Brampton Ellis CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School

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106936 Unique Reference Number Rotherham Local Authority 287654 Inspection number 20 °21 September 2006 Inspection dates Ross Parker Reporting inspector

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

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Brampton Road School address Primary Type of school West Melton, Wath-upon-Dearne Voluntary aided School category

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Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 6AN 3 °7 Age range of pupils

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01709 760370 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01709 760370 Fax number 142 Number on roll (school) Mrs Sylvia Dennis Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Alison Benbow Headteacher 10 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287654 20 °21 September 2006 3°7 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 school with a strong Christian ethos has served the local community for 120 years. It provides for children aged 3 to 7 from four small urban communities on the edge of Rotherham where there is some economic hardship. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Almost all the pupils come from White British backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which enables pupils to reach above average standards by the end of Year 2. Pupils achieve well and their personal development is outstanding. This is because teaching is good and provides constant challenges well suited to individual needs so that pupils learn well. The school gives good value for money. Outstanding leadership and management ensure that children learn effectively and standards are good. Responsibility is spread right across the staff team so that everyone plays an important part in driving the school towards excellence. The result is an atmosphere where pupils feel safe and want to behave well. They are given excellent opportunities to take responsibility, make choices and become more independent. They are given the time to be reflective and inquisitive and so they enjoy their learning. Care, support and guidance are outstanding because of this team approach. Rigorous

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Grade: 2

tracking means that teachers know exactly how well pupils are doing and at what point they need extra help. In addition, close, trusting relationships with parents keep them fully involved. Scrupulously fair self-evaluation gives a very accurate picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses. When comparatively weaker areas are found - as in mathematics, at present - the school selects the sort of changes that will have most impact on standards and personal development. The success of this way of working is clearly seen in the improved writing results in 2006, and in the increase in boys' enthusiasm for learning. The headteacher's sensitive approach to securing improvements is well thought out. This has ensured effective improvements to the planning in the Foundation Stage though there is still more to do to ensure that teaching and learning experiences in the lower Foundation Stage equal the good quality of those in the upper.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher take great care to ensure that staff at all levels have the support and training that enable them to do their jobs well. A particular strength is the way the headteacher has preserved established links with the church and the local community, while introducing initiatives to ensure that the school continues to develop and improve. The introduction of extensive high quality information and communication technology (ICT), together with innovative developments to children's play areas to enrich their personal, social and emotional development, indicate highly effective financial management. This combination of rigour, careful selection, and teamwork gives the school good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics. • Improve the consistency of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage so that provision in the lower Foundation Stage matches the good provision in the upper to give all children similar learning experiences. 2 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Children achieve well, attaining above average standards at the end of Year 2. Standards are particularly good in reading and writing. Standards in reading are above average, and writing improved significantly to match reading in 2006. This is because of good teaching and excellent leadership. There is a relative weakness in mathematics, where standards tend towards the average, though the most able children achieve well. The school has rightly identified that children do not learn to use simple mathematical language sufficiently well in the lower Foundation Stage and so this slows their later achievement. Standards in science, ICT and physical education are strengths. Children enter the Foundation Stage at a broadly average level. Although overall standards are good by the start of Year 1, boys' personal development and communication skills are less well developed than girls'.

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Grade: 1

Pupils clearly enjoy both their work and their play. They are busy, physically very active, and enjoy extensive opportunities to learn how to be healthy. Adults in the school teach pupils how to behave safely and ensure that they do by encouraging them to reflect on their behaviour, respect each other, and develop an independent approach to learning and to behaving themselves. A special feature of the school is the extent to which pupils take on responsibility and contribute to school decisions at a very early age, through the innovative approach to play, for example, or the community recycling project. Attendance is satisfactory. The school's established Christian ethos provides strong support for spiritual development. Outstanding behaviour illustrates the high level of social and moral development. There are extensive opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own culture and compare it to the experiences of people living in other times and other

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Grade: 1

places. Overall, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in their learning because teachers plan lessons carefully, and learning activities match each individual's needs. In the best lessons children are encouraged to explain how they have worked something out. This promotes an independent approach to learning and as a result, the more able children make particularly good progress. Teachers and teaching assistants create a positive learning environment, working with enthusiasm and developing excellent relationships with children in their class. Their skilful management enables pupils to focus entirely on 3 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006 learning. Teachers have good subject knowledge, with an effective programme to improve skills in specialist areas such as ICT, physical education, and art. In the upper Foundation Stage children get off to a flying start in their learning as they are provided with a wide variety of stimulating learning experiences around a

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Grade: 2

particular theme. While the provision in the lower Foundation Stage has improved since the last inspection, it is sometimes unclear precisely what is to be learned from each activity.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall, meets statutory requirements and matches the interests of the children well. The range of new approaches to make work more appealing to boys has raised standards effectively. Pupils enjoyed celebrating their work at the Wath creative writing festival, and thoroughly enjoy ICT at school. ICT is used very effectively to support work in other areas of the curriculum, providing children with key life skills for the future. They take advantage of the opportunity to take part in a good range of enrichment activities, such as 'Travelling by Tuba'. They particularly enjoyed working on the local allotments and bringing some produce back into school for further experiments! The school has been recognised as having outstanding practice in the Positive Playground scheme, and is now keen to develop its work in art, drama and design and technology as it works towards an Artsmark.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about their school as it aims to 'value every child, giving the necessary support to him/her to reach full potential.' Rigorous procedures to monitor children's achievements help them make good progress in their learning. Very effective strategies are in place to identify and help children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who have been identified as gifted or talented. Excellent relationships with parents, the church and the community have been maintained. Parents are particularly appreciative of the weekly newsletters keeping them informed about their child's learning. Positive relationships with adults enable children to feel confident and know they can talk to someone if they have a problem. Health and safety and child protection arrangements are thorough. Transition arrangements provide excellent support to children when they start school and when

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Grade: 1

they go onto the next stage of their education in the junior school. 4 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 1

The headteacher provides very clear direction, and a vision of future excellence which is shared by all teachers and support staff. She is extremely well supported by a highly committed deputy headteacher. By setting challenging targets for both teachers and pupils they have both inspired and supported clear improvements in standards and achievement. Everyone, including teaching assistants, sees themselves as key managers in a wider team and this is driving the pace of change as the school strives towards excellence. Senior staff have shown a highly sensitive approach to problems, which means that they have made good progress dealing with issues raised in the previous inspection report, as well as issues such as standards in mathematics which have emerged more recently. Active and well informed governors support and challenge the headteacher and other leaders, to ensure that the highly inclusive and caring ethos has been maintained whilst

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Grade: 1

ensuring that standards continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you all for the friendly welcome you gave us when we came to visit your school recently. We really enjoyed meeting you, and having the chance to talk to you. Here are some of the really good things about your school • The way you behave and enjoy your lessons and playtimes. • The way that you do your jobs around the school. • The way all of the grown-ups look after you so you feel safe. • The way your headteacher and all your teachers and teaching assistants work together to make sure your school keeps getting even better! What I have asked the school to do to make it even better • For everyone to work together to help your numeracy get better. • To make sure the youngest pupils learn as well as the older ones. 9 Inspection Report: Brampton Ellis CofE Infant School, 20 °21 September 2006

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