Brampton Primary School

Inspection Report Brampton Primary School

p.1

132225 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 293990 Inspection number 17 °18 January 2007 Inspection dates Joy Stopher Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

School Board Lane School address Primary Type of school Brampton, Brampton Community School category Chesterfield S40 1DD 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01246 232817 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01246 555751 Fax number 345 Number on roll (school) Mrs Jenny Green Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Martin Finch Headteacher 30 September 2002 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 293990 17 °18 January 2007 3°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 three Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Brampton Primary School has ten classes in addition to a nursery with part time provision for 52 pupils. The Enhanced Resourced Autism Unit takes pupils from a wider area, together with part-time and assessment places. There are currently 12 pupils in the Unit. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above the national average. There is a small proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and a few have English as an additional language. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is below national expectations.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

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

p.3

Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education and is improving rapidly as a result of the outstanding leadership and direction of the headteacher. He has set about improving the quality of teaching and learning with a determination in order to raise achievement. Steps taken to improve the performance of the school and tackle underachievement since the last inspection were inadequate until recently. However, in the last nine months, actions taken have led to a rapid rise in performance so that now the overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory. This is not yet reflected in pupils' achievement in national tests, but the improvement in standards is evident in lessons and in their work. Governors and staff have been made aware of what is needed to bring about change. They have embraced this and now show a determination to raise standards further, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

p.4

Grade: 3

By the time pupils enter Year 1 they have made good progress and have achieved the outcomes expected of them. Pupils in the Autism Unit make at least satisfactory progress and are well integrated into the school. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported by the high number of teaching assistants enabling them to make satisfactory progress. Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. They enjoy coming to school and the overwhelming majority of parents are very supportive of the school's work. Adults work hard to build positive relationships with pupils and help them develop. The outdoor facilities are limited and this has a negative impact on behaviour at breaktimes. The high priority given to the teaching of sport and healthy lifestyles within and outside the curriculum has paid off. Pupils develop a good understanding of how to keep safe and healthy. Many take the opportunity to compete to high standards through sporting

p.4

Grade: 3

clubs. There is evidence that the quality of teaching has improved over the last year; some good and outstanding teaching was observed and most was at least satisfactory. However, this is not consistent throughout the school and a minority of teachers has low expectations of what pupils are able to achieve. In a minority of lessons teaching fails to engage them and their behaviour deteriorates. This slows down the progress they are able to make. The school has introduced effective procedures to monitor the quality of teaching and is taking appropriate action to bring about improvement. Recently, steps have been taken to develop a curriculum which will stimulate pupils and help them enjoy learning. The recent progress made by the school can best be summarised by the words of a parent who wrote 'It is very apparent, since the new head has taken over, that there have been vast improvements''. The headteacher, staff and governors have an accurate

p.4

Grade: 3

understanding of the school's strengths and areas where development is needed. They are fully aware of the need to collect data to ensure that targets for improvement are sufficiently challenging for all pupils. They possess good capacity to take the school 2 Inspection Report: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 forward to its next stage of development and are now being supported effectively by the local authority. The school offers satisfactory value for money.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistent throughout the school. • Raise standards in literacy and numeracy. • Raise expectations about what pupils can achieve and ensure that targets are sufficiently challenging. • Improve behaviour so that it is consistently good.

p.5

Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Children enter the nursery with a wide range of abilities and attainment on entry is below national expectations overall. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage and reach the standards expected of them by the time they enter Year 1. The standards reached in teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have been broadly in line with national averages for a number of years but the school has identified the need to improve writing. Performance in national tests at the end of Year 6 was below average in 2005 and 2006 and the school has taken action to bring about improvement. Pupils are now making satisfactory progress and this is largely due to more effective teaching in Years 5 and 6 and by a consistent focus on literacy and numeracy. Targets are now being set for all pupils based on the available data. They are not always sufficiently

p.5

Grade: 3

challenging. The senior management team is collecting a range of data to improve analysis and target-setting and raise expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils in the Autism Unit make satisfactory or better progress, as do all those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

p.5

Grade: 3

Pupils say they enjoy school and are happy here. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding develops satisfactorily, often from low starting points. In many classrooms behaviour is good and pupils work hard. However, in some classrooms and at break times, the behaviour of some interferes with the learning and enjoyment of others. Attendance has improved recently, greatly helped by the work of the learning mentor. The school is not complacent in its continued attempts to convince parents of the importance of good attendance. Pupils take responsibility for improving school life and the lives of others through the work of the school council, 'playground buddies' and the 'eco-group'. Pupils raise money for charities and entertain others with their school performances. They are prepared satisfactorily for the next stage of their learning and their future lives. 3 Inspection Report: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.5

Grade: 3

Children progress well in the Foundation Stage, where teachers offer lots of hands-on experiences with a good balance of activities directed by adults and opportunities for children to choose independently. These are supported by established routines and high expectations. In Years 1 to 6 teachers get to know pupils well and use assessment information increasingly effectively to plan lessons. Teaching is sometimes good or better. These lessons proceed at a good pace, showing clearly what pupils are to learn and with the right level of interest and challenge. This ensures that pupils make good progress. However, too many lessons are not of this calibre and progress is consequently only satisfactory. This is because work is not matched closely to pupils' needs, pace is slowed by over-long introductions to lessons and consequently the behaviour of some pupils interferes with learning.

p.6

Grade: 3

The school is, rightly, developing a new curriculum to provide more stimulating opportunities to engage pupils' interest and enjoyment and meet their individual needs. Trips out and visitors to school are varied, involving the arts, the parish church and public services. Pupils are beginning to benefit from the use of new interactive whiteboards to develop their information and communication technology (ICT) skills and support their learning in other subjects. Links between subjects are increasingly being made through such items as themed activity days but not enough of these opportunities are being offered to bring learning alive for pupils. The use of carefully thought-out science and personal, social and health education schemes, along with work for the Healthy Schools Award promotes good understanding of healthy lifestyles.

p.6

Grade: 3

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel well cared for and the overwhelming majority of parents agree that this is the case. Full procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and those in the Autism Unit, benefit from having a good number of adults in the classroom who provide effective support. Systems have recently been put in place to track and guide pupils' learning but as yet these are too new to be effective in improving their progress. Pupils report that there is little bullying and have confidence that there is someone they can turn to who will sort out any problems that may occur, for example the headteacher or learning mentor. Some pupils act as 'buddies' at playtimes and other pupils say they do a good job in ensuring that no pupil is left alone. Pupils enjoy running and playing during playtime but there is limited seating to enable them to have some quiet time.

p.6

Grade: 3

4 Inspection Report: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.6

Grade: 3

Since his appointment, the headteacher has provided outstanding leadership for the school and reversed the trend of underachievement. This has been achieved by setting a clear direction for the work of the school, putting systems and policies in place to effect change and by leading by example. Governors, staff and parents are appreciative of the improvements he has made to the school. The rigorous and accurate self-assessment and the improvements made as a result demonstrate the school's capacity to improve. For example, the monitoring of teaching and learning has developed practice and pupils are making better progress. However, improvement has been hampered by the lack of previous data to determine whether accurate and challenging targets have been set for all pupils. The reorganisation of the management structure, the increased involvement of the governing body and the more active role of staff in school improvement, are already

p.7

Grade: 3

beginning to have a positive impact. The deployment of resources and staff has been evaluated effectively and redirected to ensure that teaching and learning are enhanced and that the school provides satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Brampton 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 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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?

3 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: Brampton 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: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 January 2007 Dear Pupils, Brampton Primary School, School Board Lane, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S40 1DD Thank you very much for welcoming Mrs Harvey, Mr Griffiths and me to your school when we visited you. We enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. We were very pleased to hear that you enjoy school and that you are trying to improve your work, particularly in literacy and numeracy. We saw some good work in lessons and in the bright and attractive displays in your classrooms and the corridors. It was good to see that you are learning how to live healthily and to take care of yourselves and that you have lots of opportunities to take part in sports and activities outside lessons. We particularly enjoyed your singing! Mr Finch is a very good headteacher and you have every confidence in him. He is working very hard to improve the school and make sure that you all do as well as you possibly can. He is

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

working closely with staff and governors to find ways to help you learn and make the school as good as it can be. We would like you to help him do this by making sure that you do your very best in lessons and at breaktimes. Your teachers and teaching assistants really care about you and are trying hard to make your lessons interesting and help you improve your work. Sometimes, if your work is too easy, or you don't understand what you have to do, then you don't all behave as well as we know you can. We want to make sure that this doesn't happen anymore. Years 3 to 6 will remember Class 12's really good assembly about 'confidence' and what Mr Finch told you about believing in yourselves. We think he is right and that if you do that, you can do really well in the future. Look after your school and each other! Very best wishes Joy Stopher Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Brampton Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

p.11