Brough Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching to strengthen pupils’ outcomes, especially at the higher standard in writing in key stage 2 by:
  • expecting pupils to use good handwriting skills and present written work to a high standard
  • ensuring pupils’ spelling is consistently accurate
  • challenging pupils, especially boys, appropriately in writing so they are clear about how to reach the highest standards
  • linking pupils’ love of reading to writing so that there are more opportunities for them to engage in writing at length in English lessons and across a wide range of subjects
  • providing greater opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills across a wide range of subjects.
• Increase the impact of leadership and management by making sure teachers are able to challenge and guide pupils to attain the highest standards in writing by the end of key stage 2.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and senior leaders are providing dynamic leadership. School leaders and governors are passionate about pupils’ achievement and personal development. Staff morale is high and there is a shared sense of purpose and a desire for all pupils to achieve their full potential. As a result of good leadership, the school’s effectiveness is now good, having improved over the past two years.
• The headteacher has made sure that senior leaders, and middle leaders, have had very effective training over the past two years. She has supported leaders in their development, as well as organising external support from other schools and the local authority. As a result, leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and good capacity to support teachers in further improving pupils’ learning.
• Leaders, including subject leaders, check the quality of teaching regularly, using a wide range of information. They know what is working well and their plans for improvement correctly identify the main priorities for the school. Professional development for staff, including teaching assistants, is clearly identified and checked to make sure it is having a positive effect on improving teaching and pupils’ progress. As a result, pupils’ progress overall is good, especially in reading and mathematics and a wide range of subjects.
• Pupils study a wide range of subjects and have a good range of additional activities to broaden their experiences. Leaders have revamped the curriculum over the past two years. They have taken into account pupils’ interests and have provided opportunities to learn about the local area and develop a much deeper understanding of British values and global issues. As a result, pupils engage effectively in learning and enjoy school. Parents and pupils enthuse about the residential visits organised by the school and the good contribution that these make to pupils’ personal development.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are integrated well into the curriculum. Celebration of religious festivals, assemblies and a well-planned programme of personal, social and health education make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoyed practising Indian dance in preparation for celebrating Diwali in Indian dress and presenting their dance to parents.
• The primary school physical education and sports funding is used very well. Leaders have checked the quality of provision for sport and have made sure that pupils have a wide range of activities to choose from. Pupils participate in competitive sports, such as cross-country, squash and football, as well as winning local dance competitions. There is full engagement by the school in a local sports partnership. Pupils say that they enjoy sport.
• The extra funding for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used highly effectively. The special educational needs coordinator identifies the needs of pupils very accurately and makes sure strong provision is in place to meet pupils’ needs. The newly established enhanced provision, The Bridge, is making a significantly positive contribution to pupils’ ability to self-manage their needs. This enables these pupils to make successful gains in learning both in the provision and in mainstream classes. There is very effective communication with the parents of these pupils.
• The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is also used very effectively. The barriers to learning for these pupils are identified clearly and very effective action is taken to support their learning. Funding is used to make sure these pupils can access all aspects of the wider curriculum to provide additional support for learning, resulting in good gains in learning.
• The local authority has arranged support from schools and offered a range of training sessions for staff and governors. The local authority has a clear picture of the development of the school and has supported this school securely on its journey of improvement.
• Parents value the school’s work highly. Almost all parents responding to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire and spoken to by inspectors would recommend the school. They believe the school is well led and indicate that the new headteacher has improved the school and that staff are supporting their children well.

Governance of the school

• Many new governors joined the governing body after the previous inspection. The chair of governors, a former governor, was appointed after the previous inspection. The governing body has developed rapidly over the past two years and is making a strong contribution to the effectiveness of leadership and management. They have a comprehensive understanding of strengths and weaknesses in the school and have challenged and supported the headteacher in making sure teaching is good for all groups of pupils. Governors are highly skilled, with some having educational expertise and financial expertise.
• Governors receive detailed information from the headteacher and other leaders about the school’s work and the progress pupils are making. They find time to check this out for themselves, as well as using national performance comparisons to ascertain how well the school is doing. New governors have a programme of induction and the governing body arranges appropriate development sessions to make sure they fulfil their statutory duties.
• Governors check how well the additional government funding for physical education and sport is used. They are clear about the improvements being made for disadvantaged pupils, as well as those for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding records are of a high standard and clearly indicate the school’s work with a wide range of agencies when keeping pupils safe. Parents are unanimous in saying that their children are well cared for and safe at school.
• Child protection training means that staff are knowledgeable and up to date in terms of the most recent guidance and legislation. Staff are vigilant and know what to do should they have any concerns about children’s welfare. Leaders have established strong support for pupils’ emotional well-being, including those pupils using The Bridge. This makes a strong contribution to pupils’ safety and safeguarding as well as supporting pupils’ personal development and learning.
• Governors make sure that all adults on the school site are checked to confirm that they are suitable to work with children.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have focused strongly on improving the quality of teaching and have provided highly effective training for teachers and teaching assistants. When teaching is not developing pupils’ learning quickly enough, very effective support and coaching is provided to strengthen teaching. The headteacher’s relentless focus on improving teaching and her decisive actions have led to good teaching and learning.
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and this enables them to design interesting and engaging tasks across a wide range of subjects. Consequently, pupils are keen to learn and are developing secure knowledge and understanding in a wide range of subjects.
• Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately and set work that is usually matched appropriately to pupils’ needs and abilities. However, additional challenge is not consistently provided in writing to ensure that pupils attain the highest standards. Teachers usually spot misconceptions and errors and pupils address them. Occasionally, repeated errors in spelling reduce the quality of pupils’ writing.
• Teachers’ skilful questioning is used well, especially in guided reading and in mathematics to deepen pupils’ learning. Teachers ask supplementary questions to make sure that pupils have a full understanding of the work they are doing and are making good progress.
• An analysis of pupils’ work by inspectors showed good gains in knowledge, skills and understanding in reading, mathematics and a wide range of subjects. It showed that pupils’ progress in writing is developing effectively, although extra challenge across key stage 2 to help them reach the highest standards is inconsistent, particularly for boys. There are some good opportunities for pupils to write extensively in history, but this is not consistent across subjects. There are few occasions when pupils are encouraged to apply their good mathematical skills across a range of subjects.
• Teachers’ support for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is highly effective. Teachers plan accessible programmes of work for pupils and work closely with teaching assistants to deliver these. Teaching assistants assess pupils’ understanding through skilful questioning and know the needs and abilities of pupils very well.
• Excellent relationships and mutual respect exist between pupils and adults in mainstream classes and in The Bridge. This helps lessons to flow smoothly and good learning takes place.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils listen to each other and show respect for each other and adults. They are welcoming to visitors and very confident, well-mannered and polite.
• Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy being in school. Pupils told inspectors that they are safe in school and well looked after. Should they have any worries, anxieties or concerns, they know that staff will support them very well.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are especially well cared for in the enhanced resource provision, The Bridge.
• .They are developing strategies in learning how to overcome their anxieties and integrate into mainstream education. Pupils said, ‘We all have friends and teachers are kind and fair.’
• There are good opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles, such as school councillors, mentors and ‘eco leaders’. Pupils vote for the school council and learn about democracy, liberty and the law.
• Pupils know they are listened to and are asked their opinions on how well the school is providing for their needs. The school acts on the outcomes of discussions, including adjusting curriculum topics to meet pupils’ interests.
• Pupils play well together at breaktime and lunchtime. They are very active and enjoy using the extensive grounds to play sport. There are good opportunities for pupils to use a wide range of equipment to play well together and socialise.
• In lessons and assemblies, pupils learn how to stay safe and keep safe. They learn how to be friendly and welcoming and how to stay physically and emotionally healthy. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils know that staff will resolve any issues of bullying should they occur. Pupils said, ‘There is no bullying. Everyone gets on well together.’ School records indicate bullying is rare and even becoming more so.
• Pupils are keen to please their teachers and usually present their work well. There are times when pupils’ handwriting and presentation slips and this can lead to some untidy work.
• Parents and staff are highly confident that children are safe and well cared for in school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils know what is expected of them. They follow the school rules and enjoy the rewards they receive for good behaviour. They enjoy helping each other and being nominated for a ‘kindness award’, which is presented at the end of each week.
• Pupils make a good contribution to their work. Behaviour is good in lessons and they conduct themselves very well around school. From time to time, a few pupils lose concentration in lessons or are not as productive as they ought to be. This occurs when the pace of learning slows. However, it is unusual that they disturb others.
• Those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities behave well and engage fully in their learning in mainstream classes and in small group work in The Bridge. They have good strategies for managing behaviour and this is supporting their good learning and that of others.
• Parents make sure their children are punctual to school and attend well. Pupils say that ‘school is fun’ and attendance is above average. There are exceptionally few exclusions from school.
• The school is a calm and purposeful place. Pupils keep the school neat and tidy. They enjoy the displays in the school entrance that promote a love of reading. Along the corridors, they respect the excellent displays, particularly the historical art work that helps them gain an understanding of the order of past events.
• All staff, and almost all parents, believe behaviour is good in school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the previous inspection, leaders have provided very effective training to make sure that the quality of teaching is good overall. As a result, pupils’ progress is now good across the school in a wide range of subjects.
• Over time, leaders have focused their efforts on improving reading and mathematics, and on improvement in progress in these subjects at the end of key stage 2 year-on-year. At the end of key stage 2, attainment has been improving in reading and mathematics with better than average proportions of pupils attaining high standards in reading. However, that is not the case in writing where too few pupils attain the highest standard. Published information indicates pupils are making good progress overall in key stage 1.
• Inspectors analysed current pupils’ work across all year groups and found that good progress was being made in reading, mathematics and a wide range of subjects. Reading is a particular strength of the school and challenging work in mathematics has been developing well to increase the depth of learning for pupils, including for the most able pupils.
• In key stage 2, pupils’ work in writing shows signs of improvement. Pupils are making effective progress in writing, but work set leads to pupils repeating skills that are already secure and not developing the highest standards for enough pupils. It also shows that pupils’ love of reading is not being used well to develop extended writing that allows pupils to reach the highest standards in writing.
• Those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their varied starting points. Leaders’ precise analysis of the needs of pupils and the training that teachers and teaching assistants have undertaken helps pupils make good progress in reading and mathematics that is stronger than progress in writing.
• There are too few disadvantaged pupils to make meaningful use of published performance information over time. However, inspectors’ scrutiny of disadvantaged pupils’ work showed very positive gains in reading and mathematics and effective progress in writing. Attainment is improving for these pupils and is much closer to the national average than in the past.
• Pupils are very keen readers. In the most recent screening test for reading at the end of Year 1, an above average proportion of pupils attained the expected standard. Pupils say that they read regularly at home and have a good understanding of what they are reading. Challenging texts and skilful questioning by adults develop pupils’ skills in deduction and inference and extend pupils’ vocabulary. By Year 6, pupils read clearly and accurately with meaning and expression.

Early years provision Good

• Children joining Reception settle quickly because there are established routines that support children and their families. These include visits to the Nursery setting, taster sessions for parents and children as well as home visits by staff.
• Children enter Reception with skills that are typical for their age. They make good progress from their different starting points. As a result, children are well prepared for learning in Year 1 by the end of the Reception Year.
• Teachers and other adults have good subject knowledge and pick up children’s misconceptions quickly. Teachers and adults make accurate assessments and there are clear systems in place to check children’s progress. This enables adults to identify the next steps in learning for each child. Small group work and adult interventions are provided for children requiring additional support to catch up. Consequently, teaching is helping children to make good progress in learning.
• The curriculum provides children with a good range of learning activities which match their interests and next steps in learning, although there are missed opportunities for focused learning in the outdoor curriculum. Children are excited by the largely well-planned activities. For example, children watched the incubation of eggs and the hatching of ducklings. Also, they visited an outdoor activity centre to build dens with Year 1 pupils.
• In the classroom, children demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning. They are able to work with sustained focus because the learning activities make them curious and capture their imagination well.
• The outdoor area is attractive and spacious with a cycle track, a mud kitchen, a stage and a wide range of other equipment. The environment provides good opportunities for children to develop their physical skills and to cooperate well together. The new leader of the provision agrees with inspectors that the outdoor area is not yet sufficiently developed to fully encourage and support boys’ engagement in reading and writing skills for them to match the skills exhibited by girls.
• The early years leader has accurately identified the strengths and weaknesses in the provision and has clear plans for improvement. She checks the quality of teaching regularly and identifies professional development to help staff strengthen their practice further. This has resulted in the quality of provision in the early years being consistently good.
• Contributions from parents are valued. There are online systems in place for parents to see their children’s work as well as to contribute experiences children are having at home. Parents are very positive about the school’s communication with them.
• All the appropriate welfare and safeguarding requirements are met in the early years setting.

School details

Unique reference number 117842 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10048191 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 374 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Janet Drewery Helen Shepherdson Telephone number 01482 667 352 Website Email address www.broughprimaryschool.co.uk brough.primary@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 21 June 2016

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is well below average.
• Almost all pupils are White British. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• One in six pupils has support for SEN and/or disabilities. This is above average.
• The proportion of pupils with a statement of SEN or an education, health and care plan is well above average.
• The headteacher took up her post from 1 September 2016. At the same time, a new chair and vice-chair of the governing body were elected. A new leader for the early years provision took up post from 1 September 2017.
• The school has an enhanced resource provision, The Bridge, to support a small number of pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. The provision opened from 1 September 2018 and is funded by the local authority.
• The school site is shared with the local, separately managed, children’s centre. This is subject to a separate inspection and did not form part of this inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of teaching and learning throughout the school. Three observations took place with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• During the two days of the inspection, inspectors spoke with pupils, both individually and in groups, about learning and safety.
• Inspectors reviewed pupils’ work in lessons and analysed samples of work in pupils’ books.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils reading.
• The lead inspector held a meeting with the chair of the governing body and three other governors. An inspector held a meeting with the school’s improvement adviser from the local authority.
• Inspectors also held meetings with senior leaders and other staff.
• Inspectors looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development and improvement plans, a number of school policies and the minutes of meetings of the governing body. They considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors analysed the 147 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Parent View. They also analysed the 36 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Jim McGrath, lead inspector Richard Knowles Tracy Fulthorpe Gina White

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector