Burrowmoor Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the consistency and quality of teaching to accelerate pupils’ progress and raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics across the school by ensuring that:
  • teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve across a full range of subjects
  • staff consistently use their knowledge of what pupils know and can do to plan lessons that meet pupils’ learning needs, including the most able.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and governance by ensuring that:
  • the skills and confidence of subject leaders are quickly developed so they can contribute towards improving the quality of teaching and raise standards in their areas of responsibility
  • the pupil premium funding continues to be spent effectively so that disadvantaged pupils across the school consistently make accelerated progress from their starting points in English and mathematics.
• Ensure that teachers provide tasks that enthuse and engage pupils, instilling in them a love of learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes in leadership. Although the executive headteacher provided much-needed stability during this time of uncertainty, actions taken to improve teaching and standards were disrupted. Consequently, the quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school, resulting in pupils not achieving as well as they should, particularly by the end of key stage 2.
• The recently-appointed headteacher along with the two assistant headteachers, one of whom is new to the role, have an accurate and realistic view of how well the school is doing. Along with the executive headteacher and the trust, the headteacher is clear about what needs to be done to secure improvements in the school’s work. She has quickly developed suitable plans to increase the pace of development. Leaders have already introduced appropriate changes, but these have not had time to make a positive impact on teaching and, subsequently, improve outcomes across the school.
• The effective leadership of some subjects across the curriculum is not yet fully in place. While the actions of the experienced and knowledgeable mathematics leader are improving the teaching of mathematics across the school, the work of other subject leaders is not so effective. This is because some subject leaders are unclear about their roles. They do not yet identify any underachievement, improve teaching and raise standards in their areas of responsibility. Senior leaders are currently reviewing the organisation and expectations of subject leadership. Training is being put in place to provide support for subject leaders to make the significant and sustained improvements needed to improve. However, this is at an early stage of development.
• Although leaders have used pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils in a variety of ways to overcome their barriers to learning, leaders recognise the monitoring of the effectiveness of the spending could be more precise. The trust has organised an external review of the use of the pupil premium funding to ensure that it benefits disadvantaged pupils to the full.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils study a range of subjects. Complementing this, trips, visitors and residential visits enhance pupils’ learning. For example, Year 6 pupils learned about the Egyptians by participating in a range of practical activities and visiting Howard Carter’s birthplace.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. Pupils also learn about a range of cultures and religions. They have time to reflect on their feelings towards special occasions during assemblies. Pupils respond positively to these experiences, which prepare them well for life in modern Britain.
• The special educational needs (SEN) coordinator uses additional funding provided for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities with increasing effectiveness. He has identified the right priorities for improvement and is beginning to address these more systematically. More rigorous assessments of pupils’ emotional and academic needs are carried out so that leaders have a better understanding of how well additional help is used to make a difference to pupils’ progress. Consequently, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making stronger progress from their starting points.
• Leaders ensure that the primary physical education (PE) and sports funding is well used. Teachers benefit from training from the PE Coordinator to improve their teaching skills. Feedback, including through questionnaires, demonstrates that teachers are increasing their confidence to teach PE effectively. Additionally, pupils represent their school at a range of sporting events, such as swimming galas and cricket and athletics tournaments.
• Staff participate in professional development, which helps to broaden their knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning. Staff value the range of training opportunities they can access. Leaders make sure that less experienced staff receive support through working closely with more experienced colleagues. Morale is high, and staff are keen to make the necessary changes required to raise standards across the school.
• The school benefits from the support of the Active Learning Trust, which provides resources, specialist consultants and training programmes for staff. The trust enables teachers to work with colleagues from other schools within the trust, including the local secondary school. This is helping to improve the quality of teaching, pupils’ outcomes and the transition for pupils moving on to Year 7.
• The number of parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, was low, but inspectors spoke to parents from all year groups during the inspection. Most parents’ views of the school are positive. They appreciate the range of activities their children take part in and say that their children enjoy school.

Governance of the school

• Governors are making an increasingly positive contribution to school improvement. Minutes of governors’ meetings demonstrate that they challenge leaders regularly by asking appropriate questions about the achievement of pupils. However, they do not routinely follow up the answers by checking the impact that leaders’ actions have on pupils’ progress and outcomes.
• Governors are ambitious for the school and for pupils to do well. They recognise that there needs to be more rapid, sustained improvement and greater consistency across the school.
• To strengthen the work of the governors and increase the continuity of pupils’ education experience, the trust is currently putting a single governing body in place to oversee both Burrowmoor Primary and the local secondary school, which is also part of the Active Learning Trust.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The safeguarding team, led by the designated safeguarding leader, ensures that all training for staff is up to date and that procedures to keep vulnerable pupils from harm are firmly in place. Leaders and staff have a good understanding of local issues within the community, and they work well with external agencies so that they can support pupils and their families effectively.
• Leaders ensure that accurate records are kept and have an oversight of vulnerable families, bringing together the views of a wide range of staff. Staff are vigilant for pupils’ safety and are confident to refer any concerns promptly.
• Leaders and governors are rigorous when recruiting staff. Comprehensive checks are made to ensure that staff are safe to work with pupils.
• Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school. Parents are confident in the school’s commitment to securing their children’s safety and well-being.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school and within subjects is inconsistent. This is because some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils in their class, including the most able, can achieve.
• Teachers do not consistently use assessment information to make sure pupils are provided with activities that are well suited to their abilities. Equally, teachers do not always respond rapidly enough to pupils’ learning needs in lessons. This means that pupils are not always appropriately challenged. As a result, the progress pupils make is not always as quick as it could be.
• The teaching of reading is inconsistent across the school. Leaders have provided training for teachers and, where teachers have used this new knowledge and skills, reading is taught more effectively. In these lessons the tasks set meet pupils’ needs and teaching is engaging and interesting. Consequently, pupils enjoy their learning and make good progress. However, in other classes, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their reading skills to become confident and successful readers.
• Where teaching is strongest, pupils’ writing skills are being developed effectively both in English lessons and across other subjects. Many writing activities are heavily supported by templates or structures produced by teachers. In some instances, this is appropriate and helps pupils to move on in their learning. However, for some pupils, it limits the quantity and quality of their work because they manage to do what is required quickly, and are not given further opportunities to extend or deepen their learning.
• The teaching of mathematics is improving. Following staff training, there is evidence of teachers giving more attention to developing pupils’ problem-solving and reasoning skills. These teaching approaches are not yet used effectively across the school.
• Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy learning across all subjects. However, the quality of teaching in other subjects such as science, history, geography and religious education (RE) is mixed and does not routinely enable pupils to make sufficient progress across the curriculum.
• Teaching across the school does not consistently engage pupils well enough in their learning. This is because teachers do not always excite and enthuse pupils with the work they provide. On these occasions, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as positive as they could be. As a contrast, pupils settle more quickly and sustain their concentration in lessons when the teaching is well planned, interesting and meets their needs well.
• As a result of recent initiatives, the quality of reading, writing and mathematics is improving. Pupils are making better progress, and this can be seen clearly in pupils’ current work books.
• Younger children develop their phonics skills through active and interesting sessions. Most children use these skills effectively when reading books.
• Teachers make sure that pupils have access to a range of high-quality books and that these are used as a focus for teaching topics covering a range of subjects. The school library is used well, and pupils enjoy the reading challenges led by the library coordinator.
• An increasing range of small-group interventions are helping some pupils, particularly those who have SEN and/or disabilities and the disadvantaged, to catch up when additional support is needed. As a result, leaders and staff are becoming more adept at helping those who fall behind. This is increasing the proportion of pupils working at standards that are typical for their age.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Some pupils lack confidence and determination in their learning. When teaching does not excite or engage them, they lose interest. Staff do not consistently encourage pupils to develop the ambition and resilience to become more effective learners.
• Leaders and staff promote the characteristics of leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication to help pupils become successful learners. However, not all pupils understand or use these effectively to help them to achieve well.
• Older pupils enjoy contributing to school life through their roles as school captains, monitors and members of the school and anti-bullying councils. They say that they value these roles and can explain the importance of learning leadership skills and representing other pupils.
• Pupils have a sound understanding of how to keep themselves safe, for example when crossing the road and when online. Pupils also told inspectors that there is very little bullying in the school. If bullying does happen, pupils are confident that the adults will sort it out quickly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils’ behaviour varies between classes according to the quality of teaching. While pupils behave well in some lessons, there is too much low-level disruption in others. As a result, pupils who spoke to inspectors reported regular disturbances to their learning.
• Leaders are currently reviewing the school’s behaviour policy. Staff are receiving training to raise expectations and to ensure that the school’s procedures for managing pupils’ behaviour are firmly in place.
• Despite leaders’ work to improve behaviour being in its early stages, there are signs that pupils’ behaviour is improving. School records and observations during the inspection support this view. Equally, there has been a reduction in incidents logged by school staff and in the number of fixed-term exclusions since the previous inspection.
• Generally, pupils get on well together. They enjoy chatting with friends at breaktimes and while they eat their lunch. During breaktimes, most pupils speak to adults politely and follow instructions promptly.
• Leaders have worked hard to promote the importance of good attendance with pupils and their families. Staff monitor why pupils are absent and follow up concerns with parents quickly. As a result, attendance rates are improving and are now close to the national average. The proportion of pupils who regularly miss school is also reducing and, although still high, is moving nearer to national figures.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• As a result of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, not all groups of pupils have made consistently good progress across different subjects over time.
• Since the previous inspection, the standards reached by pupils at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have been below national averages.
• More positively, standards at the end of key stage 1 have risen and are now broadly in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The progress of pupils currently in the school is improving, but this is not consistent across all year groups and all subjects.
• The proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has risen year-on-year and is now in line with the national figures. However, the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard at the end of Year 2 remains below national figures. Phonics lessons are generally taught well across the early years and key stage 1.
• The quality of pupils’ writing varies from class to class. The school’s assessment information indicates that there have been improvements to pupils’ writing skills and the progress of some pupils has increased.
• Work in pupils’ mathematics books and discussions with pupils about their learning show that in some classes pupils are acquiring the knowledge, skills and understanding expected for their age. However, this is not consistent within and across all year groups. The progress some pupils make in mathematics is still not good enough.
• The differences between the achievement of disadvantaged and other pupils in the school is diminishing because the additional funding for these pupils is being spent more effectively. Within this improving picture, leaders recognise that they need to check the effectiveness of their actions more closely across some year groups where the progress of disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics is not yet good enough. In addition, disadvantaged pupils still do not make the progress required to attain as well as other pupils nationally.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are currently making better progress than previously. This is because teachers and teaching assistants provide focused activities that meet their specific needs well.

Early years provision Good

• Children join the early years with knowledge and skills that are broadly typical for their age, but below age-related expectations in the areas of communication and literacy. Most children make good progress and so are well prepared for their transition into Year 1.
• Effective leadership in the early years has ensured that children receive good-quality teaching. Since the previous inspection, staff have reorganised the environment both indoors and outside, to enable children to make their own choices and develop their independence. Carefully thought out learning areas now provide plenty of opportunities for children to play, explore, make decisions, discover and use their imagination.
• Children are expected to learn their letters and sounds and to practise their phonics in their early reading and writing. Work in their learning journals demonstrates that a high proportion of children do this well.
• In both the Nursery and Reception classes, children are given activities that excite them and inspire them to learn. For example, a group of nursery class children were enthralled to discover the freshly-laid eggs from the school chickens.
• Staff are attentive to children’s different learning needs and, in turn, the children learn to do things for themselves and develop good learning habits. Staff pay careful attention to developing children’s early literacy and numeracy skills. The popular ‘snack café’ develops children’s independence effectively. Children prepare and ‘pay’ for their chosen snack confidently by counting out the right number of pennies. They also happily clear away and wash up their own plates, beakers and cutlery afterwards.
• Effective safety and supervision arrangements are in place, both indoors and outside, so adults know where children are and if anyone needs help. Children know how to stay safe in the environment and take reasonable steps to manage their own well-being and health. For example, children were observed deciding whether to put their coats on before going outside ‘so they don’t get cold’.
• The relationships between home and school are strong. Parents receive regular information about their children’s experiences at school and, in turn, they provide staff with information from home. Workshops and events are organised to give parents opportunities to see their children learning and to share ideas of how to support their children’s achievement at home.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139843 Cambridgeshire 10054998 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 Academy sponsor-led 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 473 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Andrew Smith Diane Hawkes 01354 652 330 www.burrowmoor.net office@burrowmoorprimary.org.uk Date of previous inspection 30 November 2016

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. It is sponsored by the Active Learning Trust. The trust delegates aspects of governance to the local governing body. The board of trustees is the accountable body.
• Most pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the government’s pupil premium funding is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive SEN support is below the national average, and the proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The executive headteacher has provided support to the school during several leadership changes, and he is also the principal of the local secondary school.
• The current headteacher joined the school in September 2018.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every class. Some of the observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were examined by inspectors throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, the assistant headteachers, the SENCo, a group of subject leaders, the PE coordinator, the library coordinator, the newly qualified teacher and trainee teacher, the office manager and the family worker. The lead inspector met with the chair of the local governing body and a representative from the trust. In addition, the lead inspector had a telephone conversation with the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class, and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes, to seek their views about the school. Meetings were also held with three different groups of pupils more formally to discuss their learning and many aspects of school life. One inspector attended a whole-school assembly.
• Some pupils were heard reading their books. Inspectors also talked to pupils about their reading habits and looked at their reading records.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including: assessment information; minutes from the local governing body meetings; reports from external consultants; the school’s own evaluation; improvement plans; and records about behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.
• Inspectors considered the 24 responses made by parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 24 responses to the Ofsted free-text system. Inspectors also spoke to some parents before and after school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

Inspection team

Fiona Webb, lead inspector Paul Copping Bridgette Gough

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector