Leigh and Bransford Primary School

Inspection Report Leigh and Bransford Primary School

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116776 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 284343 Inspection number 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Watters 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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Hoopers Close School address Primary Type of school Malvern Community School category Worcestershire WR13 5DX 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 01886 832342 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01886 833057 Fax number 91 Number on roll Mr Rob Stilliard Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Julia Rogula Headteacher 29 June 1998 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 284343 1 February 2006 - 5 to 11 2 February 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI).

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Description of the school

When Leigh and Bransford Primary School was inspected in June 2004 it was judged to require special measures because it was failing to provide a satisfactory quality of education. Too many pupils were underachieving and there were considerable weaknesses in teaching, learning, leadership and management. The governors also experienced considerable difficulty in recruiting permanent teachers. At the end of the summer term 2005 the previous headteacher resigned. The acting headteacher was recruited in March 2005 to lead and manage the school until 31 August 2007. Five out of six teachers have permanent contracts. The school is situated in the village of Leigh Sinton close to the Malvern Hills near Worcester. Nearly all pupils are of White British origin. The majority come from professional families and live in privately owned homes either in the village or nearby. Just over a third comes from outside the local area. When the pupils enter the school

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Description of the school

their attainment is consistently average and sometimes above. It is average overall.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 2

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools (HMCI) is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. The school judges its effectiveness as satisfactory which is slightly modest. HMI judge it as good. Standards in the 2005 national tests were above average and are rightly expected to improve even further in 2006. Most pupils achieve well and make good progress. This is rapidly becoming a strong feature in all year groups. Standards are consistently in line with, or exceeding, what is expected for the pupils’ ages. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall although assessment is not always used well enough to provide all pupils with sufficient challenge and support in lessons. The quality of education in the Foundation Stage is outstanding and the children achieve good standards. The school is an extremely welcoming community. Pupils behave very

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Grade: 2

well and have positive attitudes. They enjoy coming to school. The curriculum is planned well and includes many interesting and exciting opportunities for learning. The pupils’ attainment and progress are tracked carefully and challenging targets are set for all pupils. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The quality of leadership and management is good. The acting headteacher provides determined, positive and effective leadership. She receives good support from the deputy headteacher and together they form a successful partnership. There is a positive team spirit amongst all staff and morale is high. Curriculum leadership overall is satisfactory. The school’s ability to allocate subject leadership more equitably is currently not possible as two teachers are still in their first year of teaching. Monitoring and evaluation are systematic and rigorous. The school’s priorities for improvement are accurate and provide a good

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Grade: 2

basis for further development. Governors carry out their statutory duties well. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. The school gives good value for money and its capacity to improve is also good.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching by ensuring that assessment is used consistently well to provide all pupils with enough challenge and support in lessons. •Provide further training for all curriculum leaders and, as time allows, allocate subject leadership more equitably among all staff.

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Grade: 2

In each key stage the school’s results in the 2005 national tests and in teachers’ assessments were above the national average. At Key Stage 1 all the seven year old pupils who took the tests reached the level expected for their age although few achieved the higher levels particularly in writing and science. At Key Stage 2 most pupils achieved the level expected for their age in English and mathematics and all pupils did so in science. The proportion of pupils who achieved above average standards 2 Inspection Report: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 in each subject was high and well above the national figures. The value added to the pupils’ achievements between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 was good in science and satisfactory in English and mathematics. Standards are currently in line with, or above, the level that is expected for the pupils’ ages. Most pupils make good progress in

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Grade: 2

relation to their different starting points and towards achieving their challenging targets. In each key stage there is an increasing number of pupils who are achieving above average levels. There is no significant underachievement.

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Grade: 2

The pupils behave very well. They are courteous, polite and keen to talk about their work. They appreciate the strong and caring family atmosphere in the school and respect the adults who they work with. These values were shown extremely well in an assembly where pupils really appreciated the live music performed by their friends in the school brass band. All pupils are encouraged to understand and express their feelings, knowing that their opinions and views will be listened to and valued. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are developing a strong commitment to racial equality through their work on understanding other faiths and cultures, for example the recent focus on Chinese society in Year 2. Attendance is good and the pupils enjoy coming to school. They understand the need to keep safe and have healthy lifestyles. The school council’s request for a healthy

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Grade: 2

eating week shows their commitment to these principles very well! The curriculum successfully promotes the school’s values of hard work, independence, perseverance and self control, all of which help prepare the pupils well for the world of work.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching ranges from outstanding to satisfactory and is good overall. Many pupils are making good progress because of effective teaching which is becoming a consistent feature in all year groups. In the best lessons the teachers’ clear instructions and explanations ensured that the pupils knew what they were expected to learn. Teachers’ frequent interventions reminded the pupils about the purpose of their activities and imaginative and interesting contexts were used well to motivate the pupils to succeed. The school’s recent focus on raising the attainment levels for the more able pupils has been successful. Nevertheless there are still occasions when assessment is not used well enough to provide all pupils with sufficient challenge and support in their work. Teaching assistants make a positive contribution and are particularly effective when they work with small groups of pupils to improve their

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Grade: 2

knowledge and understanding. Relationships between adults and pupils are very good. 3 Inspection Report: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is planned well to take good account of teaching pupils in mixed age classes. Consequently most groups of pupils are given work that is interesting, varied and challenging and acquire a good level of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. The pupils’ attainment and progress in other subjects is also monitored carefully which ensures that when pupils transfer to a new class teachers have an accurate picture of what the pupils know, understand and can do. A good range of after school clubs such as dance, keyboard, sewing and sports are well attended and enjoyed by the pupils. Visits and visitors to school are used effectively to extend the curriculum, for example the recent trip to York and the visit to school by a local artist. Pupils have many opportunities to contribute to, and take on, responsibilities in the community. They help in church services, enter exhibitions in local shows, and support

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Grade: 2

local and national charities such as the Worcester and Malvern Women’s Aid group and Remembrance Day.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good level of care, guidance and support for the pupils who feel safe and valued and know that there is always an adult to turn to if they need help. Child protection procedures are firmly established and well known by all staff. Risk assessments are carefully attended to. There have been no recent incidents of bullying. The school buildings are well maintained and provide a safe and secure learning environment. This is much appreciated by all members of the school community. Pupils are taught about the nutritional values of foods and the importance of healthy lifestyles. The pupils are set challenging targets and given good help to achieve them. Parents are informed about the school’s work and their children’s progress through regular newsletters and parents’ evenings. A recent parents’ questionnaire had a high response rate and showed that parents were very pleased with the changes made in

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Grade: 2

the school. One parent said, ‘Carry on the good work. I feel very welcome and there is a much more positive atmosphere.’

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher is a positive, determined and effective leader. She receives good support from the deputy headteacher. Their leadership has been instrumental in moving the school from failure to success and has given a strong capacity for further improvement. There is a clear sense of educational direction, a positive team spirit, and common sense of purpose. Expectations are high and there is a strong commitment to further improving the achievements of all pupils. Self-evaluation is effective and takes account of the views of parents and pupils. The school has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement and has accurately identified its priorities. 4 Inspection Report: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 The local authority provides good support and is committed to continuing its close involvement with the school. There is a systematic and rigorous programme of monitoring, intervention, challenge

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Grade: 2

and support. The regular checks on teaching and learning reflect the school’s priorities. Teachers are given helpful feedback about their work and these are followed up well. The main responsibilities for subject leadership rest with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Whilst this has undoubtedly improved the quality of curriculum leadership, particularly in English and mathematics, it is currently not possible to allocate subject responsibilities more equitably because two teachers are in their first year of teaching. The school has recognised this as one of its most pressing priorities. Governors meet their statutory responsibilities well. They keep a close check on the school’s work and its future development under the astute leadership of the chair of governors. 5 Inspection Report: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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: Leigh and Bransford Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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 1 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 for welcoming me to your school. I have really enjoyed talking with you and visiting your lessons. You are all very friendly, helpful, cheerful and polite and have made sure that for the time I have been with you I have felt a part of your school. Thank you for sharing your work with me. I could see that you always try hard to do your best and help each other. Well done! As you know I have visited your school before to check that it is getting better. I am very pleased to tell you that you now go to a really good school! I had a good time talking to your teachers and it was good to see how well they and you got on together. Your teachers, the headteacher and all the other adults in school work very hard to make sure that you are safe and that you do well with your work. Many of you told me that you really enjoy coming to school! I think you behave really well and I was very impressed with the way you listened to your friends play

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

their musical instruments in an assembly and how you showed your appreciation for their efforts. The brass band was excellent! I have asked Ms Rogula and the teachers to continue with all the good things that are happening in your school and to make sure that all of you do even better in all your lessons. I shall take away lots of good memories about all of you at Leigh and Bransford Primary and have really enjoyed being at your school. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly.

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