Brook House Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that all pupils make significant progress from their starting points by:
  • allocating sufficient time and resources to improve the learning of science
  • further encouraging pupils to attend school more regularly and reduce their persistent absence
  • embedding strategies for strengthening children’s writing skills in the early years foundation stage, particularly for boys.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The inspirational headteacher, well supported by senior leaders, including governors, has led the school effectively through a period of change. The school has rapidly and significantly improved, despite facing challenges.
• Since opening as a new school, leaders and managers act with a sense of urgency to overturn weaknesses. This has established a learning culture that is aspirational for all pupils. High expectations are effectively shared by all staff and have led to strong teaching and improved outcomes for pupils.
• The dynamic leadership team are driven by the belief that all pupils, regardless of their background or abilities, have the right to an excellent education. Staff and governors share this ethos. A strong team spirit exists within the school and this is confirmed by the results from the staff questionnaire.
• The ‘Brook House five ways’ (respect, kindness, aspiration, responsibility and honesty) underpin the school’s core values that everyone is to be treated fairly. This in turn has contributed to the significantly improved and positive attitudes that pupils have towards their learning.
• The performance management process is highly effective and supports the development of all staff. Targets are set with a focus on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Training for staff is well targeted and supports them to improve their practice. Leaders responded to a staff survey and made adjustments to support teachers’ workload as a result.
• Middle leaders, ably supported by senior leaders, are equally enthusiastic in driving high-quality learning and improving standards within their subject areas. They consider pupils’ needs when planning successful learning opportunities. The introduction of a reading scheme has allowed lower-attaining pupils to be confident in their reading.
• Parental engagement is a key focus for leaders. They have worked hard and creatively to ensure that parents feel part of their child’s learning journey. Leaders and managers host coffee mornings and workshops to allow parents to understand the standards expected in various subjects such as reading, writing and information and communication technology.
• Brook House Primary School is highly inclusive. All pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive individual support to enhance their academic achievement and personal well-being. Pupils report being happy in their lessons and can talk about their progress.
• A very small number of pupils attend the local hospital education service. Leaders monitor carefully the attendance and progress of pupils who attend this provision. It is too early to judge the difference the support is making to those pupils.
• Leaders promote equality of opportunity exceptionally well. They evaluate the barriers to learning regularly for disadvantaged pupils and allocate the pupil premium funding in a timely and appropriate way. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make substantial progress in their learning and take part in a wide range of activities that they might otherwise not have access to. Inspectors listened to most-able disadvantaged pupils reading. They read with meaningful expression and one pupil told the inspector that she likes to write and dreams of being an author.
• School leaders and managers are passionate about developing healthy lifestyles and use the primary sports funding very well. Expectations in the teaching of physical education are being raised considerably. All pupils have access to a wider variety of sports, such as rugby, tennis, basketball, and Year 3 had the opportunity to take part in a cycling course. During the inspection, pupils were involved in an interactive assembly on how they can walk to school safely. The school’s excellent work in promoting the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle was recognised by receiving the ‘Healthy School Award’ in 2015. Pupils are aware of healthy eating options.
• The school supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, especially in preparing pupils to be good, responsible citizens. For example, pupils and parents were encouraged by a visiting speaker on waste prevention to reduce food waste.
• The promotion of British values is a core theme of the broader curriculum. Leaders plan specific school trips to enhance pupils’ learning. Pupils in key stage 1 appreciated their visit to the Museum of London as part of their learning about the Iron and Bronze Ages. Key stage 2 pupils attended the Armistice Day service at a local war memorial cemetery.
• The curriculum engages pupils well, broadens their knowledge and helps them to make progress, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. Additional activities, such as educational visits, clubs and sporting activities, including the exceptional link with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, provide pupils with positive experiences. The breakfast and after-school club are meticulously planned so that pupils enjoy a range of activities, including using laptops and learning with their friends.
• Managers are developing the science curriculum by creating stimulating resources so that all pupils make sufficient gains in their scientific knowledge.

Governance of the school

• The governors and parental advisory board are clear about, and respectful of, their roles. Their knowledge, expertise and determination for pupils to succeed enables them to hold leaders to account effectively for all areas of school improvement.
• They are ambitious for the school to be one that provides strong teaching and opportunities for outstanding pupil outcomes. This underpins their excellent support and challenge to school leaders. They are rigorous in their scrutiny of the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of safeguarding. They recognise that attendance is a challenge for the school.
• The governing body monitors that the extra funding the school receives, such as pupil premium funding and primary sports fund, is used effectively. They know that the progress made by disadvantaged pupils is good and pupils’ outcomes in physical education are rising.
• Governors understand the local community and take the views of parents seriously.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors are proactive in carrying out their statutory duties and make the protection of pupils a high priority. Leaders have established effective links with parents and the local authority’s children’s services. They persistently follow up referrals to external agencies to check the appropriateness of actions.
• Leaders have a robust process for checking the suitability of those employed by the school, which is regularly checked by governors. Training for all staff has focused on the latest safeguarding guidance, including prevention of radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Staff are able to identify early warning signs and know what to do to make sure a pupil receives early help should the situation arise.
• The personal, social and health education programme develops pupils’ awareness of how to stay safe, including when they are online. Additionally, leaders have produced a leaflet on extremism and radicalisation and provided e-safety workshops for parents.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan engaging activities that capture pupils’ interests. As a result, pupils make sufficient gains in their knowledge, understanding and skills across a wide range of subjects.
• Leaders use information on pupils’ prior knowledge effectively to manage pupil groupings. Pupils are organised by ability rather than age. Leaders regularly check pupils’ reading skills to ensure that they are in the correct group.
• The teaching of phonics is a real strength of the school. Inspectors observed groups with Reception pupils up to Year 5 having the opportunity to develop their phonics skills. Teachers plan effectively for smaller groups of pupils with similar starting points, ensuring that pupils’ needs are targeted and individually met. Pupils make significant progress in their reading because of correct groupings. One pupil told an inspector, ‘Everyone enjoys reading.’
• Pupils have opportunities to develop secure writing skills. They receive continuous feedback allowing them to correct their mistakes and improve upon the next sentence they write. Pupils receive useful teachers’ comments to help them become proficient in assessing their own work. Inspectors saw pupils checking their work carefully before handing it in to the teacher.
• Mathematics is taught well. Inspectors witnessed the use of real-life situations, which engaged the pupils and made the learning of mathematics come alive. Pupils are positive about mathematics and were able to talk about their strengths in developing their numeracy skills.
• Teachers expect high standards and plan their lessons accordingly. Learning time is used productively and pupils relish their learning. One pupil reported, ‘We learn all of the time.’ Almost all parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, consider their children to be taught well, and inspectors agree.
• Additional adults provide effective support to different groups of pupils. They use questioning well to check pupils’ learning. Inspectors witnessed this practice in a range of learning episodes, including in physical education, mathematics and literacy.
• Homework projects, linked to cross-curricular tasks, support pupils’ learning of reading, spelling and strengthen their writing skills.
• At times, the most able, including those who are disadvantaged, receive challenge through demanding tasks set by the teacher. Teachers’ high expectations allow pupils to reach greater depth in their learning. This was evident in a Year 5 class where most-able disadvantaged pupils demonstrated standards of writing above those expected for their age.
• The school’s environment is conducive to learning. School displays are inspirational, stimulating and filled with pupils’ eye-catching work.
• Inspectors viewed a range of learning across the curriculum by visits to lessons, looking at books and pupils’ work displayed on boards. The learning of science was less consistent across year groups due to the focus on developing core skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Overall pupils’ outcomes in science in 2016 confirmed this.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. This is a real strength of the school.
• The school’s five core values support leaders’ commitment to develop pupils’ health, safety and well-being.
• Pupils consistently demonstrate increasing confidence and self-assuredness. One pupil reported that he is now more confident in his writing because he has learned to make his writing more interesting for his audience, through his knowledge of connectives and new words.
• A planned coffee morning allowed parents to learn how physical education is taught and raise the awareness of healthy lifestyles. The school’s work was recognised by being accredited with the ‘Silver Quality Mark’ from the Youth Sport Trust for its developments in the teaching and learning of physical education.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and report that, while it does happen sometimes, teachers are quick to help you. Parents and staff agree overwhelmingly that bullying is effectively dealt with and the school makes sure that its pupils are well behaved.
• Teachers are quick to challenge stereotypes. Teaching resources reflect the diversity of pupils’ backgrounds and provide pupils with an understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experiences.
• The school is a secure place where pupils are valued and feel safe. Discussions with pupils and an e-safety display constructed by pupils demonstrated how well pupils know how to keep safe, including using the internet.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ attitudes towards learning are very strong. Pupils are keen to learn and this makes a positive contribution to their successful outcomes.
• Pupils are polite, respectful to visitors and behave very well. Examination of behaviour records and discussions with pupils confirm that this is typically the case over time.
• There is clear evidence of mutual respect between staff and pupils. Similarly, pupils demonstrate care and consideration towards their peers. They have high expectations of behaviour and, during the inspection, pupils were seen telling other pupils ‘to walk sensibly in the corridor’.
• Pupils are happy and manage their behaviour well because they understand rewards and sanctions.
• There were a few reported incidences of low-level disruption identified during the inspection, but this did not affect pupils’ learning.
• Where pupils happen to study away from school, leaders track their attendance and progress regularly.
• Pupils’ attendance, especially by those who were persistently absent, has significantly improved over time, due to the school’s continued efforts to reward good attendance. Leaders work tirelessly to ensure that attendance is in line with average. Persistent absence fell in 2016 but still remains high. Leaders agree more can be done to support families and pupils to attend more regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils are making good progress in most subjects, especially given their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. This was confirmed by work viewed in pupils’ books and from the school’s own information.
• Leaders report that disadvantaged pupils are making at least expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. A majority are making better than expected progress, including the most able disadvantaged. Work identified in pupils’ books, lesson observations, and while listening to pupils read, confirmed this.
• The majority of pupils from minority ethnic groups, including pupils who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in most areas of learning. This is because of the individual support these pupils receive.
• The majority of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities also made good progress across all three core subjects from Year 1 to the end of Year 2 in 2016.
• The provisional attainment indicators for 2016 demonstrate that the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 1 reached standards at or above age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a positive picture compared to that in 2015.
• The attainment of disadvantaged pupils in all three subjects was above or close to other pupils nationally. Some pupils who are disadvantaged achieved greater depth than expected for their age in all three subjects. Therefore, the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 1 are prepared to face the demands of key stage 2.
• Historically, main attainment indicators are low. In 2015, Year 2 pupils achieved standards that were below national averages.
• The results of the Year 1 phonics screening check improved for all pupils in 2016. Disadvantaged pupils performed better than other pupils nationally in 2015 and 2016, as a result of effective use of the pupil premium funding.
• A large proportion of children start Reception with little or no experience of being in a nursery setting. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has improved consistently from 2014, despite still being below average in 2016. The school is successfully reducing the differences between the outcomes of boys and girls in most areas of learning by the end of Reception Year. However, girls are still performing better than the boys in writing. School leaders are addressing this.
• Despite strong outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1, overall standards in science are below average. Pupils’ books display insufficient work to facilitate good learning in science over time.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter Reception with skills and knowledge that are typically low for their age. The provision for children in the early years is good because of effective teaching, robust assessment and close attention to detail.
• The majority of children in the early years foundation stage made good progress towards achieving the standard expected in all areas of learning in 2016. The daily teaching of phonics and rich adult-led activities develop children’s early reading, writing, speaking and numeracy skills. Children are prepared well to enter Year 1 at the end of Reception.
• In 2016, disadvantaged pupils outperformed their peers. They reached levels of development above those seen nationally. Leaders use additional funding effectively to improve their progress and attainment.
• All staff benefit from external support from an early years leader within the academy trust. Professional development of all staff in the early years is well catered for and includes safeguarding training.
• All staff work in close partnership with parents to ensure that children are ready for school and are supported well throughout their time in the provision.
• The outdoor area is inviting. It promotes a range of fun and challenging activities. Children have opportunities to develop their physical coordination, control and movement. Well-organised learning areas allow the children to explore the world around them. For example, children rummage in the sandpit looking for ‘literacy cards’ and a ‘wheelbarrow’ facilitates garden role play.
• Staff create a purposeful environment where children develop good personal and social skills, grow in confidence and are happy. Children were keen to show inspectors their literacy work. They encouraged inspectors to join in with fun activities.
• Behaviour is good. Children concentrate on their learning because clear routines are in place. Inspectors’ review of children’s work demonstrates good progress over time.
• In 2016 girls outperformed the boys in many areas of learning and development. The school’s information demonstrates that these differences between the boys and girls are diminishing. Leaders agree that girls are still performing better in writing than the boys. Inspectors’ lesson observations and scrutiny of children’s work confirm this.
• The rigorous use of assessment information ensures that appropriate support and resources are allocated correctly. Children are streamed and placed into teaching groups with children of different ages but with similar starting points. This allows teachers to plan effectively to meet individual needs and to further support learning, particularly for the boys.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141209 Haringey 10022822 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy free school 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 307 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Tessa Gillett Aaron Wright 020 8465 6226 www.brookhouseprimary.net school@brookhouseprimary.net Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected as an academy

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• Brook House Primary School is an average-sized school.
• The school was opened in September 2014 as a free school and became a sponsored academy with the Lion Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust.
• There are currently 11 classes in the school, two classes in each year from Reception to Year 4 and one class in Year 5.
• A very small number of pupils attend the local hospital education service.
• The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 16 part lessons, 10 of which were jointly observed with leaders.
• Inspectors observed other aspects of the school day, including breakfast club, an assembly, small group sessions, lesson changeovers, breaktimes, lunchtimes and the start and end of the school day.
• Various discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, a group of newly qualified teachers, staff, pupils, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and the Department for Education.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including attendance records, exclusion logs and assessment information.
• Inspectors listened to pupils reading, looked at pupils’ books and scrutinised the school’s information showing pupils’ progress and attainment.
• The views of pupils were gathered by inspectors speaking to pupils in lessons, at breaktimes and in small group meetings during lunchtime.
• The views of parents were gathered from 54 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and four responses to Ofsted’s free-text service. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the beginning and end of the school day.
• Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires from 24 members of staff.

Inspection team

Rosemarie McCarthy, lead inspector Lucy Nutt Karen Jaeggi

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector