Broadmere Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by analysing information about pupils’ achievement more carefully to show the impact of leaders’ actions on the progress of different groups of pupils.
• Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers do not allow pupils to spend too long on work they have already mastered, or on work that is too difficult, before moving them on to more appropriately challenging activities.
• Increase the proportion of pupils who attend the school regularly so that overall attendance is at least in line with the national average.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders have an accurate picture of the school’s current performance, its strengths and the areas that need further improvement. Leaders, together with governors, share an ambitious vision for the school and a determination to continue to improve the school’s work.
• The headteacher responded promptly to address the findings from the previous inspection successfully. For example, rigorous monitoring, targeted training and changes in staffing have tackled weaker teaching effectively and the well-planned use of resources has transformed the early years environment. The headteacher has inspired confidence in staff. They are positive, work well together and their morale is high.
• The headteacher has embraced, and values, the support provided by the local authority and a local outstanding school. Input from these sources has sharpened leadership and management skills and led to clear and consistent expectations. Teachers and teaching assistants receive relevant training to develop their skills, for example in effective planning. Teachers from different schools have worked together to study the impact of their work. One outcome is better provision for the most able pupils. Subject leaders, most of whom are relatively new to their posts, have also benefited from training and support from leaders of other local schools.
• There has been a relentless drive to improve the quality of teaching. Senior leaders rigorously check the quality of teaching. They gather a wide range of supporting evidence, including pupils’ progress, to ensure an accurate evaluation of each teacher’s performance. Teachers are accountable for the achievement of their pupils and are set challenging outcome targets for them. ‘Non-negotiables’ have been established within the expectations of teachers’ work. As a consequence, teaching continues to improve.
• The school provides a suitably broad curriculum with an appropriate emphasis on English and mathematics. Improvements have been made to ensure that the new national curriculum is closely followed. Other subjects are mostly grouped together into well-designed topics which give pupils further opportunities to apply and practise their skills in mathematics and, particularly, in writing. The curriculum is further enhanced by a wide range of well-attended clubs and a large number of educational visits and visitors. Trips are planned to extend pupils’ experience, particularly to overcome the limited range of activities experienced by many disadvantaged pupils. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 spoke enthusiastically about what they had learned from visits to museums, theatres, zoos and gardens.
• There is strong leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils’ individual needs are identified at an early stage and additional, effective support is provided. Leaders check that ongoing support is having the required impact on pupils’ progress.
• The pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used well. Where necessary, appropriate extra help is planned to ensure that barriers to learning are overcome. As a result, the progress of disadvantaged pupils has improved. They are reaching similar standards to their classmates, but are not yet achieving as well as other pupils nationally.
• The primary sports funding is spent effectively to promote the participation of more pupils in sport. External sports specialists have improved pupils’ sporting skills and the quality of teachers’ coaching. Pupils enjoy a wide range of sports and a good number of sports clubs, competitions and tournaments. Clubs are popular and well attended. Also, the sports coaches join pupils at midday playtime and effectively encourage them to be more active. Several pupils explained how they are developing strong skills in several activities, such as cricket, football and gymnastics.
• The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through assemblies and lessons, and in the way the staff interact with one another and with pupils. There is a strong focus on British values and the school’s values. For example, a pupil in Year 6 explained that courage, the ‘value’ for May, is needed to stand up for what is right. Another pupil said that democracy was practised during elections for the school’s parliament. As a consequence, the school is a calm, friendly and purposeful place.
• Staff are committed to equality of opportunity and will not tolerate discrimination in any form. For example, they will not accept any disrespectful language they hear. Leaders recognise that disadvantaged pupils need to have a wide range of experiences at school. Staff cope well with the relatively high numbers of pupils who join the school part way through the year, and ensure that they are quickly brought up to speed.
• Leaders work hard to engage with parents. For example, they provide regular workshops to explain the methods and approaches teachers use in class, to help parents support their children at home, for example in the teaching of phonics. During the inspection, a workshop on making healthy packed lunches for school was well attended. Parents spoken to reported that the school was welcoming, listened to their concerns and provided them with good information about its work. The Early Bird Club meets the expressed needs of some parents to be able to drop off their children before school starts.
• Teachers and leaders follow pupils’ progress in each subject closely. The accuracy of teachers’ evaluation of pupils’ work is verified through formal tests and moderation activities with other schools, and is checked by the local authority. At regular meetings to scrutinise pupils’ performance, all pupils in danger of falling behind are identified and effective extra support is planned for them. However, information about pupils’ progress is not analysed well enough, so that the achievement of different groups of pupils cannot be readily compared.

Governance of the school

• Governors speak passionately about their school. They have every confidence in the leadership of the headteacher. They are involved in evaluating the school’s performance and producing a plan for improvement. They are investigating the merits of joining different multi-academy trusts so that effective support can be readily tapped into.
• Governors receive full and up-to-date reports from the headteacher and understand that the school is doing well. They record visits they make to the school to check planned actions are taking place.
• The governing body has audited the range of skills it possesses. Governors have identified, and are following up on, their own training needs to enhance their effectiveness in challenging and supporting the school.
• Governors ensure that teachers are appropriately rewarded for their work. Pay awards are closely linked to pupils’ progress. Governors understand that, due to the commitment of senior leaders, teaching and pupils’ progress are improving.
• The governing body makes checks to ensure that the spending of the school’s finances gives value for money. For example, additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils and to promote greater physical activity for pupils is used well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

• Safeguarding is at the centre of the school’s work. Staff consider the welfare of pupils to be of the utmost importance. Regular, appropriate training and updates ensure that all staff remain vigilant for possible concerns. The well-organised, comprehensive single central register usefully includes such things as records of training that staff and governors have attended.
• Records of safeguarding concerns are stored securely. Designated safeguarding leads liaise closely with local social services to ensure that appropriate action is taken to support vulnerable pupils. There are good links with parents, particularly through the home-school link worker, to check on potential issues. As a consequence, pupils are kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The successful and continuing programme of training for teachers and teaching assistants has ensured that teaching and learning across the school are good. Teachers have raised their expectations of pupils’ behaviour and of the standard of work they can produce.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge, so they can plan effective activities to engage and stretch pupils. They work well with teaching assistants, ensuring that the extra help planned for individuals is effective and its impact is recorded. Teaching assistants have a considerable positive impact on pupils’ learning, especially those who are disadvantaged, speak English as an additional language or have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Writing and mathematics are taught consistently well. Teachers introduce writing activities in ways that stimulate pupils’ imaginations, such as displaying artwork to promote interest or curiosity. As a result, pupils say that they enjoy writing and they produce a good volume of work. In mathematics, teachers develop pupils’ fluency well and plan activities to challenge pupils’ reasoning. A sequence of activities, including activities that involve concrete objects, is carefully planned to ensure that pupils learn how to use formal methods of calculation accurately.
• Reading and phonics are taught well. Teachers promote regular reading successfully. For example, there are new, high-quality texts available and pupils have good opportunities in class to read for pleasure. Leaders have refurbished the school library so that it is a comfortable and welcoming place, with a well-thought-out range of books. It is open to parents and, together with reading workshops, it encourages parents to get involved with their children’s reading.
• Other subjects, including science, are well covered in topic lessons. For example, pupils have opportunities for a good amount of practical work in science. They learn how to plan investigations and they visit such places as the science museum and Wisley Gardens. Work seen in a small sample of pupils’ topic books showed that they were working at around the age-related expectations.
• Generally, teachers’ questioning, a focus of recent training, is skilful and matched to pupils’ abilities. Teachers give pupils time to think and often stretch their thinking through follow-up questions. Only occasionally does questioning add little to understanding.
• Teachers make learning fun. They get on well with pupils and manage their groups well. Classrooms are calm and respectful places. Displays support learning well. They include helpful information and examples of pupils’ work and promote greater independence in learning for pupils. Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately. They usually provide guidance on how pupils can do better and, in the main, pupils respond appropriately and their work improves.
• Overall, planning is consistent. Teachers make good use of pupils’ earlier learning to plan activities that will move pupils on swiftly. Often, extra support is provided, such as writing templates, to help identified pupils. However, within lessons, teachers sometimes fail to check how well pupils are doing so that some pupils spend too long on work that is too easy or that they have already mastered, or they struggle with activities they do not really understand.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are proud of their school and speak warmly about it. They have positive attitudes to learning and present their work well. They like their teachers and say that lessons are usually fun.
• Pupils develop confidence in the warm and safe atmosphere of the school and expand their vocabularies well. For example, Year 6 pupils spoke assuredly and articulately in front of the class when explaining their ideas. Pupils are happy to talk about their work and how well they are doing.
• Pupils show respect and consideration for one another. The school’s ethos and the discussions and activities about British values and the school’s values strongly promote harmony in the school.
• A good range of responsibilities are available for pupils to take on. Year 6 pupils spoke about supporting younger pupils with their reading or organising games. Pupils help as assembly monitors, house captains or members of the school’s parliament.
• Pupils have learned how to stay safe and healthy. They know about balanced diets and the need for regular exercise. They have a clear understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet or crossing the road. They remember safety points learned from visiting fire officers.
• Staff ensure that pupils are kept safe. The school’s site is secure and pupils are well supervised at all times.
• Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms it can take, such as cyber bullying. They know what to do if they see or experience bullying. Pupils report that incidents of bullying are uncommon. They have confidence in their teachers to sort things out fairly. They mentioned that, occasionally, name-calling occurs that teachers do not hear. They know teachers would not tolerate it.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and conduct themselves well. They greet visitors in a friendly manner and play together happily. They know the school’s rules and how they are expected to behave.
• School records showed that there were few incidents of more serious misbehaviour and these were handled effectively. Teachers and teaching assistants are sensitive and effective in the way they manage the behaviour of the very few pupils who have difficulties in controlling their own behaviour. Occasionally, in class, when activities go on for too long or become a little dull, a few pupils can fidget and lose concentration.
• Pupils are considerate of others. They conduct themselves well as they move around the school.
• The school works hard to promote high attendance. However, it dipped below the national average in 2016. Currently, attendance for the year so far is still below average, but it is rising. Attendance for the week before the inspection was above average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The school’s information about assessment and the standard of work seen in pupils’ books show that current pupils in all year groups are making good progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, standards in these subjects are rising and are broadly average.
• The most able pupils are suitably challenged, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, and are making good progress. Pupils who speak English as an additional language, a large proportion of the school population, are making at least similar progress to their classmates. The focused and effective support they are given as soon as they start enables this group of pupils to quickly gain access to learning and be able to communicate effectively. Disadvantaged pupils, including those who are most able, are also making similar progress to their peers and catching up with others nationally.
• Activities and extra support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are carefully planned to meet their individual learning needs. As a consequence, these pupils are making similar progress to others with the same starting points.
• Pupils are developing their writing skills well. They have good opportunities to write for different purposes and at length. They use grammar and punctuation carefully and their writing becomes increasingly interesting as they move up the school. The standard of pupils’ handwriting is high and their books are well presented.
• As they move up the school, pupils become more fluent in mathematics. They develop a good understanding of calculation and move smoothly on to using formal methods. All pupils have good opportunities to develop their reasoning ability, for example in problem-solving. Last year, most pupils in Year 2 reached the expected standard in mathematics. Pupils in Year 6 did less well, making a lower-than-average rate of progress, mainly due to the impact of a very small number of underperforming pupils.
• Pupils enjoy reading. They enjoy the range of books available and read regularly in school, with most reading regularly at home as well. Year 2 pupils demonstrated typical comprehension skills for their age and strong phonics skills to decipher unfamiliar words. This showed that the dip in performance of Year 1 pupils in last year’s phonics screening check has been successfully addressed. Current Year 1 pupils are doing much better, with a proportion similar to the national average working at the expected standard.

Early years provision Good

• The early years is well led and managed and teachers are confident and enthusiastic. Children get off to a good start in the early years. They settle in quickly and learn to get along with each other and to do things for themselves. A group of children in Reception worked in harmony to build the walls of a house. They discussed the best way to arrange the bricks and shared roles fairly.
• Teaching is consistently strong in Reception and Nursery and is appropriately challenging for children of all abilities. Children are making strong progress in all areas of learning and are well prepared to move into Year 1. Over the past three years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of early years has been steadily rising and last year was above average.
• There is a sharp focus on developing language skills. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well to acquire the necessary speaking and reading skills quickly. Much of the pupil premium is used to fund extra adult support. Teaching assistants provide effective additional help for identified children, and disadvantaged children are making good progress.
• Phonics teaching is effective. Teachers demonstrate accurately how to produce the correct sounds. They use a range of fun tasks that are matched to the different abilities of children so that children develop phonics skills quickly. Children receive individual attention to help them to improve. Teachers take every opportunity to get children to practise making the correct sounds. For example, Nursery children were reminded of, and copied, letter sounds as they were singing a song when tidying up.
• Children behave well and quickly learn school routines. They are attentive and listen to their teachers. Children soon learn to persevere with chosen activities. Often, adults engage in conversation with them to stretch their thinking and develop their language skills. Two children were seen engrossed in collecting and identifying ‘minibeasts’. Skilful questioning by an adult got them thinking about simple classification. Adults record key developments in children’s learning and use these to plan the next activities so that children make good progress.
• Leaders have transformed the outside area, using ideas from the children themselves. It is a highly engaging space that delights the children. There are close links to all areas of learning. Children particularly enjoy the artificially turfed mound, mud kitchen and slide. The inside area has a wide range of activities and displays, particularly about word and number, that provide children with rich and varied experiences.
• Safeguarding is effective. All adults have the welfare of children at the heart of their work. The early years team has created a friendly, welcoming atmosphere where children are safe. They ensure that children are very well cared for and valued.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139479 Surrey 10024523 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 converter 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 285 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Maciej Korzeniowski Judy Hall 01932 343 747 www.broadmere.surrey.sch.uk head@broadmere.surrey.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11 February 2015

Information about this school

• The school is slightly larger than the average primary school. There are two part-time Nursery classes and two full-time Reception classes. The Nursery has provision for two-year-olds. In addition, there is one class for each year group up to Year 6, except for Years 2 and 5, which have two classes.
• Broadmere Primary Academy, together with New Monument Primary Academy, forms a multi-academy trust called the Broadmere & New Monument Multi Academy Trust. The headteacher leads and manages both schools. The local authority has brokered the services of external consultants to support teaching, leadership and management.
• Most pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and most of these are of Pakistani heritage. Over three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is around the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is around the national average.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s floor targets that set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• 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.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors met with school staff, including the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff in charge of aspects of the school’s work. Inspectors spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day and with parents attending a workshop. Inspectors met a group of five governors, including the vice-chair of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and an external adviser brokered by the local authority.
• Inspectors carried out observations of learning, some of which were undertaken with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work in books, across all year groups and most subjects.
• Inspectors spoke with two groups of pupils during formal meetings, and informally with pupils during lessons and breaktimes.
• A range of documentation was considered, including the school development plan, self-evaluation report, records of monitoring of teaching and learning and information about pupils’ attainment, progress, attendance and behaviour. Inspectors scrutinised records concerning safeguarding, and toured the school site.
• Inspectors analysed 14 responses and nine written comments submitted to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, during the inspection. They also considered the 32 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

James McVeigh, lead inspector Penelope Orme Stuart Cateridge

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector