questioning is used well to challenge children of differing abilities and lessons are well planned. A good range of well thought out activities makes learning interesting although children are not always challenged enough to extend their ideas when they are working independently. In Years 1 and 2, where teaching is satisfactory, teachers manage behaviour well and are good at helping pupils to understand how they can improve their work. In the best lessons pupils are encouraged to work independently, and good quality resources, such as photographs of electrical appliances, make learning interesting. Teachers’ planning is detailed but teachers do not always expect enough of the pupils, for example, in how they present their work. Teachers make insufficient use of assessment

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Grade: 3

information to ensure that work is matched to need. This slows learning especially for more able pupils. Enthusiastic teaching assistants effectively support groups of pupils. 3 Inspection Report: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 For example, in a literacy lesson the good support of a teaching assistant ensured that a pupil learning English as an additional language understood new vocabulary as it was introduced.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. There is a good curriculum in the Nursery and Reception classes, with children having the opportunity to take part in a wide range of well planned activities. In Years 1 and 2 the curriculum allows pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, to make satisfactory progress. There is a good focus on developing pupils’ social skills and pupils learn about healthy lifestyles through mini health topics. Provision for teaching basic skills is adequate but work is not always matched closely enough to pupils’ differing capabilities. This is an important weakness in the curriculum although the grouping of pupils by ability for some lessons is beginning to address this issue in Year 2. The headteacher has recently introduced an afternoon of special activities that include sports, music and French. These have a good impact on learning, for example by helping pupils to learn about another culture

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Grade: 3

and preparing them for later stages of their education. The school offers a good range of additional activities, such as clubs for gardening and football, and a choir. Special events, such as science and art days, help to bring subjects alive, enable the pupils to contribute effectively to the community and help to make learning purposeful.

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Grade: 3

This is a caring school that promotes pupils’ personal development successfully and has good procedures to ensure that pupils are kept healthy and safe. There are good arrangements for welcoming new children into the Nursery, ensuring that they settle quickly. The school works very closely with ‘Bridges’. This provision is part of the ‘extended school’, providing additional care before, during and after school and helping to ensure pupils’ well-being further. The academic support given to pupils is satisfactory. There are satisfactory systems for monitoring the progress of individual pupils, and suitable targets are being set for groups within each class in literacy and numeracy. However, teachers do not always make enough use of this information when planning work, and do not challenge pupils to do their best work consistently.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, with the school’s effectiveness having been adversely affected by the recent high turnover of senior staff. However, the new headteacher and deputy headteacher have made a good start to addressing weaknesses. 4 Inspection Report: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 They have accurately evaluated the school’s effectiveness and there have been many good, recent developments. For example, the new information and communication technology (ICT) suite is having a good effect on learning. More effective use is being made of assessment information by senior managers to set targets and to evaluate how well pupils are doing, and reading resources are being improved. The pace of change has, necessarily, been fast and recent initiatives have not been in place long enough to ensure that pupils achieve equally well across the school. Governors are supportive and are actively involved in the life of the school. They have

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Grade: 3

rightly identified that they, along with subject leaders, need to have greater involvement in evaluating school effectiveness so that they can take a more proactive role in planning for school development. The school has good links with parents. Parents support learning well by raising large amounts of money and helping their children with work at home. There are suitable arrangements for consulting with parents and involving them and other members of the school community in decision making. For example, concerns raised by parents have resulted in a new project to improve the nutritional value of school meals. Most parents are very happy with the school although some feel that more could be done to improve communication between home and school. The few minor weaknesses from the last inspection have been successfully addressed. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses and there are good plans for

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Grade: 3

development. Consequently, the school is moving forward and is in a position to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 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: Brownsover Community Infant School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 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 3 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 3 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

Brownsover Community Infant School Webb Drive Rugby Warwickshire CV23 0UP 8 November 2005 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for showing us your work. You were very polite and friendly. What we liked most about your school: •Children in the Nursery and Reception classes learn quickly. •By the time you leave the school, you do well in mathematics and science. •We are very pleased that you enjoy school and behave so well. •The school is good at teaching you about the importance of staying safe and healthy. •Your teachers are kind and caring. They look after you well and run interesting clubs to make school fun. •Your new headteacher, teachers and governors are working hard to make the school even better. •Your parents and carers are pleased that you come to this school. What we have asked your school to do now: •Although you are good at reading and writing, we have asked the teachers to help you to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learn even more quickly in literacy lessons. •We think that sometimes teachers do not expect you to do your best work. •We have asked teachers to make sure that work is not too easy, or too hard, for you. •We feel that governors and teachers could still do more to help them find out if you are doing well enough. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to you about your work and watching you learn and we wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely M Capper Additional Inspector

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