Burbage Church of England Infant School

Burbage Church of England Infant School Inspection report

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120121 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 327203 Inspection number 16 September 2008 Inspection date Arnalena (Nina) Bee Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Infant Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 272 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Anne Crabtree Chair May Phillips Headteacher 25 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Grove Road School address Burbage Hinckley LE10 2AE

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4–7 Age group 16 September 2008 Inspection date 327203 Inspection number 01455 239391 Telephone number 01455 618467 Fax number

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4–7 Age group 16 September 2008 Inspection date 327203 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. 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school including the Early Years Foundation Stage provision (EYFS) and investigated four main issues: why a small percentage of pupils do not appear to make good progress how effectively pupils with learning difficulties are supported the quality of academic guidance that is offered to children in the EYFS and older pupils in Key Stage 1 whether outstanding judgements in the school's self-evaluation form for pupils' personal development and well-being, curriculum, and care, guidance and support can be substantiated. Evidence was gathered from observing pupils from Reception to Year 2 at work and play, discussions with staff, governors and pupils, scrutiny of pupils' work and the system the school uses to tracks pupils' progress, school documentation and an analysis of parents' views. Other

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Introduction

aspects of the work of the school were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Burbage Infant School is bigger than most primary schools. Almost all pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportions of pupils who are identified as having problems acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills, and who have behaviour difficulties, are below average. There is onsite childcare provision before and after school, which is managed by an external provider.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school where everyone is made to feel welcome and part of a great big family. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of all that the school does. Many parents wrote warm and sincere comments about the school, such as 'this wonderful environment where their children thrive and learn'. They rightly feel that the care and personal support provided for all pupils is outstanding. Excellent attention is given to health and safety arrangements. All pupils work and play in a very calm, safe, happy and caring environment. Pupils say that if they have a problem, it will be sorted out quickly because 'the teachers are so kind and helpful.' As a result, pupils' personal development is outstanding. Almost all of them thoroughly enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in the attendance figures that have been above average for the last four years. Older pupils speak sensibly and are extremely knowledgeable about the need

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Grade: 2

to eat healthily and keep themselves safe. They say they try very hard to bring healthy packed lunches each day and confidently identify foods that are good for them as well as foods that are not. Others spoke enthusiastically about what they have learnt about road safety and the dangers of electricity. Pupils make a very positive contribution to the school community when they take on jobs of responsibility or become members of the school council. Links within the local community are excellent. Pupils say they really enjoy visiting the senior citizens in the village and have linked with other local schools to build a school in India since the tsunami. They speak very proudly of raising money for different charities for people who are not as fortunate as they are. By the time pupils leave in Year 2, they are very well prepared, personally and academically, for their next school. Achievement is good. The children in the EYFS get off to a good start and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

As pupils move through Years 1 and 2, they continue to achieve well. Previously, a small number of pupils did not make the progress expected of them. This is not now the case and all pupils, including those who have difficulty acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills, achieve well. The improvement is due to developments in the systems used to assess and track individuals. Standards are exceptionally high in reading, writing and mathematics. In the past, standards in mathematics have not been as high as those in reading and writing. The improvement is a result of a whole-school focus on problem solving and raising girls' attainment in mathematics. One of the main reasons for the school's success is that teaching and learning are good. Teaching is effective because relationships are good and pupils have positive attitudes to learning. At best, targets for improvement are used effectively to promote learning and pupils are actively

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Grade: 2

involved in their learning by assessing for themselves how well they are doing. Lessons usually run at a swift pace and activities are suitably planned. Teachers generally have high expectations with regard to the importance of listening and behaving well. Pupils spoke of the importance of the 'golden rules' and how they helped them to behave well. Occasionally, teachers do not use the wealth of assessment information that is available to them when they plan lessons. Activities then are not challenging enough for some pupils and too hard for others. Pupils usually receive good help and advice to enable them to improve academically. 'Leap into literacy' and 'March into mathematics' sets enable similar ability groups to work together in Year 2. Pupils' progress is very rigorously tracked, enabling them to reach their end-of-year challenging targets. Much of teachers' marking is good. The best marking shows pupils what they need to

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Grade: 2

do to reach their individual target. At times, not enough guidance is provided to help pupils move on to the next stages of their learning. During lessons, teachers occasionally miss opportunities to reinforce targets or show pupils what they need to do to improve. The 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008 curriculum is good. Strong links with other schools and people who work in the local community enhance many subject areas, especially personal, social and health education. The way the curriculum is enriched is outstanding. This includes the many very well organised visits out of school, including a residential experience for Year 2 pupils, visitors who are invited in, 'Golden Time' activities and numerous out-of-school activities. Pupils say they thoroughly enjoy all these, but particularly enjoy learning French in Year 2. They say it is important to learn a foreign

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Grade: 2

language because not everyone in the world speaks English. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a very good idea of what is needed for young children to learn effectively. She provides excellent direction for the school and values the work of all adults, so that everyone works very well together as a team. The headteacher and her staff have a good idea of how effectively the school is doing in all its areas. Senior and middle managers have a very clear understanding, within their own areas of responsibility, of how well pupils are progressing. This is because they have developed excellent systems to track pupils' progress, in particular in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Middle managers have recently developed good systems to track pupils' progress in other subjects. These give precise information on pupils' performance. Governors soundly support the work of the school. The training of some governors is a current priory to enable them to

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Grade: 2

become more effective in their role. Since the previous inspection, issues relating to information and communication technology have been addressed well. In addition, good and improving achievement has been sustained in core subjects, and the quality of care and personal development has been excellent. These many successes indicate that there is a good capacity for the school to continue improving.

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Grade: 2

Children settle into school quickly and easily and thoroughly enjoy coming to school because induction procedures are thorough. Parents confirm this. Achievement is good and children exceed the expected levels by the time they start in Year 1. A well-planned curriculum ensures children experience a good balance between adult-focused activities and those that they choose themselves. Although the outdoor area is used to extend and develop learning, the activities offered are not always as exciting as those planned for indoors. The school is aware of this and there are clear plans to develop the outside provision. There are excellent arrangements to ensure health and safety and children's personal development. As a result, children work and play in a very safe and secure environment. Adults have an excellent knowledge of each child's background and individual needs and, as a result, the children develop outstanding personal and social skills. Children quickly learn to respond

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Grade: 2

to the needs of others and are encouraged to take responsibility for simple jobs such as tidying up the tables at the end of sessions. Consequently, children gain much confidence, behave well and have very positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy taking responsibility and selecting activities, and listen respectfully to adults. Children who need extra support are identified early and supported well. Negotiating, problem solving and organisational skills are developed effectively in role-play areas. Three children were seen enthusiastically planning how to locate and find ants. They were delighted when they found an ant in the dirt and then used their magnifying glass to look at it more closely. Another group of three children worked well together as they used a computer to learn more about fish. They learned that a fish has bones and knew that they too had a lot of bones in their own bodies. Teaching is consistently good. Information

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Grade: 2

collected on individuals is used well to develop targets that are shared with children and parents 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008 after their first term in school. However, there are occasional missed opportunities during indoor and outdoor activities to guide children's learning so that they are challenged and extended more. The EYFS is well led and managed. Strengths and areas for development have been accurately identified. Sessions all run smoothly because they are well organised.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make certain that, in Years 1 and 2, teachers' planning always caters for the different abilities within classes. ■ During lessons and when teachers mark work, give pupils clear guidance on what they need to do to improve and reach their targets. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 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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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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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 1 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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008

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learners?

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

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Burbage Church of England Infant School, Burbage LE10 2AE Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit you. We were very pleased to see so many children who enjoy school so much. We think you behave well in lessons and in the playground. You all seem to get on nicely with each other and the adults who help you. Your school is a good one and those who look after you at home agree with us. We are writing to let you know what we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The way you are looked after and cared for is outstanding.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all know that if you have a problem you can always go to an adult for some help.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teachers plan interesting activities that help you learn well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your understanding of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and keeping yourselves safe is outstanding. ■ The selection of visits out and visitors invited into school, and the activities offered during Golden Time as well as the numerous out-of-school activities, are outstanding. ■ By the end of Year 2, you reach levels in literacy, numeracy and science that are much better than expected for your ages. ■ When you leave, in Year 2, you are well prepared to go to the junior school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the school to do a few things to improve the education you receive.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make certain that when teachers plan activities they are not too easy for some of you or too hard for others and that teachers' marking clearly shows you what you need to do to improve and reach your targets. Keep smiling and working hard in your lovely school. Best wishes Nina Bee Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Burbage Church of England Infant School, 16 September 2008

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