Broadlea Primary School

Broadlea Primary School Inspection report

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118175 Unique Reference Number Isle of Wight Local Authority 312833 Inspection number 1 °2 July 2008 Inspection dates Beryl Richmond 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 °9 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 184 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Winter Chair Mrs Lorraine Armstrong (Acting) Headteacher 25 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Berry Hill School address Lake Sandown PO36 9LH 01983 403179 Telephone number 01983 406097 Fax number

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4-9 Age group 1 °2 July 2008 Inspection dates 312833 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

Broadlea is a small school. An above average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for free school meals. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below average. Pupils' needs include moderate learning, speech, language and communication difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social needs and dyslexia. Pupils often join the school in Key Stage 2. A new leadership team, including an acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher, has been in place since 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: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008

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Grade: 3

Broadlea provides its pupils with a satisfactory and improving education. Pupils are valued and develop well personally because of a good, caring and supportive ethos. Relationships and pastoral care are good. A particular strength of the school is its excellent links with a wide range of organizations, including some on the mainland, which contribute very well to pupils' personal development and open their eyes to what they can achieve in life. For example, pupils enjoyed participating in Global Rock in Portsmouth and Year 4 pupils are looking forward to a careers fair. Pupils are friendly, polite and helpful. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. They enjoy school and attendance is good. Pupils make a good contribution to their own and the wider community by taking on responsibilities, like school council membership and looking after the war graves in the local cemetery, which is appreciated by

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Grade: 3

the local community. Parents and volunteers contribute well to school life by raising funds, helping with school projects and helping pupils with their learning. Parents appreciate the school's efforts to involve them more fully in their children's education and the staff's friendly and open approach. From below expected starting points, pupils achieve satisfactorily overall because the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Some teaching is good, but it is not consistently good in all lessons throughout the school. Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and do not set them sufficiently challenging work. Pupils' progress is now tracked more rigorously but systems are new and not fully established. By the end of Year 2 in 2007, mathematics and reading standards were below average; writing standards were exceptionally low. Reading, writing and mathematics standards have improved this year and

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Grade: 3

are at the national average. By the end of Year 4, pupils' standards continue to be broadly in line with expectations for their age in reading, writing and mathematics, although reading standards are better. The school sets challenging targets for improvement and pupils are progressing satisfactorily. Pupils' knowledge of their own personal targets is good and they say that they know what they need to learn in order to improve. The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher work well together as a team. They have focused successfully on improving standards and achievement in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, increasing attendance and developing closer links with parents. There is a strong sense of teamwork in the school, described by one parent as 'a unitedness about them'. However, leaders and managers at all levels recognize that there is still more to do to improve achievement and standards further. Their monitoring roles are not yet fully developed.

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Grade: 3

The satisfactory curriculum has developing strengths in addition to the good opportunities for enrichment. Pupils say that they enjoy the good range of clubs. Subjects are linked together well to make the curriculum more meaningful for pupils and pupils are given opportunities to practise their skills in other subjects. Staff provide stimulating activities, which motivate pupils to want to write. For example, older pupils enjoyed a sleepover at the school associated with their 'Stig in the Dump' work and younger pupils enjoyed writing about the Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson's visit. The science and mathematics curricula are being strengthened to make them more practical and investigative. However, teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to reflect on their learning. The school is not complacent and is improving because of thorough self-evaluation. The school's recent track record indicates a satisfactory capacity for improvement.

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Grade: 3

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008

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Grade: 2

Children make a good start to school and achieve well. Starting points in most aspects of their development are below average, especially in literacy and calculation. Standards have improved this year to just above those expected for their age by the end of Reception. Staff prepare families and children well for starting school so that children settle happily. The Foundation Stage is managed well. Adults work together as an effective team, provide good routines and have high expectations of behaviour and achievement. Teaching, learning and the curriculum are good so that children make good progress through a good mix of self-initiated and adult-directed activities. The positive impact of the teaching and learning of letters and sounds (phonics) was seen when children applied their knowledge to write lists during Health Week. There is no outdoor cover so children can only enjoy working and playing outside when the

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise achievement and standards in writing and mathematics by giving pupils consistently challenging work. ■ Develop the monitoring skills of leaders and managers.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Give pupils more opportunities for reflection on their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but have areas of underperformance will have a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Reading, writing and mathematics standards in Year 2 have improved and are in line with the national average. A strong focus on writing has led to better achievement. The teaching of letters and sounds is more practical and there are more opportunities for pupils to discuss their thoughts before writing. By the end of Year 4, standards in writing and mathematics are broadly in line with expectations for their age but they are achieving better standards in reading. The school sets challenging targets for improvement by the end of Year 4. However, although pupils are progressing satisfactorily, some pupils have not attained their targets because of previous underachievement. The school is providing effective focused support for pupils in Year 3, who need to catch up. Sometimes the pupils who join the school in Key Stage 2 take time to settle and this has a detrimental impact on standards achieved overall. Appropriate resources are

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Grade: 3

provided and work is planned well to meet the needs of pupils with moderate learning, speech and language difficulties and behavioural and emotional needs, and they usually achieve in line with their peers.

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Grade: 2

Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and know right from wrong. Pupils' behaviour is satisfactory. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good as shown in good relationships throughout the school. Because of the school's many efforts, which include reward systems and providing a very well attended breakfast club, attendance has improved and is now good. Assemblies focus well on important issues that affect pupils' lives, including their 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008 health, but there is insufficient time for reflection. Pupils' appreciate well the dangers and risks outside of school and they know whom to talk to if they are worried. They show a good awareness of healthy lifestyles and talk knowledgeably about eating fruit and vegetables. They participate keenly in a wide range of physical activities. Pupils support their community well by taking turns to help with a range of jobs in school. With satisfactory achievement in basic

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Grade: 2

skills and good personal skills, pupils are satisfactorily prepared for life ahead.

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Grade: 3

Relationships are good and classrooms are generally harmonious. The environment is stimulating because of high quality displays, including a long time line, which goes around the corridors, and has contributions by many people, including parents. In good lessons, teachers plan work to challenge all pupils according to their needs, provide relevant support, take account of the different ways in which pupils learn and set clear timescales for tasks to be completed. However, this is not always the case and expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough. Pupils enjoy joining in when, for example, teachers give them opportunities to tell the Viking creation story together. However, there are missed opportunities to fully involve all pupils in their learning. In the best lessons seen, pupils were fully involved when asked to discuss answers in pairs after their teacher had posed a question. In other lessons pupils were

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Grade: 3

asked to put their hands up, which meant that only a few pupils got the opportunity to answer.

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Grade: 3

The school provides wide and balanced experiences to meet pupils' needs. The enriched curriculum helps pupils develop well socially. In order to raise standards and achievement the school is developing the science and mathematics curriculum so that they are more practical and investigative. Information and communication technology (ICT) is improving and permeating the whole curriculum. For example, pupils enjoy creating electronic presentations about their model village work for their parents. Much work has been done to link subjects together to make the curriculum more appealing to pupils and this work is progressing well. Pupils enjoy a good range of well-attended clubs, learning French, including visiting the French market, and participating in musical activities. Provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education leads to good outcomes.

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Grade: 3

Safeguarding arrangements are secure. As one parent said, 'The school is definitely a happy secure place for children as they do care for all the children's social, emotional and educational needs.' The school makes every effort to include parents in their children's learning. Support for vulnerable pupils has improved. The new good tracking systems have ensured that all pupils who need extra support are identified earlier, but these systems are relatively new and their full impact is not yet seen in good achievement. Pupils know what they need to learn to improve because their targets are displayed clearly around the classrooms. However, the older pupils are not always sure of the level they are working at. There is some good practice in marking but it is not consistent throughout the school. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are monitored regularly by the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher with support from the local authority. Key areas for improvement are identified for teachers but the full impact of this work is yet to be seen in consistently good teaching and learning. Responsibility for school improvement is now more widely shared and the school is providing training and support for staff to develop their monitoring roles fully. However, the school knows itself satisfactorily because monitoring is becoming more regular and rigorous. The school improvement plan is generally focused on the right areas for improvement, but lacks reference to improving teaching and learning and improving standards and achievement in mathematics. The governing body is a satisfactory 'critical friend' and very supportive of the school. The chair of governors is new to the role. The governing body has reviewed how it

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Grade: 3

works and a new structure is being in put in place in the near future to improve its effectiveness. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008 .

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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: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 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? 2 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?

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 2 The attendance of learners 3 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?

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: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Broadlea Primary School,Sandown,PO36 9LH Thank you very much for helping us during the inspection, particularly by showing us around your school and talking to us about it. We were impressed by your friendliness and politeness. We think you go to a satisfactory, but improving school. Here are some of the things that we think are best about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school has some excellent links with many organisations. This gives you opportunities to take part in events like Global Rock and a careers fair. Visitors, like Shirley Robertson, give you an excellent opportunity to learn from a person who has achieved at the highest level. ■ You enjoy school and all the opportunities that it offers you. You have improved your attendance and come to school regularly and on time. ■ Your parents are becoming much more involved in your education and they enjoy hearing about your work, for example, when you create presentations about your model village work for them. ■ Your classrooms are pleasant places to learn in and you have good relationships with adults in school. ■ Adults take good care of you and ensure that if you need help, you know whom to talk to if you are worried about anything. ■ You are developing well personally and understand very well about staying healthy and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

keeping safe. You contribute well to your school community, for example, as members of the school council and to your wider community, for example, by caring for the war graves in the local cemetery. ■ All the adults at your school are working together well as a team to do their best to improve your school further. I have asked your school to help you to improve your standards in writing and mathematics by always giving you challenging work to do so that you achieve your very best. We would like you to have more time to think about and reflect on your learning. Also we would like teachers to improve the way that they check up on how well you are learning and the standards that you attain. I would like to send you my best wishes for your future success. Yours sincerely Beryl Richmond Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadlea Primary School, 1 °2 July 2008

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