Burnley Brunshaw Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, so that pupils make better progress by:
  • sharing effective practice in teaching phonics
  • ensuring that weaker readers are heard reading more frequently by adults
  • improving pupils’ reasoning skills and problem solving in mathematics
  • checking that teaching assistants and other adults who work with pupils are having a positive effect on pupils’ learning.
• Make sure that children in the early years make better progress to match the skills typical for their age group by making sure that activities planned are sufficiently challenging for children.
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that school plans have measurable outcomes linked to pupils’ learning
  • making sure that subject leaders monitor teaching and learning to improve pupils’ progress in their subjects
  • providing governors with the key information they need to expect more from leaders about what pupils can achieve.
• Improve attendance for all pupils, but especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. 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

• Leaders have not sustained the momentum of improvement reported at the previous inspection. Pupils’ attainment has been in decline for some time. Many pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly, so overall attendance has fallen to below the national average.
• Considerable staff change has been a contributing factor to the decline in standards. Leaders have had to manage high staff absence; and the frequent changes of temporary teachers have led to inconsistent quality of teaching and learning as well as poor behaviour management. Parents and carers shared their concerns about the way things have been in the past but recognise that the school is now starting to improve.
• The school now has more stability in staff and leaders are working to eradicate the remaining weaknesses in teaching and learning. Senior leadership has been strengthened by the addition of a senior leader from another school who is on secondment.
• Leaders have been successful in improving behaviour and reducing the number of exclusions, helped by a more consistent approach to behaviour management.
• Several subject and phase leaders are very new to post. Senior leaders have recently welcomed external support from a teaching school to improve the work of these middle leaders. Although these leaders have a developing view of the strengths of their area and know some priorities for improvement, it is too soon to see the effect of their work on improving teaching and raising pupils’ achievements.
• Leaders, including governors, do not know if pupils in Reception and in Year 2 or Year 6 are doing any better than last year. They do not know if their work to improve the school reflects the progress that similar pupils can make elsewhere.
• The leader of SEND is knowledgeable about pupils’ needs and their barriers to learning. A large proportion of additional funding for SEND is used to pay for teaching assistants. However, the quality of this support varies. No evaluation of the impact of extra funding is carried out to make sure this intervention is helping pupils to achieve as well as they should.
• Pupil premium funding is spent on a range of strategies to support pupils in overcoming their barriers to learning. For example, a school counsellor helps pupils in raising their self-esteem, and a breakfast club provides food, drink and opportunities for social interaction through games on arrival at school. However, disadvantaged pupils continue to underachieve compared with other pupils nationally and miss far more days of school than other pupils do, so the impact of this funding is unclear.
• The primary physical education and sport premium is used well to increase pupils’ participation in sport and exercise. Following on from a successful digital fitness programme in 2017/18, this is being extended to more key stage 2 pupils to motivate them into counting and increasing their daily step count. Pupils take part in a wide range of sporting events and competitions through the Burnley Schools’ Sports Partnership, many funded through this additional premium.
• Senior leaders have an accurate knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching across the school based on their monitoring of teaching. Teachers want to improve their practice and senior leaders can give examples to demonstrate where teachers have listened to and acted on the support they have been given. The support programme for newly qualified teachers covers aspects of the teachers’ standards, such as effective behaviour management, but also focuses on school priorities, such as creating challenge and stretch for the most able pupils.
• Leaders have started to improve the curriculum to make sure learning is engaging, challenging and meets the needs of all pupils. Some of this is already in place. For example, pupils learn about careers and jobs in the community from speakers in assembly. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 learn about money management and financial awareness; a far greater priority is given to history, geography and science teaching than in the past.
• Leaders work with teachers to plan a wide range of opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning, which includes British values. As a result, pupils consistently demonstrate a culture of respect for adults and children; and they have a good understanding of differences due to disabilities, different faiths and different lifestyles. Leaders have made sure the curriculum provides many opportunities for a rich programme of learning outside the classroom.
• A strong commitment to the school’s equality and diversity policy permeates much of pupils’ work in classrooms and in enrichment activities. This reflects leaders’ vision: ‘Inspiring children to be resilient and aspirational learners, within a positive and considerate community.’

Governance of the school

• Governance is not effective because governors do not expect enough of leaders about what pupils can achieve.
• Governors know some of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They know pupils are safe because they check on safeguarding arrangements and they keep an overview of the school’s financial situation.
• Some governors are new to the role or have recently taken on new responsibilities, such as the oversight of pupil premium spending. However, they have not received any training to support them to carry out these roles. Governors were not aware that the information on the school website about the pupil premium funding did not meet requirements.
• Governors are aware that standards have declined and that disadvantaged pupils are underachieving compared with their classmates. However, they do not know if standards are now improving. This is because the information they are given by leaders, such as on pupils’ progress, is far too detailed and therefore confusing.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Senior leaders maintain accurate and detailed records of all safeguarding training for staff and governors. This includes the latest guidance on working to keep children safe, preventing extremism and radicalisation and a staff code of conduct which makes clear the expectations for mobile phone and social media use.
• Weekly updates on a range of safeguarding themes are led by the designated safeguarding lead, including peer-on-peer abuse, child sexual exploitation, honour-based violence and female genital mutilation. As a result, staff are vigilant in looking out for signs of abuse.
• Pupils say they feel safe and this view was confirmed by parents, who are confident that staff at this school work hard to keep children happy and safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has declined. Pupils’ knowledge and skills have not been developed as well as they should, resulting in gaps in their learning.
• Wide variability is seen in the quality of teaching in phonics. Where teaching is strong, pupils are confident in using their letter sounds in new words and teachers check that pupils know what the word means by encouraging them to use it in a phrase or sentence.
• Not all pupils read regularly to an adult. Some pupils’ reading records are not completed at all. Pupils are not given enough guidance to help them to improve their reading, and parents lack the information they need to support their child at home.
• Teachers’ expectations for handwriting and letter formation are not high enough. Some teachers and teaching assistants do not routinely check that ‘p’ and ‘b’, for example, are written correctly and help pupils as they form these letters in words. Pupils’ work in books is sometimes poorly presented and not all pupils get the support they need to help them to improve their handwriting.
• Pupils’ skills in mathematical reasoning are weak. Although some teachers include questions asking pupils to ‘show’, ‘explain’ or ‘prove’ their thinking, not all teachers insist that pupils do this. Wide variation exists between classes in the same year group, and across the school. This is because not all teachers are following the same scheme of work or using the same resources. Where learning is effective, pupils are given equipment and resources to help them to develop their understanding.
• Teaching assistants, and other adults who work with pupils, do not always have a positive effect on pupils’ learning. In some classes, teachers do not deploy teaching assistants well, so they focus on keeping pupils on task rather than improving knowledge and skills or deepening understanding. Where they are deployed effectively, teaching assistants support pupils to quickly develop their skills in reading. For instance, they ask pupils to read aloud or to write independently; they challenge pupils’ thinking to extend pupils’ vocabulary.
• Teaching is improving because leaders are making better use of assessment information to identify weaknesses in teaching and provide additional support for teachers. For example, not enough pupils reach a higher standard in their work so leaders have trained staff to challenge and stretch all pupils, but especially the most able. However, teaching is not yet leading to consistently good achievement for all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Teachers now know their pupils well. They know pupils’ starting points, know where there are gaps in learning, know which individuals or groups are underachieving and plan work to help pupils to catch up. As a result, leaders have established a baseline of skills and knowledge which teachers use to improve their teaching.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils learn to respect differences and to develop tolerance of different lifestyles. For example, teachers have led pupils in conversations about same gender parents or carers. The lunchtime sign language club is popular with pupils who are keen to try out their skills with pupils who have a hearing impairment. Some pupils have spoken in assembly about how they feel when they hear ethnic or racial insults in the community outside school. Wheelchair users take part in play activities with their classmates at lunchtime. As a result, everyone is welcomed and made to feel included.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet, and they know the procedure to follow in the event of an intruder on site or other serious concern in the community.
• Leaders have already developed a broad curriculum based on enrichment activities, with further improvements planned. Pupils take part in enrichment activities such as science club, sporting events and singing in the local community. Personal, social and health education covers self-esteem, dreams and goals, careers in the community and financial awareness. Pupils are therefore being well prepared for the next stage in their education and life in modern Britain.
• Strong links with three local churches are maintained so that pupils find out about different faiths, such as through visits to the churches. Pupils regularly reflect on, and discuss, different themes, such as Christian love and the origins of Valentine’s Day.
• Pupils in Years 1 to 6 play happily together at breaktime and lunchtime. Sports leaders organise group activities and games so that pupils learn to play with others from different age groups. The outside space is well resourced with a physical activity area used in dry weather and access to play equipment such as hoops and footballs. As a result, pupils develop self-confidence and physical skills very effectively.
• Development of good mental health and emotional well-being is given a high priority. A mental health leader supports pupils and their families, including teaching relaxation and de-stressing techniques through yoga. The counsellor and family support worker are always in high demand as they work to identify and support the most vulnerable pupils and their families.
• Pupils say that they love their school, and that bullying is rare. Pupils who were asked say that they could not recall seeing any fighting in school but acknowledge that sometimes pupils get angry and shout at each other, and sometimes shout at teachers. However, they are confident that teachers do their best to sort out any problems.
• Displays of pupils’ work around school vary in quality. For example, some staff use the ‘wow wall’ well and pupils are proud to see their work displayed. Pupils in some classes do not have the opportunity to ‘show off’ their work for others in this way.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Attendance has declined since the previous inspection and has been below the national average for at least the past three years. Leaders’ work to improve pupils’ overall attendance is not having enough effect. Although attendance is improving, this is slow, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Persistent absence is much higher than the national average and is highest for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. However, there are early signs of improvement because these groups of pupils are now starting to attend school more often than in the past. Attendance for pupils with SEND is affected by a small number of pupils who have medical needs requiring regular hospital appointments.
• Exclusions, which have been high in the past, have reduced. No pupils were permanently excluded from school in the past academic year. Leaders seek the help of external agencies for pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour, including the use of alternative provision. Leaders carry out regular checks on the behaviour, attendance and achievements of any pupils using this provision.
• Stability in staffing has helped to improve behaviour because there is greater consistency in the way behaviour is managed by all staff across the school.
• Pupils conduct themselves well around the school and in lessons. They welcomed inspectors and were keen to take an inspector on a tour at lunchtime to introduce them to their friends. Pupils proudly showed the inspector their photographs, displayed in classrooms when they win awards as ‘Brunshaw’s Best’.
• Survey responses from parents and staff recognise the improvements that leaders have made in the school, including improvements to behaviour. Parents described the school as ‘a wonderful, caring and welcoming school’ where ‘staff go the extra mile’ and ‘cannot do enough for the children and parents’.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ attainment at the end of each key stage has declined since the last inspection. Leaders’ views about rapidly improving attainment reported at that time have not materialised. Pupils’ attainment in reading and in mathematics at key stage 1 and key stage 2 have been below national averages for three years.
• Mathematics was highlighted as a weakness in the last inspection, particularly for the most able pupils, which continues to be the case. Pupils are starting to make better progress in reading and writing by the end of key stage 2, but in mathematics pupils are not making the progress that they should.
• Teachers’ most recent assessments of pupils in Year 6 show that attainment is improving in reading, writing and in mathematics. About one half of pupils in Year 6 are currently working at the expected standard, which is below the two thirds seen nationally. However, this is an improvement on the same time last year when only about one third of Year 6 were working at this standard.
• Attainment is improving in other year groups as a result of better teaching and more precise use of assessment. Teachers know which pupils in their classes are underachieving and are becoming better at planning work for them to improve their skills and fill gaps in their learning.
• Inspectors saw in pupils’ books that they are now making better progress in mathematics because teachers plan a variety of different questions which make pupils think harder about their work.
• More pupils are now working at the higher standard in their work, especially at key stage 2. The whole-school focus on ‘stretch and challenge’ is starting to make a difference for the most able pupils. Further improvement is needed in mathematics because pupils’ reasoning skills are weak.
• Attainment is improving in key stage 1, but fewer than half of pupils are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Not all pupils in Year 1 benefit from good phonics teaching. A smaller proportion of pupils than seen nationally reach the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Some of these pupils are successful by the end of Year 2, but there are some pupils each year who start key stage 2 without a good grasp of the foundations they need to develop their reading.
• Disadvantaged pupils underachieve compared with their classmates in school, and significantly underachieve compared with other pupils nationally in each of reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders’ aspirations for this group are too low because they focus on the difference between pupils in school, rather than looking at what pupils achieve elsewhere.
• Pupils with SEND continue to underachieve. Pupils from these groups are often absent from school and this is slowing their progress. In Year 6, these pupils have lost ground in the past, and are not catching up securely enough to make sure they are ready for secondary school. The work of teaching assistants is not making enough difference to the progress of some pupils.
• The school’s new curriculum in history, geography and science has only recently been introduced, with support from the teaching school, so it is too soon to see the impact of this. In history and geography, pupils apply their writing skills in a range of different tasks, including writing in paragraphs and with accurate use of technical language.
• Science teaching focuses on biological concepts. Pupils therefore have little opportunity to apply their mathematical skills across the curriculum, such as in recording measurements through practical work or in scientific enquiry and displaying their findings. For example, no evidence was seen in pupils’ books of use of units of measurement or calculations.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Children join the Nursery or Reception classes with skills and abilities that are below those typical for their age, especially in communication, language and literacy. Fewer than half of the children reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year. Children are not prepared well enough to get off to a good start in Year 1.
• Too many children do not make enough progress from their starting points. Poor attendance is slowing the progress made by some children. In Reception, almost one fifth of children are persistently absent.
• Leadership in the early years has been unsettled, with the new leader only being in post for about 12 months. New systems have been introduced, such as baseline assessment, with the result that teachers now have an accurate knowledge of children’s starting points.
• The leader’s assessments of children have identified that communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development are not as well developed as other areas. Plans are in place to now make this a focus for future teaching.
• Detailed records of children’s progress are in place. They are used well by teachers to tailor their teaching to develop children’s skills. Children were observed developing independence and self-care, exploring and using different materials and gaining confidence in moving and handling. Examples included kicking a ball, running and walking on steps without help.
• Teaching assistants vary in their impact on learning. Questions do not always develop children’s thinking as well as they could, and opportunities are missed to extend vocabulary and further develop communication skills.
• Teachers have high expectations of behaviour in their classrooms. Established routines were evident as children listened well and followed instructions when asked.
• Children are happy, well cared for and enjoy their learning. This is encouraged through the range of resources available for children to use, such as finding out about sounds on tablet computers, opportunities to make music, forming letters in sand and using imagination in role play in the ‘home corner’.
• Children’s physical development is given a high priority through the well-resourced outside area. However, this is restricted to just 10 pupils at a time, which limits the choice of activities for some children.
• Parents are encouraged to take an active part in their children’s learning through organised ‘stay and play’ activities. Currently, these are only attended by a small number of parents.
• All welfare requirements are met. Staff are well qualified and have a good understanding of safeguarding and action to take if they have concerns about a child.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119217 Lancashire 10082082 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 465 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address William Burns Emma McNicoll 01282 423280 www.brunshaw23.lancsngfl.ac.uk head@brunshaw.co.uk Date of previous inspection 13 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school is much larger than most primary schools.
• The majority of pupils come from a White British background with a very small number of pupils from other heritages. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• About a third of pupils are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium funding, which is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is average.
• Early years provision comprises two Nursery classes for three- and four-year-old children, and two Reception classes for four- and five-year-olds. Children in the Nursery attend part time. There are no disadvantaged children in the early years.
• The school provides a breakfast club for pupils each morning.
• One pupil attends ‘Aspire’, an off-site alternative provision, on a temporary arrangement.
• Leaders have commissioned additional support from Barnoldswick CE Primary School, a national teaching school, in addition to support from the local authority. One member of the senior leadership team is on secondment from another school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classrooms to observe teaching and pupils’ learning. Some of these observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work in books and work displayed on walls in classrooms and on corridors.
• Inspectors observed children at lunchtime and at breaktime and spoke to pupils about their work during lessons.
• Inspectors met formally with two groups of pupils and listened to pupils from both groups read. There were 31 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils, which was completed by pupils from Years 1 to 5.
• Inspectors held discussions with staff, and middle and senior leaders. They took account of the 21 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.
• Inspectors spoke with parents as they arrived at school at the end of the day to collect children, and analysed the 44 responses to Parent View, as well as 25 free-text comments.
• An inspector met with a group of governors and an adviser from the local authority.
• A sample of pupil case studies were scrutinised to find out about the support pupils receive, including to help them to manage their behaviour.
• Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including arrangements for safeguarding. They took account of leaders’ views on the school’s effectiveness, the school and subject improvement plans and information on pupils’ achievements, attendance and behaviour. Documents relating to leaders’ monitoring of teaching and notes from governors’ meetings were also considered.

Inspection team

Denah Jones, lead inspector Sally Aspinwall Claire Hollister

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector