Brockholes Wood Community Primary School and Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by:
  • ensuring that activities are consistently well matched to pupils’ abilities
  • ensuring that expectations for learning are consistently clear.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • embedding improvements to teaching in order to further raise standards at the end of key stage 1, particularly in reading
  • building on work to reduce the rate of fixed-term exclusions.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have worked well to address the reasons for the disappointing end of key stage 2 results of 2016 and 2017. Leaders recognised that they had not adapted quickly enough to the demands of the new national curriculum. Their prompt actions to improve the quality of teaching have paid dividends. The provisional results for 2018 indicate that pupils made progress in reading and mathematics that was significantly above that of other pupils nationally, and progress in writing that was in line with the national figure. Inspection evidence identifies that improvement is continuing and that pupils’ progress is good across the school.
• Leaders have successfully promoted a positive culture of high expectation in the school. Relationships are positive throughout the school. Staff feel valued and supported. All who responded to the staff survey said that they were proud to work at the school.
• The leadership of teaching is good. Leaders have a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, and staff receive training to improve their skills. For example, staff training in the teaching of mathematics has brought about improvements to pupils’ progress in this subject.
• There has been some instability in staffing, particularly in key stage 1, since the last inspection, which has hampered improvements to outcomes for pupils. Staffing is now stable, and this is reflected in the recent improved progress in key stage 1.
• Leaders’ plans for improvement are based on an accurate knowledge and understanding of the quality of the school’s provision. Since the last inspection, actions have been effective in improving attendance, and in raising outcomes at the end of key stage 2. Leaders’ focus on improving outcomes in key stage 1 is bearing fruit. Progress is now good. However, there is more to be done to embed changes and to improve the standards reached by pupils, particularly in reading.
• Subject leadership has improved since the last inspection. Leaders have a clear understanding of their roles. They closely monitor the progress of pupils in their subject area, and they identify where further improvement is needed. The work of the leaders of English and mathematics has had a positive impact on improving pupils’ progress.
• The curriculum provides a broad range of subjects and activities for pupils which engage them well in their learning. Pupils’ learning is enriched by a range of before- school, lunchtime and after-school clubs, such as library club, wake up and shake up, and team sports club.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils learn to be respectful of others and to share and cooperate. They show an understanding of different cultures and faiths.
• Leaders make effective use of the funding for disadvantaged pupils. Funding is used to provide teaching support, resources and learning mentor support. Leaders identify any barriers to achievement and put support in place where needed. As a result, this group of pupils achieve well.
• The physical education (PE) and sport funding is used effectively to improve pupils’ interest in, and enjoyment of, sporting activities. A sports coach has worked alongside staff to further develop their skills in teaching PE. Pupils’ access to a range of different sports and their access to sporting competitions have increased. After-school sporting clubs, such as multi-sports, are well attended.
• The local authority has provided positive support to the school. It has confidence in the school’s leadership to sustain the good quality of education and bring about further improvements. As a result, its support has been ‘light touch’.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. They bring a range of skills to their role and provide both support and challenge to leaders in bringing about improvement.
• Governors are well informed about the school’s provision and how funding for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is spent.
• Governors keep a close eye on the budget to ensure that finances are used prudently. They work closely with the headteacher to monitor and review, for example, spending on staffing to ensure that it is meeting pupils’ needs.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. All staff have regular training in safeguarding issues to ensure that they have up-to-date knowledge. They know the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a pupil.
• Leaders and the school’s learning mentor work well with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Records are meticulously kept.
• Pupils show a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including their online safety. They say that if they have concerns, they can share these with an adult in school.
• All parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and those who spoke with inspectors, said that their children felt safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers are skilled in establishing positive relationships with pupils. They have good knowledge of the subjects they teach, and they plan activities that interest and engage pupils. As a result, pupils grow in confidence and make good progress in their learning.
• The teaching of mathematics is good and has improved since the last inspection. Staff ensure that pupils develop their learning well through a range of opportunities they have to use and apply their mathematical skills and to solve problems and develop reasoning skills.
• Leaders have introduced a new approach to the teaching of mathematics in key stage 1 which is ensuring that pupils’ skills are developed in a more systematic way. Evidence in pupils’ books shows that this is having a positive impact on improving their progress.
• Teachers use questioning effectively to encourage pupils to think. For example, pupils in upper key stage 2 were questioned well in order to develop their understanding of the vocabulary in an extract from a book, and also to engage with the emotions of the characters. Pupils responded with enthusiasm and were confident to discuss ideas and develop their understanding.
• Phonics is taught effectively. Pupils benefit from daily sessions that are closely matched to their skills and abilities. They show confidence in learning to apply letter sounds to their reading and writing.
• Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to apply their writing skills by writing at length and by writing in other subjects. Teaching is effective, and teachers’ focus on pupils’ accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar is appropriate to their abilities.
• Teachers have improved the accuracy of their assessments of pupils’ learning. This means that learning is mostly matched accurately to pupils’ skills and abilities. However, on occasion, activities are not set at the correct level and lack challenge or are too easy. On these occasions, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teaching is organised effectively and includes good, practical resources. Teachers usually make clear to pupils what is expected of them in their learning. At times, these expectations are not so clear, with the result that pupils do not work to the best of their ability.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say that they are proud of their school and enjoy coming to school.
• Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They are keen to engage and work hard in class. Pupils collaborate well together in order to share ideas and complete tasks.
• Pupils learn about democracy through, for example, elections for the head boy and head girl roles in school. Pupils take their roles as school council members, values champions and prefects seriously.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They say that if they had concerns, they could tell an adult in school. They show a good understanding of how to stay safe online, and also of fire safety.
• Some pupils who spoke with inspectors, and some who responded to the online pupil survey, said that there is some bullying in school. Inspection evidence showed that these incidents are rare and are addressed appropriately by staff and leaders.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the school’s behaviour policy, and of teachers’ expectations for their good behaviour. Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around school is good. They respond quickly to instructions and engage in their tasks well.
• Leaders have worked effectively to improve pupils’ attendance and to reduce the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Attendance is currently in line with national averages, and persistent absence has reduced.
• Leaders and staff work hard to improve the behaviour of the small number of pupils who find managing their own behaviour difficult. There is evidence that this work has resulted in improvements to behaviour for some pupils. Although this work helps to reduce the rates of fixed-term exclusions, this remains an area for the school to further develop.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders’ work to bring about improvements to the quality of teaching and middle leadership has resulted in an acceleration of progress across the school. Current assessments and work in pupils’ books indicate that they are making good progress across a range of subjects.
• Provisional results for 2018 show that progress in key stage 2 in reading and mathematics was well above national averages, and progress in writing was in line with national averages. This represents a clear improvement in progress from the weaker results of 2016 and 2017.
• The 2018 provisional results of national tests show that attainment at the end of key stage 2 was above national averages for reading and mathematics, and was similar to national averages in writing. This represents an improvement in attainment from previous years.
• Current pupils in key stage 2 are making good progress. Stronger teaching has raised standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has historically been below national averages. However, stability in staffing has led to improvements to the quality of teaching and progress in key stage 1. Work in pupils’ books and school information show that current pupils are making good progress and that attainment is rising. The focus on improving attainment, particularly in reading, is starting to raise standards, but changes are not fully embedded enough to show sustained improvement.
• Disadvantaged pupils are currently making good progress. Their progress and attainment are similar to those of other pupils in school. This means that by the end of key stage 2, the differences in progress and attainment between them and other pupils nationally are diminishing. The provisional 2018 data indicates that disadvantaged pupils performed better than other pupils nationally in reading and mathematics, and similarly to others in writing.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress. Staff know pupils’ capabilities well and provide effective support that is tailored to their needs.
• Pupils’ progress in other subjects is good, for example pupils’ skills are developed well in science. This is reflected in their above-average attainment at the end of key stage 2.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter Nursery and Reception Years with skills that are below those typical for their age. This is particularly the case for their early reading and writing skills. Most children achieve a good level of development at the end of Reception Year. This figure is improving each year and is now close to the national average. This represents good progress from children’s low starting points.
• The early years is well led and managed. Leaders have a secure understanding of the quality of provision. They work very closely in partnership with the on-site private Nursery provider, with whom the school shares its Nursery and Reception classroom area. Leaders ensure that the sharing of premises, staffing and resources for Nursery and Reception children works well. As a result, children benefit from a well-organised, inviting environment and good-quality teaching.
• Teaching is effective and children show a keen interest in their learning. They happily select their own activities and engage well in what they have chosen. For example, children played imaginatively with fire-fighter play equipment and concentrated well on a matching game.
• Children listen well to staff’s instructions. They learn to take turns, and they cooperated happily on a phonics ‘bingo’ game.
• Staff provide interesting activities that engage children. For example, children in a mixed Reception and Year 1 class proudly showed the poster that they had made in order to encourage people to search for a lost cuddly toy. They knew that they had included ‘information’ on their posters and enjoyed putting them up around the school corridors.
• Staff question children effectively in order to encourage them to think and extend their speaking skills. For example, during a phonics session, children enjoyed identifying objects from a ‘magic tub’. They responded well to staff’s questions, such as ‘What do you see?’
• Leaders and staff work closely with parents to engage them in supporting their children’s learning. Home visits before starting Nursery or Reception Year are used well to establish positive relationships, and parents are encouraged to share their observations of children’s learning at home. This positive partnership contributes to children’s good progress.
• Staff know children’s skills, abilities and interests well. They use this information to plan activities that support children and enable them to make good progress in all areas of learning. Children’s progress in developing their early reading and writing skills is rapid and enables them to catch up from their low starting points.
• Disadvantaged children and those with SEND are supported well to make good progress. Staff provide individual support where necessary to ensure that children’s needs are met.
• Children behave very well. They are secure in their surroundings and have positive relationships with staff and each other. They grow in confidence in response to the positive approach of staff. Children show a good awareness of safety as they use indoor and outdoor equipment.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119230 Lancashire 10082084 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 247 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Steve Cooper Amanda Sinker 01772 792302 www.brockholeswood.lancs.sch.uk bursar@brockholeswood.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 January 2015

Information about this school

• This is an average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The school shares a site with a private nursery provider and a children’s centre. Both provisions are inspected separately.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning throughout the school. Two observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to pupils read.
• Meetings were held with pupils, the chair of the governing body and one other governor, the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspectors also held a meeting with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors looked at a range of information produced by the school, including information on pupils’ progress and attainment, behaviour and attendance, procedures for safeguarding and the school’s own evaluation of its work. They considered reports to the governing body, minutes of their meetings and the school’s plans for further improvement.
• Inspectors considered the 10 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views of 13 parents who communicated via text message to Ofsted.
• Inspectors also took account of the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire, and the 20 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire.

Inspection team

Elaine White, lead inspector Nadine Carroll Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector