Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs

Inspection Report Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs

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118534 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 283079 Inspection number 14 November 2005 to 15 November 2005 Inspection dates Robert Ellis HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Rumfileds Road School address Primary Type of school Broadstairs Community School category CT10 2PW 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01843 867 010 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01843 860615 Fax number 353 Number on roll Mr R Silk Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K Winspear Headteacher 21 June 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 283079 14 November 2005 - 4 to 11 15 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

When Bromstone Primary School was inspected in November 2003 it was judged to require special measures. It is larger than most schools of this type and has a unit which caters for visually impaired pupils. The school roll has fallen in recent years and this has necessitated restructuring, which has resulted in some mixed age classes. One in six of the pupils have learning disabilities and around one in ten of the pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds, including 11 pupils who are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. Just over half the pupils comes from homes experiencing economic hardship. In recent years a significant number of pupils joined or left the school at various times during the school year. There are proposals to build replacement accommodation on a nearby site.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 November 2005

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. The senior managers have an accurate view of the overall effectiveness of the school and their leadership is satisfactory. Efficient management ensures satisfactory value for money. Pupils feel safe and say that they enjoy coming to school. Standards overall are lower than they ought to be, mostly as a result of previous weaknesses in provision. However, they are rising and many pupils make good progress. The school recognises that there remain areas for development including raising standards further, continuing to improve the quality of teaching, updating school policies, and improving the accommodation. Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and improving and it enables the children to make satisfactory progress. The new outside area provides good opportunities for a wider range of activities and experiences.

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Grade: 3

The school is well placed to improve and all of the issues identified by the previous inspection, including improving the quality of teaching to eliminate unsatisfactory teaching, have been addressed. Managers monitor the work of the school, and effective systems to monitor the school’s performance and to track the pupils’ progress are being developed. The resulting information is analysed and is used to establish priorities for future development and inform the deployment of staff and other resources. The limitations of the current accommodation undermine the efforts of the school to improve standards. The school’s managers judge overall leadership and management, and provision in the Foundation Stage to be good rather than satisfactory, largely because their assessment of the impact of the actions taken is too high. In other respects, their judgments match those of the inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise standards, particularly in reading and comprehension •improve the quality of teaching and learning to make lessons more interesting and exciting •complete the review and revision of school policies so that they reflect the changes that have taken place in the school •continue to pursue the overdue development of better accommodation.

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Grade: 3

When pupils enter the school their standards are below average overall, particularly in speaking and listening. The pupils make satisfactory progress and by the end of Reception many reach the standards expected for five-year-olds. The pupils’ achievements in Key Stages 1 and 2 over recent years have been lower than they ought 2 Inspection Report: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 November 2005 to have been. This is reflected in the national test results that, for the most part, have been below the national average and the school has performed worse than other schools which have similar pupils. Because of improvements in teaching many pupils are making good progress, including most of those who have special educational needs, low prior attainment, or who are learning English as an additional language. Although some boys perform less well than they should there is no significant difference in

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Grade: 3

progress between boys and girls when compared to most schools. The pupils’ standards in reading and comprehension vary widely. Some pupils read confidently and are developing good comprehension skills, but for many pupils their weak reading and comprehension are barriers to learning. A recent whole school emphasis on writing has had a positive impact on raising standards in writing.

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Grade: 2

There are good opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills and, as they progress through the school, they gain an appropriate sense of right and wrong. Pupils have good opportunities to participate in the democratic process through the established school council and feel that their views and opinions are valued and acted upon. Assemblies make a satisfactory contribution to the pupils’ spiritual and social education and some lessons provide opportunities for the pupils to reflect on their achievements. Provision for the pupils to develop an understanding and awareness of their own and other cultures is satisfactory but is less well developed than the other aspects of personal development. The pupils enjoy school and attendance is good. They settle well in Reception and quickly come to understand how they should behave and learn. Most pupils have positive attitudes and show respect towards each other and to adults. They cooperate

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Grade: 2

well in group work and, as a result, develop team-working skills that will be useful in adult life. Many of the older pupils are confident individuals who are willing to participate in discussions and offer suggestions and answers to questions. They have a good understanding about keeping safe, where they can seek advice, and about what is and is not a healthy life style.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall with some good features. Around half the lessons inspected were good. Teachers know their pupils well and good relationships help to make lessons go smoothly. Learning objectives are shared with pupils so they know what is expected of them and teachers use effective strategies to maintain pupils’ attention. Learning support assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning and are suitably involved in lesson planning. 3 Inspection Report: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 November 2005 In the best lessons every opportunity was taken to increase pupils’ rate of learning and to give them challenging tasks. Teachers are good models for their pupils. For example, when reading aloud had been halting and had lacked expression, the teacher read a passage from The Secret Garden to demonstrate intonation and check understanding. The weaker lessons, although satisfactory overall, varied in pace and

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Grade: 3

at times failed to excite or fully engage the pupils’ interest. One of the improving aspects of teaching is better and more consistent use of assessment information to help teachers to plan work at a suitable level for pupils of different abilities, and to track their progress more accurately. In the Reception class, teachers assess children’s activities as they work and play, and elsewhere most class teachers and learning support assistants use questioning well to check the progress of pupils of all abilities. Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work gives praise when due and offers pupils clear pointers as to how to improve their work. Analysis of the pupils’ answers to questions in previous tests is used to identify gaps in the pupils’ learning and to plan work accordingly. In some subjects, for example English, target setting is well established and pupils know what their individual targets are and what they need

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is broad and balanced and addresses all subjects of the National Curriculum as well as providing additional opportunities to extend the pupils’ knowledge and understanding through clubs, visits and visitors. Year 2 pupils spoke enthusiastically about a visit to Dover Castle and the local farm centre. The school’s provision for personal and social education is delivered through planned sessions with class teachers and as an integral part of other subjects. The school is developing the use of information and communication technology (ICT), but the ICT suite is cramped and difficult to work in. The school building limits many activities because many classrooms are small and make some planned activities challenging to deliver. The mobile classrooms have poor sound insulation and suffer from excessive condensation in damper weather. Teachers make every effort to make their classrooms

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Grade: 3

look attractive in difficult circumstances and use resources well, but secure storage space is limited. Overall learning resources are satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils. Health and safety issues are carefully addressed and the school makes every effort to continue to improve its good standards in this respect. The school’s inclusion team has taken responsibility for pupils at lunchtime to make sure that pupils with different needs are properly looked after. Inclusion is good. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are given appropriate help and support, and their learning and language needs are thoroughly and accurately analysed. Pupils with special educational needs are effectively supported by well informed teachers and learning support assistants. The pupils identified support 4 Inspection Report: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 November 2005 from teachers and encouragement to do their best as two of the best features of their school.

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Grade: 3

The senior leadership team provide effective leadership and management. Regular and frequent monitoring of teaching has identified strengths and areas for development. The school’s judgements in relation to the teaching are accurate and they have a clear picture of the overall quality of teaching. Appropriate professional development opportunities and good support have been provided to help teachers improve their teaching and this has had a positive impact on eliminating unsatisfactory teaching. Key stage managers and subject leaders have had an opportunity to increase their knowledge across all key stages and have developed a secure overview of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and learning in the areas that they manage. The senior leadership team’s understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development is based on good evaluation of evidence, including monitoring of teaching and learning, and analysis of assessment data and test results. This self-evaluation is

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Grade: 3

used appropriately to identify priorities and to set targets. However, many of the systems and procedures have only recently been introduced and, although appropriate, have not had sufficient time to impact on the overall provision. The senior leadership team’s judgement of the impact of these systems is over-generous. The views of parents and pupils are sought and most report that they are listened to and that their views and opinions are valued. The governors provide satisfactory support to the school. They monitor the school’s progress and are increasingly holding the school to account for the standards it achieves. However, the governors acknowledge that many of the school’s policies, including the sex education policy, are overdue for review and revision. 5 Inspection Report: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 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: Bromstone Primary School, Broadstairs, 14 November 2005 to 15 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 4 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 3 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 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 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 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

Bromstone Primary School Rumfields Road Broadstairs Kent CT10 2PW 16 November 2005 Dear Pupils As you know, we visited your school to check on how well it was doing. Thank you very much for making us feel so welcome, with a special thank you to all of you who spoke to us and told us about your life at school or showed us your work. This was my fourth visit to your school and I am pleased to say that we think that you have made such good progress that we don’t need to come back each term to check how well you are doing. Everyone that we spoke to said that yours is a school where everybody feels safe and can enjoy themselves and I am pleased to say that we agree. Your school council representatives make sure that the people in charge know what you want and how you feel about things. In lessons you learn about the things that you should and you told us that the adults help you to do your best. By the time you leave the school you have had opportunities to try lots of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

different activities and know most of the same things as other children of your age. Mrs Winspear and the others who are in charge of your school check on how well it is doing and have some good ideas about how it can be made even better. We have asked the school to: •continue to make lessons more interesting and challenging •look at the documents that tell people how your school is run and change them if they are out of date •see if they can find the best way to improve the places where you learn and play. I particularly liked reading your story openings, looking at the pictures you had drawn, and talking to you about the structures you were making. Thank you again for helping us with our work. Yours sincerely Robert Ellis Her Majesty’s Inspector

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