Burhill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Burhill Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard at this large, well-organised school.

Leaders have ensured that everyone knows what is expected both in lessons and in terms of behaviour. Pupils respond well to this. The school runs smoothly.

It is a settled and purposeful place where pupils feel safe and supported.

Pupils generally behave well. Some parents expressed concerns around poor behaviour and bullying.

However, pupils are confident that on the rare occasions bullying does occur, it is dealt with by staff quickly and effectively. Leaders' records support this.

Pupils are happy....

They get along well. Playtime is a hive of activity, with games supported by staff, who join in with the fun. Any pupil who is left out is quickly spotted and included so that pupils learn to play together well.

Pupil 'befrienders' suggest and organise games.

Pupils are offered a wide range of opportunities to take on additional responsibilities such as mentors and sports captains. Lunch mentors provide support for younger pupils.

Being responsible starts in early years with children taking on roles such as a fruit bowl monitor in Nursery. Pupils also enjoy additional opportunities such as learning about and looking after the school chickens or singing a local community centre at Christmas.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum for the pupils of Burhill.

They have considered and linked the knowledge that pupils need across the curriculum carefully, right from the start of Nursery. Pupils are prepared well for the next stages of their education as they move through the school and then on to secondary school.

Early language development is a priority.

Staff in the early years are trained well to identify when children need additional support or whether they may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Support for pupils with SEND is considered carefully and reviewed regularly. Pupils with SEND enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum.

Leaders have prioritised reading. They recognise this rightly as a gateway to success across the curriculum. Pupils benefit from reading suitably challenging and wide-ranging texts.

They enjoy reading and engage well with the stories that teachers read to them. Pupils listen carefully and are keen to share their ideas and comments. Children in nursery enjoy learning rhymes and poems.

Pupils value the well-stocked, carefully curated library.

Children learn phonics right from the start of Reception using a well-considered programme. Staff who deliver the phonics programme have been well trained and are experts in early reading.

Pupils who start to fall behind are identified quickly. They are supported well to catch up with their peers.

In 2022, pupils at the end of key stage 2 did not achieve well in mathematics.

In response to this, leaders have reviewed and strengthened the mathematics curriculum. They have ensured that any gaps in pupils' knowledge that occurred as a result of the disruption caused by COVID-19 have been identified and addressed. Pupils have a secure knowledge of mathematical information such as using the times tables.

This helps them solve increasingly complex problems as they move through the school.

The curriculum in other subjects is planned in detail, but leaders have only introduced this recently. Staff find the detailed steps in curriculum planning helpful.

However, they sometimes lack the subject knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. When staff are less confident, teaching sometimes lacks clarity or does not focus enough on pupils applying and deepening their knowledge.

Pupils generally behave well in class.

They listen to their teachers and follow instructions. Pupils are excited by their learning. They offer up ideas and are keen to answer questions.

Leaders have considered how to use trips and experiences to help broaden pupils' learning thoughtfully. For example, all of Year 2 visit 'Tate Britain' each year so they can experience and explore an art gallery.

Pupils' wider development has been considered well.

The curriculum offers pupils a wide range of opportunities to learn about themselves and others, including about a range of faiths and cultures. Pupils have the opportunity to feed back about their learning through the curriculum committee of the pupil parliament. For example, they have helped to select the class reading texts through this committee.

Governors share leaders' ambition to provide the best possible outcomes for all pupils. Governors are well informed and knowledgeable. They provide good support for school leaders but also hold them to account for the quality of education in school.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. They are positive about the training they receive and the consideration of their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are trained well to spot any signs that pupils may not be safe. They know how to report concerns and are confident that these are dealt with swiftly. Safeguarding records are well organised and thorough.

Leaders respond appropriately to allegations and reports. They take the right actions and provide the help pupils need to stay safe.

There is a sharp focus on digital safety.

The curriculum is adapted in response to any issues that are identified. Leaders make sure that parents and pupils have up-to-date information about online risks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, in the foundation subjects, teachers do not have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the new curriculum plans in the way that subject leaders intend.

This means that pupils do not achieve as well across the wider curriculum as they do in English and mathematics. Leaders should continue to offer support and training to staff as they implement the reviewed foundation curriculum.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017.