Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve achievement in mathematics at key stage 2 by:
  • developing pupils’ reasoning skills
  • ensuring that there are more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematical skills in other subjects.
• Ensure that the early years environment more effectively promotes the richness and variety of children’s experiences and enquiring minds in all areas of learning.
• Ensure that the curriculum provides more opportunities for pupils to use their initiative and be more resourceful learners, drawing on their good behaviour, personal skills and positive attitudes to learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive headteacher provides highly effective leadership and has a track record of improving schools. She has high expectations for staff and pupils in Leeds and Broomfield.
• The executive headteacher is very well supported by the head of school. They work well together and provide skilled and very effective leadership. Their determination, along with that of governors, to improve the school since the previous inspection has been successful, especially in improving the quality of teaching and learning and pupils’ achievement, which are now good.
• Staff across the collaboration work well together and benefit from sharing good practice and developing leadership skills, which gives the school greater capacity for further improvement.
• The senior leaders provide skilled and experienced leadership in English and mathematics, as these subjects have been priorities for the school.
• Leadership of other subjects and areas of responsibility is developing through work in subject teams across the collaboration. The additional funding for physical education and sport has enabled the leader of physical education to work with a specialist to develop the subject, which has resulted in improved outcomes for pupils.
• Senior leaders and governors know the school well and their evaluation of the school’s performance is accurate. They rigorously check pupils’ progress, the quality of teaching and learning and all aspects of the school’s work. They know the strengths of the school and the key priorities for further development, which inform the school development plan. The plan includes measureable targets, which enable senior leaders and governors to effectively evaluate the success of actions taken.
• The executive headteacher and head of school worked rapidly and with determination to tackle the issues to improve which were identified in the previous inspection. The head of school led the focus on writing and the impact is evident in pupils’ improved writing skills. As a result, writing for all age groups has improved and pupils make good progress. The school has now rightly set the focus to improving mathematics in key stage 2.
• Effective systems are in place to assess the performance of teachers. These ensure that teachers are held to account for the progress that pupils make. Professional development is given a high priority. It is well planned to meet whole-school priorities as well as individual needs, including those of teachers new to their careers who said that they feel very well supported. Teachers benefit from training across the collaboration to enhance their skills.
• Parents and pupils appreciate the benefits of a small school community. Many parents commented on the family atmosphere. A typical comment from one parent was, ‘The school provides a caring and nurturing environment for the children, with a family atmosphere’. A group of pupils in the playground agreed, with one saying, ‘It’s a really friendly school, we all know each other and it’s like being part of a big family’.
• Parents are very positive about the school and are confident that their children are getting a good education. They expressed every confidence in the leadership and the staff. One parent wrote, ‘I cannot thank Leeds and Broomfield enough for re-lighting the fire of passion for learning in my child again’.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. There has been an appropriate and necessary focus on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. This has helped pupils who fell behind in their learning as a result of previous weaker teaching to catch up. Senior leaders have correctly identified that there is now scope to develop the curriculum further. This is in order to provide pupils with more opportunities to use and apply their skills in inspiring and interesting ways and consistently make the rapid progress of which they are capable. In addition, they have identified the need for the curriculum to have an even greater impact on pupils’ achievement and personal development through increased opportunities to be more resourceful learners.
• Trips and visitors to school as well as lunchtime and after-school clubs enhance the curriculum. Senior leaders are exploring ways of extending the range of clubs on offer through the collaboration.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins all that the school does. Fundamental British values are promoted well. Pupils have a strong sense of community and understand the need for rules within the school and the wider society. Through activities such as voting for school council members they understand the concept of democracy. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures. Tolerance and respect are fostered very effectively through the school’s values and the subjects taught. Equal opportunities are promoted well and pupils learn without fear of discrimination of any type.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively. The number of disadvantaged pupils is small. Senior leaders check very carefully any differences in achievement between disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, and other pupils nationally. Teaching assistants often provide effective one-to-one support aimed at boosting disadvantaged pupils’ skills in English and mathematics. There is also, where needed, support for pupils’ social and emotional needs. The impact on outcomes of the pupil premium spending is carefully assessed by senior leaders and evaluated by the governing body.
• The school makes good use of the primary physical education and sport funding. It is spent in a range of ways including the provision of a sports specialist from a local secondary school. An increased number of pupils participate in a wider range of activities. The funding helps to effectively enhance the skills of pupils and teachers, as well as leadership in the subject, and therefore improves outcomes for pupils. The school’s values and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are also promoted well through the physical education curriculum, for example by developing an awareness of the challenges faced by athletes in the Paralympic Games and an understanding of other cultures.
• The local authority works well with the school and has provided very effective support for leaders and staff over the past year.

Governance of the school

• Governors share the ambition and aspirations of the senior leaders and the determination to ensure that the school continues to improve.
• Governors are well informed by the senior leaders and their own monitoring work. They have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and the key priorities for further development.
• Governors hold leaders to account very effectively for the school’s performance, set challenging targets and have high expectations.
• The governing body ensures that additional funding is used effectively and is making a difference for pupils.
• Governors are aware of the quality of teaching and learning and are involved in decisions relating to promotion and pay increases.
• Governors ensure that all statutory responsibilities are met, including those relating to safeguarding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders, staff and governors have established a clear culture of safeguarding in the school. All staff are aware of their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe and leaders ensure that they are vigilant in doing so.
• Safeguarding training for all staff is up to date and the executive headteacher provides a termly newsletter to inform staff of any new requirements.
• All safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Rigorous systems and procedures are in place and record-keeping of any concerns or referrals to external agencies is well organised. There are strong relationships with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils quickly get any support and help they need.
• The appropriate checks relating to the safe recruitment of staff are carried out. As a result of the school’s work, pupils said that they feel safe in school and parents are fully confident that the school keeps their children safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The head of school, the executive headteacher and governors made the improvement of teaching and learning a priority. Pupils’ achievement has improved because of the good quality of the support to help teachers improve their skills.
• The teachers and teaching assistants work very well together in a culture of mutual support and strong teamwork.
• Relationships between teachers and their pupils are good. They know pupils well as individuals. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and want to do well. Lessons are conducted in a calm and purposeful atmosphere.
• Teachers and teaching assistants question pupils well to check on learning and pick up any misunderstandings to help pupils make good progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective, targeted support when needed. Teaching assistants often work with small groups or individuals prior to a lesson to equip pupils to learn more effectively during the lesson. On occasion, however, some pupils who find learning more difficult, particularly in mathematics, are not given appropriate support to ensure that they learn as well as they can.
• Teachers generally plan challenging work that meets the needs of the various year groups and abilities in their mixed-age classes. Occasionally, however, the demands made on the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, do not help them make the best possible progress of which they are capable.
• The school’s policy for marking and feedback is used consistently across the school. Pupils said that teachers’ comments help them know how to improve their work.
• Pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils read with fluency and confidence and can talk about their favourite authors and styles of writing. A group of pupils discussed a shared text and were able to express and justify their own opinions and challenge other pupils’ views in a constructive and mature way. They made good progress in using skills of comprehension and inference.
• The teaching and learning of phonics skills are improving and younger pupils are using their phonics skills well to help them read and write. The very few pupils who did not reach the expected standard in phonics are supported well to help them catch up.
• The teaching of writing has strengthened since the previous inspection and is now good. Pupils have many opportunities to write in other subjects as well as in English. Teachers have clear expectations, which are shared with pupils so that pupils know what makes a successful piece of writing. Opportunities to talk with others help pupils to plan what they will write and how they will write it. Older pupils produced some high-quality poetry writing and discussed aspects of writing that successfully capture the readers’ interest and imagination. Teachers sometimes accept work and handwriting that is untidy when work in pupils’ books shows that they can do better.
• Teaching and learning in mathematics is improving because teachers are starting to plan more effectively to include the development of mathematical reasoning in their lessons. This was seen to good effect when pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 were working on problems requiring the correct order of mathematical operations to solve them. The most able pupils in Year 6 worked on algebra problems and they worked well together to explain their thinking and learning. Pupils made good progress and were challenged well to develop their depth of knowledge and understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school is welcoming and caring. Staff know all of the pupils well and, as a consequence, individual personal, social, emotional and behavioural needs are supported very effectively.
• Pupils enjoy learning and develop as confident, determined learners.
• There is a great sense of belonging to the school community, with older pupils looking out for the younger pupils and younger pupils knowing they can turn to older pupils for support. One parent wrote, ‘All the children, regardless of their age, interact together, with the older ones looking out for the younger ones. This leads to a safe and positive environment.’
• Pupils said they feel safe in school and that adults look after them well. In discussions, pupils demonstrated that they know how to stay safe when using the internet and social media.
• Pupils said that bullying is very rare. If any problems arise they are confident to turn to adults who will listen to them, help them and sort things out quickly and fairly. They are aware that bullying can take different forms. They are also aware that unkind comments, including the use of racist or homophobic language, are hurtful and not tolerated in school. Pupils are safe to learn without any type of discrimination.
• All the parents who responded to Parent View agreed that their children are happy, feel safe in school and are well looked after.
• Pupils enjoy their responsibilities in school and take them seriously. Such roles include anti-bullying ambassadors, school council members and playground mediators.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• School records confirm that behaviour is good over time. Pupils behave well in lessons and generally respond to teachers’ instructions promptly. Pupils understand the school’s expectations of behaviour and interruptions in lessons are rare.
• Pupils conduct themselves very well at lunchtimes and around the school. Behaviour in the playground is exemplary. Pupils are caring and respectful of each other and adults. The inspector was impressed with pupils’ good manners and friendly greetings each morning and during the day.
• Occasionally, when pupils’ interest is not sustained in lessons, some can become quietly distracted and lose their focus on learning.
• Almost all parents who responded to Parent View agreed that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved. Around one quarter of the pupils who responded to their questionnaire did not feel that behaviour in lessons was always good. In discussions with many groups of pupils, however, they all agreed that teachers deal with this really well and it never stops them learning.
• Attendance improved last year, although it remained slightly below the national average overall. Most pupils attend regularly. Leaders carefully check on the attendance of different groups and work hard to promote regular attendance for all, especially for those groups where attendance is not as high as it is for others.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ work in their books and the school’s information about progress show that pupils currently in the school make good progress overall from their different starting points. This is seen in a wide range of subjects including art, science, computing and physical education as well as reading, writing and mathematics.
• Caution needs to be taken when interpreting percentages in achievement information due to the small and fluctuating numbers in Year 2 and Year 6. For example, in Year 6 in 2016, one pupil represented over 11% of the group.
• In 2015, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 was above that found nationally. By the end of Year 6, most pupils reached the expected level in reading and writing although slightly fewer reached the expected level in mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• In 2015, all pupils made at least the expected progress by the end of Year 6 in writing; most did so in reading, but slightly fewer did so in mathematics.
• In 2016 at the end of key stage 1, the proportions reaching the expected standard in the reading, writing and mathematics national assessments were higher than the provisional figures found nationally. The proportion working at a greater depth was considerably above the provisional national figures.
• By the end of key stage 2 in 2016, the large majority of pupils met the expected standard in reading and writing. This was in line with the national figure for reading and above in writing and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Fewer pupils met the expected standard in mathematics, where a lack of reasoning skills was the main aspect that held pupils back. The proportion working at a greater depth was also above that found nationally in reading and writing but not in mathematics.
• Writing has improved because of strong leadership in the subject. Pupils have more opportunities to write across the curriculum and expectations have been raised.
• In all year groups, almost all pupils in all groups made at least the expected progress and many pupils made progress above that expected, especially in key stage 2, which helped them catch up.
• In 2016 in Year 6, there were too few disadvantaged pupils, including those in the group of most able pupils, to comment in detail on their achievement. Their progress, and the progress of disadvantaged pupils in all year groups, was similar to that of others. This is because strong leadership ensures effective use of the pupil premium funding. Barriers to learning are reduced by a successful range of strategies including, for example, additional support for small groups or individuals. Appropriate support is given to promote pupils’ well-being, social and emotional needs, which has a positive impact on their learning.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are generally well supported. Their needs are accurately identified and additional support is targeted appropriately to help them make at least expected progress.
• The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are generally challenged well to deepen their understanding and extend their thinking effectively. As a result, they often make progress above that which is expected. Leaders have correctly identified, however, that challenges could be greater and expectations higher to ensure that this group consistently make the more rapid progress of which they are capable.
• Since the previous inspection the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check has improved, although it remained just below average. In 2016 the large majority of pupils reached the required level. Leaders have rightly set realistic targets to ensure that almost all pupils reach the required standard by the end of this year.

Early years provision Good

• Children start in the early years with skills and knowledge that are generally typical for their age but often lower in reading, speaking and listening and stronger in aspects of their personal and social development.
• They make good progress in the Reception Year. In 2015, the proportion of children that reached a good level of development was above that found nationally and in 2016 it was even higher. Children are well prepared to continue their learning in Year 1.
• The proportion of children who exceeded the expectations for achievement by the end of the early years was considerably above that found nationally in numbers and reading. In most other areas, fewer children exceeded expectations and leaders have correctly identified this as a focus in the current year.
• There are good procedures to get to know the children and their families before they start at school. Continuing good relationships with parents ensure that they can work in partnership with the school to support their children’s learning.
• Staff are friendly and welcoming and so children are happy, and settle calmly into the routines of the day. They listen carefully to their teacher and are interested in all the activities provided for them. Effective systems for assessing children’s learning are in place and help to plan the next steps in learning.
• Teaching is typically good. Early numeracy and literacy skills, including phonics skills, are taught effectively. Children were very keen to share their knowledge of numbers by accurately counting the number of cones they used to build a barrier in the outside construction area. They have opportunities to find their own reasons to write to communicate. For example, one child decided that she was ‘going to write a card to my mum to say hello’.
• Behaviour is good. Children share and cooperate well with each other in the classroom and the outdoor area.
• Good leadership of the early years by the head of school ensures that there is an accurate view of the effectiveness of the early years provision. Priorities for further improvement are given in an action plan. These correctly include a review of the environment for learning. This is to ensure that there are greater stimulating opportunities for children to have rich, varied and imaginative experiences to increase their achievement in all areas of learning.
• Staff ensure that safeguarding and welfare requirements appropriate to this age group are met and children show that they feel safe and secure in school. All the necessary actions are taken to support any child whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 118623 Kent 10019884 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Primary Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 83 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Val Puncher Emma Hickling 01622 861 398 www.leeds-broomfield.kent.sch.uk/ office@leeds-broomfield.kent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9–10 October 2014

Information about this school

• Leeds and Broomfield is much smaller than the average primary school. Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes: Reception and Year 1; Years 2 and 3; and Years 4, 5 and 6.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is above average.
• Children attend full time in the Reception Year.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is in a collaboration with two other primary schools that are also under the leadership of the executive headteacher. The head of school leads the school on a day-to-day basis.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in the three classes during 11 lessons. Most of these observations were conducted jointly with the executive headteacher or the head of school.
• The inspector talked to pupils about their work and looked at work in pupils’ books.
• The inspector observed pupils at playtime and lunchtime and asked them for their views on the school. She also talked to pupils about reading and listened to some pupils read.
• Discussions were held with the executive headteacher, the head of school, governors, the local authority improvement adviser who supports the school, other staff with key leadership responsibilities and members of the school council.
• The inspector looked at a wide range of documents including: the school’s own check on its performance and the quality of teaching; the school improvement plan; information on pupils’ progress; and records relating to attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.
• The inspector looked at the 26 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, which included 13 written comments, and spoke with some parents at the start of the day. She also took account of nine questionnaires returned by staff and 43 returned by pupils.

Inspection team

Margaret Coussins, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector