Burghclere Primary School

Inspection Report Burghclere Primary School

p.1

115868 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290353 Inspection number 17 °18 January 2007 Inspection dates Vanessa Ward Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Burghclere School address Primary Type of school Newbury Community School category RG20 9HT 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01635278523 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01635278523 Fax number 110 Number on roll (school) Mrs Vicki Davies Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jean Holdcroft Headteacher 27 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290353 17 °18 January 2007 4°11 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

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Burghclere Primary School is smaller than average. Almost all of the pupils are White British. The majority of pupils come from an area of social and economic advantage. Fewer pupils than are found in most schools have learning difficulties and disabilities.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

Burghclere Primary is a good school that provides a good quality of education with some outstanding features. Pupils greatly enjoy school, saying, 'It is like a big family, we make friends really easily'. Parents echo this view and say that they, 'appreciate how the staff are understanding and supportive'. The headteacher has established a strong sense of teamwork among staff and governors. Her vision as to how to move the school forward is shared well. All levels of management work effectively together to promote school improvement and initiatives such as the current focus on improving speaking and listening skills are contributing to rising standards. This initiative, combined with improvements in the curriculum and in the successful promotion of healthy lifestyles, indicates that the school has good capacity to improve. The effective provision in the Foundation Stage gives the children a good start to their

p.4

Grade: 2

learning. Pupils continue to make good progress through Years 1 to 6, so that by the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are above average. The school's new system for tracking pupils' progress, and providing additional support when it is needed, is rigorous and is leading to higher standards. Pupils' enjoyment of learning and their good achievement are promoted well through good teaching and a stimulating curriculum. However, whilst teachers' marking often gives pupils useful feedback, pupils are not sufficiently involved in understanding and evaluating how well they are doing. The pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. They behave extremely well and show very positive attitudes to learning. The excellent relationships within the school help pupils to feel secure. They accept responsibilities very readily and greatly value the opportunities they are given to influence school development.

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils gain excellent knowledge about healthy lifestyles through eating healthy foods, having access to water throughout the day and taking part in a wide range of sporting activities. They understand very well how to keep safe and know that an adult will help them if they are upset or worried. Pupils' personal development is enriched by a strong focus on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school successfully promotes both the pupils' academic and personal development through excellent partnerships with other agencies.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Involve pupils more in understanding and evaluating how well they are doing.

p.4

Grade: 2

The pupils' achievement is good and standards are above average. The children enter the school with skills that are typical of or better than those found in most four-year-olds. The good provision in the Foundation Stage enables them to make 2 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 good progress. By the end of the Reception year, most children reach the expected goals, and a significant proportion exceeds them in several areas of learning. Good teaching enables pupils to continue achieving well from Years 1 to 6. As year groups are small, the proportion of higher attaining pupils and those with learning difficulties inevitably varies from year to year and this causes standards to fluctuate. Data showing the progress of individual pupils indicates that all pupils make good progress, regardless of gender, ability or background. By the end of Year 6, standards in science are usually

p.4

Grade: 2

higher than those in English and mathematics. The school has identified that standards in English and mathematics could be higher and is taking action to raise them. Current priorities to improve pupils' abilities to solve mathematical problems, and to develop their speaking and listening skills, are proving successful, but the school recognises that this initiative needs to continue.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils respond very positively to the school's excellent promotion of healthy lifestyles. They enjoy eating fruit and vegetables in school and have a very good understanding of a balanced diet. They take part with great enthusiasm in the many opportunities the school provides to enjoy sport and take exercise. Through the effective school council, the pupils feel that they can contribute to their school's development. They carry out responsibilities, such as being lunchtime leaders, very conscientiously. Pupils are very keen to come to school and their attendance is above average. They feel safe and secure in school. The school's intensive focus on teaching basic skills helps to prepare them well for life beyond school. Meaningful opportunities, such as taking responsibility for organising fund raising, contribute to these skills and also help to involve pupils in the community beyond school. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They care

p.5

Grade: 1

for and value each other. Pupils have a strong sense of their rights and of their accompanying responsibilities. They appreciate the opportunities they are given to discuss issues in class. Through the curriculum and visitors to the school, pupils gain a good understanding of different cultures and traditions. Pupils' social skills develop very well through paired and team work.

p.5

Grade: 2

The good quality of teaching and learning enables the pupils to make good progress. Very good adult-pupil relationships boost pupils' confidence and promote self-esteem. Discussion in pairs in Year 2, for example, to decide what constitutes a diagram, successfully encouraged discussion and enhanced social development. Pupils say that, 'The teachers always help us, they are really kind'. This makes them into confident learners and contributes to their good progress. 3 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 Teachers share the purpose of the lesson with their pupils, and this helps them to know what they are expected to learn. Work is usually planned well to build on pupils' prior learning. Learning support assistants work well with small groups of pupils, particularly in assisting those with learning difficulties and disabilities. As part of the drive to improve teaching, the school is identifying more opportunities to develop the

p.5

Grade: 2

pupils' speaking and listening skills, particularly through discussion and questioning.

p.6

Grade: 2

The good curriculum is enhanced effectively by a good range of enrichment activities which improve pupils' academic, personal and social development. Pupils speak enthusiastically about special events, such as the school's 'multicultural arts week' and a 'structures challenge' carried out during a 'problem solving week'. Adjustments to the curriculum enable pupils of all abilities to participate fully. In the Foundation Stage, the curriculum provides a good balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. This sustains the children's interest and contributes to their good progress. The school places a strong focus on teaching the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects. It is currently increasing its use of information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum and plans are in place to develop this further as resources are improved. Pupils speak positively

p.6

Grade: 2

about the wide range of clubs that are provided. This provision does much to encourage pupils both to take exercise and to develop very positive attitudes to school life.

p.6

Grade: 2

The good quality of care, guidance and support provided by the school helps the pupils to feel greatly valued. Parents affirm this overwhelmingly, saying that, 'It is great knowing that your children are in a safe and caring environment whilst being well educated'. Liaison with outside agencies is used extremely successfully to support the well-being and development of all of the pupils, and in particular of those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Systems for behaviour management are well understood by pupils and are very effective. All aspects of health and safety are successfully promoted and monitored. However, there is insufficient involvement of pupils in target setting, in evaluating how well they are doing and in understanding what they need to do next to achieve their targets. Support for pupils when they join the school, and when they prepare to move on to their next school, is very good and enables them to

p.6

Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good and contribute significantly to the good progress made by the pupils. The headteacher is supported well by the staff and governors. She has a good understanding of the school's strengths and 4 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 weaknesses. The school's process for self-evaluation, and in planning for school improvement, is comprehensive and accurate. Current work to raise standards in English and mathematics illustrate the effectiveness of this process. Staff and governors are successfully involved and the views of parents and pupils are sought and valued. Subject leaders contribute well to developments in English, mathematics and science, and the school acknowledges that more needs to be done to extend this practice to other subjects. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities and take an active role in the life of the school. They provide the headteacher with a good balance of support

p.6

Grade: 2

and challenge. The monitoring of teaching and the professional development of staff are given high priority and are used effectively to support school improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

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 2 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

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

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

p.9

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: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.9

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: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I enjoyed my recent visit to your school. Thank you for making me feel welcome and for talking to me about your school. It was very useful to hear your comments. Your parents and carers think that your school is a good place to be and I agree with them. Lots of things to do with you growing up in school are outstanding. For example, you eat lots of fruit and vegetables in school and are involved in many sports, and these things help you to stay healthy. You behave very well and show that you care for each other, and this helps to make your school a happy place. You take your responsibilities extremely seriously, such as being members of your school council, or becoming lunchtime leaders. You told me that you feel safe in school and that the adults will help you if you have any problems. Your teachers make excellent use of people from outside the school to help improve your learning. Your teachers work hard to make learning interesting. This helps you to achieve good standards

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in English, mathematics and science. Your teachers are very good at checking that you are doing as well as they expect. I have asked them to involve you more in this, so that you can understand better how well you are doing and what you need to do next. This should help you to do even better in your work. Your headteacher, teachers and the governors are all good at finding ways to improve your school. I know that you will help them as much as you can. I hope that you will carry on enjoying school and working hard. Yours sincerely Vanessa Ward Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Burghclere Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.11