Billingborough Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • developing the role of middle leaders so that they have a comprehensive understanding of how to lead improvement within their areas of responsibility.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils by:
  • ensuring that teachers consistently address misconceptions so that all pupils can make as much progress as possible.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in early years by:
  • using assessment information effectively to set tasks that consistently challenge children.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• A period of turbulence, including changes to leadership, staffing and governance contributed to a period of decline following the previous inspection. Pupils did not make as much progress as they should have done. Leaders have acted effectively to ensure that there is now a consistently high quality of teaching and learning. They have raised teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do. Clear improvements have been made and attainment has risen.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation is now more accurate. Comprehensive development plans have identified actions which have brought about rapid improvements. Well-judged professional development has improved teachers’ subject knowledge. Leaders have established a challenging and varied curriculum.
• Leaders have ensured that what pupils are being taught builds on pupils’ prior learning. They have established accurate systems for assessment and a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics and English. Leadership roles are being developed so that staff have responsibilities for areas of the school and subject development. Some of these leaders support curriculum development effectively and expert practice is shared well. However, not all middle leaders have had the opportunity to fully develop their capacity to lead improvement.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils well. They have made regular checks to ensure that the additional support is helping pupils to make the best possible progress and that they have access to the broad range of learning opportunities that the school offers.
• Leaders evaluate the impact of the primary physical education (PE) and sports premium to make sure that it is used effectively. They have established a wide range of sporting opportunities which help pupils to increase their fitness. Pupils have access to high-quality coaching and a wide range of different activities such as new age kurling and orienteering. Leaders ensure that the school’s approach is both ambitious and inclusive.
• Leaders quickly identify the needs of pupils with SEND. They work effectively with external agencies to ensure that teachers use appropriate strategies to support pupils. They ensure that additional funds are spent appropriately and that the curriculum is adapted so that all pupils can access learning. Leaders monitor this frequently to check that the support that pupils with SEND receive is having a positive impact.
• Parents praise the inclusive ethos of the school and are overwhelmingly supportive of the leaders and the changes that they have made. They feel that communication is effective, and that staff work in partnership with parents. They appreciate the strong emphasis on pupils’ well-being and feel that their children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum helps pupils to develop their understanding of life in modern Britain. Visits to the mosque and the cathedral have provided opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths. Meeting relatives of local soldiers helped pupils to better understand the sacrifices that had been made during the First and Second World Wars.

Governance of the school

• Governors worked with school leaders to improve the curriculum so that pupils were learning what they needed to and so could make the best rates of progress. Some recent governor training has taken place and more is planned. Governors monitor safeguarding effectively. They challenge the school to ensure that appropriate risk assessments are in place, for example in improving the entry and exit systems to the school so that all pupils are safe.
• Governors monitor the use of additional funding, such as the sports premium. They evaluate what works well and check whether it is having an impact on pupils’ fitness. They challenge leaders to ensure that systems effectively promote good attendance.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured that the school’s safeguarding procedures are up to date and rigorous. Appropriate checks are made before staff work with children. All staff are appropriately trained. Staff understand what they need to do if they are concerned about a child. Leaders have established effective links with other agencies and seek advice where needed to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for.
• Pupils feel safe in school. They know about how to keep safe when they are outside. They learn about ‘Stranger Danger’ and how to cross the road safely.
• Teachers ensure that pupils know how to stay safe online. They teach pupils to evaluate risks and respond to messages that they may receive over the internet. Pupils know how to report inappropriate images or unkind texts to an adult.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching throughout the school follows a consistent approach and in some classes is particularly effective. Teachers use their subject knowledge well to plan sequences of lessons which are engaging. They make good use of the space and the resources of the school.
• Teachers encourage pupils to read frequently and develop a love of language. The teaching of phonics ensures that pupils make strong gains in their early reading and tackle simple texts with confidence. Teachers ensure that pupils understand the meanings of the new words that they encounter as well as their origin. Pupils can explain the effect of the words that the author has chosen as well as the meaning that the reader infers.
• Older pupils make well-informed choices about the texts that they want to read based on their knowledge of authors and genres. Teachers provide well-structured opportunities for pupils to develop an enjoyment of non-fiction texts. They make sure that pupils read frequently, across the curriculum, so that they can increase their knowledge of the subjects that they are studying.
• Teachers plan frequent opportunities for pupils to write at length in different areas of the curriculum. Younger pupils write well-organised reports about owls. Older pupils write highly imaginative historical accounts, which demonstrate pupils’ command of high-quality vocabulary, such as, ‘I audaciously drew my trustworthy sword.’ There are well-established routines which help pupils to edit and improve their writing so that they can select their sentence length and punctuation to best effect. However, sometimes pupils choose the wrong grapheme to spell a word and continue to misspell it because this misconception is not addressed.
• Teachers have ensured that pupils have frequent opportunities to develop their fluency in mathematics. They adapt tasks so that pupils are building on what they already know and can do. For example, pupils who already understood how to draw block graphs developed their understanding further through creating a graph comparing the distribution of different-coloured smarties across a range of tubes.
• Teachers challenge pupils to use their knowledge of numbers and reasoning as they try to solve problems. Pupils use mathematical language to explain their thinking. However, this is not yet fully embedded. Not all pupils give explanations that are completely accurate, and misconceptions remain.
• The teaching of science is highly effective. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They provide pupils with frequent opportunities to explore and investigate new ideas. Younger pupils explore ideas about how to make their ‘space mice’ travel as high or as far as possible. Older pupils investigate the effect of different strengths of acid on shells. Careful questioning by the teacher ensured that pupils became more precise in their observations and allowed them to deepen their understanding.
• Teachers have planned a broad and balanced curriculum which encourages pupils to reflect on issues in the world around them. For example, pupils developed their knowledge of human geography through explaining the impact of natural disasters on subsistence farming and developing economies.
• Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to deepen their thinking. In religious education, for example, pupils used their knowledge of key texts from the New Testament to explain Christian religious imagery such as the paschal lamb and the use of candles. They ensure that pupils have opportunities to visit different places of worship and meet believers from a variety of faiths.
• Teachers set appropriate homework regularly. Pupils enjoy the creative project-based learning that they can choose to do in addition to the tasks which reinforce classroom learning. Pupils understand that this builds their knowledge and helps them to become prepared for life at secondary school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are articulate and confident. They are keen to explain their thoughts to each other. Pupils’ contributions are valued by adults in the school. They work together in mixed-age groups to share their opinions through the school’s ‘big conversations’. Leaders use the ideas of pupils when reshaping the marking policy, for example, to ensure that pupils feel that it meets their needs.
• Pupils have opportunities to develop empathy for others and to share this with the local community. For example, pupils used what they had learned about the First World War to lead an act of remembrance in the village. Pupils believe strongly in equality and feel that pupils from all backgrounds receive a warm welcome at their school.
• The school promotes active breaktimes and lunchtimes and pupils enjoy using the equipment that is available. Pupils enjoy a range of clubs which help them to stay fit and healthy.
• Pupils who attend the school’s breakfast and after-school club enjoy making choices about what they eat, such as the topping on their toast or the contents of their sandwich wrap. They enjoy the ‘Wake and Shake’ club.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and explain that there are lessons that help them to know what to do if this happens. They feel that any incidents of poor behaviour are very rare and are dealt with appropriately by the staff. The school’s record of behaviour supports this and shows that the school deals thoroughly and effectively with any incidents that do occur.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils understand the strong moral code of the school. They understand the importance of being trustworthy, respectful and resilient, and acting safely. Recent initiatives such as the ‘mini police’ have provided opportunities for older pupils to act as role models for younger pupils and help to resolve any conflicts that there might be.
• Pupils are keen to learn and are attentive to staff. They conduct themselves well in classes and settle quickly after exciting activities.
• Leaders have ensured that parents understand the importance of regular attendance at school and have clarified the school’s policies with regard to authorising absences. School attendance remains above the national average and while persistent absence has risen, it remains below the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• A high proportion of pupils reach the expected standard in the phonics screening check. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who reach this standard is consistently very high.
• The proportion of pupils, at the end of key stage 1, that reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils working at greater depth in all three subjects is well above the national average.
• Pupils’ attainment rose in 2018 and the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, by the end of key stage 2, was higher than the national average. A high proportion of pupils reached the higher standard in reading.
• Scrutiny of current pupils’ work books shows that they are making consistently strong progress in mathematics. The additional challenge that older pupils, in particular, receive is providing more opportunities for them to work at a higher standard and make stronger gains in their learning.
• Current pupils read widely and tackle challenging texts with expression and enjoyment. Pupils use their writing skills well in a range of subjects. By the end of key stage 2, current pupils are making strong progress in reading and writing.
• Scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks and observations in lessons indicate that pupils make particularly strong progress in science. They use technical vocabulary accurately and can hypothesise and test their ideas. Current pupils also make strong progress in PE. They can evaluate their learning and suggest how they can improve their performance further.
• The school’s own assessment information and scrutiny of current pupils’ work books show that pupils with SEND make strong progress. Disadvantaged pupils make stronger progress than their peers. Plans to support pupils are evaluated and changed so that opportunities for pupils to build on what they already know are maximised.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders have a clear vision for the continuing development of early years. They have a good knowledge of the curriculum and plan a clear progression of learning from Nursery through to Reception.
• Adults develop children’s learning through effective questioning and demonstration. Children enjoyed answering questions about a text that they had become familiar with. Adults build on the children’s enthusiasm by providing them with opportunities to deepen their thinking. For example, children were eager to discuss what might be in the teacher’s suitcase and give reasons for their answers.
• Teachers provide activities that build on learning during free-flow activities. For example, after learning about the number eight, adults encouraged pupils to recognise and find the numeral eight in the outdoor environment. Children use what they have learned in their play. For example, children independently matched pairs of numbers to make ten and then proved that they were correct by checking with apparatus and by counting with individual counters. They enjoyed sharing this learning with each other.
• Children are keen to practise the sounds that they learn in phonics. They make phonically plausible attempts to write words and sentences independently both in their play and in activities with a member of staff. Not all staff model pure sounds accurately.
• The additional needs of children with SEND are quickly identified. Careful planning establishes how their needs are supported and staff work closely with outside agencies to check the progress that the children are making. Parents feel well supported and included.
• Disadvantaged pupils make strong progress in the early years. Leaders evaluate the support that they receive to ensure that they are gaining the key skills that they need.
• Leaders use assessment information to monitor the progress that pupils make from the point they enter the early years. They frequently record what children can do. However, they do not always use this effectively when planning the next steps for learning. Some tasks do not provide as much challenge for children as they could.
• Parents are pleased with the progress that their children make both in the Nursery and during the Reception Year. They have regular opportunities to contribute to records of their child’s progress and to discuss any worries or concerns that they might have. Transition to Year 1 is well organised and supportive.
• Adults encourage children to become independent learners. Positive learning behaviours and routines such as hanging up coats and dressing to go outside are well established by the end of early years. The proportion of children who attain a good level of development is typically higher than the national average. Children are ready to continue their learning journey in Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120371 Lincolnshire 10086758 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 164 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher John Moss Clare Coyle Telephone number 01529 240 437 Website Email address www.billingborough.lincs.sch.uk/ enquiries@billingborough.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 June 2012

Information about this school

• The school is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in mixed- age classes. The school has grown in size recently.
• The current headteacher took up her position in September 2014. Most governors have taken up their positions since the last inspection. The chair of governors took up his position in September 2017. There have been some changes to staffing since the last inspection.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is higher than the national average.
• The governors manage a before- and after-school club, which takes place on the school site.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups. Most of these observations were accompanied by the headteacher. They scrutinised pupils’ work in the presence of the headteacher and another senior leader.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher and middle leaders. They also met with governors and spoke to a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors scrutinised documents including the school development plan, subject action plans, school policies, records about behaviour and safeguarding, attendance reports and records of visits from the local authority.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read. They spoke with groups of pupils formally, and informally with pupils during lessons, at breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors talked with parents at the beginning of the day and took account of the 31 opinions expressed on Parent View.

Inspection team

Hazel Henson, lead inspector Anne White Helen Williams

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector