Burnham Copse Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Burnham Copse is a welcoming, nurturing school where pupils thrive and flourish.

There is a positive culture that supports pupils well, including those who are disadvantaged. Pupils demonstrate the school values to 'believe, care, persevere and succeed' routinely through the school day. They speak with pride about their school and refer to it as 'like a family'.

Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and attitudes towards learning. Pupils typically meet these expectations well. They are kind, polite and show good manners.

They consider the needs of others. Pupils work hard and achieve well. Beginning in the early years, children develop positive a...nd inquisitive attitudes towards learning, which continue to grow throughout the school.

Older pupils are 'play partners' to younger ones to guide them and act as good role models.

Pupils' well-being is a high priority for the school. The school ensures pupils learn ways to keep a positive mindset.

Pupils benefit from the school's varied opportunities to develop talents and interests. They enjoy the various clubs available to them. These include computing, creative activities and a range of music and sports opportunities.

Pupils leave the school as well-rounded individuals ready for their next steps in education.

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

The school has a well-structured curriculum. It has identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and by when.

The school has carefully considered how best to deliver the curriculum across mixed-age classes. As a result, most pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

The curriculum is typically implemented well.

In most subjects, and including in early years, teachers design activities that help pupils to learn well. Pupils draw confidently on what they already know when learning new things. This secures their understanding and allows them to talk with increasing confidence about their learning.

Staff regularly check how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum. However, in a small number of subjects the tasks teachers set do not always enable pupils to learn or embed the key knowledge that leaders intend them to.

The school places a clear emphasis on pupils learning to read.

The school library is a welcoming and inspiring space which promotes the importance and enjoyment of reading. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Most pupils learn to use their phonics skills well in their early reading and writing.

Teachers make sure they have books that they can read. Pupils in key stage 1 who need extra help are given effective support to help them to catch up. However, pupils in key stage 2 who find learning to read the hardest do not make the gains in learning they should.

The support they need is not delivered with the same rigor and precision as in key stage 1.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by skilled staff. In conjunction with external agencies, as well as parents and carers, the school accurately identifies pupils' needs.

Pupils with SEND typically achieve well from their starting points.

Pupils know how to behave. The school is calm and orderly.

Behaviour expectations are modelled well by staff. Staff work well with parents to help any pupils who need extra support to behave as the school expects. Pupils attend school regularly.

The school has taken effective action to reduce the number of pupils who were regularly late in the morning.

Pupils show empathy and respect for others. They form strong bonds with other pupils across the school through the bespoke 'eyries' house system and assemblies.

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of equality and the fundamental British Values. They gain an age-appropriate understanding of different relationships and of the diversity in modern society.

Governors are deeply committed to the school and the community it serves.

They fulfil their statutory duties well, including ensuring that pupils are safe. Staff are very positive about working at the school and their own professional development. Most parents are very happy with the school and the effective pastoral and academic support that it provides.

However, a significant proportion of parents that responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey do not feel that communication between school and home is as effective as it could be. These parents do not feel as involved in their children's school experience and progress as they want to be.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not always provide well-targeted support for the small number of pupils in key stage 2 who have gaps in their reading knowledge. This limits these pupils' ability to decode texts accurately and fluently. The school should ensure that support for pupils who are at the early stages of reading in key stage 2 enables them to secure and apply their phonics knowledge so that they quickly become confident and fluent readers.

• Occasionally, the tasks that teachers design for pupils do not support them to deepen or retain knowledge, including in the early years. This means that, on these occasions, some pupils cannot recall what they have learned from the activity as readily as they could. The school should ensure that its ambitious curriculum is consistently matched with tasks so that pupils benefit as much as possible from learning activities.

• The school does not provide parents with consistent information and feedback about how well their children are learning. This makes it difficult for parents to understand and engage with their children's school experience. The school should ensure that parents are supported through proactive and responsive communication channels.

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