Broughton Primary School

Broughton Primary School Inspection report

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121799 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire Local Authority 327572 Inspection number 19–20 January 2009 Inspection dates Angela Kirk 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 Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 184 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 Tony Griffiths Chair Claire Shortt Headteacher 1 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Cransley Hill School address Broughton Kettering NN14 1NB 01536 790282 Telephone number 01536 790282 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 19–20 January 2009 Inspection dates 327572 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: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is in a rural setting serving the village of Broughton, south-west of Kettering. It is a smaller than average single form entry primary school. Pupils are predominantly from White British backgrounds. Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in Reception in the year of their fifth birthday. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is similar to that found in most schools and mainly consists of pupils with a wide range of moderate learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below that seen nationally.

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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: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Grade: 3

Broughton Primary School provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. New school systems and approaches are being established to help raise achievement. Some have already made an impact on pupils' learning, for example initiatives in mathematics and writing. The school has also worked on a number of initiatives to address gender differences that are present in some classes. These have been largely successful. However, senior leaders are not yet involved enough in monitoring rigorously the work of the school, although they are developing their skills in these respects. Children's skills, knowledge and understanding when they start school are typical for their age in most areas. By the end of Year 6, pupils reach standards that are average in English and mathematics and above average in science. Children make a good start in the EYFS. Recent improvements in provision, together with an exciting learning environment and good teaching,

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Grade: 3

mean children's achievement is now good so that they enter Year 1 with standards that are above average. Throughout the school, due to the good support they receive, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make good progress. Standards across Key Stages 1 and 2 are similar to those reached by pupils nationally. Achievement is satisfactory overall but, due to uneven teaching and learning, it is too varied. Whilst teaching is satisfactory overall, the proportion of good teaching is improving. During the inspection, much good teaching was observed which met the learning needs of all pupils well and ensured good progress. In other lessons, however, there is too much time spent on introductions, pupils are not actively involved in their learning and there is a lack of challenge, especially for the more able. Teachers have good relationships with pupils, who are well behaved and enjoy taking responsibility around school; for example, pupils were enthusiastic about their

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Grade: 3

roles as play leaders in 'Huff and Puff' activities. The school's curriculum includes carefully planned cross-curricular links, a range of extra-curricular clubs and visits to places of interest. All pupils learn French. The curriculum does not cater sufficiently for the needs of the more able. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly, although the quality of marking varies between teachers and subjects. The school has not yet linked pupils' next steps in learning sufficiently to its feedback to pupils on their work; this means that pupils do not have a clear understanding of how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve in a particular subject. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of healthy living. The school has achieved the Activemark and the bronze Eco-School Awards and is working towards its Healthy School and International Awards. Pupils behave well and are well cared for. Links to the local community are strong and contribute to pupils' learning.

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Grade: 3

Robust safeguarding procedures are in place and used effectively. The quality of leadership and management and the school's capacity to improve are satisfactory. Governors have improved their knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses recently through their greater understanding of data. The majority of parents have a high regard for the school and praise the education that their children receive and the way the school is managed. However, a small minority of parents did not share this view. The school acknowledges that this is an area it intends to address. The school has made sound progress since the last inspection. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Grade: 2

Due to recent improvements, the overall effectiveness of the EYFS is now good and children achieve well in all areas. The curriculum is broad and well balanced to provide children with good experiences, including small group and individual attention. Children are looked after well with safe equipment in good condition. There is excellent provision for outdoor activities that is covered and sheltered with a good emphasis on independent activities, such as riding bikes, using construction apparatus and sand play. A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities is achieved. There are close links with parents who speak warmly about the Reception year in comments on the parents' questionnaires. By the end of the EYFS, children now attain standards that are above average in all areas except communication, language and literacy, which is average. Children's skills in this area on entry are below those expected for

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Grade: 2

their age. The children show their good behaviour by walking sensibly around the classroom and cooperating well with each other. Leadership in the EYFS shows a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Links between the EYFS and Year 1 and with pre-school settings are underdeveloped.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards by improving the consistency of teaching and learning to ensure that all pupils make at least good progress in relation to their ability. ■ Develop the analysis of data and use this information to set pupils' learning targets.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Give feedback to pupils through marking so that they are aware of their next steps for learning. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before the next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Standards are average, but there is evidence of improvement taking into account differences between cohorts, which are small. Standards in writing lag behind those in reading and this is rightly recognised as an area for development throughout the school. At Key Stage 1, most pupils make satisfactory progress. This has improved in reading and mathematics. However, too few pupils reach the higher levels in writing. Standards in science have improved, particularly in Key Stage 2, due to a better-structured curriculum, improved resources and an emphasis on investigative work. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because their needs are identified clearly and good provision is made to address them. Gender differences have occurred in some cohorts, but these are beginning to be effectively eliminated by the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy coming to school, being with their friends and taking part in lessons. They know how to behave and stay safe. Pupils are aware of the need for a healthy lifestyle and they can discuss these issues with regard to healthy packed lunches, cleaning their teeth and walking to school. In school, pupils enjoy taking part in the regular physical education lessons each 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009 week as well as special physical 'activate' sessions in class. Pupils take responsibility for recycling in the classroom, volunteer for extra jobs to help teachers and 'Trim Trail' monitors ensure that pupils use the apparatus safely. Spiritual opportunities are good with opportunities for reflection, pause for thought before meals and reflection on the wonders of nature. The 'Start Telling Other People' (STOP) bullying campaign led by the school has provided pupils with effective

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Grade: 2

strategies to deal with many issues. Pupils have very good relationships with their peers and adults. They work well in groups in lessons and in the playground. Pupils' cultural awareness is good, with pupils, for example, showing a clear understanding of Britain's diverse cultural groups. Provision for economic well-being shows some strengths, for example one class has a budget to manage, linked to the class's effort and achievement, and another initiative involves fruit points cards. However, pupils' preparation for the next stage of learning requires strengthening by an improvement in pupils' basic skills.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' satisfactory progress is the result of satisfactory teaching over time. There are times when the pace of learning is not quick enough and when pupils are not sufficiently involved in the lesson to make good progress. The good teaching seen during the inspection was not sufficiently widespread. Where teaching is good, pupils are challenged in their thinking and are actively learning throughout the lesson, especially during the main teaching sessions. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils were fully involved in planning an experiment to decide how they would test different materials to find the best one for an umbrella. Planning is not consistent and activities are not always sufficiently matched to the learning objective. Some effective strategies have been implemented to address some gender inequalities in the school, such as a focus on practical activities, and this has had a significant impact in science.

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Grade: 3

Relationships between adults and pupils are good and behaviour strategies are well established. Teaching assistants show great confidence in their roles and carry them out effectively, especially in their support of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad and well balanced. Its strengths include a wide range of intervention programmes, 'mathletics' (individual online learning for mathematics), visits to places of interest, visitors in school and good extra-curricular provision including a range of sports and music activities. There is good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and specialist teachers for music, drama and some sports. The computer suite is opened one lunchtime specifically for pupils without internet access at home. Provision for higher attaining pupils, targeting their needs and abilities, is not sufficiently effective.

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Grade: 3

Risk assessments on aspects of the school and out of school activities are in place and regularly revised. All safeguarding procedures are in place and equipment and apparatus is in good condition. There are good levels of supervision and the good behaviour by pupils reduces potential accidents. The actions the school has taken have reduced the absence rate so 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009 attendance is now above average. Statutory targets are set for the end of Year 6, but other long-term targets are not set for pupils nor are medium-term curriculum targets. This means that pupils do not receive enough guidance and direction in their work. Teachers establish learning objectives for lessons and these guide the teaching in the short term. However, marking, whilst encouraging, does not give pupils enough guidance about what they need to do next to improve.

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Grade: 3

The school's self-evaluation is satisfactory. The leadership team knows that there has been underachievement in the past and has introduced more rigorous systems to make specific improvements, for example, the single plan for mathematics and the grammar and spelling initiative to improve writing. Senior staff have a clear vision for how the school should move forward and the school development plan has the right priorities. Current procedures, however, do not provide a clear enough picture of the standards and progress of each pupil to give school leaders a detailed analysis of achievement or enable them to regularly track the progress of individuals to ensure that it is good or even better. Governance is satisfactory and governors are very supportive of the school. They know the strengths and areas for improvement and are beginning to be more involved in monitoring these. Their improving understanding of data,

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Grade: 3

provided by the headteacher and senior staff, is helping them to challenge the school more effectively over its performance. The school uses teaching assistants well to ensure pupils get sufficient individual help. This has been particularly successful in raising standards in phonics and numeracy. Community cohesion is satisfactory and the school engages well in a range of community activities, but some gender inequalities still need to be addressed. Although the school has an open-door policy and encourages parents to raise any concerns they might have, a small minority of parents feel that the school's communication with parents and the follow-up to any concerns needs to improve. The inspectors agree with this. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009 .

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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: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 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? 3 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

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 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: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 January 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Broughton Primary School, Northamptonshire, NN14 1NB Thank you for the friendly welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed seeing all the things you do. You and your parents told us that you enjoy school. We found the school to be satisfactory overall. This means that it does some things well but it needs to do some things even better to help you to learn faster. You do well in reading and science and the teachers have worked hard to make your lessons more practical. Your behaviour is good and the staff give you extra help if you find learning difficult. You know how to stay healthy and enjoy taking responsibility for jobs around the school. The youngest children enjoy their start to school in the Reception class and quickly learn about good behaviour and concentration. They make good progress. To help your school to improve, we have asked your teachers to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ ensure that lessons are constantly challenging and interesting so you all make good progress

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure they keep detailed records about how well you are doing so that they can set you targets for writing and mathematics ■ give you feedback by marking your work so that you are aware of your next steps for learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The headteacher and all the adults are keen to help you do as well as you can. You can help them by keeping up your good behaviour, always coming to school unless you are ill, and continuing to work hard, especially in writing and mathematics. Yours sincerely Angela Kirk Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Broughton Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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