Broughton CofE Primary and Nursery School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders must ensure that the curriculum provides appropriate levels of challenge for the most able pupils, especially in writing.
• Further develop the outdoor provision for English and mathematics in Reception to ensure that it matches the high standard as the classroom.
• Further support the development of middle leaders to enable them to check and monitor pupils’ achievement more effectively across the wider curriculum.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and senior leaders are ambitious for pupils at Broughton Church of England primary school. Together, they have driven forward improvements in teaching, learning and assessment since the last inspection.
• Partnership with parents is now a strength of the school. Leaders have introduced electronic communication, parent notice boards and an open-door policy, and provide a wider range of information about their children’s safety and progress. As a result, parents feel that they are partners in their children’s learning.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. There is a focus on outdoor learning across the school. Pupils also enjoy a large range of enrichment activities including visits from authors, trips to museums and places of worship and outdoor adventurous activities. Visits are arranged to other areas of the country, and visitors are invited into school to share their areas of expertise. This enables pupils to make links with learning across different subjects in the curriculum.
• Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority. Very effective use is being made of the school’s new library. A strong emphasis is placed on reading for pleasure and to gain information. The library is an area of peace, relaxation and imagination, which can be accessed throughout the day and during a reading club at lunchtime.
• The physical education (PE) and sports funding is spent effectively to provide all pupils with access to a broad range of sporting activities and competitions. The school is justly proud to have achieved the gold kite mark for participation in sport for two years in a row.
• Leaders prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils talk with good understanding about tolerance, respect and democracy. Pupils take part in multi-faith celebrations and have a good understanding of other cultures.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively by leaders to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders employ an additional teacher to provide support in aspects of English and mathematics. As a consequence, pupils’ achievements in the areas supported show ongoing improvement.
• Leaders identify ways in which the school can improve. From this point, leaders offer staff a broad range of training opportunities to support their professional development. Following training in phonics, for example, teachers in key stage 1 offer all pupils an exciting and focused programme, which is enhancing their learning in this area.
• Leaders evaluate many aspects of the school’s performance accurately. They identify ways in which teaching and learning can improve and ensure that the evaluation of teachers’ performance takes into account pupils’ achievement. As a result, pupils make good progress from their initial starting points.
• The range of experiences and opportunities provided for pupils promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development strongly. Pupils enjoy very strong links with other schools and take part in a broad range of activities in the community. This year, pupils achieved first place in the South Cumbria music festival for choral speaking and music ensemble.
• Senior leaders have established effective systems to assess and track pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This monitoring leads to effective support for most groups of pupils, although, at times, not enough is demanded of the most able pupils to enable them to reach their full potential.
• A local authority adviser provides effective support to leaders’ checks on school effectiveness. Leaders are further supported by their membership of a schools’ partnership and their strong links with the diocese. As a consequence, much progress has been made in tackling areas identified in the school development plan such as developing assessment procedures in the Reception class.
• Subject leadership is improving. Leaders are developing a clearer understanding of pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their earliest starting points. However, subject leaders do not incorporate such focused monitoring of pupil achievement across the whole curriculum.

Governance of the school

• Governors are well organised and provide a range of relevant skills and experience, which helps to drive improvement. They have received a range of advice and training from the local authority and private sources, which has been valuable and used effectively. As a result, governors are able to provide effective support to leaders.
• Governors provide a strong degree of challenge and hold leaders to account. This includes a focus on the impact of spending and its links to outcomes for pupils.
• Governors care deeply about the pupils and are passionate that pupils receive a curriculum which is broad and balanced and links closely to outdoor learning.
• They have a secure understanding of the way in which performance management is used and its links to teachers’ pay.
• Governors manage the school’s finances well, resulting in the school’s stronger financial position. They are aware of how funding is spent to support disadvantaged pupils and understand how this funding has supported their progress.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures and receive a broad range of training and updates. They work effectively with leaders to improve site security and ensure that pupils’ safety in school remains of paramount importance.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The single central record of checks on staff is compliant. Vetting checks on new members of staff are thorough. This ensures that adults who work in the school do not pose any threat.
• Staff receive regular safeguarding training. Leaders ensure that detailed audits are undertaken to evaluate the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe. Leaders take action where needed. For example, a new system to access the building has been installed as a result of a health and safety audit.
• Leaders with a responsibility for safeguarding ensure that they and others carry out their roles effectively. Parents were very positive about safeguarding procedures during a school visit to London. A typical comment from parents about the headteacher was, ‘[she] showed inspirational leadership during the two weeks before the trip, [and] during the trip, she put regular updates online to ensure us worried parents that our children were enjoying themselves and were safe.’
• Safeguarding has a high profile and leaders have created a safe and secure culture. There are good links with external agencies and parents on aspects such as behaviour and well-being. Documentation is thorough. A filtering system to make sure that pupils are safe from dangerous content on websites is effective and evaluated frequently.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• External support from local schools and from the local authority has been effective in improving the quality of teaching. As a result, pupils make good progress from their initial starting points.
• Pupils enjoy the way that teaching is organised into topics. They particularly enjoy the outdoor learning opportunities. Leaders use the school site and the adjoining areas effectively to provide pupils with a broad array of learning opportunities.
• The teaching of music is a strength of the school. All pupils receive focused teaching from a music specialist who visits school each week. Their music teaching is further enhanced by free music tuition and through a church/school partnership choir. Pupils are particularly proud of their achievements, such as gaining first place at a local music festival.
• A broad range of extra-curricular activities are offered to further enrich the curriculum. Pupils particularly enjoy the sporting activities and the reading and art clubs which are provided. A typical comment from parents was, ‘For a small school, they have a great range of after-school activities and have competed in many sporting events throughout Cumbria, always striving to achieve their best. I wouldn’t send my child anywhere else.’
• Teaching assistants in early years and key stage 1 care for pupils well and offer tailored support to further their learning. As a result, pupils approach their tasks with increased confidence and understanding.
• Pupils develop a love of reading. They value books and are very proud of their new library. As a result, pupils read aloud with expression and are able to demonstrate a good understanding of the texts they have read.
• The teaching of phonics has improved considerably as a result of effective use of additional funding to provide additional teaching. Pupils greatly enjoy their phonics lessons and take part in activities which are imaginative and well resourced.
• The teaching of mathematics is good. Leaders are in the process of introducing a new approach to the teaching in this area. This will allow pupils greater opportunities to master the different aspects of the subject. Currently, however, some learning in key stage 2 is limited due to a lack of equipment available for pupils to use when undertaking their work.
• At each stage of pupils’ learning, leaders and teachers have clear procedures in place to ensure that transition arrangements are smooth and thorough. For example, pupils in both Year 5 and Year 6 take part in taster days at a local secondary school. As a result, pupils enter the next stage of their learning with confidence.
• Overall, the teaching of writing is good and pupils have regular opportunities to write for a variety of different purposes. However, on occasion, expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve are not high enough. Planned activities do not always provide enough challenge, and the most able pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of. Leaders have prioritised this as an area for improvement.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of what is needed to be a successful learner. They understand that good behaviour and concentration are important, together with good attendance.
• Bullying is very rare. Pupils know about bullying and know what to do if they have a problem. They are confident that staff deal with any issues in an effective manner. Pupils appreciate people’s differences, including differences in gender, religious belief and ethnic background. Consequently, in lessons and during breaktimes, pupils work and play together in a warm and inclusive manner.
• Links with the local church are strong, and pupils are given a broad range of opportunities to undertake work alongside clergy and parishioners. Most recently, pupils took part in a ‘prayer spaces’ project. They visited three tents which had been put up in the school yard and explored the themes of ‘thanking others’, ‘saying sorry’ and ‘asking for things for others who are less fortunate than themselves’. Such experiences have given pupils a deep understanding of the needs of other people.
• Staff and leaders make effective use of the resources of external training services to help to educate pupils in how to keep themselves safe. As a result, pupils speak confidently about how to keep safe and how to stay safe online.
• Leaders’ and teachers’ work to promote personal development and welfare is effective. Pupils are kind and considerate and demonstrate good levels of self-awareness. They readily take up jobs and responsibilities around school, such as supporting younger pupils at lunchtimes. They raise money for a range of good causes and charities. In some lessons, however, some pupils in key stage 2 lack confidence to ‘have a go’ when they became stuck with their work. They rely too much on intervention from the class teacher or teaching assistant. As a consequence, learning occasionally slows.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• High levels of self-discipline are evident in pupils’ conduct in the playground and around school.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent and parents greatly appreciate the support that staff give to their children. A typical comment was, ‘Staff always have the children’s interests at heart. The ethos is excellent.’
• Attendance levels for all groups of pupils reflect those seen nationally. Persistent absence is low and there are no instances of pupils’ exclusion from school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders and teachers have established effective provision for pupils which enables them to learn well across the curriculum. The quality of teaching has improved. Current performance information and work in pupils’ books shows that pupils make good progress from their initial starting points in English and mathematics. This is the case in key stage 1 and key stage 2. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support the small number of disadvantaged pupils. The most recent performance information shows that their attainment is broadly in line with that achieved by other pupils nationally. The school does not receive any funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Results in the national phonic screening test vary year on year due to the small numbers of pupils in the Year 1 class. The number of pupils who achieved the expected standard in 2016 was in line with the national average. However, in 2017 the number was below the national average. Staff have developed ways to check pupils’ development and provide appropriate resources to further support learning. As a result, current pupils in Year 1 are making better progress in phonics.
• For the last three years, at the end of key stage 2 pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics was broadly in line with the national average.
• Pupils’ learning is enriched through a broad array of additional experiences such as dance lessons, and visits to museums, outdoor centres and places of worship. ‘I’ve seen tremendous changes. The energy of the teachers, the variety in the lessons and it all adds up to more engaged children’ was typical of parents’ comments.
• Work in pupils’ books in subjects other than English and mathematics demonstrates high expectations. It also shows that pupils make good progress in a wide range of subjects.
• Some opportunities are provided to challenge the most able pupils in lessons, but this is not consistent throughout the school. This is most notable in the teaching of writing, where the work set is sometimes too easily mastered by pupils of higher ability. On such occasions, pupils miss the opportunity to further develop their skills.

Early years provision Good

• The early years provision is led well. Following support from the local authority, the lead teacher has a secure understanding of the assessment system. This ensures that evaluations of children’s progress are accurate. This has enabled the lead teacher to plan learning more effectively.
• The majority of children enter the Reception class with skills, knowledge and understanding below those typical for their age. From these low starting points, children in early years make increasingly good progress year on year. This is because teaching is good and the quality of provision has steadily improved. As a result, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development by the end of Reception is broadly in line with the national average.
• Leaders have ensured that all arrangements for health and safety comply with requirements. As a consequence, children are safe, they feel secure and are happy.
• Transition arrangements to Year 1 are a strength. Teachers from Year 1 visit the children regularly and talk to them about the changes. Pupil information is closely analysed and discussed by staff. The Reception year culminates in a graduation ceremony when parents and grandparents join their children in a special celebration to mark their move into Year 1. This helps to ensure that children are well prepared for the move.
• Partnership with parents is a strength. Parents appreciate the information that is provided to them and ways in which they can contribute to the assessment of their children’s learning.
• Children behave well in the Reception class. They fully engage in a variety of activities and are purposefully active in their learning. They greatly enjoy sharing their learning with each other and love to help each other learn. A child in the Reception class said, ‘We can’t chat with you any longer as we need to help our friends play the skittle game.’ They then proceeded to support the other children with the rules for playing, which enhanced their mathematical understanding of counting to ten.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support the teaching of phonics. Children are taught in small, focused groups with high-quality resources. This engages pupils and allows them to make strong progress in phonics.
• Children enjoy learning in the outdoor provision area. However, they do not have access to the same broad range of resources to develop their English and mathematics skills outside as they do indoors.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112287 Cumbria 10036619 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 Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 67 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr N Nevin Mrs J Graham-Kevan Telephone number 01229 716206 Website Email address www.broughton-furness.cumbria.sch.uk head@broughton-furness.cumbria.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The school has a lower-than-average proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged.
• The school has a lower-than-average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Teaching and learning was observed in 10 lessons, four of which were short visits with the headteacher.
• The breakfast club was visited by the lead inspector, together with the headteacher.
• The lead inspector met with pupils and heard a small number of pupils read. She looked at examples of pupils’ work in their books and spoke to pupils informally about their learning.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, class teachers and teaching assistants.
• The lead inspector met with four governors, including the acting chair of governors.
• The lead inspector spoke to a member of the Carlisle diocese and a representative from the local authority.
• The opinions of parents and staff were considered through the school’s own questionnaires and from informal discussions with parents.
• Thirty-five responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered, along with three responses to staff questionnaires.
• Various school documents were scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation, development plans, information about managing teachers’ performance, external evaluations and staff training records. Minutes of meetings of the governing body and information about behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also analysed.
• The lead inspector carried out a detailed scrutiny of current progress and attainment information for all groups of pupils in line with the key lines of enquiry.

Inspection team

Gill Pritchard, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector