Bedford Drive Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Eliminate any remaining gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding of grammar, spelling and punctuation to overcome previous weaknesses in teaching.
• Further increase the progress of the most able pupils by consistently providing work that challenges and deepens knowledge, skills and understanding across the curriculum.
• Improve attendance by continuing to maintain a robust focus on working with parents and carers to encourage regular attendance and reduce persistent absence.
• Continue to improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • further improving communication systems with parents
  • ensuring that all the required statutory information is published on the school’s website.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• All staff and governors have high aspirations for pupils at this school. The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, senior leaders and skilled governors, provides strong leadership for the school. Collectively, they have driven improvements in teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection. During this period, they have successfully overseen the construction of, and move to, the new school building while maintaining a clear and successful focus on bringing about improvements in the school’s performance.
• Morale is high because staff feel valued and supported. A culture exists where everyone is striving to do their best to help pupils to make the most of the opportunities provided at this school. In turn, pupils show similarly high ambitions to make good progress.
• Senior and curriculum leaders have embraced their roles well since the previous inspection. They provide support and training for colleagues, for example through ‘learning lunches’, when staff informally share ideas about what works well in the classroom. All leaders carry out regular checks on teaching and learning in the subjects or areas for which they have responsibility. This has helped to improve teachers’ subject knowledge and secure consistency across the school. Leaders at all levels are confident that the improvements they have helped to bring about are sustainable.
• Teachers’ regular assessments of pupils’ attainment are rigorously checked to assure their accuracy. Senior leaders use this assessment information in their termly discussions with teachers about pupils’ progress. Any underperformance is quickly identified and additional support is put into place to bring pupils at risk of falling behind back on track with their peers.
• Senior leaders have established effective systems to assess and track pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Subject leaders track how well pupils are doing in the areas and subjects they lead. This effective monitoring leads to effective support for most groups although, at times, not enough is demanded of the most able pupils to enable them to reach their full potential. Leaders’ and teachers’ performance is rigorously managed, taking account of pupils’ achievement and personal development.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s performance. The correct priorities have been identified and actions taken to bring about improvements are checked carefully to ensure that the school continues to move forward.
• A strength in leadership is the desire to try new ideas that will enhance learning. Currently, leaders are experimenting with extending the use of more technology and less paper in classrooms. Using tablet computers, pupils decide what to record to demonstrate to their teachers how well they have achieved their objectives in lessons. So far, leaders and pupils are enthusiastic about this way of working.
• The inclusion manager is highly organised and provides very effective leadership for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils’ additional and emotional needs are identified quickly and well-targeted teaching, tailored to individual need, is put in place and reviewed regularly. Staff take good account of the views of parents and pupils. Funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is deployed effectively.
• Leaders and teachers have planned the curriculum thoroughly. Subjects inspire pupils and offer them rich experiences that enhance academic progress as well as promoting personal development. As well as focusing on reading, writing and mathematics, school leaders have ensured that pupils’ learning in other subjects, including science and art, has improved. The curriculum is further enriched by a range of lunchtime and after-school clubs.
• The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. The development of pupils’ understanding of British values is given a high priority throughout the school’s work and pupils are involved in leading learning in certain aspects of this part of the curriculum.
• The range of opportunities and experiences provided for pupils promotes strongly their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. New pupils are welcomed into the school and discrimination of any type is not tolerated. Pupils’ understanding of different cultures and faiths is well developed.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Senior leaders and governors keep a close check on the impact of this funding on disadvantaged pupils’ academic and personal development. Pupils are encouraged to take part in experiences to promote their well-being, such as participation in school clubs and visits. Additional support is provided to help them to improve their attendance.
• The sports funding for primary schools is used well to promote pupils’ well-being and increase participation in sporting activities. As a result, pupils understand the importance of keeping active and making healthy choices when they eat. The funding provides pupils with the opportunity to participate in judo, fencing and archery; and older pupils, trained to work as sports leaders, help their fellow pupils during school sports clubs.
• A number of pupils join or leave the school at points other than the usual point of entry. Some new arrivals have additional learning needs, which are often the result of their previously poor attendance and earlier disruptions to their primary education. Leaders take seriously the need for good attendance and devote considerable school resources, including time and effort of staff and leaders, to this issue. Absences are followed up rigorously and staff are tenacious in ensuring that they find out the destination of pupils who leave the school unexpectedly. The school is highly inclusive and leaders are determined to ensure that all pupils attend regularly and make the best possible progress given their abilities and starting points. Despite this, attendance is still lower than average and some pupils fail to attend school regularly.
• Most parents who spoke to the inspectors, or who responded to the school’s and Ofsted’s questionnaires, expressed positive views about the care provided for their children and the education they receive. A small minority of parents indicated that they had some concerns about the way the school communicates with parents. Leaders are aware of this and are taking steps to identify and resolve any issues.
• The local authority provides good support for the school. Visits have been used to validate leaders’ evaluations of the school’s work and to provide training and challenge for teachers, leaders and governors.

Governance of the school

• Governors contribute much to the life of the school. They regularly ask probing questions about all aspects of the school’s performance. This includes attendance, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, including that of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors have a firm understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for development. They gain regular first-hand views of the school’s performance through focused visits to experience and observe the life of the school. Leaders attend governing body meetings to provide reports and answer governors’ questions.
• Governors take the safeguarding of pupils extremely seriously. The safeguarding committee regularly reviews all aspects of this part of the school’s work. For example, governors keep a careful check on any accidents that take place within the school to look for patterns and make any changes necessary to prevent further incidents.
• Governors regularly seek the views of pupils when they review the performance of the school or are considering any changes to aspects of school life.
• The school website provides a wealth of information. However, it does not show all required information including, for example, the curriculum for each year group.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Rigorous systems ensure that staff and volunteers are suitable people to work with children. Visitors to the school are checked thoroughly and made aware of the school’s safeguarding arrangements.
• Safeguarding and child protection training for staff is regular, comprehensive and up to date. Staff are vigilant about keeping children safe and have a good understanding of what to do if they have concerns about a child’s safety.
• There are effective systems to protect pupils at risk of harm. These include close links with social services and other professional agencies. Records are suitably detailed and are kept secure.
• The inclusion officer provides effective leadership of safeguarding arrangements in the school. Absences are followed up quickly and rigorously to ensure pupils’ safety. The school provides parents with a range of information through its website to help them to keep their children safe online and to reinforce the importance of good attendance.
• The school maintains detailed records of behaviour incidents, including any bullying, racist or prejudiced-based behaviour. Exclusions are managed strictly in accordance with the school’s behaviour policy and in consultation with external agencies including the local authority. This diligence in following systems ensures that the focus on safeguarding is always a priority for the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Improved teaching is ensuring much better outcomes than at the time of the previous inspection. Effective teaching has a good impact on learning, including in reading, writing and mathematics, which is reflected in the good and sometimes rapid progress that pupils make.
• Well-planned lessons make meaningful links between subjects and carefully build on what pupils already know and can do. Teachers use their good subject knowledge to skilfully question pupils to check their understanding. Careful explanations improve understanding and move learning forwards.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work as a strong team. Adults encourage pupils to firstly think for themselves if they are ‘stuck’ and then to talk about and share their work and learn from each other. Pupils are becoming increasingly resilient learners. As one pupil explained, ‘It’s good to grapple with my work, it’s good to think.’
• Classrooms are bright and well organised. Pupils are proud of the way their work is displayed around the school.
• Pupils enjoy the way teachers organise learning for different subjects into topics. Pupils write with enjoyment and imagination, often because their writing is linked to the topic they are studying.
• The effective teaching of reading, including phonics, is carefully developed in the early years and in key stage 1 and, as a result, most pupils get off to a good start in their reading. The range of books available motivates most pupils to read widely at home and in school.
• Mathematical skills are taught successfully. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning to improve their understanding and to reason and apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems.
• Overall, the teaching of writing is good. Teachers encourage pupils to write imaginatively and in different styles. However, at times, not enough attention is given to developing pupils’ grammar, spelling and punctuation skills. Year 6 external assessments and work in pupils’ books show that gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of this aspect of the curriculum remain. This is particularly the case in the older classes where pupils have experienced weaker teaching in the past.
• Teachers use assessment information well to support most pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. At times, information is not used as successfully to provide a high level of challenge for the most able pupils.

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 proud of their school and are thrilled with their new school building. They look very smart in their new school uniforms, which they helped to design.
• Pupils work happily and cooperatively together in lessons. Attitudes to learning are good. Bedford Drive is an inclusive school where all are welcomed. Pupils new to the school are helped to settle in well and quickly make new friends.
• Pupils are cared for effectively and feel safe. They are aware of the different types of bullying, including cyber and prejudice-based bullying. Pupils say bullying does not happen often but if issues do arise they trust the staff to sort it out quickly.
• Pupils contribute well to the life of the school. The e-cadets and digital leaders, for example, help other pupils get the best from technology and use the internet safely. The UNICEF group, who are beginning to help Bedford Drive to become a ‘rights respecting’ school, are a thoughtful and articulate group of pupils who are knowledgeable about the world and its injustices.
• During the inspection, ‘diversity’ week was helping pupils to understand and respect the differences and similarities between themselves and others. Year 5, for example, very sensibly and maturely identified the different types of families that exist in our society today. Pupils have written to some publishers to encourage them to review the types of photographs used on some book covers that they consider portray gender stereotypes.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils say they enjoy school and their lessons. They feel safe and know there is always an adult ready to listen to them.
• Pupils think behaviour is good around the school. They respond well to the high expectations of behaviour set by the staff. Movement around school is good with pupils taking care, particularly on stairways.
• Pupils of all ages play happily together on the playground where, due to the ongoing building work, there is limited space at the moment. Pupils are excitedly anticipating the time when the demolition of their old school takes place so that they can have a large, new, well-equipped playground.
• School rules are clear and understood by all. Positive behaviour is reinforced with rewards. Pupils say that adults apply sanctions fairly. The few pupils who do not always find it easy to manage their own behaviour are helped to do so fairly, but firmly, by the staff.
• Rewards for good attendance are sought after and motivate most pupils and, as pupils move up through the school, attendance improves. Nonetheless, overall pupils’ attendance is low when compared with the national average. The low attendance of a small minority of pupils in the school, including some younger pupils and some pupils who join the school at other than the usual time, has a noticeable impact on the school’s attendance figures. The attendance of pupils who have missed a lot of schooling, including some disadvantaged pupils, is still lower than average but is showing significant improvement due to the concerted efforts of school leaders. Despite leaders’ best endeavours, there are still some parents who do not ensure that their children attend regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the two years since the school was last inspected, leaders and teachers have worked hard to improve pupils’ achievements in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as in the other subjects in the curriculum. Success is evident through much stronger teaching and, as a result, pupils’ outcomes have improved and progress from their individual starting points is good.
• The majority of children enter Foundation 1 with skills, knowledge and understanding below those typical for their age in almost all areas of learning. This is particularly true for children’s communication and language skills, and those related to their personal, social and emotional development.
• Children begin the Foundation 2 Year with a wide range of different skills, knowledge and understanding. Around half of the children join the Foundation 2 classes having attended other settings and some join with no experience of early years.
• Standards at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics are now similar to the national average and pupils make good progress in key stage 1. This is an improvement on the below average standards seen at the time of the previous inspection.
• Early reading skills are taught well. The proportion of pupils reaching the national standard in the end of the Year 1 phonics check is in line with the national average. Almost all pupils reach this standard by the end of Year 2.
• Progress throughout key stage 2 has improved steadily since the previous inspection. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards for their age in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 is broadly similar to the national average, and pupils are much better prepared for the next stage of their education than they were at the time of the previous inspection.
• Inspection evidence, including in pupils’ books, shows that the improvements in teaching are enabling current pupils to make much stronger progress across all year groups. However, due to previous weaknesses in teaching, some pupils have gaps in their learning. The legacy of underachievement is still to be fully overcome, in spelling, grammar and punctuation, for the older pupils.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported, enabling them to make similar good progress to that of other pupils. Their needs are identified early so that specific support can be given to help them to make good progress from their starting points, and given their individual abilities.
• Pupil premium is used well so that pupils make at least good, and sometimes rapid, progress from their starting points. Effective teaching and well-focused support for pupils’ personal and emotional needs enables disadvantaged pupils to achieve well.
• Pupils who join the school at other than the usual time make good progress from their starting points. The needs of pupils who arrive with gaps in their learning, sometimes caused by previous poor attendance, are identified quickly and support is provided to help them to catch up with their peers. Pupils who have been at the school the longest make at least good progress and tend to reach the higher standards.
• Pupils make good progress in a wide range of other subjects, which are often brought together in topic work. The work that pupils record in their individual books, and in the large class books which bring together contributions from all pupils, provide a wealth of evidence of such work and the pupils’ involvement in it.
• Good attention is paid to progress in science. Here, pupils are encouraged to think scientifically as they carry out and report on scientific investigations. These include testing different materials to build the houses for the ‘Three Little Pigs’ undertaken by Year 1.
• The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, also make good progress. However, at times, learning is not fully effective when the work set lacks sufficient challenge. When this is the case, these pupils do not make as much progress as they should.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of early years has been good over time and the new leader, who took up her post two days before the inspection, has already been well briefed by her predecessor to ensure continuity of the provision. An attractive, well-organised and purposeful learning environment has been established in the short space of time that the children have been in their new building.
• As a result of good teaching, all children, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress throughout early years from their starting points. The proportion reaching a good level of development has increased year on year and is now average, with an increasing proportion of children exceeding the standards expected for their age. Leaders and staff know that with even greater challenge some of the most able children are capable of doing even better. Children are well prepared for their move up to Year 1.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make the same good progress as their peers. Funding is deployed effectively, for example to provide regular specialist speech and language support for children with particular needs in this area of development. Their needs are well met.
• Routines are well established, maintained by staff, and are understood and followed well by children. For example, a small group of boys quickly tidied away the trains they had been playing with when asked. They sang, ‘tidy up, tidy up’, as they busily packed the trains away. A strong team of teachers and teaching assistants ensure that children, including those who started school during the week of the inspection, settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Safeguarding is very effective and children’s personal development and welfare requirements are met well.
• Children behave well because of adults’ high expectations. Children quickly learn to take turns and listen carefully to adults and to each other. They demonstrate good levels of curiosity and readily choose activities that interest them from the wealth on offer. Those who have attended longest share their toys and resources readily and sustain their concentration both when working on their own and with others.
• The curriculum for the early years is planned carefully. It captures and motivates children’s imagination effectively and adjustments are made to respond quickly to children’s needs. Adults regularly check how well children are doing. They adjust the learning and activities to take account of children’s interests and what they need to do to improve. During the inspection, some children were playing at being space heroes and decided to act out their version of one of the latest films. The staff quickly responded to this by providing paper, pencils and sticky tape so that the children could write the name of their character and wear it proudly on their pullovers.
• Children’s speech, language and vocabulary skills are often below those typical for their age when they start school. Adults skilfully encourage children to talk about what they are doing and model the type of language to be used as they play.
• Development of early writing skills has a high profile in Foundation 2. There are lots of opportunities for children to write and develop the fine motor skills needed to control a pencil. For example, a range of small padlocks required lots of concentration and a great deal of dexterity to enable small fingers to use the keys to open them.
• Parents express positive views about the teaching and care that their children receive in early years. Many were highly complementary about the new school building and the outdoor space now available for the children in Foundation 1 and Foundation 2.
• Leaders and staff work closely with parents to develop good attendance habits. However, although children’s attendance in the early years is improving, absence rates are still too high.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 104988 Wirral 10024094 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 394 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ian John Rebecca Bridges 0151 645 1561 www.bedforddrive.eschools.co.uk/ schooloffice@bedforddrive.wirral.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 29–30 January 2015

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on the school website about the curriculum, the governing body and information about the performance of pupils at the higher levels.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school moved to a new building in September 2016. There is on-going building work on the school site. The proportion of girls and boys varies across the year groups.
• Children attend Foundation 1 part time. Foundation 2 classes provide full-time early years provision. Around half of the children in Foundation 2 join the school from a wide number of other, or no, early years settings.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is high. No pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is high and is about double the national average.
• A large number of pupils join and leave the school at other than the normal times.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced some staffing changes. The early years leader and Foundation 1 teacher joined the staff two days before the inspection. A quarter of the teaching staff have joined the school since the previous inspection and four teachers have had extended periods of absence due to maternity leave.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2016. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• A private provider offers a breakfast and after-school club on the school’s premises. This provision is subject to separate inspection arrangements. Inspection reports may be viewed on the Ofsted website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time. They observed learning in classes and when pupils were taught in small groups.
• The inspectors looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked to them about their work. They listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of reading skills. Inspectors talked to pupils about the books they enjoy and those they are currently reading. Inspectors took note of displays around the school.
• Inspectors talked with pupils informally as they played at breaktimes, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around school. They met formally with four groups of pupils.
• An inspector met with the chair of the governing body and two other governors.
• Inspectors met with a representative of the local authority and with members of school staff.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the start and end of the school day. They took account of 35 responses to Ofsted’s online survey (Parent View) and the school’s most recent surveys of pupils’ and parents’ views. Twelve returns to the staff questionnaire completed during the inspection were considered.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents, including information about pupils’ progress, school improvement plans, information about teachers’ performance and external views of the school. Inspectors reviewed the contents of the school’s website and scrutinised records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding completed by school staff.

Inspection team

Lyn Pender, lead inspector Christine Howard Mavis Smith

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector