The Bawburgh School

120784 Unique Reference Number Norfolk Local Authority 327361 Inspection number 8–9 July 2009 Inspection dates Julie Winyard HMI 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 80 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 Mr Peter Hart Chair Mrs Jan Staff Headteacher 22 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Hockering Lane School address Bawburgh Norwich Norfolk NR9 3LR 01603 742329 Telephone number 01603 271560 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 8–9 July 2009 Inspection dates 327361 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The Bawburgh School is a smaller-than-average primary school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below that found in similar schools nationally. Nearly all pupils are of White British origin with a small number from minority ethnic backgrounds whose first language is not English. There is a small Traveller population. A much larger-than-average proportion of pupils is identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities, with an average percentage having a statement of special educational needs. There has been a high level of staff and governing body turbulence during the last year. The school has the following awards: Healthy Schools, Activemark and Investors in People. The governing body manages school lunches and the school employs a qualified chef.

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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: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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Grade: 2

The Bawburgh School is a good school and this view is supported by all parents who gave feedback during the inspection. In the words of one pupil, 'At some schools you learn two things a day; at Bawburgh you learn at least five!' The school has had some difficult issues to contend with over the last two terms. Thanks to good overall leadership and management and the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, staff and pupils have kept their eyes very firmly fixed on improving standards. This has resulted in a significant improvement in this year's national test and assessment results, especially in Key Stage 1 where reading, writing and mathematics are now above average. There have also been improvements in Key Stage 2 in English and science. However, standards in mathematics remain below average and the school has accurately identified this as an area for improvement. The newly appointed governing body,

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Grade: 2

very ably led by a highly experienced chair of governors, already knows the school well and gives effective challenge as well as support, ensuring outcomes for pupils have improved and continue to do so. The local authority has also given good support to the school. The school has a good capacity to make further improvements because it has shown that initiatives introduced to raise standards have been highly successful. The school makes good provision to ensure all pupils' learning needs are met, including those who find learning difficult, so that they make good progress. Teaching is good overall because teachers plan carefully and base their planning on accurate assessments of pupils' work. However, there are inconsistencies in teachers' practice. The curriculum is interesting and there are many opportunities for creative projects which enable pupils to use and apply the skills they have learnt in other subjects. The pastoral care and support pupils receive is excellent, which is why

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Grade: 2

pupils feel safe in school and say they can talk to an adult if they have any problems. Academic guidance is not so well developed because there is not a consistent approach to marking and feedback. In the words of one pupil, 'It is like each class is a different school with different rules.' The school is aware that consistency of provision is an area for improvement. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good overall because of the excellent pastoral care and support they receive and the renewed focus on raising standards. They enjoy coming to school because learning is fun and as a result of this, attendance is above average. An outstanding feature of pupils' personal development is their understanding of how to live healthily. They talk enthusiastically about the many active opportunities they get both in school time and after school, organised through the range of partnerships the school is involved with.

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Grade: 2

They also talk with great enthusiasm about the excellent school lunches. This is a very special feature of the school because of the personalised approach of the school chef. Pupils have been involved in formulating menus and have taken part in the chef's after-school cookery club. Parents say he is 'excellent'. For example one parent said, 'He has got my son to eat things he would never have eaten at home!'

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with standards expected for their age. They make good progress because of the good teaching and learning provision and start Year 1 with standards slightly above the expected level overall. There is a good range of adult-led and child-initiated activities and an appropriate emphasis on teacher-led work in language and number work in preparation for the children's transition to Year 1 in September. Learning 4 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009 activities have a themed approach which the children really enjoy. For example, the pirate theme has been a great success because the children have used their language skills well to write clues for how to find the treasure and their creative skills to paint the pirate's ship. Good use was made of the outside area as pirates buried treasure in the sand and then sent other pirates to search for it! Children's good behaviour and enthusiasm were all clearly evident. The

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Grade: 2

good teaching is well supported by an able teaching assistant who uses questioning well to encourage children to talk about their ideas and think carefully about their learning. Although standards in mathematical development are above expectations, children do not always achieve their best work because activities are not always as well matched to the range of ability in the class as they could be. The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed and planning is supported by good assessment systems including, for example, the montage of annotated photographs showing how individual children develop during their year in Reception. Safety and welfare are paramount and children are very secure in class and in their outside area.

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What the school should do to improve further

■  Raise standards and achievement in mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■  Ensure the best features of good teaching and academic guidance are applied consistently across the school.

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Grade: 2

Standards by the end of Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics have been below average for the last four years. Due to the significant improvements that have been implemented over the last two terms, the school's unvalidated data for 2009 indicates that this trend has been dramatically reversed and standards are above average. This shows good progress from the pupils' starting points. Unvalidated test data for the end of Key Stage 2 also shows considerable improvement, particularly in English and science. However, improving standards and achievement in mathematics remains work in progress. The new writing initiative has had a huge impact on standards and achievement in all classes. Parents say this is 'amazing' and pupils say they really enjoy writing because they understand what level they are working at and exactly what they need to do to improve their work. One-to-one tuition has also been very

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Grade: 2

successful in closing the gap in learning for those Year 6 pupils who were falling behind their peers. Most pupils who took part have made the required progress and some have done much better than this. There has been some mobility in the school; however, the school is able to show that those pupils who began in Reception have made good progress from their starting points.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a good understanding of other cultures because of good curricular work and because the school encourages families from minority ethnic groups and the Traveller community to share their cultural heritage. Good spiritual development is evident in pupils' ability to reflect on their own learning and that of other pupils in a constructive and positive manner. Behaviour is good both in class and on the playground because of the excellent relationships between staff and pupils and the interesting curriculum. Pupils say there is no bullying in school and if there are arguments these are quickly 5 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009 resolved. Pupils make a good contribution to the local community through their involvement in events such as singing carols at the local old people's home. They also help to set up and

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Grade: 2

serve meals for the fortnightly community lunch. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives because of their good basic skills and personal qualities and their understanding of the world of work gained through enterprise projects.

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Grade: 2

Overall teaching is good but there are inconsistencies which the school recognises need to be resolved. The features of good teaching seen include: good planning with work well matched to pupils' learning needs, clear learning objectives which all pupils understand, effective questioning, and good use of criteria which explain to pupils exactly how they can be successful by the end of the lesson. The inconsistencies observed include teachers not always using the same effective strategies to ensure pupils are working on task or linking pupils' learning targets clearly enough to the criteria for how they will be successful in a lesson. This latter area of inconsistency has held back progress in mathematics. Also, teachers do not always use appropriate opportunities to involve all pupils in thinking about the learning objective through talking to a partner about their ideas or their work. In a lesson where all these strategies were

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Grade: 2

used exceptionally well, pupils made consistently good progress and teaching was outstanding.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad, balanced and meets national requirements. Some subjects are taught discretely because the school has rightly identified that these are key areas for improvement. These include the focused writing lessons and mathematics. The school is developing a themed approach; for example, in one lesson seen, pupils' knowledge gained in geography lessons was used very well to enable them to talk and write about an imaginary island. There is a good range of enrichment activities. These include an annual residential visit for Year 5 and 6 and projects with the local schools cluster, such as learning about British folk songs. The school makes very good use of the local and wider community to provide interesting visitors for the pupils. For example, good links with local businesses have inspired the outstanding 'Enterprise Project.' Other visitors include one of the oldest residents of the village who was thrilled to be

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Grade: 2

asked to present awards for good attendance.

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Grade: 2

All safeguarding and child protection procedures and policies are fully in place and meet legal requirements. The health and safety of pupils is very well provided for with detailed risk assessment for off-site visits and very careful supervision at all break times. Parents are particularly pleased that the headteacher is on the playground every morning to greet pupils and that she stays with them until school starts. Teaching assistants are deployed well to support pupils' learning and those who deliver special programmes have a positive impact on the good progress of pupils who find learning difficult. Marking and feedback in the special writing lessons is exemplary with clear guidance given on where pupils have achieved well and what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils are given time in lessons to read and reflect on 6 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009 teachers' comments and make improvements to their work. However, this practice is not

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Grade: 2

consistent in all lessons. For example, pupils say marking has improved in mathematics because they know whether an answer is right or wrong but they would like teachers to comment on their calculation and problem-solving methods so that they know exactly how to make further improvements.

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Grade: 2

Governors, pupils and parents recognise the exceptional leadership of the headteacher. The chair of governors described her 'calm assuredness' which has supported the school community through extraordinarily difficult times. Her determination to raise standards and achievement has ensured that initiatives like the writing project continue to be successful. Because of the considerable turbulence in staffing, subject leadership is currently managed by all staff. While this arrangement is satisfactory, there are plans to make sure that all staff have specific responsibilities and are able to monitor their subjects and the quality of teaching effectively. The school has implemented a rigorous tracking system to enable staff to identify underachievement rapidly and put in place appropriate interventions. This has been particularly successful in identifying pupils for one-to-one tuition in Year 6. Parents are overwhelmingly

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Grade: 2

pleased with the school and say how excellent communication is between home and school, due to weekly newsletters and the accessibility and friendliness of all staff. The school has established effective partnerships with other local schools and also with external support agencies. Community cohesion is good because of the excellent relationships within the school and wider local community and because of pupils' good understanding of the global community. However an area for development is the pupils' understanding of the wider United Kingdom community. The school's self-evaluation is good because the areas for improvement identified are clearly taken forward into school improvement planning. The school sets challenging targets for pupils and has made good improvement since the last inspection. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009 .

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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: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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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? 2 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? 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/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: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 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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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: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of The Bawburgh School, Hockering Lane, NR9 3LR Thank you for the very warm and friendly welcome you gave me when I came to your school. I would like say a special thank you to all those, including the school council, who gave up their lunch break to come and talk to me. It was great to have the opportunity to meet so many of you. I was very impressed with your good behaviour and with how enthusiastic you are about your school and about learning. Like you, I think the special writing lessons you have are very good and I have asked the school to make sure that you get the same good quality teaching and marking of your work in all your lessons. You told me that you would particularly like more comments about your work in mathematics and I have asked the school to make the same improvements in mathematics as they have in writing. This will help you to reach higher standards and make better progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I thought your school lunches were outstanding and that your chef does a wonderful job in encouraging you to eat healthily. I would have loved to have stayed for a special birthday party lunch and think you are very lucky to have such good food at your school. Your parents are very happy with how you are getting on and I would like to wish you all every success for your future lives. Yours faithfully Julie Winyard Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: The Bawburgh School, 8–9 July 2009

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