Broomhaugh (VA) Church of England First School

Inspection Report Broomhaugh Church of England First School

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122285 Unique Reference Number Northumberland LEA 294785 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr Brian Dower Reporting inspector

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

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Church Lane School address First Type of school Riding Mill Voluntary aided School category Northumberland, NE44 6DR 4 to 9 Age range of pupils 01434 682374 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01434 682374 Fax number 55 Number on roll Ms Susie Troup Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Jen Stephenson Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294785 15 June 2006 - 4 to 9 16 June 2006 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Broomhaugh Church of England First is a small, rural school. The majority of pupils are White British but a very small number have mixed heritage backgrounds. The school is in the Northumberland ward of Broomhaugh and Riding and serves a village community and outlying homes. There is a below average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school caters for pupils of all ability levels but overall attainment on entry to the Reception Year is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Broomhaugh Church of England First School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Broomhaugh Church of England First is a good school with outstanding features and this matches the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. The care the school affords its pupils, the steps it takes to increase their confidence and self-esteem, the way pupils are sensitive to each other’s needs, and the excellent relationships throughout the school, are all exemplary. Pupils’ achievement and personal development and well-being are good. Pupils attain above average standards. Leadership, management and governance are good. The headteacher has made an outstanding contribution to the school’s development over the last three years. Parents are justified in the confidence they have in the school and it is held in high esteem. Children settle quickly and develop well in their first year in the school because of the very good provision in the Foundation Stage. They make good progress and they all reach, and

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Grade: 2

many exceed, the early learning goals by the end of Reception. Overall, pupils enjoy their work, feel safe and secure and make good progress. Teaching and learning are good. The school is well staffed with skilled and committed teachers who are effectively supported in their work by equally able assistants and ancillary staff. The school recognises the need to improve the creative side of the curriculum, and to establish closer links with the pre-school year, with a particular emphasis on the development of pupils’ literacy, numeracy and social skills. All staff and the supportive governors work effectively together and this, together with the significant improvements since the previous inspection, places the school in a strong position to move forward. Value for money is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Create stronger links between the pre-school and Reception Years to achieve greater continuity in the development of children’s literacy, numeracy and social skills. • Develop further the creative aspects of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards are above average. The school sets challenging targets for the small number of pupils in each year and these are met. All children reach the nationally agreed early learning goals by the end of the Reception Year and many exceed them. The progress they make in the Foundation Stage is good. Standards in the 2005 national tests at the end of Year 2 were above average, a pattern of attainment consistent with the standards of recent years. The quality of the work seen in Year 2 during the inspection was also high. The school’s monitoring and use of reliable assessments show that a large group of pupils in Year 4 have reached standards which are higher than expected nationally. Achievement is therefore consistently good throughout the school. Boys and girls attain equally well and the few pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities progress at the same rate as their peers. By the

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Broomhaugh Church of England First School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 time they leave school, the pupils have above average literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. This is because of the confidence and self-esteem the school gives them and the sensitivity they show for others’ feelings. These are outstanding features of the school’s work. Christian values are at the heart of this close knit and harmonious community and pupils know right from wrong. They feel secure in the school and have the freedom to play together in safe, open and beautiful grounds. They protect and improve that environment through the work of the eco committee. Pupils behave extremely well, attend school regularly and thoroughly enjoy all that the school has to offer, including the extra-curricular activities and visits. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and they have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise. The school actively encourages pupils’ participation in decision making

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Grade: 2

through the work of the school council. Their good basic skills and their personal qualities equip them well for the next stage of their education and ultimately for success in life. Overall, community involvement is good.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, with some outstanding features. Pupils learn well because relationships throughout the school are excellent and the needs of each child are understood by every adult working in the school. Experienced and skilled classroom assistants work effectively in supporting the learning of individuals and groups. Pupils know how well they are doing and they are guided on what to do to get better. The marking and assessment of pupils’ work is thorough and it is used to plan future lessons and to target support where it is needed most. Teachers have very good subject knowledge and they plan well to meet the needs of the different age and ability groups in each class. They have high expectations of the pupils and challenge them to give of their best but this is tempered with a supportive and caring approach in the classroom. Every effort is made to make learning fun and to involve pupils actively.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are enthusiastic about using the interactive whiteboards in their classrooms and the school is looking at ways to extend the use of such a resource to raise standards further.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and there is a wide range of extra-curricular activities and visits to extend pupils’ understanding and enjoyment of their work. There is good provision 3 Inspection Report: Broomhaugh Church of England First School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 for developing pupils’ basic skills and for extending their knowledge of the world around them. The Foundation Stage curriculum covers all the required areas of learning and combines whole class, group and independent learning extremely well. The school provides a high quality, structured personal, social, health, emotional and citizenship curriculum. Every effort is made to develop pupils’ awareness that they live in a multi-cultural society and that there are diverse faiths in Britain. The school now has the development of the creative aspects of the curriculum as a priority in its improvement plan. It is also looking at ways to enhance pupils’ understanding and

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Grade: 2

This aspect of the school’s work is good but there are elements which are outstanding. The care afforded to every child is exemplary, as is the support provided to those who are vulnerable or who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Christian values underpin everything the school does to guide each boy and girl. Every adult working in the school is committed to the pupils’ welfare. Child protection procedures are well established and understood; they are used appropriately by all staff. Risk assessments are carried out to ensure that pupils work and play safely. The school has an effective system for tracking pupils’ progress over time and for giving additional help when weaknesses are identified. There are good links with the local middle schools to ease pupils’ transition to the next stage of their education. The school is exploring ways to improve the links with the pre-school year to ensure

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Grade: 2

greater continuity of curriculum progression with the Reception Year.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides excellent leadership and is responsible for the community’s increased confidence in, and support for, the school over the last three years. She has very effective and committed teachers, classroom assistants and ancillary staff working with her, and morale in the school is high. Hence the above average standards and pupils’ good academic and personal achievements. Equality of opportunity is strongly promoted and every child matters. The school knows its strengths and what it needs to do to improve and it takes on board the opinions of all, including those of parents and pupils. There is no complacency and teachers regularly share with each other ways to improve their classroom practice. Governance is good. Governors know the school well and are its enthusiastic advocates. They are involved in evaluating its performance and in shaping its future direction.

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Grade: 2

The school is very well staffed. There is an appropriate range of good quality resources to support pupils’ learning and they are used to secure good value for money. There have been significant improvements since the last inspection, particularly in placing the school again at the centre of the local community and in increasing the roll. The school’s capacity to improve further is good. 4 Inspection Report: Broomhaugh Church of England First School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Broomhaugh Church of England First School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Overall

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

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

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

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 To the pupils of: Broomhaugh Church of England First School Church Lane Riding Mill Northumberland NE44 6DR 17 June 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for the courtesy and welcome you extended to me during my recent visit to your school. I appreciated the time several of you gave to talk to me about your work and the many activities available to you outside of lessons. You are working hard and making good progress. Your school does many things well. Standards are high. You have the skills and personal qualities which will enable you to succeed in life. Working relationships are very good and you have respect for each other and the staff. You are well cared for, feel safe and secure in school and enjoy your work. There are two things to work on to make your education even better: your school wants to work more closely with the pre-school year to help children transfer to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the Reception Year while you are already given lots of opportunities to be creative, your teachers want to develop this further. You work in a beautiful environment. You appreciate what it has to offer and you know how to care for it. Continue to enjoy your education and your play together. I wish you and your school every success in the future. Yours sincerely Brian Dower Inspector

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