Borrow Wood Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 28 Mar 2008

Borrow Wood Junior School Inspection report

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112975 Unique Reference Number City of Derby LA Local Authority 311074 Inspection number 27 °28 March 2008 Inspection dates Stephen Walker 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 220 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr A J Ellis Chair Mrs Helen Hough Headteacher 29 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Arundel Drive School address Spondon Derby DE21 7QW 01332 662826 Telephone number 01332 664929 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 27 °28 March 2008 Inspection dates 311074 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

Borrow Wood Junior School is average in size compared to other junior schools. It is situated in Spondon on the eastern edge of Derby. Although the majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds, there are is very small proportion from minority ethnic groups. Most pupils start at school with levels of knowledge and understanding that are above average for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The school has been awarded the Healthy School Award, the Music Quality Mark, the Artsmark Silver, the Activemark and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Borrow Wood Junior School is a good school. It has some outstanding features. The headteacher provides dynamic and forward-looking leadership that is guiding improvements in the school well. Parents, teachers and governors greatly respect and share her focused approach to promoting good behaviour, enjoyment in learning and high levels of care and attainment for all pupils. The school is popular and parents speak highly of it. One parent wrote, 'We are very pleased with the school and would definitely recommend it to other parents.' All groups of pupils make good progress during their time at the school. Most pupils leave Year 6 with standards significantly above the national average. The personal development of the pupils is outstanding mainly because of the very high quality of care and guidance they receive. The majority of children behave exceptionally well and act as excellent representatives of the

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Grade: 2

school. Attendance and punctuality are extremely good. Pupils enjoy their time at school immensely and develop into very positive and friendly individuals. There are excellent systems of care throughout the school, which support the pupils effectively and prepare them well for secondary education. Teaching is good with some examples of outstanding practice. Effective teaching methods actively engage pupils in the lessons. There is a collaborative approach amongst the staff and a general openness to share good instructional practice. There is a very good system in place to track pupils' progress in order to identify underachievement. While, this is used well, the school has identified that it wants to make its practice even sharper so that all staff consistently use the assessment information fully to inform their planning. The curriculum is good with a wide variety of enrichment experiences. There are considerable

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Grade: 2

opportunities for active learning and working together in pairs and groups. Display work in the classrooms and corridors provides a stimulating environment for learning. Leadership and management are good. Governors support the headteacher and leadership team well and fully involve themselves in the strategic development of the school. The school development plan is a good working document but the school priorities are not specifically driving the action plans for all subjects. The school greatly values the non-teaching staff who provide good support for the pupils. There are excellent links with the local infant and secondary schools as well as the schools within the local area. The school is effective in identifying key areas for development and is accurate in its own self-evaluation. The school has addressed all the issues in the last inspection and standards in science are now very high. Borrow Wood Junior

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Grade: 2

School has good capacity to improve even further as it moves towards the next stage of its development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teachers consistently use assessment information to support their planning and to help pupils make even better progress . ■ Develop further the school development planning so that whole school priorities are included in the subject action plans. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 2

By the time the pupils leave the school, standards are significantly above average, which represents good progress. National test results for Year 6 pupils in English and mathematics are above average and exceptionally high in science. The large majority of pupils gain at least the expected level in these three key subjects and a high number gain the higher grades. Progress overall is good and is particularly significant in mathematics and science. The school is effectively extending the writing skills of the boys. The tracking system for progress identifies underachieving pupils, who receive good support through a range of intervention strategies. Additional support for pupils with additional learning needs ensures that they also make consistently good progress. Pupils make good progress in art, where standards are above expectations. Evidence of pupils' work seen during the inspection demonstrates that most

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Grade: 2

classes are making good progress during the current year.

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Grade: 1

The school is a friendly and safe environment in which pupils show respect towards each other and the staff. Behaviour is exceptionally good in and beyond the classroom and pupils display very positive attitudes to learning and their school. Pupils greatly appreciate the commendations they receive for 'excellent learning' and good behaviour. The encouragement and praise from teachers supports the confidence and politeness of the pupils. Pupils successfully adopt healthy lifestyles and take part in a range of sporting activities. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils are sensitive towards the feelings of others, and show a good understanding of right and wrong. There are very good opportunities for reflection in classes and assemblies. Pupils take on responsibilities within the school as well as helping in the local infant school. They regularly raise money for charities and

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Grade: 1

sing in the local nursing homes. They appreciate the chance to share their ideas for improvement through the school council including the development of the play area and nature reserve. They thoroughly enjoy coming to school and attendance is excellent.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is effective and so pupils make good progress in their learning. Teachers place a high emphasis on developing the basic skills of the pupils. There is an effective use of time because teachers expect pupils to complete tasks quickly and accurately. Teachers use a variety of appropriate methods including discussion sessions and questioning which deepen pupils' understanding. Pupils regularly evaluate their success against agreed criteria. For example, in an outstanding lesson, writing criteria were used extremely thoughtfully to develop pupils' knowledge of their successes. Pupils who are from minority ethnic groups are supported well and so they make good progress. Pupils who exceed expectations or who find learning difficult are effectively identified and supported appropriately. However, the use of assessment to inform teachers' planning in some classes is not as good as the best practice in the school.

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because it places a high emphasis on developing pupils' literacy, numeracy, science, information, and communication technology skills. The 'Big Writing' project is having a positive impact on pupils' writing skills and their enjoyment of learning. There are good links between the different subject areas. High quality displays around the school celebrate pupils' achievements successfully in many subjects including design and technology and art. Pupils with additional learning needs are carefully identified and individual education plans support their learning particularly well. Gifted and talented pupils are identified appropriately and the local secondary school supports the school well in providing additional enrichment activities. Pupils' personal, social and health education is successfully promoted through a well-planned programme of study that supports the school's philosophy. A wide range of

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Grade: 2

outings, a residential visit and clubs are well supported and greatly appreciated by the pupils.

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Grade: 1

The excellent levels of dedication given by all staff ensure that pupils receive outstanding care, guidance and support. There are very good systems in place to ensure that pupils are safe and well looked after. This allows pupils to develop into very mature young people. Pupils are encouraged to lead healthy lives effectively and take safety issues seriously. The school works carefully to safeguard pupils and all relevant procedures meet requirements. Arrangements to settle pupils into the school are very good, whether they join in Year 3 or at any other time. Pupils who arrive part way through the taught year are supported well and they achieve successfully. The system to track pupils' progress is extremely good and has a positive effect on pupils' progress. An excellent annual assessment report for each year group analyses the pupils' strengths and areas for development in depth and is shared very thoughtfully with

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is constantly encouraging and enabling all staff to work together in the interests of the pupils. The leadership team are working energetically and creatively to provide a strong impetus for improvement across the school. Revised systems of monitoring are having a positive impact on standards of teaching and pupils' progress. The school development plan is a good working document with clear action plans and monitoring arrangements. Nevertheless, the action plans for all subjects do not always include the whole school priorities. The school is very effective in recruiting talented teachers and there is a good programme of professional development. Support staff are valued and well integrated into the school. Governors are well informed about the school's progress and areas for development. They are very supportive of the headteacher and staff. They monitor progress well and are individually linked to specific

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Grade: 2

subject areas. The school is setting challenging targets to raise standards in the school. The budget is managed well and the school provides good value for money. There is a real commitment 'to bringing success to all.' 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 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? 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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?

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 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 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 March 2008 Dear Pupils, Borrow Wood Junior School, Derby, DE21 7QW Thank you for making us so welcome and talking to us during the inspection. We really enjoyed watching your lessons and looking at your work. It was also good to see you in the assemblies receiving those awards for excellent learning and good behaviour. Your singing was brilliant and it really made a very positive start to the day. We know that your parents and carers are very pleased with the educational standards at the school. This letter is to tell you what we think of your school. Really positive things about your school include the fact that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you try hard and do very well in Year 6 tests

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you behave very well and take care of one another

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are friendly, confident and polite

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you enjoy school and your attendance is excellent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the teachers are successful in making the lessons interesting

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ there are many extra activities at the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the school is tidy and the classrooms are very attractive

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are well prepared for secondary school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked Mrs Hough, the staff and the governors to do the following things to make the school even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help all the teachers to use the test information even more effectively to highlight the specific areas where you need extra help ■ make sure that the plans for each subject include the key priorities for the whole school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Keep working hard and enjoying the many things you do at Borrow Wood Junior School. You are very lucky to attend such a good school, which firmly believes in 'bringing success to all.' We would like to wish you success in your future education. With very best wishes, Stephen Walker Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Borrow Wood Junior School, 27 °28 March 2008

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