Brinsley Primary and Nursery School

Brinsley Primary and Nursery School Inspection report

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122566 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE LA Local Authority 314328 Inspection number 8 °9 April 2008 Inspection dates Ian Jones 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 123 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ian Webster Chair Miss Janette Kerrigan Headteacher 2 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Moor Road School address Brinsley Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG16 5AZ 01773783898 Telephone number 01773783896 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 8 °9 April 2008 Inspection dates 314328 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average sized primary school set in a rural location in a former mining community. The percentages of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are well below average. The proportion of pupils who need additional support or those who find learning more difficult is above average. The percentage of those pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has achieved the National Healthy School Standard and Sports Activemark.

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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: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008

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Grade: 3

This satisfactory school has shown substantial improvement over the past year and is providing satisfactory value for money. The headteacher has been the driving force behind a range of initiatives that have shown a significant impact in a short time. She is building a well-focused team who share her determination to raise standards and ensure that pupils achieve their potential. Nevertheless, further work is needed to agree evaluation and monitoring procedures at subject leader level so that all key people can help judge the school's performance and contribute to school improvement. Until recently, there was a considerable amount of underachievement. Staff have been tackling this successfully, so that pupils are making more rapid progress. A number of parents agree, writing for example, 'recently the school has developed and is going from strength to strength'. There is good liaison with a range of other

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Grade: 3

agencies, including the local authority, and the school uses the support offered well to bring about improvements. A key element of the school's success in raising standards is the staff's hard work in ensuring that teaching is satisfactory and improving. Many of the teachers are developing their expertise well, and there is an increasing amount of good practice. However, the challenge for more able pupils in some lessons is not as high as it could be. The headteacher and deputy teach additional lessons to support learning for older pupils, and this is having a positive effect on pupils' attainment. Standards are now average overall and progress is satisfactory. Guidance given to pupils on their academic work is sound, largely because the introduction of target-setting procedures is helping staff to understand how well pupils are doing and helps them to give pupils useful feedback. The school takes good care of pupils' social and emotional

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Grade: 3

needs. Pupils say that they feel safe and well looked after. The school has implemented effective strategies to improve their behaviour and they are increasing their understanding of healthy living. Pupils enjoy school, particularly the range of visits and visitors, and an increasing range of extra-curricular activities. Their satisfactory personal development and academic progress prepare them satisfactorily for the next stage of education and their future lives. Teachers are beginning to make appropriate links across subjects so that the curriculum is more relevant to pupils. Nevertheless, more work remains to be done, to plan a fully effective overall curriculum. The lack of a clear overview of the curriculum limits senior managers in their ability to be certain that expectations of achievement are high enough in all subjects. The school recognises that there is more to do to maintain and extend improvements, but it has a satisfactory understanding

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Grade: 3

of its priorities, including the curriculum, and is putting in place appropriate plans to tackle them.

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Grade: 3

Children join the Nursery class with attainment that is broadly in line with the levels expected for their age. Progress is satisfactory as they move through the Foundation Stage, and the majority reach the expected learning goals by the end of Reception. Children's achievement is good in personal and social development and this serves them well as they enter Year 1. Children enjoy school, playing and working productively and often independently. They understand the school's routines and know how to behave well. Outdoor facilities are satisfactory but there is scope to use them more consistently to promote learning. Adults manage and encourage the children well so that they feel secure and begin to develop healthy lifestyles. There are good 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008 links with parents. Teachers actively seek their support and feedback. Parents appreciate and

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Grade: 3

value this approach. Children's learning is assessed regularly and the information collected is increasingly being used to help pupils make better progress and identify priorities for improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that standards continue to rise by building on the work already started to develop teachers' expertise, particularly in planning work to challenge the more able pupils. ■ Strengthen the curriculum so that it ensures continuity in learning for pupils and supports high expectations of pupils' achievement in all subjects. ■ Improve the skills of subject leaders in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school and using outcomes to drive forward school improvement.

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Grade: 3

Pupils enter school with levels of attainment that are broadly in line with levels expected for their age. Data indicates that in the past significant numbers of pupils underachieved by the time they left the school. This was mainly due to previous inconsistencies in curriculum and teaching. Furthermore, weaknesses in assessing pupils and tracking their progress meant that underachievement was not being addressed effectively. The school is successfully tackling these issues, so that progress for the vast majority of pupils is now satisfactory. Rates of progress across the school are improving, and data suggests that standards are now broadly average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils who need additional support or those who find learning more difficult make the same satisfactory progress as their classmates. When pupils are given targeted support in lessons, they make faster progress. Data is now being used more effectively

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Grade: 3

to set realistic and more ambitious learning targets for pupils, who are now developing satisfactory skills in literacy and numeracy to equip them for the next stage of their education and later life.

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Grade: 3

Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and with their teachers. Their behaviour is satisfactory. It has improved because pupils respond well to the new behaviour policy. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. The strongest aspects of these are the moral and social elements. School assemblies enhance pupils' moral and social development, and help them to reflect on and consider their own responsibilities as learners. However, pupils recognise that not everyone takes enough care in the presentation of their work. Pupils report that they feel safe in school. They understand the need to follow safety rules and the importance of living healthy lifestyles. They are involved in regular energetic activities, which they very much enjoy and appreciate that the school encourages them to eat healthily. Pupils show that they like school and attendance levels are about average. Members

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Grade: 3

of the school council readily take responsibility and pupils engage in fund raising activities and participate in local events. Consequently, they make a sound contribution to their community. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008

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Grade: 3

A strong feature of many lessons is the good relationships between staff and pupils so that lessons run smoothly. Teaching is often enthusiastic and pupils say that they enjoy learning more when teachers try to make their lessons fun. Teachers make sure that pupils know what they are to learn in lessons. Teachers are rightly developing guidance to help pupils gauge whether or not they have achieved these lesson aims so that pupils can be more involved in the assessment of their learning. The school is beginning to share and celebrate good classroom practice and teachers use an increasing range of strategies to improve learning. In some lessons, the pace is brisk and well-structured activities enthuse and involve pupils. Tasks are clearly explained and the challenge offered is appropriate to pupils' needs so that they make good progress. Questioning of pupils is used to good effect, promoting thinking and developing

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Grade: 3

understanding. However, this quality of teaching is not consistent across the school. The pace of lessons is not always suitably stimulating and in some lessons, teachers do not challenge the more able pupils consistently well so that expectations for their learning are not high enough.

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Grade: 3

Curriculum planning is inconsistent. In the best cases subject plans at all levels are thorough, but for some subjects, plans lack detail and do not sufficiently match work to the varying needs of learners. There is a growing emphasis on teaching literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum but the school is aware that more work needs doing in this respect. The programme for personal and social education makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development and well-being. Residential visits, day trips to places of educational interest and visitors enhance the curriculum and contribute well to pupils' social and emotional development. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular sports and activities, including a breakfast club and early morning lessons.

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Grade: 3

Procedures to ensure pupils' health, well-being and safety, including child protection, are securely in place. Staff know pupils well and provide them with a good level of pastoral care. Pupils with learning difficulties and those with challenging behaviour are handled sensitively and there are good partnerships with a wide range of other agencies to ensure their needs are met. A new approach to the management of behaviour is consistently applied, and is proving successful because it puts an emphasis on rewarding good behaviour. Academic guidance is sound overall but not quite as well developed as pastoral guidance. The school has introduced target- setting for pupils and new procedures to keep a more careful track on pupils' individual progress. Inspection findings show that there are green shoots of improvement but these strategies have not yet had sufficient time to impact on raising pupils' attainment and progress

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Grade: 3

above satisfactory levels. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008

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Grade: 3

Although there is some way to go, the school has taken effective steps to improve achievement and raise standards. Parents are rightly complimentary about the role of the headteacher in driving the school forward and improving provision. Staff are becoming more accountable for pupils' achievement and progress. The school has appropriately identified where improvements are needed, but the headteacher has rightly pinpointed the need to develop self-evaluation procedures further. Middle managers, such as subject leaders, are increasingly fulfilling their roles, although they are inexperienced in terms of using pupils' performance data to evaluate and agree what the school needs to do to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Governors are developing their involvement in school improvement work. They understand the school's strengths and are aware of what needs to improve. The school's capacity to improve

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Grade: 3

further is satisfactory. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 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: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 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 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 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: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 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: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 April 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Brinsley Primary School, Nottinghamshire NG16 5AZ Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I certainly enjoyed talking with you. I think your school is a satisfactory school and I know that you and many of your parents and carers think so too. I was impressed by your politeness and the way you get on with your teachers and each other. Miss Kerrigan and the teachers are good at making sure you are safe and healthy and able to make at least satisfactory progress. They are also good at making sure that your progress has improved, especially this year. I was pleased to see you working hard during lessons. I was also pleased to see how you take responsibility and are willing to do jobs and help around the school. It was good to see how the teachers are helping you to improve your behaviour. I have asked Miss Kerrigan, the staff and governors to try to make your school even better by

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you to make faster progress in your lessons

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ get the teachers to make sure that lessons are challenging for all of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ draw up clear plans to show how and when lessons are going to be taught, so that teachers can help you learn well across all the subjects ■ develop the way they check how well the school is doing, so that everyone has a clear idea of what needs to be done to improve. Keep on working hard, doing your very best and enjoying your time at school. Yours sincerely Ian Jones Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Brinsley Primary and Nursery School, 8 °9 April 2008

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