Broad Oak Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full inspection result: Requires Improvement

Back to Broad Oak Community Primary School

Report Inspection Date: 27 Jun 2018
Report Publication Date: 11 Sep 2018
Report ID: 50022073

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Ensure that there is consistently strong progress across all year groups in mathematics by:
- improving the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistently good
- providing guidance to teachers in the delivery of the more challenging national standards aligned to the mathematics curriculum, deepening pupils’ knowledge and understanding of mathematics through problem-solving and the development of reasoning skills.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

Since taking over the school in 2017, the executive headteacher’s strong leadership and expertise have enabled the school to improve rapidly following a period of low expectation and complacency. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school and has a clear plan for improvement. She has created a supportive, well-motivated team of staff, who are united in their ambitions for the school. Parents, carers, staff and governors speak highly of the executive headteacher and appreciate her work.
Senior leaders ably support the executive headteacher. They work effectively as a team and have begun to secure substantial improvements in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Systems for checking how well pupils achieve are more rigorous than in the past and the school’s judgements are validated regularly by advisers from the local authority and other federation schools. As a result, the school can rely upon its accurate assessment information. With support and guidance, teachers will be able to plan pupils’ next steps of learning with more precision.
Senior leaders’ detailed action plans set out clearly how they intend to make further improvements. These plans are focused on securing better outcomes for pupils through consistently good teaching across the school. However, the actions made have yet to make a significant impact.
The executive headteacher has introduced a more rigorous system for holding staff to account through appraisal and this is beginning to have a positive effect upon standards. This is evident in the current Year 6, where there has been a sharp focus on improvement.
Regular pupil progress meetings are helping teachers to deepen their understanding of national age-related expectations for English and mathematics. Senior leaders use the pupils’ progress information received from teachers to target the appropriate support for low attainers and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. They also organise relevant training for staff. Leaders evaluate the success of learning interventions, ensuring that they are adapted or removed if they do not have a positive impact upon pupils’ progress. The executive headteacher, ably supported by the inclusion manager, has introduced a provision map for lower- attaining pupils. This is helping to ensure that these pupils receive support that is tailored to their needs.
Leaders target pupil premium funding well to support pupils who need emotional support and, as a result, they have an improved sense of well-being and are able to gain full access to the curriculum.
Parents interviewed during the course of the inspection were very positive about the school’s provision for pupils who have autism. They spoke highly of the school’s policy on inclusion and about the progress their children have made as a result.
The introduction of the national standards for mathematics is helping to raise teachers’ expectations, and pupils are responding well to the increased challenges of the curriculum. Middle leadership of mathematics is being developed across the federation schools, but efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning are only beginning to make an impact. As a result, pupils, particularly the most able, do not always make the progress they should.
Leaders ensure that the curriculum is broad and balanced and they provide effectively for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They also promote fundamental British values well. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and say that they welcome people whatever language they speak. One pupil said, ‘All are equal’, and others agreed. The school celebrates diversity through assemblies and within the curriculum, with displays celebrating diversity in every classroom. Pupils enjoy a variety of cultural experiences such as African drumming and engaging in specialist art projects. As a result, pupils demonstrate a clear understanding of life in modern Britain.
The school’s breakfast club provides a range of activities, including chess, which enable pupils to socialise with pupils from other classes. It provides a calm and enjoyable start to the school day in a safe and secure environment.
Additional sports funding provides a wide range of sporting activities to increase pupils’ participation and make them more active. It has been used to improve teachers’ delivery of physical education (PE) through the use of specialist training. The school has increased its participation in competitive sport and has recently taken part in a rugby tournament. Pupils demonstrate a commitment to being active and staying healthy because of enthusiastic and knowledgeable leadership of this curriculum area.
The executive headteacher is supported well by the local authority and expertise across the federation. The local authority adviser is clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and makes regular visits to keep a check on progress.
The vast majority of parents were positive about the school and are happy with the changes that school leaders are making. A few parents have found the recent turbulence in leadership unsettling and eagerly await the arrival of the new head of school in September.

Governance of the school

Governors and the federation provide effective leadership to the school. They know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and take responsibility for key aspects of monitoring the school’s work. They hold school leaders to account and ensure that agreed improvements are put into action in a timely manner.
Governors value the detailed information they receive from the executive headteacher and use it to provide rigorous challenge and support. The new chair of governors is proud of the way that the school is both forward-thinking and outward-looking.
Governors check the school’s performance through regular focused visits, which are well documented. They lead on specific areas of responsibility and meet regularly with the school leaders to check progress against targets.
Governors monitor the school finances effectively and ensure that money is well spent on raising standards of achievement. They have a clear understanding of the way in which extra funding for disadvantaged pupils and for sport and PE is being spent, and how it is improving pupils’ progress.
Governors are fully involved in overseeing arrangements for performance management, including that of the executive headteacher. They consider a range of information provided by the executive headteacher, the local authority and the federation to ensure that good and better performance for all staff are rewarded.
Governors carry out their statutory responsibilities conscientiously and take every opportunity to attend training, for example on child protection and safer recruitment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
The school site is safe and secure. All visitors are welcomed through the secure entrance, their identification is checked and the school provides them with information about safeguarding procedures.
School leaders, governors and staff receive regular training and updates in safeguarding. Staff know clearly how to identify signs of pupils at risk and how to refer concerns.
The single central record meets all statutory requirements. It is well kept and frequently updated. Checks on the suitability of staff, governors and volunteers are rigorous.
Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when online. Pupils know what they have to do if they have a concern and pupils told the inspector that teachers respond quickly and supportively.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

The quality of teaching across the school is too variable. As a result, pupils’ progress is uneven and not enough pupils are making the progress they are capable of. The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has not enabled pupils of differing needs and abilities to achieve as well as they could. This is because teachers do not take sufficient account of pupils’ previous learning. Tasks are not adapted well enough to meet the different abilities and needs of pupils. This is particularly evident for the most able pupils and lower attainers in all subjects and the lower-attaining disadvantaged pupils in reading.
The teaching of mathematics is weak because the curriculum has only recently become aligned to the more challenging national standards of achievement. This means that teachers and pupils are working hard to fill basic gaps in pupils’ learning. This is particularly evident at the lower end of key stage 2, where some pupils are struggling with mental mathematics, for example when doubling and halving. Pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to apply their reasoning and problem-solving skills when tackling mathematical tasks. As a result, pupils do not make the progress they should.
The standard of writing is beginning to improve across the school. Pupils learn to organise their writing effectively, use punctuation correctly and carefully check their work. For example, in key stage 2, pupils skilfully created dialogue with the intention of engaging the reader. Pupils were keen to show their work, some of which exemplified good progress. However, in key stages 1 and 2, the most able pupils are not consistently challenged to develop their writing at the higher standard. Pupils do not develop their use of ambitious vocabulary consistently enough.
Phonics is taught effectively and younger pupils get off to a good start when learning to read. Pupils say that they enjoy reading and have access to a range of books that appeal to different interests. The most able pupils read fluently and demonstrated a thirst for reading. However, pupils said that adults rarely hear them read and reading records contain very few contributions from teaching staff. There was little evidence of systematic guidance, for example regarding the use of punctuation, to help pupils improve their skills. As a result, the lower-attaining disadvantaged pupils struggle to read unknown words and develop their understanding of the text.
Systems for pupils to assess their own progress at the end of lessons help them to know what they need to do to improve. However, the majority of teachers do not check pupils’ understanding well enough during lessons. As a result, they do not reliably offer pupils the support they need.
Some teaching assistants provide helpful support, particularly for individual pupils who have medical needs or SEN and/or disabilities. However, the majority of teaching assistants observed were not used effectively to provide pupils with appropriate support or further challenge. As a result, pupils are not encouraged to extend their thinking and develop their understanding.
Pupils study a range of interesting topics, such as the Mayan civilisation and Islamic art. Topic books in key stage 2 are neatly presented and writing is of the same quality as seen in English books. However, there is little evidence of pupils, particularly the most able, deepening their knowledge and understanding through their learning across the curriculum.

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 welcoming and polite. They display consistently good behaviour, both in classrooms and around school. They are kind, are respectful both to adults and each other and are proud of their school.
Pupils’ well-being is a school priority and there are many opportunities for pupils to reflect upon their emotions. For example, pupils with social and emotional needs no longer find it difficult to settle into classroom routines and they now enjoy school. Parents say this is because of the school’s programme of inclusion and effective communication with staff. Pupils who attend a lunchtime friendship group say that it has helped them make friends as they felt isolated when classes were split. As a result, an overwhelming majority of pupils say that they are happy in school and this is confirmed by parents surveyed.
Pupils say they feel safe in school. They know who to go to when they need help and say that the school acts promptly when dealing with bullying, which they say is rare.
Pupils are enthusiastic learners and are proud of their work. They are keen to learn and are beginning to develop good strategies for checking their own learning. There were some occasions, however, when pupils became disengaged during lessons because the work was not appropriately challenging.
Pupils respect diversity. They have a good understanding of different faiths and cultures and have positive attitudes towards people’s differences. They value the opportunities they have to express their views and are taught to respect the views of others.
Pupils understand the importance of healthy eating and being active. They value the opportunities they have to engage in sport and other physical activity, such as the daily run.

Behaviour

The behaviour of pupils is good.
Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly manner and show consideration for others.
Pupils play well together at playtimes and share activities and games with genuine enjoyment.
The atmosphere in the dinner hall is pleasant and sociable. Pupils converse happily with one another and have a clear understanding of expected routines and behaviour.
Attendance is improving and is close to the national average because of the school’s unrelenting policy in monitoring and following up on non-attendance and its support for vulnerable families. The inclusion manager ensures that unexplained absences are questioned promptly and support plans are tailored to families’ needs.
Punctuality has improved because of safety measures taken to improve the security of the school. As a result, pupils arrive promptly and are ready to learn.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

Outcomes require improvement, as not enough pupils make consistently good progress. In 2016 and 2017, achievement at the end of key stage 2 was below the standards expected for pupils of this age. Weak teaching over a long period and low expectations have resulted in many pupils making insufficient progress across the key stage. As a result, these pupils underachieved at the end of key stage 2 overall, particularly in mathematics, where progress has been in the bottom 20% of all primary schools for two years. Leaders are taking effective action to improve pupils’ learning. Nevertheless, inconsistencies in the quality of teaching remain and limit pupils’ progress.
Although some pupils currently at the school have made more rapid progress during key stage 2, these rates of progress are not consistent across the school. Work seen in the most able pupils’ books indicates that these pupils are not making the progress they are capable of, particularly in mathematics, because they are not sufficiently challenged in lessons.
Key stage 1 teacher assessments are lower in 2018 because judgements are more accurate than they have been in the past. Until recently, pupils have not been taught age-related mathematical concepts applied through problem-solving and reasoning. As a result, they have moved into key stage 2 without a secure foundation of basic skills.
Key stage 2 mathematics books confirm that teachers have had to focus on basic skills that pupils should already know, for example practising simple addition and subtraction facts and calculations rather than applying them to real-life problems. Consequently, this has hindered pupils’ progress because pupils have not been given opportunities to deepen their learning.
Disadvantaged lower-attaining pupils do not always receive systematic guidance during lessons and this is hindering their progress, particularly in reading. Interventions targeted through pupil premium funding are beginning to make a positive impact on the progress of disadvantaged pupils because their progress is now being systematically evaluated and reviewed.

Early years provision Good

The early years is well led and managed. The leader has high aspirations and knows the children thoroughly. She has an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.
From starting points that are broadly average, children make good progress and are prepared well for key stage 1. Evidence to support this was seen in the children’s ‘learning journeys’, which record each child’s progress throughout the year in all aspects of their development, including mathematics. As a result, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has risen this year and is above the national average. This has been validated by the local authority and across the federation.
Children are mostly well behaved, are eager to come to school and enjoy learning.
Parents contribute to the school’s assessment procedures and are happy with the provision. They say that their children are safe and receive good care.
The school’s assessment information and inspection evidence show that all children who start school with above-average potential leave Reception exceeding national expectations in their areas of strength. This includes mathematics and reading. However, these children do not exceed national expectations across all areas and no pupils exceed a good level of development. Evidence gathered through classroom observations confirms that there are some low expectations and tasks which limit achievement.
Classrooms are bright and welcoming. They encourage children to read and celebrate their developing writing and number skills.
The outdoor area is well resourced and contains a broad range of interesting activities. There are opportunities to stimulate the senses and develop language and communication using the well-stocked herb and vegetable patch. Children were given opportunities to explore these activities, and they demonstrated a well-developed sense of curiosity and creativity. There were times, however, when children’s vocabulary and thinking skills could have been extended further through skilful questioning and by teachers demonstrating the difference an ambitious word can make to the quality of a piece of writing.
Children use their phonics knowledge to write words and sentences that are beginning to demonstrate a sense of purpose, with correct spelling. At times, their writing is limited by worksheets that have little space in which to write.
The school provides a safe and caring learning environment. Children work and play well together, showing that they can take turns and share sensibly. The early years staff receive the same training in safeguarding as the rest of the school and know how to report concerns, should they arise.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 114390 East Sussex 10040918 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 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 116 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Andrew Ratcliffe Inez Morse 01435 862 951 www.broadoak.e-sussex.sch.uk office@broadoak.e-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21 January 2016

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are four mixed-age classes.
Broad Oak is part of a federation comprising two other local primary schools.
The executive headteacher of the federation took leadership of the school in September 2017. The head of school left her post in April 2018.
The majority of pupils are White British.
The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average.
The school provides a breakfast club and a range of extra-curricular activities.
The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

I observed learning in every class and took the opportunity to scrutinise pupils’ work on these occasions and at other times. All of the observations in lessons were undertaken jointly with the executive headteacher. I observed the breakfast club and attended two assemblies. I also walked around the school during playtimes and during lunch to observe behaviour.
Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the inclusion manager, the early years leader, a range of staff, members of the governing body and the school council. I also had a telephone call with the local authority adviser.
A wide range of documentary evidence was scrutinised. This included the school’s own self-evaluation, the school development plan, minutes of governors’ meetings, records of assessments of pupils’ work and information about their progress. Documents relating to safeguarding and child protection were also checked. Detailed information on the work that the school does within the federation was also scrutinised.
I spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to seek their views and listened to a selection of them read.
I spoke with parents at the beginning and end of the school day and took account of 50 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 27 free-text responses.
I considered 16 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Anna Bosher, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector