Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement by ensuring that pupils acquire deeper knowledge in humanities subjects.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, welfare and behaviour by:
  • increasing pupils’ understanding of British values
  • raising the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and others responsible for school leadership know the school well. They are accurate and objective in their evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Consequently, leaders have set about overcoming weaknesses in a determined and purposeful way.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has become part of the Minerva Learning Trust. The support provided by the trust is enabling the school to go from strength to strength. In addition to providing financial support, the trust is also a valuable source of leadership and teaching expertise.
• Over the years, leaders and the wider staff have nurtured a welcoming and inclusive school culture. Pupils are known as individuals, helped by the small size of the school.
• Staff have also worked successfully to cultivate strong relationships with parents and the local community. Parents are highly supportive of the school, and this is reflected in the Parent View survey. All respondents agreed that the school is well led and managed and would recommend it. One parent stated: ‘My children are very happy at the school since it provides a very warm and caring environment for them to learn in.’ This view was typical among the parents who shared their views.
• The headteacher monitors the quality of teaching closely through different means, such as lesson observation and scrutiny of pupils’ books. She compares this information with pupils’ outcomes and identifies strengths and weaknesses in practice. Positive relationships with staff enable the headteacher to discuss practice with them in an open and constructive way. Teaching continues to improve because of this approach.
• All staff who responded to the staff survey, issued during the inspection, agreed that leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge and support teachers’ improvement. The trust has helped significantly in this regard, because staff are now able to discuss and share practice with colleagues in other schools.
• Furthermore, all staff who responded to the survey strongly agreed that the school is well led and managed. They all strongly agreed that they are proud to work at the school.
• Pupils are enjoying the recently introduced new curriculum. They find the topics stimulating and they value the experiences and approaches to learning that the curriculum promotes.
• Additional funding is well used to support disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders quickly identify the barriers to learning that individual pupils face. For pupils currently in the school, needs mainly concern language acquisition and reading. Staff ensure that appropriate provision is put in place, and they monitor pupils’ ongoing progress.
• Sports premium funding is well used. It has enabled leaders to access external resources and expertise. This support has prompted leaders to modernise the physical education curriculum. It has also provided tools for staff to assess pupils’ skills more comprehensively. Furthermore, funding has helped to increase pupils’ participation in sport and secure the services of the sports coordinator based at the local secondary school.
• The school’s culture and values, alongside the curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities, develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education. Staff promote the Christian ethos of the school and they emphasise the values of love, happiness, peace, respect and friendship. For example, pupils are currently completing their ‘40 Acts’ challenge for Lent. Throughout Lent, pupils try to fulfil a daily challenge. These include giving somebody a nice compliment, being the first to say sorry and finding out what life is like for children in a poorer country.

Governance of the school

• Governors are highly committed and take their responsibilities seriously. They bring a range of skills and experience to their work, and this helps the governing body to be an effective force for improvement. Links with the trust are strengthened because one governor also sits on the board of the multi-academy trust.
• Governors have a detailed understanding of the school’s priorities for improvement. This is because they receive useful information from the headteacher that enables them to ask pertinent questions. Governors use information from other sources, such as the trust and their own visits to school, to verify what they are told. In this way, governors hold the headteacher to account for the progress of pupils.
• The governing body has effective oversight of safeguarding in the school. Nominated governors ensure that the school’s child-protection policy is adhered to in practice. They visit the school regularly to monitor the outcomes of safeguarding audits and to check that the single central record is up to date and compliant. Governors also speak to staff to ensure that they know what to do, and whom to speak to, should they have concerns about a child.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The headteacher, who is also the designated safeguarding lead, ensures that procedures to safeguard children are understood and applied by staff. All staff are appropriately trained, and the headteacher discusses issues frequently with staff to ensure that training is fully understood.
• Staff know the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child. They understand that no concern is too small and, if in doubt, they should always report to the headteacher. Referrals, which are few in number, are kept safely and are appropriately organised. When necessary, the headteacher secures appropriate support from external agencies.
• Pupils know how to manage risk and keep themselves safe. Outside speakers and curriculum topics provide guidance to help pupils stay safe in different ways. Pupils report that they feel safe because there is little bullying in the school and there are members of staff they could speak to if they felt worried. One pupil who spoke with the lead inspector said, ‘Everyone’s nice here.’

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use their subject knowledge and teaching expertise to plan interesting and well-pitched activities for pupils of different abilities. Pupils enjoy their learning as a result and want to find out more.
• Teachers are well assisted by teaching assistants, who are also skilled in their work. They plan closely with teachers, know pupils’ different needs and provide well-judged support that is neither too little nor too much.
• Pupils exhibit positive attitudes to learning because they enjoy their work and benefit from strong relationships with staff. Pupils feel challenged and supported in their work because, as one pupil said, ‘The teachers really understand you.’ Classrooms have a dynamic, positive atmosphere because pupils are confident answering questions and expressing views and are not afraid of making mistakes.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and what they can achieve. They have established clear routines and habits for learning, so that pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils are attentive to staff and each other, they are well equipped and settle to tasks quickly.
• Classrooms are colourful and attractive places in which to learn. They champion pupils’ work, highlighting good practice, and act as a further resource to assist learning. Throughout classrooms, wall displays provide information and knowledge that pupils can use independently in their learning.
• A structured, effective home-learning programme is in place for pupils across the school. This programme primarily consolidates English and mathematics skills and complements what pupils learn in school. Pupils take pride in this work and present it well.
• Teachers across the school prioritise the importance of pupils understanding and applying specialist subject terminology. This helps pupils to grow in confidence in specific disciplines, such as mathematics, and develop more secure conceptual understanding.
• Pupils are keen to follow the guidance they receive from their teachers about how they can improve their work. Pupils want to produce the best work they can. To this end, they take note of corrections, edit their mistakes and redraft pieces.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Staff provide a personalised level of care to pupils because they know them well. When pupils are affected by issues such as bereavement or family break-up, staff are quick to notice and intervene. They are on hand to listen, provide reassurance and help pupils deal with negative emotions.
• Staff work closely with parents, and external agencies when necessary, to support pupils who require pastoral care. Staff ensure that pupils are integrated in school and feel that they belong. This approach builds the confidence and resilience of pupils.
• Staff receive training to help them support pupils with different needs. The needs of pupils currently in the school are academic in nature and linked to learning. However, in the past, some pupils have had social, emotional and behavioural needs. Staff have been trained in the ‘Thrive’ therapeutic approach and used this training to support pupils’ social and emotional development.
• The ‘family atmosphere’ of the school nurtures pupils and enables them to build up confidence as they move through the school. By the time they leave, pupils are self-assured and well prepared for the changes that come with secondary school.
• Although pupils’ SMSC education is developed well throughout the school, they do not have a deep enough understanding of British values. For example, pupils’ understanding of the concept and purpose of democracy is hazy.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are well behaved and conduct themselves sensibly. They are considerate of each other’s personal space, which is important given the limited space inside and out. Pupils are lively and keen to ‘let off steam’ during breaktimes, but they do so safely. In part, this is because pupils are well supervised by staff.
• Pupils are polite, friendly and good-natured. They are inquisitive, curious and keen to try different activities. These qualities reveal themselves in lessons and when pupils participate in extra-curricular activities, such as residential trips and the school drama production.
• There have been no permanent or fixed-term exclusions for four years.
• Attendance overall, and for most groups of pupils, is in line with the national average. It has improved since the 2017/18 academic year. Staff are proactive in their efforts to reward good attendance and ensure that parents understand its importance. Staff work closely with the education welfare officer to this end. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is lower than that of their peers in school and the national average.
• Overall, persistent absence is lower than the national average. However, the persistent absence of a small number of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Over time, the progress of pupils leaving the school has generally been in line with the national average across different subjects. In 2018, the attainment of pupils at the end of key stage 1 was broadly in line with the national average at the expected standard. The proportion of pupils achieving at greater depth was above average.
• The work in current pupils’ books shows that they are making good progress in most subjects. Leaders’ focus on developing pupils’ mastery of mathematics is evident. Teachers are providing pupils with more opportunities to solve problems and explain their reasoning. This work is helping to reinforce pupils’ conceptual understanding.
• Pupils’ ability to write extended pieces for different purposes and audiences is improving in different areas of the curriculum. For example, staff have participated in a project to improve pupils’ writing in science, such as the way pupils write up experiments. Staff are conscientious in their efforts to ensure that pupils apply technical skills, such as spelling, correctly.
• Pupils take pride in the work they produce and present it to a high standard, regardless of their ability or background. Leaders and staff have prioritised the presentation of work. Pupils abide by the presentation policy, use cursive handwriting and set work out neatly.
• Disadvantaged pupils make comparable progress to their peers in different subjects. Published progress information also shows that this has been the case over time for pupils leaving the school.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the national phonics screening check is in line with the national average. For the previous two years, the proportion was above average. This is because staff have long recognised the importance of reading and ensure that children in the early years start learning their phonic sounds as early as possible.
• Pupils are not acquiring enough deep knowledge in humanities subjects, such as history and geography. This is partly because the teaching of topics is too disjointed. Staff do not sequence topics and tasks to best effect, and pupils form only a cursory understanding before moving on.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, participate and make good progress in their learning because of the support they receive from staff. Staff use accurate assessment information to identify gaps in learning. Then they apply strategies such as pre-teaching, where pupils are given some tuition in advance of the lesson, to ensure that they do not fall behind.

Early years provision Good

• Children benefit from a very positive start to their time at school. Over time, leaders have ensured that early years provision continues to improve and meets the needs of children joining the school.
• The Reception teacher, who also coordinates early years provision, is experienced and skilled. She understands the importance of the early years in providing a strong foundation on which to build as pupils move up through the school. She stays abreast of current educational developments, and she regularly updates and refreshes her practice.
• Early years staff have high expectations of children and establish routines for learning from the outset. This approach helps children to ‘hit the ground running’ and make good progress. The Reception teacher is well supported by the early years teaching assistant. They work and plan together so that children’s needs are catered for effectively.
• The quality of teaching is consistently good. Staff know how to meet pupils’ needs so that they achieve the various early learning goals. For example, pupils are provided with opportunities to practise their writing, to handle different objects and materials and explore their imaginations through painting. Staff benefit from working with other early years colleagues in the trust.
• The safeguarding procedures and protocols that apply throughout the rest of the school are followed in early years. Staff are vigilant and know to report concerns to the headteacher as the designated safeguarding lead. The early years environment, including the outside area, is secure.
• Early years staff have fostered good relationships with parents. Staff encourage parents to play an active role in their child’s learning. To this end, staff invite parents to attend ‘You and me time’, which takes place every Friday morning. Parents join in activities alongside children and staff to better understand their child’s learning.
• Staff assess the different aspects of children’s progress effectively, using an online system. This enables staff to record evidence of children’s skill development on an ongoing basis. It also enables parents to participate and upload evidence of learning at home. This stream of information provides staff with a detailed, accurate view of children’s progress and enables them to tailor teaching and resources accordingly.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142692 Dorset 10058284 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 78 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Pat Lewis-Badgett Claire Staple 01308 897369 www.burtonbradstock.dorset.sch.uk office@burtonbradstock.dorset.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• Almost all pupils are White British.
• Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes: Pre-school and Reception, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is below the national average.
• There are currently nine pupils with SEND. No pupils have an education, health or care plan.
• The school converted to become an academy and joined the Minerva Learning Trust in 2016. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.
• Burton Bradstock Church of England Primary School is one of four schools belonging to the Minerva Learning Trust. The trust board takes responsibility for functions such as finance, premises and human resources. A local governing body is accountable for the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.
• The school is in the beginning stages of establishing a pre-school. Currently, only one child attends on a part-time basis.

Information about this inspection

• The lead inspector observed learning and behaviour in lessons jointly with the headteacher.
• The lead inspector held meetings with senior leaders, the early years coordinator, governors, the chief executive officer of the Minerva Learning Trust and pupils.
• The lead inspector scrutinised a wide range of documentation. This included the school’s self-evaluation, progress information, curriculum documents, governors’ minutes, attendance records and information relating to safeguarding.
• The lead inspector scrutinised pupils’ work and observed pupils’ conduct around the school and at breaktimes.
• The lead inspector took account of 39 responses to the online Parent View survey and free-text comments. He also took account of 16 responses to the pupil survey and 11 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Steve Smith, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector