Bawtry Mayflower Primary School

Bawtry Mayflower Primary School Inspection report

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106737 Unique Reference Number Doncaster Local Authority 309217 Inspection number 19 °20 November 2007 Inspection dates Peter Howard 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 245 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Angela Scott Chair Mrs Julie Jenkinson Headteacher 8 December 2003 Date of previous school inspection Station Road School address Bawtry Doncaster South Yorkshire DN10 6PU 01302 710721 Telephone number 01302 719887 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 19 °20 November 2007 Inspection dates 309217 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Bawtry Mayflower is situated in an area of broadly average social and economic circumstances. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. A very large majority of pupils are White British and few pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The school achieved Activemark in 2006 and the Roy Castle Clean Air Award in 2007. Since the previous inspection there have been a number of staff changes, including a new deputy headteacher in January 2006 and headteacher in September 2007.

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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: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Children enter Nursery with skills and knowledge that are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They leave Year 6 having attained average standards and their achievement is satisfactory. Within this generally positive picture, the school's national test results have showed some signs of worsening in recent years, particularly in respect to the progress made in English by pupils in Years 3 to 6. A contributory factor to this has been a high degree of staffing difficulties, which the school has now resolved. The headteacher has come to a quick understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development and has implemented a programme of change to address continuing issues in school. Staff have responded very positively to these measures. The school displays a strong commitment to moving forward and parents give the school considerable support.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory and improving. Teachers are becoming increasingly aware of what they need to do to accelerate pupils' learning. However, not all lessons are sufficiently exciting to motivate pupils and provide them with sufficient opportunities to be active learners. In addition, although teachers' understanding of what pupils know and can do is improving, they do not always make good use of this information when they plan pupils' work. As a result, work is not always well matched to pupils' needs and consequently their progress is inconsistent. As a result of the high priority given to raising standards in English and mathematics, there is a strong focus on these subjects. The school is soon to introduce a revised curriculum that will extend links between subjects and enhance pupils' opportunities to study the wider curriculum in more depth. However, there are currently insufficient opportunities to practise the basic

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Grade: 3

skills of English, particularly writing, in other subjects. Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Relationships between staff and children are good. This gives pupils confidence and underpins their good behaviour. Pupils are attentive in lessons, generally keen to learn and they enjoy school, particularly those lessons that engage their interest. They are developing a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Pupils value a range of opportunities to take responsibility, for example their role in the recently established school council. Attendance is good. This is a caring school, where pupils feel listened to and adults give their welfare a high priority. Academic guidance is satisfactory and appropriate steps are being taken to improve it further. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Senior leaders have a good understanding of the issues that need to be addressed and the steps necessary to secure further improvement. Subject

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Grade: 3

leaders are increasingly aware of how they can contribute to this process. Governors are committed to the school and governance is satisfactory. While appropriate strategies are being implemented to improve provision, it is too early to judge their effectiveness. In this context, the school's capacity to improve is satisfactory. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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Grade: 3

When children enter Nursery their skills and knowledge are broadly typical for their age. Children settle in well due to the good support they receive from staff. They make satisfactory progress in Nursery and Reception, where secure foundations for future learning and personal development are established. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007 Children are well behaved, sociable and responsive. Although they are encouraged to become active learners right from the start, not enough is done to promote independence through class organisation. Teaching is satisfactory, providing a range of worthwhile activities for all areas of learning. The provision for outdoor play is restricted by the limited space and lack of resources such as climbing equipment. Activities are well organised, although assessment is not always precise enough to ensure that tasks in the Reception class build on what has been learned in

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Grade: 3

Nursery. Foundation Stage leadership is satisfactory. The quality and range of assessments has been reviewed and improvements put in place. A more consistent approach to teaching phonics is being introduced. However, it is early days and the impact of these developments on children's achievement has yet to be seen.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve achievement, particularly in English in Years 3 to 6.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teaching to make sure that all pupils are motivated to become actively involved in their learning. ■ Make better use of information from assessments to ensure that work more closely matches pupils' needs. ■ Provide more opportunities to practise the basic skills of English, particularly writing, in other subjects. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

The standards attained by pupils are average and their achievement is satisfactory. When they enter Year 1, pupils' attainment is broadly in line with national expectations. Pupils make satisfactory progress during Years 1 and 2. Despite some evidence of falling standards in recent years, at the end of Year 2 pupils attain broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. For some years, standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 have been average. A dip in national test results in 2006 reflected the prior learning of the pupils taking the test and the impact of staffing turbulence on that group of pupils. Standards in these subjects returned to the average in 2007. Given their starting points, pupils make satisfactory progress throughout school, although in recent years, progress in English in Years 3 to 6 has worsened. A range of appropriate strategies has been implemented to raise standards

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Grade: 3

and improve the rate of pupils' progress. These include the introduction of a more systematic approach to teaching phonics, a comprehensive strategy to teach writing and a revised approach to teaching calculation. However, it is too soon to judge their impact. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive effective and sometimes good support, and they make satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are satisfactory. Relationships in school are good. Older pupils are caring towards 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007 those younger, for example when older children serve lunch. Assemblies provide valuable opportunities for pupils to reflect about their own lives and the world around them, but there are insufficient opportunities to learn about those with cultures and beliefs different from their own. Pupils show a good understanding of how to stay healthy through their choices at lunchtime and their enthusiasm for physical exercise. Behaviour is good and the large majority of pupils adhere to the class rules, which they help to set. Occasionally, there is some inattentiveness in lessons, especially when the teaching doesn't engage pupils' interest. Pupils are generally proud

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Grade: 3

of their school, enjoy their work and their attendance is good. Pupils are learning to take responsibility, for example by acting as playground leaders or undertaking supervised office duties, such as answering the telephone. The school council meets regularly and pupils value the opportunity to discuss their ideas about the school. Pupils' involvement in the community and preparation for the next stage of learning are satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Teachers work hard, give each other good support and work well as a team. They are enthusiastically implementing a range of recently introduced strategies intended to accelerate pupils' learning, but insufficient time has elapsed to establish the consistently good teaching that the school is working towards. Teachers generally start lessons well by explaining to pupils what they are expected to learn, but lessons are not always well planned to motivate and involve pupils in their work. Improved systems to record assessments of pupils' work are giving teachers a better understanding of the progress pupils are making. This, in turn, is helping teachers to develop a fuller understanding of how their teaching impacts on pupils' progress. However, although teachers now have a much better understanding of what pupils know and can do, this information is not used with sufficient accuracy. As a result, pupils are not always given work

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Grade: 3

that closely meets their needs and this slows their rate of learning.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum provides a strong focus on English and mathematics as the school seeks to raise standards in these subjects. There are some meaningful links made between subjects, for example in themed curriculum weeks, such as 'space' week, and exciting plans to introduce a new, skills-based curriculum in January 2008. However, as yet, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to practise the basic skills of English, particularly writing, in other subjects. The school enriches the curriculum with a satisfactory range of additional features such as clubs for football, basketball, gardening, recorders and choir. Pupils benefit greatly from the range of visits that enhance and extend the curriculum, such as a recent visit to see Hamlet to support work about William Shakespeare. There are also residential visits, for example to an outdoor centre, that are invaluable in supporting new strategies to further develop pupils'

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Grade: 3

confidence and social skills, which have been recently introduced.

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Grade: 3

Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that, in the event of a problem arising, there are adults they could go to for help. They are given a good range of opportunities to learn how to 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007 keep themselves safe, for example through lessons on the dangers of drugs, the input of visitors to school who talk about rail safety and through off-site visits to learn about the emergency services. There are appropriate arrangements to ensure pupils' health and safety. Although there is good care for pupils, academic guidance is satisfactory. Systems for setting individual pupil targets for improvement are being introduced, but are in the early stages of development. However, for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities helpful individual education plans are used well to support their learning.

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Grade: 3

The new headteacher, with good support from the deputy headteacher, has quickly gained an understanding of the factors that have contributed to those aspects of declining standards and progress in recent years. The school's self-evaluation is accurate and senior leaders are working effectively to ensure that it is shared and understood by all staff and governors. Teachers talk with enthusiasm about the difference they are seeking to make to their pupils' learning. Subject leaders are developing a good understanding of how standards in their subjects might be raised and are beginning to implement a range of strategies, particularly in English and mathematics, to that effect. Governors demonstrate a strong commitment to the school, but are not sufficiently aware of its strengths and areas for development. Revised systems for planning improvement, incorporating increasingly challenging targets, provide an effective platform for

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Grade: 3

improvement. While these strategies are well judged, it is too early to evaluate their effectiveness. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

3 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: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, Bawtry DN10 6PU The inspectors who visited your school recently would like to thank you for your polite and friendly welcome. We really enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. We have found that yours is a satisfactory school. The adults in school look after you well and you told us that you feel safe in school. We liked the way older children looked after younger ones, for example during lunchtime. When we visited your classrooms, we were impressed by how most of you behaved well and listened to your teachers. Many of you say you enjoy school, particularly lessons where you are doing interesting work, as well as the clubs and other activities. Your attendance is good. You are learning to take responsibility and get on well with each other. Most of you are doing reasonably well in your learning, but we think many of you could do even better. The adults in school are already working hard to improve your school. We have suggested some

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

things for them to do that will help them, and you, to do this.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you increase the progress you make, especially in English in Years 3 to 6.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that you are encouraged to be active in your learning so that you can make good progress in all lessons. ■ Make sure that they use the information they have about how well you are doing to plan work which is just right to help you learn even more. ■ Give you more opportunities to practise your writing in other subjects, such as science, history and geography. You can help too, by trying your best and working hard in every lesson. We wish you all the best for the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Bawtry Mayflower Primary School, 19 °20 November 2007

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