Brockhampton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this academy requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the academy are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the academy.

What does the academy need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by making sure that: ― subject leaders are equipped with the skills needed to evaluate the progress made by pupils, including in the early years, and provide relevant support to improve teaching ― checks on teaching give sufficient attention to the progress of different groups of pupils, particularly the most able, disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs ― action plans are evaluated against measureable criteria so that leaders and governors can determine the success of actions taken ― staff are held fully to account for raising outcomes ― attendance information is used more effectively to challenge lateness and persistent absence ― governors fulfil their duties effectively and establish effective communication with parents ― the academy’s website meets the statutory requirements and provides parents with the relevant information.
• Improve teaching, learning and assessment by making sure that all teachers: ― accurately assess pupils’ abilities and set suitably challenging tasks, especially for the most able ― plan work which builds on from previous learning and moves pupils on in lessons when they show that they understand the work set ― use accurate written language at all times, address common spelling errors made by pupils and correct calculations accurately ― make effective use of additional adults to support learners ― insist on and only accept the highest standards of presentation in pupils’ work.
• Raise pupils’ achievement in all subjects, especially in writing and mathematics, by making sure that: ― additional funding is fully accounted for, well managed and spent wisely to improve outcomes and provision for sports and for disadvantaged pupils ― those who have special educational needs are supported effectively ― pupils have more opportunities to explain their thinking in mathematics and to solve problems ― pupils are taught spelling strategies to improve their writing. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the academy’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

• Leaders and governors have failed to secure consistent improvement in the academy since the previous inspection. There has been a change of headteacher and several new teaching appointments made, but too little attention has been given to addressing the weaknesses which were identified. Consequently, achievement is low and teaching is inconsistent.
• Beyond the headteacher, there is an alarming lack of effective leadership within the academy. While the headteacher has delegated some roles and responsibilities to staff, they lack the experience and skills to be able to carry these out effectively. For example, the preschool manager has recently taken on the early years leadership role, but lacks knowledge of the new baseline and end of year assessments in Reception class. Leaders are not therefore clear on the progress being made by children in that key stage.
• The headteacher carries out some checks on the quality of teaching but other subject leaders lack experience in this area. As a result, subject leaders are unclear about where strengths and weaknesses lie and are unable to advise and support colleagues in improving the quality of teaching and raising achievement. Where checks are made on teaching, too little attention is given to the progress of pupils of different groups, such as those with different abilities, and the quality of work in pupils’ books over time.
• It is strongly recommended that the academy does not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers
• The headteacher acknowledges that low standards are ‘not ok’ and the academy is not where it ‘should be’. He has devised an action plan to tackle the most important areas but, to date, this plan has not been evaluated. There is no tangible evidence to show that the actions taken are successful, as the plan does not contain any measureable criteria. Nor is it systematically reviewed by governors.
• Inconsistencies in leadership, together with a lack of previous direction, have resulted in teachers not being held fully to account. Underachievement by pupils has not been picked up early enough or challenged. The headteacher has now set all teaching staff annual performance targets. A greater range of training is also being provided, and identified teachers are being supported by experienced staff from Lickhill Primary School. Staff are also visiting other schools to observe good practice.
• Staff and most leaders have little understanding of tracking or measuring pupils’ progress. The headteacher has therefore implemented a tracking system and teachers now assess their pupils against the new curriculum standards. Assessment information collected and entered in September 2015 shows that standards in all classes are too low. The accuracy of this information, to date, is unchecked by external professionals.
• The academy’s use of the pupil premium funding and the sports funding is inadequate. It is not targeted appropriately. The gaps between pupils eligible for funding and others in the academy are not closing, and in some instances are increasing. Disadvantaged pupils across the academy underachieve. Sports funding provided dance lessons for pupils last year, but nothing has been arranged this year. Leaders have not published how this fund is spent nor assessed what benefit it has had on pupils’ personal, social and physical development.
• The curriculum is still developing as leaders failed to ensure that the new requirements were introduced in September 2014. Topics are taught which encompass subjects such as history, geography and science. However, this work in pupils’ books lacks challenge. Additionally, little work has been covered since last September so progress and pupils’ development are limited. Very good use is made of the outdoors and ‘forest school’. Pupils learn French or Spanish and enjoy the clubs which are run after school, for example football.
• The academy website does not meet requirements and does not give a positive first impression to potential families. The site has not been kept up to date, and information does not always inform parents as well as it should. For example, many tabs are labelled ‘under construction’ in relation to the curriculum in different year groups, and important policies, including behaviour, are not available.
• The academy promotes pupils’ social and moral development well but there has been less focus on promoting British values or understanding of different cultures in modern Britain. While pupils learn about and understand values such as perseverance, team work and determination, Year 5 pupils spoken to were unable to say what ‘democracy’ meant or give any examples of this when asked. Religious Education lessons are used to teach pupils about other world religions but pupils are not always clear about the main features of these. As a result, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.
• The governance of the academy:

This is ineffective. Governors do not have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They have focused too heavily on the future arrangements of joining a multi-academy trust and neglected the needs of the academy. Too little attention has been given to the declining standards and lack of leadership capacity within the academy. The governing body has not met its statutory duty and requirement to ensure the best possible education for all the children in their care. Governors have not ensured that the academy’s website is compliant or provides the required information for parents. Governance is not perceived by parents to be open and transparent. Parents are concerned about the appointment of governors and a lack of clear communication. Governors are unsure about how effectively additional funding to promote physical education and support disadvantaged pupils is spent. Although they are aware that disadvantaged pupils are not making the progress that they should, they have not checked that the funding is being used appropriately, or what impact it is having.

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Relevant checks have been carried out for all staff, governors and volunteers. All staff have received appropriate training in order to recognise any maltreatment of pupils and know what steps to take if this happens. Staff and governors have also been trained to recognise other forms of abuse, including extremism and radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Vulnerable pupils and their families receive very good support both internally and through links with a range of agencies. Risk assessments are carried out for academy activities, especially ‘forest school’ activities, to make sure that children are safe. Safer recruitment procedures are carefully followed.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

• Over time, teaching has not enabled pupils to achieve as well as they should. The impact of teaching has been low standards and inadequate achievement, especially in Key Stage 2.
• Far too much teaching lacks rigour. There is an absence of challenge and too many tasks are low level, repetitive or occupy pupils rather than engage their interest. Pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to develop their deeper understanding. Higher ability pupils are given too few opportunities to develop their thinking and reasoning. For example, Year 6 pupils were asked to underline the verb in a sentence on a worksheet when work in their literacy books showed that their writing was already at a much higher level.
• Examples of work seen in pupils’ books show that work does not always build on what pupils know and can do, especially in mathematics. For example, pupils in Year 2 demonstrated the ability by December to carry out suitably challenging subtraction calculations, but in January were required to ‘add one more’ in a sequence of numbers or add numbers to 20. This dramatically reduces the progress that pupils make and holds their learning back. Pupils are also given too few opportunities to explain how they reach their answers or solve mathematical problems.
• Much teaching lacks sufficient pace and challenge to sustain pupils’ interest and teachers do not always move learning on as quickly as is needed by the pupils. Pupils stop trying hard or lose focus, so learning slows. Mathematics books checked in Years 4 and 5 showed that pupils complete a large number of repeated calculations even when they demonstrate that they can do these easily. Teachers do not check this carefully enough and move pupils on to new or more challenging work.
• Teachers do not plan pupils’ activities effectively enough across the curriculum. Little or no account is taken of pupils’ different levels of ability. The work in pupils’ books shows that in too many classes, all pupils complete the same activity in science, geography and history.
• Teaching assistants are not fully utilised during lessons. They are often passive listeners and do not engage well enough with pupils during whole-class teaching sessions. When working with groups or individuals, they do not consistently ask questions that are phrased in ways that make pupils think hard.
• Teachers’ expectations are not high enough. They accept poorly presented work from pupils and worksheets which are shoddily stuck in books. Spelling remains an issue in the academy because teachers do not pay enough attention to addressing errors or teach pupils effective spelling strategies. They allow key words to go unchecked, for example ‘I’m knot happy’, or ‘birds of pray’. Equally, teachers themselves do not always use accurate written language, and sometimes carelessly tick mathematics calculations which are incorrect.
• Reading is taught effectively in the early years and is built upon in Key Stage 1. Pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) well to break down and blend unfamiliar words. They read regularly and enjoy books. However, the amount of curriculum time dedicated to reading in upper Key Stage 2 pupils is excessive and reduces the time available to develop other skills.
• Teaching is beginning to improve as a result of the professional development that teachers are now receiving. Many teachers are inexperienced but keen to learn. They take on board advice provided by the headteacher and external consultants. They establish good relationships with pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The academy’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils show high levels of maturity and value the importance of a good education. They know what contributes to good learning. As one pupil said, ‘it’s about listening to the instructions, trying your best and always persevering’. They have a clear understanding of how teachers help them and what they must do to improve their work.
• Key values are presented in assemblies and pupils show good levels of understanding these. Year 5 pupils were able to define ‘empathy’ and all pupils demonstrate respect for others and academy property. They welcome pupils from other countries and are aware of the difficulties they face in not being able to speak in English.
• The needs of vulnerable pupils are well catered for. External support is sought and provided to ensure that pupils and their families get the help that they need.
• Pupils are happy and feel safe in the academy. They like and respect their teachers and enjoy lessons when they are ‘fun’. There is a calm and purposeful working atmosphere around the academy. Older pupils readily take on additional responsibilities, for example looking after younger pupils or being members of the school council.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe. They have had talks from organisations such as ChildLine and are aware of the dangers of using the internet.
• Pupils know that bullying can take different forms, for example, verbal, physical or cyber. They say that bullying does not happen at Brockhampton and that any problems are quickly dealt with.
• Breakfast club provides a valuable resource for the parents and pupils who use it. Activities promote social opportunities between different age groups and prepare pupils well for the day ahead.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Where teaching lacks challenge and interest, pupils are passive in their learning attitudes. They do precisely as they are told by adults but seldom have to think for themselves or generate any ideas.
• Attendance is below average. While leaders have introduced incentives to encourage regular attendance, and publish attendance figures on newsletters, there are still a number of pupils who are persistently absent. This impedes the progress they make.
• While the headteacher keeps a note of behaviour incidents, there is no system in place for staff to log incidents. As a result, it is not possible to analyse patterns or trends or determine if actions taken have been successful.
• Pupils’ conduct and general attitudes are good. They are polite and move around the academy sensibly. They behave well in the dinner hall and at playtimes. Pupils themselves say that, occasionally, some children do not behave well, both younger and older pupils. They mess things up or throw things. A small number of parents also feel that the behaviour of some pupils is not good.
• Pupils are very clear about the behaviour policy in place. They can explain how the ‘zone board’ and ‘rainbow points’ are used. They understand the sanctions and rewards in place for good behaviour and most follow the behaviour code diligently.

Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

• Outcomes for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2015 were below the national average. Pupils who left Year 6 did not make the progress they should in reading, writing or mathematics. Underachievement was particularly evident in writing, especially for boys, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.
• Current information supplied by the academy shows that the majority of pupils are working below the levels expected in reading, writing and mathematics in most year groups. Pupils are still not making better than expected progress because of weaknesses in teaching.
• Pupils’ use of English, grammar and spelling is an ongoing problem and standards are well below the national average. This is because these aspects are not systematically picked up and addressed by teachers. Work in books shows that too many pupils, in too many classes, are making frequent errors which are not being sufficiently rectified. There is a lack of opportunity for pupils to write extensively across the curriculum because low level tasks limit their responses.
• Disadvantaged pupils, who are entitled to support through the pupil premium, make very little progress. This is because of weaknesses in teaching and the funding provided not being used effectively. Where interventions have been put in place, these are not evaluated or monitored for their impact. The gap between the outcomes for this group of pupils and their peers, both within the academy and nationally, remains too large. Academy tracking information also indicates that gaps are continuing to get wider.
• Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make inadequate progress. Appropriate support is not provided to help them with their work, and teaching assistants do not always have the skills and expertise needed to provide this help. As a result, these pupils do not achieve well. Academy leaders are working towards distinguishing between pupils who have genuine special educational needs and those who have simply underachieved due to previous weak teaching.
• The most-able pupils are not sufficiently challenged and therefore make inadequate progress. In 2015, too few pupils achieved the higher Level 3 in Year 2 in mathematics or Level 5 in Year 6. Expectations are not high enough to secure good achievement for the brightest pupils.

Early years provision requires improvement

• Leadership and management of the early years is not secure. No-one held this post last year and the manager of the preschool has only recently been asked to take overall responsibility to lead this key stage. As a result, the overview of children’s progress and end of year attainment in 2015 was not presented during the inspection. Figures about the proportions of children reaching a good level of development were provided by the local authority on request.
• In the main, children behave well, but there are still some who find it difficult to listen, call out or act inappropriately. They usually cooperate fully with each other, but do not always respond immediately to requests made by the teacher to tidy up.
• Teaching requires improvement because the activities planned do not always take account of children’s different needs. Additional funding is not used to support disadvantaged children who join the academy and, as a result, gaps in attainment do not close. There are, however, some strengths; learning journals contain helpful photographic evidence of what children can do and these are supported with annotated comments by the teacher. This helps provide a record of the progress that children make across the year. Clear evidence is available of the range of activities children engage in and the resources used.
• Good use is made of the outdoor area. Children have weekly forest school lessons where they learn to solve problems and be creative.
• Most children move through from the preschool into Reception class. Transition is smooth and children settle quickly. There are good links with parents.
• Children join the academy with skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. They make at least expected progress and the large majority reach a good level of development. As a result, they are well prepared for Year 1. There is a rising trend in attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Relationships between staff and children are good. Children are suitably supervised and safe, and their welfare needs are well met. This allows them to thrive in a stimulating and supportive environment.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number

137624 Herefordshire 10002536 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll

Primary Academy converter 4–11 Mixed 153

Appropriate authority

The governing body

Chair

Ben Fox Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Matthew Mander

Telephone number

01885 483238

Website Email address

www.brockhamptonschool.org.uk admin@brockhampton.hereford.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection

15–16 January 2014

Information about this academy

• Brockhampton Primary is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage and almost all speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is similar to the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.
• The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• Children attend the early years provision in the Reception class on a full-time basis. There is an onsite preschool, but this is managed separately and therefore inspected separately. The preschool leader is, however, currently the early years manager in the academy.
• External support for leadership and staff is provided by a local leader of education from Lickhilll Primary School and a national leader of education from Marlbrook Primary School.
• The current headteacher joined the academy as an interim headteacher in February 2015. He was appointed to the permanent post in September 2015. There have been significant changes to teaching staff since the previous inspection and the vice-chair of Governors has recently been appointed as Chair of Governors.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching in all classes. She saw eight parts of lessons, seven of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.
• Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities and members of the governing body. The inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority and the department for education by telephone. A meeting was also held with the headteacher from Lickhill Primary, who is currently supporting the academy.
• The inspector took account of the 49 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the comments made. She also spoke to parents as they brought their children to school. Pupils’ views were also considered by talking to them both formally and informally during the school day.
• There were no staff responses to the online questionnaire, but staff views were taken into account during informal discussions.
• The inspector listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed the work in their books.
• The inspector reviewed a number of documents, including the academy’s checks on how well it is doing, the academy improvement plan, data on pupils’ current progress, leaders’ reports following lesson observations, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector