Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and governance by:
  • holding senior and middle leaders to account for the difference their actions make to pupils’ outcomes
  • ensuring that governors are better equipped to make judgements about the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ outcomes
  • increasing the degree of challenge governors provide to leaders
  • securing more regular and challenging external support and validation of leaders’ judgements.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that the rate of pupils’ progress accelerates, particularly that of the most able pupils, by:
  • raising leaders’ and teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve and making sure teachers consistently challenge the most able pupils well
  • ensuring that teachers take more account of what pupils can already do, making sure work better matches the needs of groups of pupils
  • ensuring that pupils work at a faster pace, especially in mathematics lessons
  • providing more regular and routine opportunities for pupils to attempt tricky mathematical problems and to use their reasoning skills
  • improving how consistently and thoroughly teachers check pupils’ work during lessons, and use feedback to move pupils forward in their learning
  • making sure teachers give pupils challenging work in all subjects
  • increasing the amount of mathematics pupils do in other subjects. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The executive headteacher’s time is stretched between the three partner schools. The executive headteacher is very involved in the day-to-day running of the school. This means he does not have the time to step back and look at the bigger picture. As a result, some weaknesses have continued without sufficient challenge.
• Teaching and outcomes in mathematics were identified as an area for improvement at the last inspection. Despite efforts to improve provision, teaching of mathematics, especially in key stage 2, remains less than good and outcomes have been too variable. Leaders and teachers have not got to grips with the revised mathematics curriculum, so pupils are not well enough prepared for the tougher standards set by the government.
• The few teachers in this small school each have middle leadership responsibilities. They check together on each other’s teaching, for example by looking in pupils’ workbooks and visiting each other’s classrooms. However, they are inclined to be overly positive, offering too little challenge to each other’s practice. Consequently, some weaknesses are not addressed.
• Leaders and teachers do not identify all those pupils who potentially could reach higher standards by the time they leave the school. Consequently, expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough, especially in the teaching of mathematics.
• Leaders have not properly evaluated the difference pupil premium funding makes to the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Progress over time has been variable and disadvantaged pupils are not making progress in line with other pupils nationally. Most of the disadvantaged pupils currently in the school made expected progress over the last year. However, leaders are not clear about the progress that disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are making from earlier starting points.
• Leaders have developed a broad and balanced curriculum so pupils study a wide range of subjects, such as religious education, science, history and geography. Though pupils develop a broad general knowledge, many of the activities teachers give them do not provide enough challenge or deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils benefit from a range of educational visits, including outdoor adventure.
• The special educational needs leader, based at one of the partner schools, keeps a check on the progress of the small number of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. She ensures that precise pupil targets are set and communicates effectively with parents, taking account of their views. Consequently, the pupils currently in the school who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well provided for and make good progress.
• The effective actions of one of the middle leaders has resulted in substantial improvements to the teaching of early reading. As a result, almost all pupils over the last few years have reached the required standard in phonics. Teachers share their expertise in teaching phonics with other schools.
• Leaders make effective use of sports and physical education (PE) premium funding. A competent coach teaches PE lessons weekly. Pupils take part in Darlington schools games competitions. Pupils also get to take part in sports clubs. They take part in intra-school competitions throughout the year. All pupils learn to swim in their time at the school.
• Leaders actively promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. In religious education lessons, pupils learn about other major world faiths as well as Christianity. They know about the contributions of major figures to democracy and human rights, such as Nelson Mandela. Adults are preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour so pupils behave well and develop positive attitudes to learning.

Governance of the school

• Governors accept they have not challenged leaders as tenaciously as they should.
• The trustees and governors have an overly optimistic view, especially of leaders’ actions to improve mathematics. Governors have given too much credit to what leaders have done and not enough attention to the difference leaders’ actions make.
• The trust has recently taken steps to improve governance structures. They recognise that organisation needs to be tighter so that work is sharply focused on the most important priorities.
• Governors have the range of skills and experience needed to move the school forward, given better organisation and further training where it is needed. They are conscientious in their duties, visiting the school often and receiving regular reports.
• The governing board, with the help of an external partner, has identified and set appropriate targets for the executive headteacher. Governors recognise the need to build greater strength in leadership at all levels so that the executive headteacher can adopt a strategic and less hands-on role. Governors and leaders understand the need to secure more regular and vigorous challenge from external professionals to provide assurance that things are improving.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have proper arrangements in place to make sure all adults are vetted before being appointed, to make sure they are suitable to work with children.
• Adults understand the signs of abuse and take action when they are concerned that a child may be at risk of or suffering harm. Leaders make sure concerns are recorded in detail, along with details of any communication with parents or external agencies. Leaders take timely action in making referrals to the local authority social services if needed, and follow up to make sure appropriate actions are taken.
• The local governing board safeguarding committee takes safeguarding responsibilities seriously, checking that policies, procedures and practice are all as they should be.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching varies across the school. It is this variability that results in groups of pupils making only average progress overall, when many are capable of more rapid progress.
• Some teaching, especially the teaching of mathematics in key stage 2, does not expect enough of pupils, especially the most able pupils. The pace of learning is slow, as teachers take pupils through the same content at the same speed and to the same standard. Some pupils sit through explanations they do not need, rather than being given more challenging work to do.
• The effectiveness with which teachers check pupils’ learning in lessons is variable. While some pupils receive helpful guidance, in some lessons too many pupils’ work is not checked at all, so pupils carry on with work that is too easy.
• Leaders and teachers have taken steps to improve mathematics teaching. They provide pupils with problem-solving activities but these are too infrequent and often not challenging enough for the most able pupils. As a result, the mathematical reasoning skills of too many pupils are underdeveloped.
• In a wide range of subjects, including science, religious education and the humanities, teachers often give pupils work that does not challenge them. All pupils, more often than not, attempt the same work, regardless of their prior attainment. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise mathematics in other subjects.
• Teachers often make effective use of resources, including in those mathematics lessons where teachers give pupils equipment to help them visualise mathematical concepts. This helps some pupils to develop a good grounding in basic mathematical calculation understanding and skills.
• The teaching of phonics and early reading in the early years and Year 1 is effective. Almost all pupils over the last few years have met the expected standard in phonics.
• Teachers could do more to make a range of reading material more readily available to pupils, for example from the well-stocked library that is underused.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is good.
• Adults teach pupils how to stay safe. Older pupils, for example, demonstrate good understanding of the dangers of social networking and online bullying. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that, if it does happen, adults deal with it promptly and effectively. Older pupils look out for the younger pupils, showing genuine care and concern.
• Pupils largely take pride in their work. They are positive about learning, displaying good attitudes in lessons. Where teaching is less challenging, pupils are not particularly enthusiastic but get on with their work. Where teaching is stronger, pupils increasingly demonstrate staying power.
• Positive relationships between adults and pupils and between pupils themselves are manifest in the way pupils greet and show interest in visitors. Pupils are polite and well mannered.
• Leaders and teacher actively promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Pupils display tolerance for each other and understand what it means to respect difference, including those few pupils in the school of other faiths. Pupils show open-minded attitudes to different ways of living.
• The school council members have a growing understanding of how they can influence change. Prospective councillors prepare and present brief presentations, persuading their peers to vote for them. Recently, school councillors have written a job description for the new vicar.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders and teachers promote and expect positive behaviour so pupils respond accordingly.
• Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school, including in the playground at breaktimes. When the bell is rung, everyone stops as expected. Pupils are active but careful and rarely display any aggression.
• Adults marshal pupils more closely than needed. Pupils would benefit from moving between the playground and classrooms, for example, with less direct supervision, so they have more opportunities to show self-discipline.
• Attendance fell from above average to broadly average over the last year. This is mainly because of the unavoidable long-term absence of a couple of pupils, which in a small school has a disproportionate impact on overall attendance figures. Very few pupils are persistently absent. None of these are disadvantaged pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Over the last few years, pupils’ progress throughout key stage 2 has been broadly average. In the tougher 2016 tests, not all of the most able pupils reached the expected standard and too few achieved a high score in reading and mathematics.
• Progress in mathematics has been variable over time, but no better than average. Pupils’ workbooks show that too many pupils currently in the school are not working at a standard of which they are capable, including the most able pupils. Teachers are not consistently challenging these pupils.
• Outcomes in writing by the end of key stage 2 in 2016 were stronger than in other subjects. Workbooks show that pupils learn to write accurately, using a growing vocabulary and a range of sentence structures.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils vary. School assessment information suggests that, over the last year, just about all the disadvantaged pupils currently in the school made expected progress and a few made greater-than-expected progress, reducing the differences in attainment between these pupils and others in the school. However, over time, the achievement of this group is less positive, with progress for some of these pupils being slower.
• Very few pupils in school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pupils currently in the school are making generally good progress.
• All pupils meet the required standard in phonics by the time they leave key stage 1 because of the systematic teaching they receive. The vast majority of pupils learn to read fluently and with expression. By the time they leave key stage 2, progress in reading slows, though almost all pupils reach at least the expected standard.
• The vast majority of pupils, by the time they leave the school, are well prepared for secondary school because they have at least met the required standard in the key skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Some reach above average standards. However, more pupils could be doing even better.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the early years with skills, knowledge and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. By the time they leave the early years, almost all children achieve a good level of development so are well prepared for Year 1. Many children exceed the early learning goals in some of the areas of learning.
• Adults make effective use of resources inside and outside to entice children into play and exploration that sustain interest and provide challenge. For example, children used their imagination and worked hard as they dug in the soil pit together and made mud in the wheelbarrow. The arrangement of resources helps children to develop in all areas of learning.
• Adults intervene in children’s learning effectively. They ask questions, which get children talking, developing their vocabulary and building confidence to talk at increasingly greater length. Adults model new vocabulary and children copy. For example, when learning to bake, children are encouraged to use mathematical words as they measure out ingredients.
• Phonics teaching is effective, enabling children to get off to a good start matching sounds to letters. This gives them quick access to working out words as they read, and to spelling words as they write.
• All adults contribute to assessing the children, observing them as they play and explore. The early years leader identifies next steps in learning and records the characteristics children develop as learners. By the end of the Reception Year, the early years leader has reliable evidence upon which to base final assessments.
• Leaders could do more to involve parents in children’s initial assessments as they start school, to help provide a broader range of evidence. Leaders have been inclined to assess children as having skills that are below those which are typical for their age on entry. The inspector’s view is that children from the catchment communities are more typical than below.
• The early years leader has successfully begun to increase the involvement of parents in their children’s learning and assessment through the use of home diaries. These diaries explain what the children have been learning in school and many parents record what children have been learning at home, to build on the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding.
• Leaders set up a new nursery provision in January 2016. This is helping children get off to an even better start in their schooling and to make a smooth transition to the Reception Year.
• Children are happy and safe in the early years provision. Adults care for the children and develop trusting relationships. Children cooperate well with each other as they imaginatively role-play. They follow instructions and move around safely.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137021 Darlington 10019366 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 Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 118 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Neville Briscoe Executive headteacher Neil Parker Telephone number 01740 630 339 Website Email address www.br-and-h.org.uk headteacher@brandh.darlington.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about the curriculum, charging and admissions and some governance information.
• Bishopton Redmarshall CE Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is lower than that found nationally. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• There are very few pupils from minority ethnic groups and no pupil speaks English as an additional language.
• The school met the floor standards in 2015. These are the minimum expectations of pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics set by the government.
• The school is part of a small multi-academy trust of three schools, known as BRandH.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector visited all classes more than once to observe pupils’ learning. Most of these observations took place with the executive headteacher or head of school.
• The inspector questioned pupils about their learning, and what it is like to be a pupil at the school. Pupils’ workbooks from the current and previous school years were scrutinised, and the inspector listened to a few pupils read. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, including at the start of the school day, at breaktimes and at lunchtime.
• Discussions took place with the headteacher, other school leaders and teachers, and several members of the governing board. Telephone conversations were held with the diocesan director of education and a school improvement partner.
• The inspector listened to the views of a few parents during the inspection. There were 34 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The inspector also took account of parents’ written responses to the online survey.
• There was only one response to the staff survey and no responses to the pupil survey.
• The inspector analysed a number of documents, including the school improvement plan, governing board minutes and information about pupils’ achievement. Records relating to attendance, behaviour and safeguarding were scrutinised.

Inspection team

Philip Riozzi, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector