Bradfield Dungworth Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Bradfield Dungworth Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 17 February 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2011. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

You have provided strong and determined leadership since your appointment in January 2014. You have high expectations for every child and a clear and ambitious vision for the future. Crucially, you have secured the confidence and ...support of pupils, parents and staff.

One Year 6 pupil said 'we know Mrs Adams really cares about us because she does everything she can to help us do well'. Inspectors identified two areas for improvement at the school's last inspection: first, to further raise standards and ensure that pupils always learn well and make good progress; second, to ensure that leaders keep a close eye on all areas of the school's work and, when needed, take swift action to promote improvement. You have tackled these areas for improvement with courage and resolve.

The impact of your actions is clearly evident in better teaching and improved outcomes, especially in Key Stage 2. You and your governors have a clear view of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. The school's action plan is sharply focused on a small number of carefully chosen priorities and provides a strong starting point for further improvement.

For example, you have identified the need to improve pupils' writing in Years 1 and 2. As a result of quick and decisive action, current Year 1 and 2 pupils are already making faster progress in writing. Governors share your high expectations and ambitions for the future.

They are meticulous in the way they check the information and reports they receive from you. They visit the school regularly and scrutinise your reports carefully. Importantly, they challenge you and other leaders and, in doing so, hold you robustly to account.

The actions taken by you, senior leaders and governors demonstrate strong capacity to secure further improvement. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality.

There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe. Pupils trust and respect you and the other adults who care for them and say that they feel valued and safe. You take great care to identify when children need additional help.

You work closely with other professionals and services to ensure that children and families receive the help and support they need. Case studies demonstrate the effectiveness and positive impact of this work. Pupils' personal development, behaviour and welfare are at the heart of everyday school life.

The strong emphasis on 'golden rules' helps pupils learn how to be responsible members of the school community. Pupils' confidence and self-assurance are testament to the effectiveness of this aspect of the school's work. Year 6 pupils say that they feel very well prepared for the next stage of their learning and are excited about their futures.

Inspection findings ? You have skilfully managed a number of staff changes and new appointments since the last inspection. You have secured the strong support of staff, who have risen to the challenges associated with higher expectations and greater accountability. Teachers are committed to improving their practice and you are building a strong and cohesive team.

A Year 6 pupil said 'our teachers work really hard for us and make sure we understand what we are doing'. New assessment and tracking systems are helping you to keep a close eye on the progress of all pupils and key groups of pupils. Any underachievement is quickly spotted and swift action is taken to help pupils get back on track.

• You have improved the aspects of teaching that were weaker at the time of the last inspection. There is less variation in the impact of teaching on the learning of pupils with different needs and levels of ability. The well-planned activities and good learning resources in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, for example, enabled pupils to work at different levels of difficulty.

The teacher's good, clear explanation and effective questioning helped pupils to tackle misconceptions and errors in their work. The most-able pupils developed and extended their knowledge and understanding because they could choose more demanding work. They discussed their mathematical ideas confidently and developed their understanding of how to subtract fractions with mixed numbers and different denominators.

Pupils have fewer opportunities to solve 'real life' problems, which limits the further development of mathematical understanding of the most-able pupils. ? The proportion of children in early years achieving a good level of development is increasing and was well above the national average in 2015. Children in early years achieve well in the areas of communication and language and in their personal, social and emotional development.

Although children's achievement in writing is not as strong, purposeful action is being taken to better support this area of their learning and development. ? At Key Stage 2, over the last two years, rates of progress and pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics have increased significantly and are well above the national averages. The picture in Key Stage 1 is not as positive.

Although the attainment of Key Stage 1 pupils improved in 2015, standards in writing were below those in reading and mathematics. Considerable work has been done and, as a result, current pupils in Years 1 and 2 are making faster progress and the gap between their attainment in reading and writing is closing. ? Systems to support the identification and assessment of pupils with special educational needs have been re-designed and significantly strengthened.

The learning and progress of this group of pupils is reviewed more regularly and pupils and parents are more actively involved. The impact of better teaching and more effective support on the progress of pupils with special educational needs can already be seen. ? Leaders have successfully developed the curriculum so that it provides interesting, stimulating and challenging experiences and opportunities for pupils.

In science at Key Stage 2, for example, pupils learn how to design and carry out investigations, collect and analyse results and explain their scientific ideas. This helps them to be well prepared for studying Key Stage 3 science. ? Pupils have huge pride in their school and, although the school community prides itself in being like a family, much is done to help pupils learn about the wider world.

This, among many other things, helps pupils to be well prepared for the next stage of their learning and lives. Next steps for the school Leaders and governors should ensure that: ? teaching enables pupils to develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding and use what they have learned to reason and solve problems ? pupils in Key Stage 1 learn well and make the fast progress seen in Key stage 2. Yours sincerely Nick Whittaker Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and other senior leaders, pupils, a representative from the local authority and three representatives from the governing body.

I visited lessons with you, looked at the work in pupils' books and talked to them about their learning. I looked at the survey results from Parent View (Ofsted's online questionnaire) and considered 18 responses to the staff questionnaire. I examined a range of documents, including information about safeguarding, the school's self-evaluation, the school improvement plan and information about pupils' progress.

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