Brandesburton Primary School

Brandesburton Primary School Inspection report

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117831 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 290940 Inspection number 20 April 2007 Inspection date Penny Parrish 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 162 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Suzanne Stacey Chair Mrs Rosemary Sadofsky Headteacher 1 November 2002 Date of previous school inspection Main Street School address Brandesburton Driffield East Yorkshire YO25 8RG

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01964 542472 Telephone number 01964 542472 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 20 April 2007 Inspection date 290940 Inspection number .

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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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is smaller than average, situated in a village in rural East Yorkshire. Children’s attainments vary on admission to the Nursery but most attain typical levels for three-year-olds. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average, as is the number identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All pupils are of White British backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Brandesburton is a good school where pupils achieve well. Standards are well above average by Year 6, showing good progress, and exceptionally good progress between Years 2 and 6. This put the school in the top 4% nationally in 2006. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good and their behaviour is outstanding. By Year 6, pupils are articulate, forthcoming, polite and confident, contributing well to lessons and the school community. Pupils attend well and enjoy learning. They say that the work is hard but teachers include fun as well. Pupils have a good awareness of healthy lifestyles and know how to stay safe. Their good academic skills, along with their good personal development and outstanding behaviour, ensure that they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education and for future employment. Good leadership and clarity of purpose by the headteacher have established an ethos where

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Grade: 2

pupils’ learning and good personal development go hand-in-hand. Over the past two years, staff have improved assessment systems well. Pupils are involved well in judging their own work and that of others, identifying clearly their successes and areas for development. This works exceptionally well in the class for the oldest pupils and, along with consistently good and sometimes outstanding teaching, largely explains the exceptional progress at the top end of the school. Although teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and most pupils achieve well, test results are inconsistent. In 2006, results were above the national average in reading but average in writing and mathematics, with few pupils reaching higher levels in writing. Recent improvements in teaching and learning are paying off, however, and standards are consolidating and rising. In the Foundation Stage, teaching and learning are satisfactory; the children achieve the learning

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Grade: 2

goals set nationally for the end of Reception, with many exceeding the goals set for personal development. Although suitable opportunities are found for the children to learn through play, some teaching strategies in the Nursery especially are more suited to older pupils. Throughout the school, standards in writing are not as high as those in reading. The school is making this a priority in its efforts towards improvement. School data show significant success but there is more to be done to consolidate recent improvements and accelerate progress in writing throughout the school. Changes in the senior management team and their roles since the last inspection are now bedding down after a period of change and instability, although very recent staff changes have created further vacancies. Governors and the whole staff team are keen to provide well for pupils and the good improvements in standards and assessment systems since the last inspection

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Grade: 2

show a good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve provision for the children in the Foundation Stage to ensure that arrangements suit their age and learning needs, and enable good progress. • Work to secure good progress in writing throughout the school. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and make good progress in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. By Year 6, standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Children in the Foundation Stage make sound progress and achieve satisfactorily, meeting the goals set nationally for children by the end of Reception and sometimes exceeding them. In Key Stage 1, standards are above average in reading and moving forward from average in writing and mathematics. Most pupils make good progress and achieve well but there have been inconsistencies in test results in the past and this is a time for improvement and consolidation. The school is tackling this well through effective assessment systems and close monitoring of learning. In Key Stage 2, achievement is good for all pupils and they make exceptionally good progress in Year 6, leading to well above average standards. Challenging targets are set and generally exceeded. In English, pupils’ skills in writing are not quite as strong as in reading but the gap

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Grade: 2

is narrowing because of the concentrated effort of staff and pupils. Any differences in the attainment of boys and girls are mostly ironed out by Year 6, although the school recognises that more boys could attain higher levels in writing. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are identified promptly. Their needs are well provided for and, consequently, they achieve well and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. The school values personal development highly and staff provide good role models. Relationships are good and pupils have good attitudes to others and to their work. They are keen to extend their learning. The school’s effective systems for involving them in evaluating their own and others’ work harnesses their enthusiasm and makes a significant contribution to their personal and academic development, especially for the oldest pupils. Children in the Nursery are not involved as frequently as they might be in purposeful discussion and opportunities are sometimes missed to further extend their personal skills. Behaviour is exceptionally good and attendance is above average. Pupils have no hesitation in saying that they enjoy school and feel safe and well cared for. They have a good understanding of the

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Grade: 2

importance of a healthy lifestyle. The elected representatives on the school council play an important role in helping to improve life in school and councillors take the responsibility of representing their peers seriously. The pupils’ good basic skills mean that they are very well prepared for future educational and economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching in each Key Stage is good and is sometimes outstanding for the older pupils. In the Foundation Stage it is satisfactory with some good features. Suitable opportunities are made for the children to learn through play, but especially in the nursery, some teaching strategies are more suited to older pupils. The children, for example, sometimes work unnecessarily in a whole class group with few opportunities for individual discussion, investigation or contributions. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007 Teachers and teaching assistants throughout the school are consistent in the way they manage pupils well and engage their attention. Interesting contexts captivate pupils’ attention, such as the ‘Queen of Questions’ character used to focus pupils’ attention in Years 1 and 2 on the key features of factual texts. Teachers constantly encourage pupils to think about how they

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Grade: 2

learn and ask themselves how they can do better. Pupils are frequently asked to discuss their work, share ideas and help each other. Pupils’ skills in analysing their own work and that of others are impressive in Year 6 and evident in the daily targets these pupils set for themselves. Similar systems are at an earlier stage in other classes. Nonetheless, the interest most teachers show in discussion means that pupils are very receptive to learning through dialogue and analysis across the curriculum. Pupils in Years 3 and 4, for example, became easily involved in animated discussion about why multiples of ten were also multiples of five and what would make a clear definition of a prime number. Assessment is good throughout the school. Pupils’ work is marked well, sometimes by both peers and teachers, and staff and pupils are generally well informed on the next steps for learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad, balanced and adjusted well to suit different age groups and pupils’ differing needs; pupils are challenged well and want to learn. The school is open to innovative ideas and generally takes on relevant national guidance with diligence. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is a weaker element in an otherwise good picture because it insufficiently provides opportunities for children to work independently. Nonetheless the school is focused on the improvement and development of provision for the youngest children as part of the headteacher’s current performance management programme. Staff take care to plan well for mixed age classes to ensure pupils’ good progress. Pupils’ learning is enriched through an interesting programme of visits and visitors to school and by a reasonable range of extra-curricular activities for a small school, including two residential visits for pupils in Key

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Grade: 2

Stage 2. Good links with local schools, colleges and other professionals help to support pupils’ learning and contribute well to their personal and academic development.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good care, guidance and support for pupils. Statutory safeguarding procedures are in place. The school makes essential checks on staff and has effective procedures for child protection, security and for eliminating possible risks. Individual guidance provided for pupils is generally good; the school is strongly committed to enabling learning through clear information for pupils on learning objectives and evidence of success. New systems have been piloted in English and have yet to become established fully in other subjects. Parents are helped to promote their children’s learning through being given helpful information about targets and about individual plans for learning for those with learning difficulties. Pupils readily say that they feel safe and know there is always an adult or another pupil to help. An effective feature of the school’s good support system for pupils are the ‘pre-learning’ sessions set up

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Grade: 2

to introduce small groups of pupils to an area of learning before it is presented to the whole class. Teachers find this promotes confidence where it is sometimes shaky and gives weaker pupils a headstart. The school works well in partnership with other professionals and outside agencies to support pupils’ well-being and learning. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher leads a strongly motivated staff team, committed to providing increasingly well for all pupils, with a clear focus on how children learn best and what good teaching includes. Self-evaluation systems are good and improving, because of consistency in their use and greater rigour within overall assessments in the Foundation Stage. The school has a clear picture of what needs to be done to strengthen its provision. The school has rightly earned the confidence of the great majority of parents, showing good improvement since the last inspection. There is a waiting list for admission to most year groups. The governing body has improved its capacity for evaluation and, with open and honest information provided by the headteacher, is well informed on the school’s undoubted successes but also its areas for development. Good improvements in the accommodation, staff

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Grade: 2

appointments and relationships with parents since the last inspection owe much to the perseverance of the governing body. The significant improvements in standards evident by Year 6 demonstrate the school’s good capacity for sustained development. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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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? 3 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

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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 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 April 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Brandesburton Primary School, Driffield, YO25 8RG Thank you very much for the friendly welcome you gave to me during the inspection. I enjoyed being in your school and was pleased to find that you enjoy being at your school too. I think it is a good school. Your behaviour was excellent and I noticed that you are kind and polite to each other, as well as to visitors. I liked the way your teachers help you to learn well and to grow into such thoughtful and sensible people. Your teachers are usually good at choosing ways to make lessons interesting and encouraging you to do your best. They have helped you to understand very well what you need to do to improve your work. Some of the children in Year 6 hardly need a teacher to tell them anymore! I liked the way the staff listens to what you have to say and I think the school council works hard to make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I was impressed by the standards you reach by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. A special thank you to the pupils who talked to me about their work and showed me that you learn all you should in information and communication technology (ICT). I think the ways your school could get even better are: • by making some improvements in the arrangements for the children in the Foundation Stage (the Nursery and Reception classes) • improving writing even more for pupils right through the school, and making sure these standards are kept up. I know you will continue to work very hard with the teaching staff as they help you to get even better with your writing. Yours sincerely Mrs Penny Parrish Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Brandesburton Primary School, 20 April 2007

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