Burton-on-the-Wolds Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should ensure that a fluent and consistent style of handwriting is taught throughout the school and that all teachers insist on a high standard of presentation in all subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• School leaders demonstrate great commitment to their vision for all pupils to experience a rich and broad education that prepares them very well for future life. Leaders at all levels work as a strong and effective team to embed excellence across different aspects of the school’s work.
• Leaders have created an ethos where staff feel empowered to be innovative and are very motivated to do whatever it takes to ensure that teaching is strong, pupils enjoy their learning, and achieve well.
• Subject leaders are highly skilled and lead their areas of responsibility well. They evaluate the effectiveness of teaching accurately and share their findings with other leaders and teachers. They work successfully with teachers to make sure that pupils are interested to learn and make strong progress.
• Leaders regularly visit classrooms. Talking to pupils and thoroughly reviewing their progress with teachers allows leaders to assess what is working well and why. Leaders’ evaluation of the school is accurate. They have a very clear understanding of the strengths and the areas to develop. Leaders continually reflect on, and refine, their school improvement strategies to ensure that they are clear about what can be done to improve the school further.
• The school’s curriculum provides pupils with exciting learning experiences. There is a broad range of interesting themes which are highly motivating and inspire pupils to learn. Pupils have many opportunities to use and apply their English and mathematics skills in other subjects. A key strength of the curriculum is the way it builds pupils’ knowledge and develops their skills through different subjects and over time. Teachers encourage pupils to engage in discussions which challenge their opinions and build their understanding. For example, pupils’ learning about Ancient Egypt in history is further developed during personal development lessons, through debates about equality and diversity. This knowledge is then used to inform their factual as well as imaginative writing.
• Leadership of provision for pupils with SEND is very effective. Leaders ensure that support for these pupils is precisely tailored to meet their individual needs. Staff receive relevant training so that provision for pupils is appropriate and of high standard. Leaders work very effectively with outside agencies to seek specific advice when necessary.
• School leaders are effective in their use of the additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, these pupils achieve well. Disadvantaged pupils receive additional support and experiences designed to raise their achievement, improve their attendance and enhance their social and emotional development. Their attendance is high, and they make exceptional progress in line with their peers, by the end of key stage 2.
• Leaders work collaboratively with the Foxes School Improvement Partnership and Loughborough Learning Alliance to check the impact of their actions to improve the school. This provides the school with highly effective support and challenge when needed. Leaders and teachers also use these links to share their expertise and to support improvement work with colleagues in other schools. Some teachers have also been invited to train staff from other schools.
• Leaders ensure that pupils are developing a comprehensive appreciation of spiritual, moral and cultural issues through the school’s curriculum, work with other schools, assemblies, visits to places of interest and visitors to the school. For example, pupils across the school have considered the impact of war in relation to their work on the commemoration of the First World War. They raised money for a memorial stone in the village, created a permanent poppy memorial within the school grounds and wrote reflections and poems for Remembrance Day, all of which show empathy for the victims of war and the families affected. Pupils have a good understanding of different faiths and cultures and the impact they have on their own lives.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school very well and provide strong governance for the school. They talk authoritatively and perceptively about key areas of the school’s performance including the impact of additional funding, the achievement of groups of pupils and the effectiveness of the curriculum.
• Members of the governing body have an accurate understanding of actions to improve the school. They receive detailed information from leaders so that they are well informed. They test the accuracy of the information they receive through visits to the school, staff presentations to governors and the outcomes of external reviews.
• Governors have a strong commitment to the pupils. Governors ensure that they have the necessary skills to strategically support and monitor the effectiveness of school leadership and staff. Their determination to provide pupils with an aspirational education is reflected in the school’s curriculum and in relationships between pupils and staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a well-established culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Leaders provide all staff with relevant, up-to-date training to safeguard pupils. Staff know the school’s procedures for raising welfare or child protection concerns. Leaders make sure that there is always a qualified leader for safeguarding available to support staff and pupils when necessary.
• Leaders ensure that records for safeguarding are well maintained. They closely monitor events which may be related to safeguarding, and rigorously track incidents and concerns about pupils. Senior leaders are tenacious in monitoring vulnerable pupils. They meet regularly to discuss how to support vulnerable pupils and work in partnership with external agencies, where necessary, to ensure pupils’ well-being.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have extremely high expectations of all pupils in all subjects. No time is wasted in lessons because teachers explain very clearly what is being learned. Pupils know what they are doing and why they are doing it. Pupils make strong progress.
• Teachers work very well together as a team. They support each other, share ideas and continually strive to give pupils learning experiences that help them to think deeply and to develop their understanding.
• Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to create a range of motivating activities that interest pupils and capture their imagination. Lessons are carefully planned across a range of different subjects that enable pupils to debate at length, express their ideas and make strong progress. Pupils in Year 4 were asked to consider how they would write a newspaper article about the death of Tutankhamun. They debated the different possibilities for the cause of his death and considered how this could be sensitively reported to the ancient Egyptians.
• Teachers match work well to pupils’ abilities. They assess pupils’ understanding during lessons to ensure that they are interested and challenged to do the best they can. Teachers challenge pupils to extend their knowledge and skills through innovative problem-solving. Inspectors observed Year 5 pupils develop their understanding of multiplication of three-digit numbers by checking and correcting errors in a completed set of problems. They used their prior knowledge to identify how the mistakes had been made and explain why.
• Relationships between adults and pupils are excellent. Teachers know pupils very well. Pupils trust their teachers and teaching assistants. They are confident to try difficult tasks or contribute answers in lessons. This was illustrated when pupils failed to grasp new learning in a mathematics lesson. When seeking further help, they knew that they had their teacher’s as well as their classmates’ support.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use resources and questions extremely well to clarify pupils’ misconceptions and extend their learning. Where possible, they use real-life experiences to inspire pupils and develop their understanding. Key stage 2 pupils visited France and Belgium to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the geography, culture and language of these countries, as well as the role the countries played in the First World War.
• The teaching of phonics is highly effective. Teachers ensure that pupils have a very good understanding of phonics and that they can apply this knowledge accurately to their reading. Pupils who read to inspectors read with excellent expression and fluency while also displaying well-developed comprehension skills.
• Pupils with SEND receive very effective, precisely planned teaching and support. Teachers work closely with teaching assistants and specialist teachers to ensure that additional support meets pupils’ needs well and is carefully targeted to move them on in their learning.
• Lessons successfully build pupils’ knowledge and skills over time and in different subjects. During their learning about Islam, pupils used their mathematics skills to evaluate how difficult it would be to fast during Ramadan in different countries due to the varying lengths of days. In another lesson, pupils explored different shapes and artistic styles to create their own designs for a castle. They then compared their designs with Paul Klee’s ‘Castle and Sun’ painting. This knowledge was then transferred very effectively into their science work, where pupils investigated the properties of different materials and how their shape can be changed.
• Pupils enjoy their learning and are confident and proud of their achievements. However, teachers do not ensure that all pupils develop and sustain consistent and strong handwriting skills as they move through the school. For some pupils, this has a negative impact on the quality of the presentation of their work across different subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• During their time in the school, pupils become articulate learners. They cooperate well and demonstrate caring and compassionate attitudes towards others. They are respectful and are taught to embrace diversity. Inspectors saw many examples in lessons of pupils listening to each other and making sure that all views were heard and included.
• The school has an inspiring, friendly and calm atmosphere that is highly conducive to learning. Leaders provide opportunities through the curriculum and through other experiences for pupils to aspire to future careers. Past pupils visit the school to discuss their chosen career paths and inspire pupils to achieve their goals.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils are self-assured, sociable and confident. They are interested in their learning and proud of their school.
• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Those who spoke with inspectors told how they felt very fortunate that their child could attend the school and greatly appreciate the varied learning experiences the school provides. The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, agree that their child is safe, well looked after and makes good progress at the school.
• Pupils are taught well about how to stay safe in a variety of situations, including when using social media. Pupils leaving the school to start secondary school are taught how to cope with a variety of situations they may encounter as they enter the wider world, including the risks from bullying and from drugs.
• Pupils enjoy responsibility through their elected positions as members of the school council and through representing the school in sports competitions and musical performances. Through these roles, they are involved in decision-making and take an active part in the local community.
• Pupils have a good understanding about the choices that they should make to live healthily. They have frequent opportunities to develop their physical fitness through exercise. They appreciate the many clubs and sporting activities offered by the school. Leaders provide bespoke care and support to help pupils maintain good mental health.
• The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities to extend pupils’ understanding of the world outside their community and enhance their learning experiences. Pupils participate in a variety of sporting competitions and have many opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument and perform in concerts. Pupils join with pupils from other local schools to take part in residential trips in this country and abroad. Established partnerships with schools in other countries, such as China, are broadening pupils’ understanding of the world. These opportunities contribute very well to pupils’ personal development.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are respectful and polite. They are self-assured and have excellent attitudes to learning.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. Behaviour in the classrooms and around the school is impeccable. Parents who spoke with inspectors, and the vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed that pupils are well behaved.
• Pupils are kept safe and feel safe in the school. They say that they know who to talk to if they have any worries and are confident that any problems will be resolved. Adult ‘key workers’ are assigned to pupils when necessary to ensure that they and their families always have someone to turn to if issues arise.
• Pupils are confident in expressing their opinions. They work very well together in lessons. This is because staff have created an ethos of mutual respect and tolerance that permeates throughout the school.
• Pupils are keen to come to school and enjoy their learning. Attendance is above the national average and leaders work very effectively with families to ensure that pupils attend school every day.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Outcomes for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 over recent years have been very strong. Leaders’ sustained and focused improvement work has secured attainment that is consistently above national averages by the end of key stage 2. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Evidence seen in lessons and in pupils’ books, and information provided by the school, indicates that standards and expectations are high across the school and the curriculum. Current pupils are making strong progress in a variety of subjects.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is consistently above the national average. This reflects the high-quality teaching of phonics. Pupils who read with inspectors said that they enjoy reading and read with good fluency and excellent comprehension.
• Children enter the school with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make very strong progress as they move through the school. Current Year 6 pupils are making excellent progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils in the school who are disadvantaged is small. The school has effective systems to ensure that these pupils make similarly strong progress to other pupils in the school. They benefit from very good teaching and well-focused additional resources and support when they need it.
• Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders identify their learning needs promptly. Highly effective provision and strong teaching ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leadership of the early years is outstanding. Leaders are knowledgeable and have very high expectations for children’s learning. This has had a significant impact on securing the excellent outcomes that have been sustained over several years.
• Children make a very good start to their school life when they enter the Reception Year. The highly skilled staff plan sharply focused, exceptionally motivating activities to encourage children to learn. These activities are based on thorough assessments of children’s needs and abilities, ensuring that they make gains in all areas rapidly and with deep understanding.
• Leaders work very effectively with parents and external agencies to cement strong relationships to ensure that the needs of children are met. Children are well cared for and staff know children very well. Children feel comfortable and confident to express their opinions. Well-structured routines and procedures mean that children are kept safe and behave exceptionally well.
• Children start the Reception Year with skills and knowledge which are broadly typical for their age. Effective assessment procedures and a well-considered induction programme contribute to the next steps in children’s learning. Children of all abilities and backgrounds make strong progress. The proportion of children who leave the early years having achieved a good level of development is above that seen nationally. They are very well prepared for Year 1.
• Children with SEND and those who are disadvantaged are supported with great skill. Teachers provide extra adult support and adapt activities to make certain they meet children’s specific needs.
• The early years environment is a highly motivating and safe place for children to learn. They benefit from a well-planned curriculum that stimulates their interests and encourages them to be inquisitive and curious. Children have ample opportunities to extend their learning through adults’ thought-provoking questions which encourage them to think deeply for themselves.
• Children work cooperatively together to develop their vocabulary and social skills. In the outside area, they explored the different sizes, colours and textures of autumn leaves. They enthusiastically worked together to measure, as well as compare and play with, leaves using a variety of tools.
• Provision in the early years gives children many exciting opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding in different areas of the curriculum. Children develop into resilient learners who persevere at tasks for extended periods of time. Children are often absorbed in their learning. For example, they independently created musical instruments. They animatedly discussed which materials would be suitable for their chosen sound and why.
• Children’s reading, writing and mathematics skills are developed very well. Daily phonics lessons and shared reading with adults are rapidly developing pupils’ reading skills. They are provided with abundant opportunities to practise their letter sounds and write for different purposes. Children were observed writing independently words describing nocturnal animals. They develop their mathematical understanding by solving problems in a variety of situations. For example, inspectors observed children using non-standard measures to measure their feet.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119912 Leicestershire 10057662 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 177 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Pamela Parkin Andrew Robinson 01509 880298 www.burton-on-the-wolds-school.org admin@burton-on-the-wolds.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21 February 2018

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are below those seen nationally.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.
• The school works closely with the Foxes School Improvement Partnership to support school improvement within Burton-on-the-Wolds and across the other schools in the partnership.
• The school works with the Loughborough Learning Alliance to support colleagues working in other schools and share outstanding practice.
• A breakfast club is offered to all pupils at the school and is managed by the governing body.
• The school has achieved national Healthy School status and the International School award. They are currently working towards achieving the Eco-Schools Gold award.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. They observed the teaching of reading and listened to pupils read. Inspectors talked to pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and several middle leaders, including those for English and mathematics. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body.
• Inspectors spoke with parents informally at the start of the school day. They took account of the 66 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire, and the 18 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for pupils.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including: the school’s self-evaluation of current performance and plans for improvement; the school’s most recent information on the achievement and progress of pupils; information relating to the safeguarding of pupils; information about the behaviour management of pupils; information relating to the school’s use of the pupil premium funding and funding for pupils with SEND; the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils and minutes from meetings of the governing body.

Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Hazel Henson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector