Burnham-On-Sea Community Infant School

Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School Inspection report

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123682 Unique Reference Number Somerset Local Authority 327965 Inspection number 16 June 2009 Inspection date Jane Neech 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 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 208 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 Margaret Scott Chair Andrew Marsh Headteacher 1 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Winchester Road School address Burnham-on-Sea TA8 1JD 01278 782342 Telephone number 01278 794744 Fax number

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4–7 Age group 16 June 2009 Inspection date 327965 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 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors and one of Her Majesty's Inspectors for quality assurance. Inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ The accuracy of the school tracking data.

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Introduction

■ How effectively the school is matching the work to the needs of individuals to ensure pupils continue to make at least good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. ■ The effectiveness of assessment strategies in supporting individual pupil progress, including pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, in raising achievement. ■ How leaders plan for and evaluate actions, including community cohesion, to raise standards.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from the examination of school documentation and data, discussions with pupils, school staff and governors, and by observing teaching and learning and other activities. The inspectors took account of parents' views expressed in questionnaires. Other aspects of the school's work 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

Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School is an average sized school in a small coastal town. The school serves a socially diverse area. Pupils are mainly of White British heritage. A small number of pupils have English as a second language. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are wide ranging, with a number requiring extra help with speech and language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009

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Grade: 1

Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School provides an outstanding education for its pupils. There is a warm and caring atmosphere. Every child is given the opportunity to flourish. As a result, pupils achieve very well in their academic work and their personal development is outstanding. Parents are hugely supportive of the school and its work. As one parent put it, 'I am thrilled with my child's academic achievements over his first year at Burnham Infants.' Pupils make outstanding progress in their learning, including children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents are well informed about their children's progress through formal and informal meetings with teachers. As each pupil moves through the school, detailed attention is given to tracking individual progress. This ensures every pupil progresses at a consistently good pace. However, not all staff are involved in interpreting data within their leadership roles.

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Grade: 1

The school has placed high emphasis on challenging pupils. Consequently, there is a continual focus on matching the learning to the needs of the pupils and, as a result, achievement overall is outstanding. More able pupils' confidently apply their achievements in basic skills to solve problems and this is an excellent preparation for the next stage in their education. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities benefit from the very effective support they receive and make outstanding progress. An exciting project to support a small number of pupils with English as second language has enabled them to make excellent progress. National test results and school data show that by the time pupils leave in Year 2, standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Provisional school data for SAT tests 2009 indicate even better performance overall this year. Able pupils thrive as a result of challenging extension opportunities

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Grade: 1

and this can be seen in their high levels of performance in reading and mathematics. They attain standards that are significantly higher than the national average in writing. Leadership and management are outstanding and have a strong impact on pupils' progress and the standards they reach. The acting headteacher is working tirelessly to provide a clear direction for the work of the school during a period of transitional change in leadership. The governors and the staff work together exceptionally well, always looking to improve and with the best interests of the pupils as central to everything they do. As one governor commented, 'We are always striving to do better.'

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Grade: 1

■ The school development plan details priorities for development and the school has good plans in place to further evaluate its actions. This is a school that is always learning and keen to share its learning with other professionals. A notable example of this is staff leading innovative work as a result of the Forest School Project. Governors are regularly in school and have an in-depth understanding of how well the school is doing. They are proactive in supporting professional development opportunities for staff, such as the appointment of two acting deputy headteachers which has resulted in a strong leadership team. The school has taken effective steps since the last inspection and the capacity to improve further is outstanding. Consistently good teaching is a feature throughout the school. Lessons are prepared thoroughly to meet the needs of every pupil. Teachers skilfully pitch learning activities at the right levels so all pupils can succeed. Pupils, therefore, are keen to learn

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Grade: 1

because there is an overwhelming sense of value for each child. Relationships between adults and pupils are excellent, evidenced by the humorous and yet respectful comment made by one pupil who said, 'When I have finished my work, am I let off the hook ■ ' Behaviour in lessons is exemplary and pupils work very well with each other. Older pupils are given opportunities to discuss and make group decisions. This they do confidently without 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009 exception. Teachers challenge pupils with skilful questioning and praising effort when deserved. Support staff make a valuable contribution to pupils' learning. However, there are at times missed opportunities to deploy support staff effectively to support pupils' learning. The school is aware of this and has good plans in place to address this. The good curriculum is enriched by a wide range of exciting activities and opportunities which lead to high levels

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Grade: 1

of enjoyment from pupils. Enrichment activities are varied and much enjoyed by pupils. Opportunities for community work are enjoyed by pupils and develop their skills and confidence to a high degree, such as the contribution made by the Eco Team in leading on environmental issues. Links with other providers and professionals are very strong. The work the school is leading on community work through the 0–7 project is an example of exemplary practice. The school's contribution to community cohesion is good in most respects. The school has appropriate plans in place to extend its work further through developing the international and cultural aspects of the curriculum. The school is a lively, happy place where all adults have built a learning culture in which pupil thrive because learning is active, exciting and fun. Whilst satisfactory, the school is taking every step possible to improve attendance. The robust system now in place to monitor absence and lateness has resulted in good

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Grade: 1

improvements to attendance since the last inspection. Procedures for keeping pupils safe are rigorous, meeting national guidelines, including safe use of the Internet. Risk assessments for activities are thorough and a high priority. Pastoral care for pupils is outstanding and pupils report they feel very safe in school. The daily early morning whole-school 'Wake and Shake' is much enjoyed by pupils and reflects the very good attention paid to pupils being healthy. Lunchtime is a purposeful social event where pupils chat easily to one another. Nearly half of all pupils choose to have a hot meal at lunchtime and as a result the school has noted improved concentration from pupils in the afternoon.

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Grade: 1

Children start school in Reception with levels of ability below those expected for their age. They make outstanding progress in their learning in all areas during their first year at school. More able children are well catered for and develop as enthusiastic learners. All children settle confidently into school as a result of the excellent Transition Project led by the school involving pre-school providers and parents. This enables teachers to plan learning experiences which meet children's individual needs. Their enjoyment of school can be seen in the way they are fully engrossed in learning activities. Adults plan well for the Reception-aged children in the mixed-age class so that they have equal access to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum as their peers in Reception classes. Children experience a good balance of activities between deciding on their own learning and adult-led activities. There is much opportunity for learning

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Grade: 1

and playing outside, with the Forest School environment adding great value and excitement to children's learning. Adult-led activities challenge children such as the doubling of numbers game and this contributes to the outstanding progress children make. All adults work seamlessly as a team and make regular assessments of children's progress which informs teachers' planning and information for parents. The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding and is a major factor in the excellent provision enjoyed by the children.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide further opportunities for staff to be involved in analysing pupil progress data, deciding on and evaluating actions as a result. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009 .

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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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

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

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 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? 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 June 2009 Inspection of Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, Burnham TA8 1JD Dear Children, I am writing to thank you for making the inspection team feel so welcome in your school when we visited recently and for helping us with our questions. We agree with you and your parents that your school is an exciting place in which to learn. We judged it as outstanding overall, which means there are lots of things that you do extremely well. Here are some of the things we particularly liked about Burnham Infants.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You love coming to school and everyone gets on well together.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave very well in school and talk confidently to visitors.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy learning outside in your Forest School.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your acting headteacher knows how well you are doing and makes sure you continue to make good progress. ■ All the staff work very hard to make your school an exciting place in which to learn.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are learning about the environment.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy your daily 'Wake and Shake'.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The older ones of you enjoy clubs and activities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked your teachers to work on one thing. We would like your teachers to help your acting headteacher by looking at the charts which show how well you are doing and deciding on what to do next to help you with your work. Thank you again for making us welcome. Keep having fun in your learning. You can help too by continuing to work hard. Yours faithfully, Jane Neech Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Burnham-on-Sea Infants' School, 16 June 2009

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