Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and the Early Years Foundation Stage, and the well-being and progress of different groups of pupils. Evidence was gathered from the analysis of pupils' test results, observation of lessons and pupils' work, parents' questionnaires and discussions with the headteacher, staff, governors and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

Description of the school

This school is on the southern outskirts of Aylesbury. Two Reception classes form the Early Years Foundation Stage. Three quarters of the pupils are of White British heritage and a quarter are from other ethnic backgrounds, which is higher than is the case in most schools. Around one in ten of pupils are of Asian heritage, and a similar percentage are learning English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is a little below average. Over a third of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which is well above average. These mostly relate to difficulties with language, literacy and communication. There is a Children's Centre on the site which houses an independent pre-school.

Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding

Grade 2 Good

Grade 3 Satisfactory

Grade 4 Inadequate

Overall effectiveness of the school

Grade: 2

This welcoming and caring school provides a good education for its children which is wholeheartedly recognised and valued by their parents. 'A really friendly school which has a lovely atmosphere' and 'Lovely, well-managed environment, full of caring and professional staff' were typica

l of their warm comments. Parents rightly recognise the good quality of teaching, care, guidance and support that the school provides and its strong focus on meeting the needs of each of its pupils. As one parent noted, 'The teachers treat all the children as individuals and care about each one.' The impact of this can be seen in the good levels of personal development and well-being which pupils attain, whatever their particular strengths or the challenges they may face. Pupils enjoy school a good deal, are healthy, well behaved, well prepared for their next steps in education and contribute well to the school and the local community. For example, older pupils

help out in the playground and act as 'reading buddies' for the younger children. The school has worked with some success to ensure that all pupils attend regularly. It has significantly reduced the percentage of pupils who are persistently absent, although a small number of pupils still need considerable support to attend regularly and therefore benefit fully from the education that the school provides.

Pupils mix happily and safely with each other. They develop a good understanding of diversity through the daily opportunities they have to play and learn with others from a wide range of different backgrounds. This is enhanced by the opportunities within the good curriculum to learn about different ways of living, both locally and further afield. The school's contribution to community cohesion is therefore good and it evaluates the impact of its actions carefully. Capably led by the headteacher, staff and governors with different responsibilities contribute well to the school's continuing improvement through effective teamwork. For example, at the time of the last inspection, the school was asked to improve the teaching of mathematics, especially for the more able. In the intervening period, staff have been enabled to observe the learning and teaching of the subject across the school and two teachers have shared the role of subject coordinator. This has raised the profile of numeracy throughout the school. Alongside improving its tracking and providing extra activities to challenge more able pupils, the school has also developed a delightful 'mathematics garden' where pupils have the opportunity to learn about numbers through fun activities in a stimulating outdoor environment. The results of this can be seen in the higher percentage of pupils who are now working at higher levels in the subject. Overall, standards at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics are above average. Most pupils reach the levels expected of them and in 2008 around a third were working at higher levels. This demonstrates the good progress that pupils make from their varying starting points and their good achievement.

The school draws its pupils from a wide area and, in recent years, a growing percentage of pupils have joined with less well-developed skills in some areas of learning, especially language and literacy. These pupils make good progress due to the good teaching they experience and the careful attention paid to their individual needs. The school also has a growing number of pupils who are at earlier stages of learning English as an additional language when they join. Staff have included these pupils well. For example, each of these pupils benefits from an individual plan to support their education as part of the school's commitment to meeting all pupils' diverse learning needs. As a result, these pupils make good progress. However, the school has rightly identified that, on occasions, opportunities are missed to provide these pupils with focused opportunities to develop their English language skills alongside their skills in other National Curriculum areas. Staff have recently begun a new programme to develop pupils' speaking and listening skills in English, which they now plan to extend across the school. This thoughtful approach to improving outcomes for pupils is typical of this well-led and well-managed school. This confirms the school's good capacity to go from strength to strength while continuing to assure the happiness and well-being of its pupils which is so central to its vision and so valued by its parents.

Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Grade: 2

Children joining the Reception classes have skills and experiences which vary year on year but generally are below those expected for their age. The warm and welcoming environment ensures they settle quickly and develop the confidence to approach adults easily, and it contributes effectively to their good personal development. This means they are attentive, behave well and respond positively to the activities and to each other. Children experience a balance between activities led by adults and those they initiate for themselves. The well-organised resources provide them with good opportunities for creative and imaginative work as well as other areas of learning. As a result, children achieve well from their starting points, although not all enter Year 1 with the expected skills.

The Early Years Foundation Stage team work well together. They manage their work effectively and ensure that they meet children's welfare and learning needs successfully. They have rightly identified that they need to continue to enhance opportunities for children to learn independently, particularly in the outdoor area, as not all children yet have independent access to this area.

What the school should do to improve further

¦ Extend opportunities for children to learn independently, particularly through the outdoor curriculum.

¦ Extend opportunities for pupils learning English as an additional language to develop their speaking and listening skills in English.

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Annex A

Inspection judgements School Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

Overall effectiveness 2

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners?

Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection. Yes

How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2

The capacity to make any necessary improvements. 2

Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of children in the EYFS? 2

How well do children in the EYFS achieve? 2

How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2

How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2

How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2

How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed? 2

Achievement and standards.

How well do learners achieve? 2

The standards reached by learners. 2

How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners. 2

How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress 2

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high;

Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average;

Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average;

Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

Personal development and well-being.

How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? 2

The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 2

The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles. 2

The extent to which learners adopt safe practices. 2

The extent to which learners enjoy their education. 2

The attendance of learners. 3

The behaviour of learners. 2

The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community. 2

How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being. 2

The quality of provision

How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of learners' needs? 2

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2

How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 2

Leadership and management

How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? 2

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education. 2

How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards. 2

The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation. 2

How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated. 2

How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 2

How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money. 2

The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities. 2

Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? Yes

Does this school require special measures? No

Does this school require a notice to improve? No

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 February 2009

Dear Children

Inspection of Broughton Infant School,Aylesbury,HP20 1NX

Thank you for being so friendly when we visited your school. You really helped us by telling us all about the things you do at school and what you enjoy. Broughton Infant is a good school because:

¦ your teachers take good care of you

¦ your teachers think about how they can help each one of you to learn the most that you can

¦ you think about others and take good care of yourselves and your friends

¦ all the adults at the school work together to make sure you are happy and to help you learn.

Your teachers have lots of good ideas on how to make things even better. We have asked them

to work on two of these - making sure the youngest children can learn independently, especially

in the outdoor area, and helping all of the children throughout the school who have English as

an additional language to speak and listen well.

We can see why you enjoy coming to such a friendly school and why your parents are so proud of you and your school. We were very glad it stopped snowing long enough for us to visit you. Thank you!

Yours faithfully

Nicola Davies

Lead Inspector