Broadway First School

Inspection Report - Amended Broadway First School

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116656 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290580 Inspection number 14 November 2006 Inspection date Don Mason 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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Lime Tree Avenue School address First Type of school Broadway Community School category WR12 7BD 4 °10 Age range of pupils 01386 852485 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01386 859052 Fax number 84 Number on roll (school) Robin Farnworth Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Michael Appleby Headteacher 15 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290580 14 November 2006 4 °10

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to administration error

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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

The pupils come from a range of social and economic backgrounds and almost all are White British. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is also average overall but varies considerably from year to year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which has improved well since its last inspection and is held in high regard by its parents. Parents say that they are struck by 'the calm and orderly atmosphere and by the good relationships which exist between children in the school and between pupils and staff'. Pupils thrive in this caring environment and grow in self-confidence and self-esteem. Children start school with broadly average standards, although some have significant weaknesses in language and mathematical skills. They make good progress in the Reception class, particularly in their personal and social development. Pupils' achievement in Years 1 to 5 is good and enables them to reach above-average standards by the time they leave the school. Standards in mathematics lag slightly behind, although recent efforts to improve the quality of mathematics teaching are now showing in rising standards. The quality of teaching is good, although sometimes

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Grade: 2

teachers talk to the whole class for too long with the result that pupils have insufficient time to work on the activities planned for them. This is particularly true of more capable pupils, who would also sometimes benefit from more challenging work, especially in mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because of the support of well-qualified, enthusiastic teaching assistants. The curriculum is good and pupils' enjoyment is promoted by a very wide range of sporting activities, visits and visitors, including a sailing day and 'taster' golf sessions. The weaknesses in information and communication technology (ICT) and speaking and listening, found at the time of the last inspection, have been addressed successfully. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good and reflected in their good attendance and the way they speak, with evident pride, about their school. Clear rules

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Grade: 2

and sanctions help them to behave well. Pupils know that their views or worries will be listened to and they feel safe because of the good care, support and guidance provided for them. As a result of more rigorous assessment arrangements, the quality of academic guidance for pupils is improving rapidly. However, the school is not yet using this assessment information to set itself challenging targets for improvement and its expectations of what its pupils can achieve are sometimes not high enough. Pupils make a good contribution to the school community. For example, class discussions are held regularly so that pupils can put their views forward and these are raised at the school council by the class representatives. Every child in the school enjoys taking part in very popular annual productions written by the headteacher. The headteacher provides good leadership for the staff, who work well together. Staff

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Grade: 2

have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses, and a clear plan to raise achievement in a systematic and manageable way demonstrates that the school has good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise the expectations of what more-capable pupils can achieve, especially in mathematics. 2 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006 • Make rigorous use of assessment information to set challenging targets for improvement so that all pupils achieve as well as possible.

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Grade: 2

Standards, as seen in Year 2 national tests and Year 5 teacher assessments, are above average. Although children usually start school with average levels of attainment, a number of pupils have significant weaknesses in literacy and numeracy. Pupils make good progress in Reception and in Years 1 and 2 in reading and writing. Their progress in mathematics is satisfactory and improving. Overall, pupils reach above-average standards by the end of Year 2, with the number reaching the higher level in tests matching that found nationally. Good progress is maintained in Years 3, 4 and 5. More frequent checking of pupils' progress is resulting in more reliable end-of-year assessments. Year 5 test results show good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress in mathematics in other year groups is more variable. The school's efforts to raise achievement in mathematics are clearly beginning to have an

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Grade: 2

impact but it recognises that more needs to be done, particularly for the more capable pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils behave well because staff have high expectations of them. Pupils enjoy the many opportunities the school provides to celebrate their achievements. Their spiritual and cultural development is enhanced by their study of other religions. Pupils were fascinated to learn of the Islamic tradition of weighing a newborn baby's hair and giving its weight in gold to a less fortunate family. Pupils' attitudes to learning are good, particularly when they are able to explore and learn for themselves. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy and appreciate the very good range of sporting activities which the school provides for them. They report that the headteacher's 'spot checks' of their packed lunches, with points won or lost for the healthiness of the contents, provides a good incentive for

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Grade: 2

them to eat healthily. Pupils' speaking and listening skills are good because the school provides them with many opportunities to express their views and to explain their thinking. This results in the pupils acquiring good self-confidence, which will serve them well in the future. 3 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Good quality teaching ensures that pupils' progress is good in all year groups. Pupils behave well and pupil and adult relationships are good. Lessons are well planned and teachers usually provide activities which successfully match the needs of pupils of different abilities. However, sometimes the teachers speak to the whole class for too long with the result that pupils have too little time to work on activities at their ability level. Pupils generally enjoy their lessons but they can become restless if the teachers try to teach too much at once. Teaching has improved because teachers are now checking pupils' work more frequently. This has helped them to offer more detailed advice to pupils on how to improve their work. Pupils show good enthusiasm for reading and writing. Their progress in mathematics is improving because of the introduction of activities such as the 'tables club', which leads to greater enthusiasm for the subject.

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Grade: 2

The staff rightly recognise the need to raise their expectations of more- capable pupils, particularly in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum generally meets the needs of pupils well. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities take part fully in all activities because the work set is well matched to their needs and they are well supported by teaching assistants. However, the work provided for more-capable pupils is not always sufficiently challenging. Pupils have many opportunities to talk about their work in pairs and groups, resulting in good improvement in their speaking and listening skills since the last inspection. ICT is now used well to support teaching and engage pupils' interest in learning. Combined with their good progress in reading, this has had a positive effect on their writing skills. Good links with the local playgroup and with the middle school ensure that transition is smooth. The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of sporting opportunities, visits and activities. Residential visits in Years 3 to 5 enliven history and geography lessons and

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Grade: 2

enable pupils to learn and achieve success outside the classroom. Special events, such as cooking the Harvest lunch with donated produce, make a good contribution to the pupils' personal development and enjoyment. The curriculum of the Foundation Stage is good and stimulates children's interest in learning.

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Grade: 2

In this small school community, adults know the pupils very well, with the result that they thrive. Parents comment that their children are happy and feel safe at the school and say that 'they have grown in confidence thanks to the support of the staff and the caring family atmosphere'. Systems to check pupils' progress regularly are now 4 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006 securely in place. They are being used to set individual targets and, as a result, pupils' understanding of their achievements and what they have to do to improve is developing well. Pupils find teachers' marking helpful. Their self-esteem is enhanced by positive encouragement from the staff through compliments, awards and special assemblies.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides strong leadership and is well supported by an enthusiastic and conscientious staff team. The good leadership of the recently qualified Foundation Stage teacher ensures that these pupils make good progress. Parents appreciate the way in which 'staff are professional and approachable and ready to help if a problem arises'. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses and has a clear plan of action to bring about improvements. It now has secure procedures in place to check pupils' progress and to provide support where it is needed. The school needs to raise its expectations of what higher-attaining pupils can achieve, particularly in mathematics, and use its improved assessment information to set itself more challenging targets for improvement. The school works well with parents and other agencies to promote pupils' development. It values the help it has received from the local authority in seeking improvements

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Grade: 2

and support for its current priority to raise achievement in mathematics. Governors are proud of the school and they provide strong support. They are involved in drawing up the school's action plan but are not yet sufficiently rigorous in monitoring how well it is being implemented. 5 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006 .

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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: Broadway First School, 14 November 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 3 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

2 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: Broadway First School, 14 November 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: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We really enjoyed our visit to your school. We particularly enjoyed visiting your classrooms, seeing the work you were doing, and talking with you about your school. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. We found that your school provides you with a good education. Good things about your school • You make good progress in your work and standards are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 5. • You enjoy learning because you are taught well and learn lots of interesting things. • You are well cared for and teachers give you plenty of help to improve your work. • Your attendance is good. You behave well. Generally you enjoy your lessons and get on well with your teachers. • You are rightly proud of the many opportunities you have to take part in sports, visits, productions and many other activities. • Your school is well organised and adults are working hard together to make it even better than it is already.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What we have asked your school to do now • Give more challenging activities to those of you who find your work easy, especially in mathematics. • Use the information it has about how well you are doing to set you challenging targets to work towards, so that you all do as well as you possibly can. We wish you all the best for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Broadway First School, 14 November 2006

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