Bromley Hills Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers accurately assess what pupils can do and plan work which is appropriately matched to pupils’ abilities
  • teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • teachers’ planning provides more opportunities for pupils to write at length and practice their writing skills across the curriculum
  • activities that children access independently in the early years are purposeful and challenging.
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that the newly introduced assessment systems are used accurately to track pupils’ progress
  • developing middle leaders’ skills so that they can support senior leaders in improving the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility
  • making sure that pupil premium funding effectively supports disadvantaged pupils by identifying their learning needs, providing specific timely support and regularly reviewing their progress
  • evaluating and adapting, where necessary, the support and interventions for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • ensuring that governors hold leaders to account for school improvement.
• Further improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be further improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders do not have a clear enough view of the strengths and weaknesses in all classes. Although they carry out regular monitoring of lessons and pupils’ work, they do not have an accurate assessment of the quality of teaching throughout school.
• Leaders are not systematic enough in measuring progress. The schools ‘raising attainment plan’ does not include measurable outcomes against the key priorities.
• Middle leaders are enthusiastic and supportive of senior leaders’ vision for the school but do not have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within their areas of responsibility. They do not fully support senior leaders in driving improvement because they do not have clearly defined responsibilities for their subject areas.
• Leaders have recently introduced new assessment systems. Assessment judgements are not accurate because staff have been too cautious in the way they have assessed pupils’ progress using the new system. Senior leaders have not been swift enough in addressing inaccurate judgements. As a result, they do not have a clear view of the progress of pupils across school.
• Recent external support from the local authority’s school improvement partner has resulted in accurate identification of areas that require improvement and subsequent action.
• Leaders communicate well with parents. Parents say their children are happy at school. They are pleased with the communication they receive and say that teachers are approachable and talk to them about how to support their children at home. Parents value the opportunities they receive to come into school for assemblies and workshops.
• Pupils talk about their enjoyment of the wider curriculum and displays of pupils’ creative work can be seen in the classrooms and corridors. Pupils were excited and engaged with planned activities for World Book Day, which took place during the inspection. Other activities regularly take place which successfully promote healthy eating and being fit for life.
• The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils gain direct experience of democracy through the election of school councillors. Fundamental British values are promoted through assemblies, posters, displays, the curriculum and the exploration of current issues.
• Leaders use the PE and sport premium to employ specialist coaches and provide additional equipment for use in physical education and at playtime. This has enabled the school to ensure that staff are more confident and skilled at teaching physical education.
• Pupil premium funding has been used to provide additional staffing to reduce class sizes and establish extra support for pupils. However, the expenditure of this funding has not been accurately monitored, and some disadvantaged pupils are underachieving.
• Leaders plan additional teaching to meet the needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, leaders have not effectively evaluated whether this additional teaching is effective in raising achievement.

Governance of the school

• The recently appointed chair of the governing body clearly understands her role and responsibilities. Governors recognise the need to challenge and hold leaders accountable for outcomes. They know the strengths and areas for development of the school and are clear about actions needed to address these. However, the work of governors is not yet resulting in consistently strong rates of progress.
• Governors know how the pupil premium funding and PE and sport premium has been used this year. However, they have not focused sufficiently on the impact of this funding, or identified the underachievement of some disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and robust. Staff training in response to the most recent statutory guidance is in place. Staff understand their roles in relation to child protection procedures. There are clear systems in place for raising concerns and making referrals which are well known to staff.
• School staff diligently check and verify the identity of visitors when they arrive at school. Records of pre-employment checks and personnel files meet requirements.
• Staff keep good records, work well with parents and react quickly to help pupils who may be vulnerable. Leaders’ collaboration with other agencies is effective.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistent. Teachers’ expectations of what the pupils can achieve are lower than they should be, particularly in key stage 1. As a result, the pupils are not making strong enough progress. Teachers set work which is not always well-matched to the pupils’ abilities.
• In key stage 1, staff sometimes intervene too quickly to help pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and pupils are often told the answers to questions. As a result, these pupils lack opportunities to work without support or learn from their mistakes. However, on other occasions, teaching assistants are used well to support pupils’ learning.
• Where teaching is less effective, teachers’ planning does not identify and respond quickly enough to the needs of the pupils. Pupils can often be waiting in lessons to share their learning with their teacher. This reduces rates of progress.
• In key stage 2 teachers have consistently implemented initiatives to improve pupils’ writing, and the quality of writing is improving. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to write at length and apply the skills that they have learned across the curriculum.
• Some teachers use a range of effective questioning skills which ensure that pupils have the opportunity to think and reflect on their learning. However, this high-quality questioning is inconsistent across the school.
• Relationships between pupils and adults are strong and there is a positive atmosphere in lessons. Pupils talk confidently about their learning and say they enjoy lessons. Pupils’ attitudes towards learning are strong, particularly in the classes where teaching is most effective.

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 taught how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. They know what bullying is and what to do should they have a concern. Pupils say ‘there is no bullying at this school’.
• Leaders provide good opportunities for pupils to learn about other faiths and religions through religious education lessons and ‘religions week’. The school is successful in implementing school values through all aspects of its work.
• The school’s procedures to keep pupils safe are robust and effective. There are clear systems in place for security around the school grounds. Pupils are encouraged to talk to senior leaders about how safe they feel in school. Leaders listen to pupils and take action to improve areas of school that pupils identify as a concern.
• Teaching assistants have received specialised training and are able to effectively support pupils with specific emotional needs.
• Almost all parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and those who spoke to inspectors, said that their children are happy to come to school and that they are well cared for and safe.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. There have been no fixed-term exclusions for the past three years.
• Pupils’ conduct around school is exemplary and they are well mannered. Pupils are helpful and courteous to adults and visitors. Pupils enjoy being ‘buddies’ and school councillors and show respect towards each other.
• Pupils are keen to learn and do their best. They cooperate well when working in small groups. They persevere with their learning and do not interfere with the learning of others.
• Actions taken by leaders since the last inspection have ensured that, although attendance rates are still below the national average, they have steadily improved over the past five years. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is still low. Strategies to improve attendance of disadvantaged pupils are not having sufficient impact.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils enter key stage 1 with skills that are above the national average at the end of the early years. However, by the end of key stage 1, their progress is well below that of other pupils with similar starting points. Inspection findings show that pupils currently in key stage 1 are still not making sufficient progress. Attainment in writing and mathematics in 2015 and 2016 at the end of key stage 1 was well below national figures, and in 2016 was also below national figures in reading.
• In 2016, outcomes for pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 were significantly below national figures in reading and mathematics. Pupils are currently making better rates of progress but this is not yet consistent across all year groups.
• Pupils are increasingly making better progress in writing at the end of key stage 2. This is because of the increased focus on writing and the implementation of a writing programme across the school which teachers are applying more consistently.
• The proportion of Year 1 pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonic screening check in 2016 was below the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils are working at levels below other pupils nationally. Leaders have established additional support for this group of pupils but its impact has not yet been fully evaluated.
• The most able pupils, including those that are disadvantaged, are not reaching high enough standards because teachers do not match work well enough to pupils’ abilities. However, there are signs that rates of progress in writing are improving for pupils currently on roll.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make enough progress in reading or mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Teachers’ planning does not take sufficient account of their needs and ability.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Senior leaders have not ensured that leadership of the early years provision is fully developed. Leaders’ roles and responsibilities are not sufficiently defined. Leaders have monitored the quality of provision but their work is not always focused on the right priorities.
• The assessment of children’s levels of development when they first join school do not match standards found in the learning journals. Evidence from the journals shows that children enter school at a higher level than they are being assessed at.
• Learning activities provided for children to work independently do not provide sufficient challenge. Activities can lack purpose and adults do not intervene at appropriate points to promote progress.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. The toddler group is well attended and, as a result, children settle quickly when they start nursery. Regular ‘inspire days’ ensure that parents have opportunities to come into school to work with their children. This has resulted in a positive impact on home-school links.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years is effective. Teachers have high expectations and children make good progress in the Reception class. Teachers use questioning well and children move on in their learning at a good pace. Children use strategies they have been taught to pronounce unfamiliar words. They are also able to transfer what they have learned into their writing.
• The curriculum provides a broad range of activities. Staff use a wide variety of strategies to promote children’s language skills.
• Relationships between children and adults are strong. Children are safe and welfare requirements are met. As a result, children are confident and happy and their behaviour is good.
• Outcomes at the end of the early years foundation stage are strong. Children enter Year 1 above national expectations for their age.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 103819 Dudley 10025399 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 288 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher R Jagpal Jon Stevens Telephone number 01384 816940 Website Email address www.bromhills.dudley.sch.uk jstevens@bromhills.dudley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13 September 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Bromley Hills is a slightly larger than average primary school with a governor-led nursery on site.
• Over two thirds of pupils are of White British heritage. The remainder come from a wide range of backgrounds. Few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and receive support from the pupil premium is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• The governing body has recently appointed a new chair and vice chair.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed teaching and learning in 17 lessons across school, some of which were jointly carried out with senior leaders.
• Inspectors reviewed pupils’ recorded work and met with groups of pupils informally during breaktime to ask them their views on the school. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and conduct around the school and also listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including leaders’ evaluations of the school; the school’s raising attainment plan; information about pupils’ achievement and progress; training records; policies; attendance information; information related to governance; and information on the school’s website.
• Inspectors spoke informally to parents to ask them their views on the school. Responses from the Ofsted questionnaire Parent View were also considered.
• Inspectors spoke to governors, a local authority representative and to school staff throughout the inspection. Evidence from 18 staff questionnaires and 45 pupil questionnaires was also considered.

Inspection team

Melonie Davies Abigail Rourke Stephanie Peters Benetia Mounsey

Lead Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector