Brampton Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, so that:
  • lower-attaining pupils have work matched closely to their needs
  • the proportion of pupils working at or above the expected standards continues to rise, including for children in early years.
• To build on the positive work of middle leaders to take greater leadership in their roles.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The trust, governors and senior leaders have transformed the school since the previous inspection. Since her appointment in April 2017, the executive headteacher has worked diligently to improve all aspects of the school. The school now provides a good standard of education.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school. They focus relentlessly on teachers’ professional development. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Staffing is now stable and morale is very high. Members of staff who spoke to inspectors said that the school was ‘like a big family’.
• Leaders have improved the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) substantially. This is very well led. Leaders check pupils’ assessment information with precision and use this information to direct additional support for those who require it. The quality of phonics teaching is monitored closely.
• The sports premium is used effectively. Leaders develop pupils’ sporting experiences through increased participation in sporting competitions. Pupils, including those with SEND, have opportunities to participate in gymnastics, dance and swimming.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding very well. They use a ‘Brampton 360’ approach for each pupil, to gather detailed information from the school and parents. This helps staff to know individual pupils’ needs thoroughly. Disadvantaged pupils’ persistent absenteeism has reduced substantially because of leaders’ actions.
• Funding for pupils with SEND is used effectively. Leaders have a good understanding of individual pupils’ needs. They liaise well with a range of external agencies to provide pupils with personalised support.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils play and learn happily together. They celebrate and respect differences between them and show a good understanding of faiths and beliefs that are different from their own. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Parents recognise the rapid improvements made since the previous inspection. They are updated regularly and attend workshops to increase their understanding of their children’s learning.
• Middle leaders are new to their roles. They know the school’s priorities well and benefit from joint monitoring of learning alongside senior leaders and external consultants. However, they are at too early a stage in their development to have made a sustained difference in their areas of responsibility.

Governance of the school

• Governance has improved considerably since the previous monitoring inspection. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s priorities. They keep up to date with pupils’ achievement information through an ‘improving standards group’. This helps them to pinpoint key areas to focus on, which they discuss with senior and middle leaders. Governors hold leaders to account and ask challenging questions, for example about the difference that initiatives are making.
• Governors visit the school regularly to keep abreast of strategies in different areas. Through ‘link governor’ visits, for example, governors check on the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND. They have a strong overview of the use of pupil premium funding and recent changes to safeguarding practices. They are articulate and committed to the school’s further improvement.
• Since the previous inspection, the academy trust has provided in-depth support to enable the school to make significant improvements. The trust has helped to develop leaders’ understanding of specific aspects of the work of the school. They provide regular professional development opportunities to staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have a good understanding of the latest statutory requirements. Pre-employment checks are carried out rigorously. Leaders relentlessly check staff’s understanding of specific safeguarding areas. This enables leaders to identify any areas that require additional training. As a result, staff are vigilant and know the school’s procedures in depth.
• Leaders work well with external agencies to deepen their understanding of local risks. For example, leaders have worked with the police and other specialists to gain a broader understanding of gang-related violence. This information was used to raise awareness among governors and staff about the dangers of knife crime and child sexual exploitation.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including while using the internet. A ‘well-being zone’ helps pupils to share any concerns with adults. Leaders use this information effectively to follow up with vulnerable pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils make good progress because they are taught well. Classrooms are productive learning environments where pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Typically, pupils are purposeful and focus well on their work.
• Since the previous inspection, teachers’ expertise has improved substantially. They have high expectations for pupils’ learning. Teachers develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills well. Pupils are encouraged to discuss their work, which helps them to articulate their learning confidently. Many pupils who spoke to inspectors said that learning is fun and that teachers are kind and caring.
• Teachers’ good subject knowledge helps pupils develop subject-specific vocabulary effectively. For example, pupils understood how to use a range of sentence structures to improve the quality of their writing. Good questioning helps pupils to evaluate their own work and make improvements.
• Adults develop pupils’ confidence in their writing through opportunities across the curriculum. For example, pupils wrote stories from the perspective of an evacuee during the Second World War. Pupils’ good history knowledge helped them to add detail to their writing.
• Since the previous inspection, the mathematics curriculum has been improved substantially. Teachers develop pupils’ understanding through challenging questions that build on prior learning. Pupils are consistently taught the skills of mathematical reasoning. In key stage 1, pupils use practical resources to deepen their understanding of concepts.
• Reading is taught well. Pupils read good-quality texts regularly with their teachers. Well-structured reading sessions help pupils to make good progress in developing their comprehension skills.
• Pupils with SEND are supported positively to make good progress. The caring ethos of the school ensures that they are included and valued.
• Leaders have given priority to supporting the most able pupils so that they make stronger progress. The impact of this was seen, for example, when pupils worked in a mature manner to listen carefully to instructions on a tablet and then worked on their own with independence and responsibility. In many subjects, teachers use focus groups to precisely develop pupils’ deeper understanding. However, this positive work has started recently and, as yet, has not led to substantial improvement in these pupils’ outcomes.
• Sometimes, teachers do not provide work for lower-attaining pupils that is closely matched to their needs. This restricts these pupils from making the progress of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.
• Teachers provide positive role models for pupils. The school environment is underpinned by warm relationships. Pupils say that they are confident to speak to adults about any concerns.
• The curriculum supports pupils’ learning about keeping healthy. For example, Year 4 pupils visited the Science Museum as part of their topic about digestion. This helped pupils to appreciate the importance of healthy eating and oral hygiene. For example, they used words including ‘tartar’ and ‘plaque’ accurately when explaining how to keep their teeth healthy.
• The school’s ‘learning behaviours’, including aspiration and determination, support pupils’ development and welfare. Adults refer to these behaviours consistently, which helps pupils to have a very good understanding of what they mean. For example, a pupil reminded others about being ‘resilient’ before they began to write a story.
• Pupils understand about different types of bullying, but say that it is rare in the school. Leaders’ actions to raise pupils’ awareness about derogatory language, including homophobia, have been positive. Pupils are respectful towards differences and learn about different faiths, beliefs and cultures.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and welcoming. They are proud of their achievements and keen to work hard in lessons. Pupils share their opinions readily with each other and the adults who support them.
• Pupils play together sensibly during playtimes. They are well supported by adults and follow routines well. They walk around the school in an orderly manner.
• Leaders’ work to ensure that parents understand the importance of good attendance has had a positive impact. Pupils’ persistent absenteeism has been reduced significantly. Consequently, pupils’ attendance is above the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes have improved since the previous inspection and are now good.
• In 2017, the attainment of Year 1 pupils in the phonics screening check fell to below the national average. This improved significantly in 2018 and was broadly at the national average. Consistently strong teaching enables pupils to develop strong knowledge of phonics.
• In 2018, pupils made the same progress in reading and writing as their peers nationally and their attainment was in line with the national average. Pupils’ progress in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 was below the national average.
• In 2018, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 was broadly at the national average. Given their high starting points, the most able pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• The school’s actions have resulted in current pupils making good progress. In mathematics, they have a good understanding of calculation skills. Pupils use mental and written methods well and can reason confidently about their strategies.
• Pupils’ writing across key stage 1 has improved significantly. Pupils have a firm grasp of punctuation and write expressively. Teachers’ recent work to develop pupils’ understanding of spelling rules, particularly for the most able, is making a positive difference.
• Pupils benefit from many opportunities to write at length. Most pupils have well-formed handwriting and write fluently. Pupils use a good range of vocabulary and punctuation to make their writing more interesting.
• Pupils read with fluency and expression. They read a variety of books and this helps them with good inference skills.
• Pupils make good progress across the curriculum. They demonstrate a strong understanding of history topics, including the Romans. In science, they carry out investigations and learn about technical terms, for example how to separate materials by sieving and filtering. Themed topics enable pupils to develop their design and technology skills, for example by making volcanoes and Tudor houses.
• The small number of disadvantaged pupils in each year group make sustained progress across the school. In some year groups, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is very high.
• Sometimes, lower-attaining pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable because work is not closely matched to their needs. There are still pockets of pupils in lower key stage 2 who are working below age-related expectations, particularly in their writing.
• The most able pupils across the school now make better progress than in the past because of better teaching. This was reflected in 2018, with substantial improvements to the proportion of pupils achieving the high standards in key stage 1, to broadly the national average. However, given the very strong starting points for these pupils, many more can attain the high standards.

Early years provision Good

• The early years is well led. Leaders have a good understanding of their roles and priorities. They check on children’s assessment information effectively through regular observations, which help them to know individual children well.
• Children enter early years with skills at least similar to those found nationally. The proportion of children attaining a good level of development has risen steadily and is in line with the national average. Children are confident learners and leave the early years well prepared for Year 1.
• Adults use positive praise regularly and this helps to develop a warm climate for learning. Children settle quickly and are safe and well cared for. Parents and carers agree that their children make good progress.
• Teachers develop children’s phonics skills well. They have good subject knowledge and check regularly on children’s understanding. Adults encourage children to write newly learned letters and sounds and keep a close eye on their correct pencil grip. As a result, children’s early writing skills are also well developed.
• Good questioning helps children to develop early mathematics skills. For example, children were asked by adults to find out how many dinosaurs were in a water tray. Children checked their totals by using previously taught counting strategies. Children are encouraged to write down number sentences when carrying out basic calculations.
• Children enjoy all areas of learning, including using the outdoor provision to explore and play. They use the role-play area independently; children dig with their friends and explore the world around them.
• There are many opportunities for children’s physical development. Children use the climbing equipment sensibly. While using the ‘trikes’, children take turns and time each other using timers. This helps to develop their social skills and independence.
• Children interact positively with adults. They follow clear routines well and like to use the many resources on offer. Children are polite, respectful and very welcoming. They are keen to share their learning and have good enquiry skills.
• On occasions, adults do not develop most-able children’s deeper understanding. This limits their progress.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141047 Bexley 10055089 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 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 363 Appropriate authority Local governing body Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Brendan Hollyer Gemma Clark 0208 303 2873 www.brampton.bexley.sch.uk admin@brampton.bexley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection March 2017

Information about this school

• Brampton Primary Academy is part of the REACH2 Academy Trust. The trust delegates responsibility for governance to a local governing body.
• The school became subject to special measures in March 2017 and was removed from this category during this inspection.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average. The majority of pupils come from White British families.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.
• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, leaders and other members of staff. Inspectors met with the regional director of the academy trust and governors.
• A wide range of documentation was considered, including information related to safeguarding, school development planning and attendance.
• Inspectors observed learning in all year groups at least three times. Senior and middle leaders accompanied inspectors for most of these visits to lessons.
• Inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books in all year groups and across a range of subjects.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils informally during lessons and in social times. An inspector held formal meetings with groups of pupils to gather their views about the school.
• Inspectors took account of 126 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered 38 responses from staff. Inspectors also took into account parents’ views through meeting parents at the end of the school day.

Inspection team

Noeman Anwar, lead inspector Ann Pratt Teresa Davies

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector