Burford CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment, including in the early years, by ensuring that:

teaching challenges pupils so that all pupils make good progress and a greater proportion reach the higher standards staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in reading, writing and mathematics, based on accurate assessment. teachers identify and address common errors in pupils’ basic skills.

• Improve the quality of leadership and management, including governance, by: providing subject leaders with the time, training and skills needed to monitor the quality of teaching effectively using an effective assessment system to monitor the progress of different pupil groups, particularly disadvantaged pupils engaging fully with other schools within the academy trust to check that teacher assessments of pupils’ work are accurate ensuring that initial assessments of children in the early years accurately reflect their abilities and build on information provided by the pre-school ensuring that governors monitor the use and impact of pupil premium funding on the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils and check that the school’s website complies with the requirements of the department for education. A review of governance and the school’s use of the pupil premium should be carried out to see how these aspects of leadership and management could be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The new headteacher has set her leadership direction with clarity and vision. She has quickly identified the school’s shortcomings and is already working with determination to improve systems in place. She has an accurate understanding of the strengths and the weaknesses of the school and the relevant experience to tackle issues effectively. In the short time she has been in post, she has already boosted staff morale. In Ofsted’s staff questionnaire most staff commented on the impact she has had on whole-school procedures to improve pupils’ outcomes and well-being.
• Until recently, leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and learning have been limited and ineffective. Feedback has not provided teachers with specific and practical advice about how to make immediate changes to their teaching so that all groups of pupils make good progress. This has been a significant barrier to school improvement.
• In the past, not all subject leaders have been given sufficient time or training to carry out their roles effectively. Their action plans lack precision and are not monitored carefully enough to ensure that actions taken lead to improvement. Actions are often carried forward to the following year. Subject leaders know that changes are required. They are determined to do their jobs well and are stepping up to the challenge.
• The headteacher has recognised that the current assessment system in place is not fit for purpose. This system is being replaced. No information was available during the inspection about the progress of current cohorts, groups or subjects. As a result, subject leaders and governors are unclear where gaps exist.
• Teacher assessments are not always accurate. Work checked in some pupils’ books does not match published 2018 key stage 1 data. This is because teachers are not secure in their assessments. They have not received appropriate training or worked closely enough with other schools to agree and check judgements made.
• Some aspects of the pupil premium funding and that received for SEND is used effectively. For example, funding allocated for nurture and curriculum enrichment has a positive impact on pupils’ self-esteem and personal and social development. Equality of opportunity has also been strengthened with trips, residential visits and music lessons being fully funded for disadvantaged pupils. However, weaknesses in teaching and lack of interventions for disadvantaged pupils mean they do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils who have SEND do, however, receive effective individual support and consequently make good progress.
• Sports funding to develop the teaching of physical education (PE) is used well. Skilled coaches, from within the sports partnership, provide specialised teaching which staff have observed. As a result, staff are more confident and more proficient in their own teaching of PE. Leaders have purchased sports kits for pupils and funded swimming lessons to ensure that all pupils participate fully in lessons and meet curriculum requirements. Participation of pupils in sports activities has increased.
• Pupils enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum that provides an interesting and well-balanced programme of subjects. However, pupils’ ability to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects and topic work is not good enough. This is due to limitations in teacher expectations. For example, teachers provide too much help in science tasks and worksheets used in history and geography limit pupils’ ability to work independently and write at length. A wide range of interesting activities, including trips to places of interest and after-school clubs, aid pupils’ social and physical development and adds to their enjoyment of school.
• Leaders’ promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. The school’s core values of courage, love and trust are strongly taught in assemblies and lessons and pupils understand and adopt these fully. Pupils’ musical, art and sporting talents are particularly well developed through additional teaching, events and school clubs. Although not taught explicitly about British values, pupils are aware of, and demonstrate, respect and tolerance for others. They have a good understanding of other cultures and different religious backgrounds.
• Responses from parents who spoke to inspectors, responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own survey demonstrate that parents have positive views of the school. They are very pleased with the school and say that their children are happy and safe. Parents particularly value the support and nurture that pupils who have SEND receive.

Governance of the school

• The school joined the Bishop Anthony Educational Trust (BAET) in April 2017. However, involvement with the trust has, to date, been limited. Leaders have not ensured that teaching staff and subject leaders have attended training offered or worked alongside other schools within BAET. This has hampered staff’s professional development.
• BAET provided good support to the local governing body during the recruitment process of the headteacher. A mentor from the trust is supporting the new headteacher to settle into her role. A clerk to the governors has been provided through the trust. This is proving effective in ensuring that there are accurate and detailed records of meetings. Reports commissioned by BAET to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning are accurate. Having identified where weaknesses lie, the trust is now increasing the level of support provided to the school. Engagement with the trust is improving as a result.
• Governors have not fulfilled some of their statutory duties. For example, the school’s website does not contain the information for parents which is specified by the Department for Education. They have not monitored the use of pupil premium funding received to ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve well. Weaknesses in assessment mean that they do not have an in-depth knowledge of the progress that pupils make. They have not held leaders sufficiently to account for the decline in standards.
• Minutes of meetings show that governors receive a wide range of information. However, they are too reliant on information provided for them by leaders and do not ask as many probing or challenging questions as they should. Governors recognise this and are determined to support the new headteacher to improve the quality of education for pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The culture of keeping children safe is embedded and there is a clear understanding that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All staff receive regular safeguarding training. This ensures that they have a high level of awareness and the ability to manage situations as they arise.
• Policies are up to date and leaders carry out appropriate checks when appointing staff. Records of concern are maintained carefully and leaders follow up any concerns with external agencies to ensure that action is taken when needed.
• Pupils say they feel safe in school and their parents agree that they are well cared for. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online because this aspect is taught well. The good relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel confident to talk to adults if they are worried about anything.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good across the school. Teachers sometimes do not challenge pupils well enough. On occasion, pupils of different abilities complete the same work and some pupils, especially the most able, complete tasks which are too easy. This limits their progress. Consequently, too few pupils reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• In some classes teachers’ expectations of what pupils know, can do and understand are not high enough. Teachers accept poorly presented work and do not encourage pupils often enough to write independently or at length. Time in lessons is not always managed efficiently. This restricts the amount of work that pupils complete. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Too many pupils still write numbers incorrectly, including in key stage 2. Some pupils have poor pencil grip and get the letters ‘b’ and ‘d’ mixed up when reading. Poor use of language, for example ‘I fink’, also goes unchallenged. Because adults do not routinely pick up and address weaknesses in pupils’ basic skills, these become embedded as bad habits and weaken the quality of pupils’ work.
• The teaching of reading has rightly been identified as a school priority. The English leader has implemented a new system to improve inference and comprehension skills. It is too early to assess the effect of this system to date. However, reading books issued to some pupils are not always matched well enough to their individual abilities. Low ability pupils with limited reading skills have books, which they are unable to read. Other pupils lack the resilience to break down tricky words. They either guess or rely on adults for help. Adults do not systematically check pupils’ reading records. As a result, not all pupils read regularly or from a wide range of material.
• The teaching of phonics is good. Most pupils reach the level required by the end of Year 1. New sounds and spelling patterns are introduced progressively. Teaching challenges pupils to think and work hard. For example, pupils were tasked with sorting words with similar sounds but different spellings into groups. Pupils worked enthusiastically and were successful in their efforts.
• Teaching ensures that pupils write for a range of audiences and purposes. However, pupils do not write independently or at length enough to develop their writing stamina. In key stage 1, boys’ writing is noticeably weaker than that of the girls. In key stage 2, pupils’ knowledge and use of grammar, punctuation and spelling is not secure. This reduces the coherence and quality of pupils’ writing.
• Some teachers do not use assessment information well enough to build on pupils’ mathematical ability. Work is set which is either too difficult or too easy for pupils. Where it is too easy pupils are not moved on to more challenging work. Where it is too hard, pupils get their work wrong and are not always shown how to put it right. On occasion, teachers do not mark pupils’ work carefully. Calculations that are clearly wrong are ticked and shown as correct. Where teaching is effective, teachers model tasks so that pupils are clear about what they must do. Problem-solving and reasoning skills are taught well.
• Pupils are keen to learn and have good relationships with their teachers. Pupils said that they enjoy their lessons and that teachers support them well. Where teachers have high expectations and set challenging work, pupils apply themselves well and produce work of a good standard. A strong example of this was seen in Years 5 and 6 during the inspection. High-quality discussion about the helicopter crash at Leicester City football ground, together with excellent use of resources, enabled pupils to produce very high-quality and emotive writing.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and introduce specific and appropriate vocabulary well. For example, clear explanations of similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia ensured that pupils could identify these accurately in a given poem.
• Teaching assistants work in close partnership with teachers and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. They provide effective support for individuals or groups of pupils, especially those who have SEND. Very occasionally, additional adults are not used to good effect during the introduction or conclusion to lessons.
• Relationships in all classes are good and pupils work well in pairs or small groups. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour effectively and consistently check on how well they are doing during lessons.
• Teachers set homework in line with the school’s policy and this helps pupils practise and further develop skills taught. For example, key stage 2 pupils made impressive 3-D Stone Age shelters at home to support their topic work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to develop pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Members of staff are supportive and caring. As a result, pupils gain confidence. The ‘wall of fame’ display and celebratory assemblies recognise pupils’ achievements and add to their self-esteem and pride. Pupils are keen to learn but are not always encouraged to persevere in tasks or to take enough care in presenting their work.
• The school’s culture underpins pupils’ welfare effectively. Pupils say that they feel safe, enjoy school and are listened to. They have a clear understanding of how to stay safe. They understand about different forms of bullying and why these are wrong. They report that bullying is rare but that it is dealt with successfully when it occurs.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay healthy. They bring healthy snacks to school and enjoy the wide range of sporting opportunities offered through clubs and physical education lessons. Pupils are also aware of the need to look after their mental health. They have a good knowledge of the importance of rest and relaxation.
• Pupils enjoy and readily take on additional responsibilities in school. For example, pupils act as prefects and school councillors. Most pupils show appropriate levels of maturity and good levels of respect for one another. School council members meet regularly and contribute their ideas for school improvement. Activities organised have helped raise money for gymnastic equipment and some green bins. Pupils also raise money for charity, for example Dementia UK, through school events.
• The breakfast club is a valuable resource for parents and an enjoyable opportunity for pupils to socialise with different age groups. Those that attend breakfast club make healthy food choices, which prepare them well for the day ahead. Pupils are carefully supervised.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in and around school. They are polite, respectful and display good manners. They know and follow the behaviour policy. Pupils and their parents are positive about behaviour at the school and agree that it is typically good.
• Leaders monitor behaviour carefully. Records checked show that there are very few serious incidents and there have been none since May this year. Where incidents occur, these are recorded fully and action taken to prevent any reoccurrence.
• Pupils play happily together and look after each other well. They are tolerant of others’ beliefs. There is little disruption to learning in lessons, although at times pupils lose attentiveness when the work is not suitable for their needs. When this happens, they sit and wait patiently, but their learning slows.
• Attendance overall is line with the national average and above average for those who are disadvantaged and pupils who have SEND.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• There is a three-year decline in attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2018, attainment was below the national average. This is because of weaknesses in teaching and inconsistency in leadership.
• Attainment at the end of Year 2 was average in 2017 but above average in 2018. Current work in pupils’ books does not confirm that the 2018 results are accurate.
• Work in pupils’ books demonstrates that most pupils are working at the expected standards for their age. However, too few are working above these standards and pupils do not consistently make good progress.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 is at least in line with the national average and rising steadily. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils reach the standard required. This is because phonics is taught well.
• Weaknesses in school assessment systems mean that leaders are unclear about the progress of current pupils and the progress of different ability groups. Published data, together with observations of teaching and checks of pupils’ books, show that the most able pupils are not attaining the standards of which they are capable. This is because the work provided is not challenging enough.
• Although there are only a small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school, until recently they were not a recognised group. The headteacher has rectified this. Teachers are now aware of who these pupils are in their classes and the additional funding is used specifically to include eligible pupils in wider school activities. However, the school’s disadvantaged pupils currently attain below other pupils nationally.
• The small numbers of pupils who have SEND make good progress. This is because they benefit from individual support and tailored intervention programmes. Pupils are assessed at the start and finish of these programmes. Results show that they make considerable gains in their learning.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leadership of the early years requires improvement because assessment of children’s starting points on entry to school is not always accurate. Almost all children transfer from the local, on-site pre-school. However, the early years leader does not check or use the assessment information received. This means that teaching does not build on children’s current abilities. Insufficient account is also taken of the work that children produce in the first few weeks to inform initial assessments. As a result, early assessments are too low.
• Leaders have not worked closely enough with the pre-school or other schools to check the accuracy of early and end-of-year assessments. This makes it difficult to verify that assessments are accurate. Action plans generated also lack detail and several actions are carried forward from previous years due to not being successfully implemented.
• Information in children’s learning journals and books verifies that the majority join school with skills and knowledge which are typical for their age with some children exceeding in some areas of learning. Children’s personal, social and educational development is a strength. Children’s moving and handling skills are, however, weaker.
• Children make progress and the large majority reach a good level of development but too few exceed the expected standard. This is because some children are not sufficiently challenged. This slows their progress considerably. Occasionally, adults do not correct pupils’ pencil grip or demonstrate how to form letters and numbers accurately. Some children therefore move into Year 1 without these skills being developed.
• There are good links with the pre-school and this aids the children’s smooth and successful social transition. Children visit school at least once a week and build up to staying for lunch. They are very familiar with the school setting and staff by the time they join school in September. As a result, children adapt and settle quickly.
• Adults take good care of children. They are sensitive to children’s needs but do not always encourage them to be independent by, for example, encouraging them to tidy up when they have finished or to persevere when they find something difficult. Too many children move into Year 1 being overly reliant on adults.
• Teaching ensures that there is a good balance between outdoor and indoor activities. Forest school and the outdoor learning environment are used fully to develop children’s physical and social development. Adult-led and child-initiated opportunities are well planned. A good range of resources is provided to meet all aspects of the curriculum. For example, an abundance of dressing-up clothes inspires children to be imaginative and take on character roles such as Snow White.
• Children behave well in the early years. They socialise well with older children. Adults set clear routines and put rules in place so that children know what is expected of them. Adults are attentive and vigilant. Children feel safe and their welfare requirements are fully met.

S

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 144201 Shropshire 10067168 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 141 Appropriate authority The Bishop Anthony Education Trust Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address John Clark Emma Winters 01584 810244 www.burfordceprimary.co.uk admin@burford.shropshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14 December 2009

Information about this school

• This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are five classes and pupils work in mixed age groups, including in the early years.
• The headteacher was appointed in September 2018. The previous executive headteacher oversaw the school for two days per week, for the last two and a half years, alongside another local school.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEND is below average.
• The school manages a breakfast club.

Information about this inspection

• This inspection was carried out as a result of Ofsted’s risk assessment procedures for exempt schools. This process identified that standards since the previous inspection had declined.
• The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classes. She visited all classes and saw 10 parts of lessons, all of which were jointly observed with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. She also observed intervention groups and the breakfast club.
• The inspector held meetings with pupils, the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities and members of the governing body. She also spoke to the chief education officer of the multi-academy trust.
• The inspector took account of the 16 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View and comments made by parents as they collected their children from school. The inspector talking to pupils both formally and informally during the school day collected pupils’ views. The inspector also considered the school’s own survey responses from parents and staff.
• The inspector listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed the work in their books.
• A number of documents were reviewed by the inspector, including: the school action plan, subject leader plans, data on current attainment, reports commissioned by the academy trust about the school, minutes of governors’ meetings and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector