Brockmoor Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the impact of leaders and managers, including governors, on pupils’ achievement, particularly in writing and mathematics, by:
  • rapidly revising the curriculum to more fully meet the needs of all pupils
  • using information gained from monitoring activities more effectively to improve learning
  • providing increased opportunities for pupils to practise their basic writing and mathematics skills in a wide range of subjects
  • embedding the many changes already made in order to accelerate their impact on learning
  • strengthening the culture of high expectation.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make better progress by ensuring that all teachers:
  • deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects
  • match learning tasks more precisely to pupils’ learning needs, especially for the most able pupils
  • sharpen the precision of learning objectives so pupils know what they are learning about.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Senior leaders acknowledge that they have not acted speedily enough to broaden the curriculum sufficiently beyond English and mathematics. As a result, pupils do not have enough opportunity to study other subjects in any depth or to use and apply their learning in English and mathematics across the curriculum.
• Monitoring activities are providing school leaders with a wealth of information about teaching and learning. However, leaders are not using this information skilfully enough to bring about improvements to the quality of teaching and learning in order to maximise pupils’ achievement.
• Many actions that senior and middle leaders have taken are beginning to bring about improvement to pupils’ achievement. However, a number of these initiatives have been introduced only recently and have had too little time to have a significant impact on pupils’ progress, particularly across key stage 2.
• Despite the improvements that have been made across the school, leaders have not effectively tackled the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. This is limiting the rate of improvement.
• Senior and middle leaders have a clear understanding of where the barriers to further improvement lie. They have comprehensive plans to tackle these issues.
• Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is being used well to provide a range of additional experiences and support for these pupils. Because of this, in key stage 1 and in some year groups in key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress in their learning in reading, writing and mathematics than other pupils nationally.
• A vast range of additional sporting opportunities are offered to pupils through the use of additional sports funding. Rates of participation and success in tournaments are high because the funding is being spent diligently.
• Staff benefit from the continuous professional development and productive feedback they receive from middle and senior leaders, which are helping to improve their teaching.
• Wrap-around provision run by the school before and after the school day is well managed and attended by many pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a very good understanding of the specific barriers that are holding pupils back in their learning. They ask challenging questions of school leaders to hold them to account.
• In their regular visits to the school, governors take opportunities to check on the accuracy of information they are given by school leaders. If governors do not get answers to their questions, they are fully prepared to probe deeper until they are satisfied.
• Governors are keen for all pupils to benefit from a well-designed curriculum which develops basic skills and deepens knowledge. They expressed some concern about the balance of the current curriculum.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. A secure culture of safeguarding pervades all aspects of school life.
• Regular safeguarding training is undertaken by staff and governors. Meticulous records of the training are held by the school. Staff know who to turn to if they have concerns about any pupil or colleague.
• The record of pre-employment checks held by the school is up to date and holds all the required information securely.
• School staff work closely with a wide range of external agencies to ensure that pupils in school are kept safe. This is an area in which the school excels.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Not enough pupils make the progress they should in their learning because the teaching of writing and mathematics is not consistently good, and pupils have too few opportunities to practise their basic skills in writing and mathematics across a range of other subjects.
• Visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ books show that in too many lessons pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Learning tasks are often too easy. This slows learning, particularly for the most able pupils.
• Teachers are not consistently applying the agreed school marking expectations across all subjects, which is confusing for pupils.
• Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough. When pupils produce too little work or work that is not good enough they are not always challenged or helped to improve. Learning objectives are not always focused precisely on what pupils are expected to be learning about, which can be confusing for them.
• Some teachers skilfully use questioning to check on how well pupils are learning in lessons. Most use this method of ongoing assessment well to help pupils of different abilities to improve the progress they make in their learning during a lesson.
• Some teachers ensure that they carefully match learning tasks to support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, this is not consistent across classes and year groups.
• The teaching of reading across school is supporting learning well. Younger pupils who read to an inspector could skilfully break down the sounds that letters make to construct words and thus read successfully.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The caring and nurturing approach of staff means that pupils are exceptionally well supported. Staff care passionately about their pupils. This is helping pupils to become confident learners.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying. They report that it is not an issue at Brockmoor. Very occasionally when pupils have any concerns there is swift resolution after they have been reported to adults.
• The work of the school counsellor in providing support for pupils, staff and parents is having a highly positive impact on well-being. Leaders and staff in the school believe that pupils need to feel happy and content so that they can learn.
• Pupils benefit extremely well from the wide range of activities, particularly sporting activities, before and after school that help them to develop their interpersonal skills and confidence.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and well-mannered around school. They regularly open doors for visitors and each other.
• Pupils enjoy playing with their friends at playtimes and lunch breaks. They relish opportunities to take part in a wide range of sporting activities at lunchtime, which helps keep them fit and gives them opportunities to socialise with their friends.
• No low-level disruption was observed in lessons or highlighted by pupils during the inspection. The school’s evidence about behaviour over time confirms that this is typical.
• Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. Attendance is increasing. It is now in line with the national average because the importance of attending school is communicated effectively by staff to pupils and parents.
• The proportion of pupils who are absent from school regularly is above the national average but is decreasing. This is the result of how well school staff work with specific families to ensure pupils’ regular attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ books and the latest school performance information show some pupils across the school fail to make the progress they are capable of, particularly in writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check is increasing because of the effective teaching of reading.
• In 2018 pupils’ progress by the end of Year 6 was significantly below average in writing and mathematics. It was also significantly below average in writing in 2017. Work in pupils’ books indicates that pupils are beginning to make better progress than they have in the recent past.
• The proportion of pupils at the end of Year 2 reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics increased in 2018, but remained below the national averages.
• The latest school performance information and inspection evidence shows that many disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress in their reading, writing and mathematics than they have done previously, though some are still not doing as well as they should.
• Pupils’ learning in other curriculum areas is patchy because they do not have the chance to study other subjects often enough or in enough depth.

Early years provision Good

• The bright, stimulating and engaging displays and zones around the classrooms make early years an exciting place for the youngest children to begin their educational journey.
• Children are happy and have settled well into school life. They are confident and excitedly participate in a wide range of well-planned and well-thought-out learning and development activities. Teaching in the early years is effective.
• Children are polite and excel at taking turns and socialising with each other because this is a clear expectation of adults in the setting.
• The leadership of early years is effective. The leader has ensured that staff in the early years are highly motivated and highly effective at meeting the needs of children joining school with a diverse range of educational and emotional needs.
• From joining Nursery with knowledge and skills that are below those expected for their age, and for nearly a third well below those typically expected for their age, children make fast progress and many are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Parents report they are fully involved in the education of their children. During a well-attended ‘stay and play’ session they explained to an inspector about the value of coming into school to learn with their children. One commented that education had changed since her day, so the support from school with phonics and mathematics was invaluable. This view was shared by others.
• The specialist nursery provision for 20 children from across the borough is a valuable addition to early years at school.
• The proportion of children expected to reach a good level of development is likely to fall this year as more children have joined the school with profound learning needs.

School details

Unique reference number 103777 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 10085742 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 429 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Yorke Headteacher Bradley Jones Telephone number 01384 816635 Website www.brockmoor.dudley.sch.uk Email address info@brockmoor.dudley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 July 2014

Information about this school

• Brockmoor Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. A high proportion of pupils come from other minority ethnic groups and around a third of pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have education, health and care plans is about average.
• The school runs a breakfast and after-school club that is managed by the governing body.
• The school hosts a specialist nursery unit for small number children from across Dudley.
• School runs and manages wrap around provision before and after school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in lessons and parts of lessons. Some of these were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteachers.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, school staff and four members of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors spoke informally to pupils in lessons, during breaks and lunchtimes. They also spoke with several parents at the end of the school day.
• Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work during lessons and work produced over time in a range of their books. They also listened to a few pupils from Years 1 and 2 reading.
• Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at the latest performance information showing the progress of pupils currently in the school.
• Inspectors also scrutinised plans for school improvement, safeguarding information, behaviour logs, attendance records and the minutes of governing body meetings.
• Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to Parent View and considered the 11 free-text responses submitted by parents during the inspection. There were no responses to the staff or pupil questionnaire.

Inspection team

Declan McCauley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector David Walker Ofsted Inspector Jane Edgerton Ofsted Inspector