Broughton Moor Primary School

Broughton Moor Primary School Inspection report

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112129 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 310791 Inspection number 10 °11 July 2008 Inspection dates Derek Sleightholme 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 58 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Bell Chair Mrs Kuldip McMullan Headteacher 1 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Broughton Moor School address Maryport Cumbria CA15 7RZ 01900 812433 Telephone number 01900 812433 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 10 °11 July 2008 Inspection dates 310791 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small rural village school. All pupils are from a White British background. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The number with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. All those with teaching and leadership responsibilities are new to the school since the previous inspection.

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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: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. ‘Broughton Moor School gives my child a good standard of education’ is a typical comment that reflects most parents’ high regard for the effectiveness of the school. The headteacher works enthusiastically with staff and governors to set clear priorities for the school’s development. Working as an effective team they have made good progress in implementing the vision of Broughton Moor as ‘Moving forward together to ensure continued school improvement’. The ability of pupils varies markedly from year to year. Because of this, standards are variable. All pupils achieve well compared to their starting points. Staffing difficulties that have affected pupils in Reception, Years 1 and 2 have been resolved and pupils are now making good progress. Their progress is better in English than in mathematics because the good model set for promoting literacy skills across all subjects has yet to be followed in mathematics. Current standards are

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Grade: 2

broadly average in Year 2 and above average in Year 6. The improvement in standards, especially in the main subjects, helps pupils prepare well to cope with life ahead. Pupils’ personal development and well-being and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Pupils say they feel safe at school because they benefit from good care and support. They form good relationships, enjoy taking responsibility and behave well. Pupils know what constitutes a good diet and that exercise helps them stay fit and healthy. They contribute well to the school and local community. Pupils were recently thrilled to perform song and dance routines from the musical ‘Joseph’ to a very appreciative audience. Attendance is average. Teaching is consistently good. Good acquisition of writing skills typifies the good curriculum the school provides. Pupils are becoming more independent in their learning and confident in

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Grade: 2

self-assessing their progress. They receive good personal guidance and are set challenging targets. Leadership, management and governance are good. By using exemplary self-evaluation practices leaders have an accurate picture of the school. This helps them set clear priorities for further improvement. Good links, including partnerships with other small schools, have impacted well on pupils’ learning. Governance is good. The school provides good value for money.

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Grade: 3

Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Children enter the Reception year with skills that are typical for their age. Numbers are small and standards vary from year-to-year. School assessments show current Reception children have made satisfactory progress and most have reached the expected goals. Temporary staffing issues have recently been resolved. Teaching is now good and children are making quicker progress in all areas of learning. Children are settled because they are well cared for. Transition arrangements with Year 1 are effective because reception children mix daily with these older pupils. Pupils in Year 1 benefit from experiencing additional early learning approaches. Indoors, pupils access a good balance between activities led by adults and those children select for themselves. The outer area offers fewer learning opportunities and this restricts the range of curriculum experiences that children can access independently. The

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Grade: 3

recently appointed Foundation Stage leader has started to draw up plans for further improvement 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008 of provision. Teamwork is good, staff are well trained and responsibilities appropriately devolved. Links with parents are good and assessment practices are well established.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in other subjects.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the learning experiences of the outer area for Reception children.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. Current Year 2 standards are broadly average. This small cohort of pupils entered Year 1 with starting points that were average. These pupils have only had one term to benefit from the current good teaching so school assessments do not yet reflect their current good progress. Standards of pupils currently in Year 6 are above average in English and science and average in mathematics. As this small cohort of pupils attained average results at the end of Year 2 they have achieved well. Small year groups, sometimes as low as four pupils, leads to inflated variation in standards. The standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 6 were average in 2005, below average in 2006 and average in 2007. All pupils achieve equally well. This is because teaching is now consistently good and school leaders have been resolute in promoting raising standards as the main school priority. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because they benefit

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Grade: 2

from additional support that is sensitively matched to their individual needs.

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Grade: 2

In their time at school pupils become well-balanced, reflective and responsible individuals. During celebration assemblies pupils reflect on their own, and others’ successes. One described performing in front of parents as ‘giving me a bit of a boost’ while another commented ‘they were all smiling at us!’ Pupils value regular exercise. Daily ‘Freddie Fit’ sessions, led by Year 6 pupils, have helped the school gain the Activemark. Pupils feel safe because they know that, if they are troubled, they can turn to an adult who will understand their problems. Pupils have a good awareness of personal safety including potential dangers when accessing the Internet. Most enjoy school. They promptly identify favourite lessons such as writing. Several talk enthusiastically about improving their games skills through attending school clubs. The school and the villagers benefit from the pupils’ good community activities. Those serving as school councillors accept this duty

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Grade: 2

responsibly. Council meetings, managed by pupils, are business-like occasions. Good progress in acquiring key skills helps to ensure pupils are well prepared to cope with life ahead. Attendance is satisfactory. It was above average in 2007 but has dipped this year due to sickness affecting a considerable number of pupils.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Good planning ensures that individual needs are met. Drawing on good subject knowledge, teaching effectively links learning in subjects such as English and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008 science. This is one reason why, by Year 6, pupils gain above average results in these subjects. Pupils are well managed and lessons often proceed at a brisk pace. Effective use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning experiences. Teaching skilfully sets the tone for learning by challenging pupils to produce good quality work. Pupils know the quality of their work should be at least match the level expected for their age. Occasionally, teaching is less successful at meeting pupils’ individual needs and the pace of learning slows. For example, a mathematical investigation lost momentum due to insufficient

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Grade: 2

opportunities for pupils to use practical resources. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own progress by checking their work at the end of lessons. Younger pupils use simple signals such as ‘thumbs up’; older pupils use written checklists.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets requirements. High priority is given to the main subjects but this is balanced well with appealing work in the humanities, arts projects and learning French. A strength of the curriculum is the way that pupils are extending their literacy skills during their learning in other subjects. During a history topic pupils wrote letters of application for posts in the Ancient Egyptian construction industry. A curriculum weakness is that similar opportunities are not taken to improve numeracy skills. The school is aware of this and has identified action as part of its development planning. The curriculum is enhanced well through special projects and extra-curricular clubs. These are effective in contributing to pupils’ good personal development. Those taking part in the music and drama Rock Challenge were awarded the ‘best interpretation of a story’ for their sequence featuring Indian culture. A popular range of school clubs helps pupils improve their sporting

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Child protection, safeguarding and risk assessment procedures are in place and meet requirements. All staff contribute well as they implement the well-established daily routines. The school provides good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants are skilled in delivering literacy and numeracy intervention programmes. They assess progress carefully and update records diligently. Pupils with specific needs benefit from the good professional partnerships that are established with external agencies. Provision of academic guidance to pupils is good. Pupils know their individual targets. Regular marking and prompt feedback in lessons guides pupils clearly on what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance, are good. The headteacher, through her enthusiastic leadership, establishes a strong sense of teamwork. Effective leadership has resulted in higher 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008 standards, better behaviour and personal development and more accurate tracking of pupils’ progress. This represents good improvement since the previous inspection. School leaders are able to accurately judge the school’s effectiveness because the responsibility for self-evaluation is shared widely. The annual ‘Self Evaluation Form evening’ provides an excellent opportunity for staff and governors to jointly evaluate the progress made and to focus on future improvements. The headteacher’s meticulous attention to compiling a wide range of reliable evidence, especially from pupils and their parents, ensures those attending this event are very well informed.

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Grade: 2

Leaders are ambitious for further success, setting challenging targets and in their longer-term vision of extending links with parents through a virtual learning environment. Governors provide good support and hold the school to account well. The school has a good capacity for further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008 .

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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: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008

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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 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Broughton Moor Primary School, Cumbria, CA15 7RZ Thank you for helping me when I visited your school. You were friendly and helpful. I enjoyed visiting your classrooms, looking at your work on display and in your books and talking to you about your school. You attend a good school. It is a happy and smiley place to be. You behave well and you attend when you can. Your enthusiasm for ‘Freddie Fit’ convinced me you have a good understanding of the importance of being healthy and staying fit. You told me how you are alert to danger and how to get help. The school takes good care of you. I know you enjoy your lessons. Many of you told me how much you enjoy writing and I observed you working hard at this skill in lessons. Your school councillors make sure you have a good say in making the school better and your school governors told me how much they value your views. Teaching is good. This helps you to make good progress. By Year 6 most of you have reached

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

above average standards. In order to help you improve your numeracy skills I have suggested that you have better opportunities to practise these skills in lessons covering other subjects. I have also suggested the Reception children are provided with better ways of learning when they are outdoors. I know the school leaders are keen to make even more improvements to your school. You can help by continuing to work hard in lessons. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see your performance of ‘Joseph’. I really enjoyed the singing and dancing and I know your parents and the staff are very proud of you. I wish you and the staff the very best for the future. Derek Sleightholme Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Moor Primary School, 10 °11 July 2008

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