Broadford Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 13–14 March 2012 Inspection number 385306 Broadford Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 102317 Local authority Havering Inspection number 385306 Inspection dates 13–14 March 2012 Lead inspector Kevin Hodge

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (HMCI) the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 327 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gill Gordon Headteacher Malcom Drakes Date of previous school inspection 11–12 October 2010 School address Faringdon Avenue Romford RM3 8JS Telephone number 01708 342880 Fax number 01708 342117 Email address head@broadford.havering.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with one day's notice. The inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by 10 different teachers, which totalled approximately eight hours. These included joint observations of lessons conducted with the headteacher. Inspectors held discussions with groups of learners, staff, and members of the governing body. The inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at development planning, the school’s website, tracking information showing pupils’ progress, teachers’ lesson plans and pupils’ work. There were no questionnaires from parents and carers, staff or pupils because of the nature of this inspection. However, the school’s own surveys of parents’, carers’, staff and pupils’ views since the previous inspection were taken into consideration. The views of a small number of parents and carers noted over the course of the visits were also

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Information about the school

Broadford is larger than most primary schools. When it was previously inspected it was judged to require special measures. The headteacher left the school shortly after the inspection. An acting headteacher, supported by an external consultant, led the school until the present headteacher took up the post in September 2011. At the same time, most pupils moved into a new school building, although the Nursery and Reception classes have remained in the old premises until the building is completed. Most pupils are of White British origin although approximately a third are from minority ethnic heritages with a fifth of all pupils speaking English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is double the national average. The number of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is higher than found nationally. The school runs a daily breakfast club.

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Information about the school

In 2011 the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Broadford is a satisfactory school. The school is not yet good as teaching is not consistently effective in securing uniformly good progress for all pupils in all aspects of English and mathematics.

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Key findings

 Pupils now achieve satisfactorily throughout the school. Children’s early writing and number skills develop steadily through the Early Years Foundation Stage, and reading levels are improving and gaps with all children nationally are closing. In Years 1 to 6 pupils' writing and number skills have improved, but their quality of writing and confidence in handling number are not yet consistently secure. Pupils make quicker progress in their speaking, listening and computer-based skills. As a result, they attain levels in line with those expected in these areas by the time they leave.

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Key findings

 Teaching quality is typically satisfactory and, as a result, pupils' learning of basic skills is more systematic than at the time of the previous inspection. There are, though, variations in teaching between classes. Teaching does not always make clear why learning certain topics is important and teachers’ explanations are sometimes too long which slows learning.

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Key findings

 The school has successfully improved pupils’ behaviour through raising their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Relationships within the school are harmonious and pupils show respect for each other and staff. Playtimes are usually incident free and lessons rarely disrupted.

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Key findings

 The headteacher has high expectations and strong leadership is enabling the school to move forward at an increasingly fast pace. Effective systems of performance management have identified weaker aspects of teaching and are bringing about improvement. Roles and responsibilities are being revised and Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

a number of middle leaders are developing their roles.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by December 2012 through:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 giving them more guidance in sentence structures, spelling and punctuation  extending their wider reading skills and enjoyment, particularly in Years 1 and 2  providing them with more compelling reasons to write frequently and at length  enabling them to practise and their number skills more frequently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and the pace of pupils’ learning through the school to become typically good by September 2012 through:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensuring pupils understand why they are learning certain skills and knowledge and how they can benefit their later learning  ensuring that teachers’ explanations or discussions are briefer so that pupils have more time to tackle learning activities  making activities as meaningful and relevant to pupils’ interests as possible.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the skills of middle leaders in improving teaching and learning and raising achievement. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

Children start school with skills that are well below expectations for their age, especially in their personal, social, literacy, language and communication skills. In the Nursery they relate well to each other and have a secure start to school. In Reception, improved teaching is helping children to be better prepared to start in Year 1. An emphasis on systematic teaching of letters and sounds (known as phonics), together with the development of their communication and social skills, is ensuring children are becoming increasingly confident learners. For example, in Reception, children confidently talked and drew pictures and words about their drawings and knowledge of the story of Rapunzel.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ learning and progress is now typically satisfactory, but there are variations between classes. More effective teaching of letter sounds and reading in Years 1 and 2 has resulted in pupils improving their reading competence, but levels remain below average by the end of Year 2. As pupils move through the school, progress accelerates so that by the end of Year 6, many pupils read confidently and broadly reach the standard expected for their age. Although pupils generally enjoy reading, few could recall any particular special events or activities that would extend their skills in reading further. Pupils’ progress in writing is slower than it is in reading. However, a focus in this area is beginning to raise attainment from past low levels. For example, Years 3 and 4 pupils successfully used their recently acquired understanding of imperative verbs to write instructions for producing a meal. However, this is not consistently the case as pupils' past work indicates that they do

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Achievement of pupils

not always have sufficient opportunities to write at length or have enough exciting experiences to inspire them to write. Pupils' number skills develop steadily through the school, although pupils are not always confident enough to apply these skills in solving simple investigations. Pupils' progress has increased since the previous inspection. As a result, although their attainment remains below average by the end of Year 6, it is improving rapidly. Pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour are key factors in aiding their improved level of achievement.

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Achievement of pupils

The help and support for pupils who are disabled or who may have special educational needs enable them to make the same level of progress in their learning as other pupils. Suitable adjustments to materials and activities are made so that pupils’ needs are met. Those pupils from minority ethnic heritages, including those who speak English as an additional language, make similarly satisfactory progress as staff provide practical activities using pictures, key words and books to help give clues to recognise unfamiliar words in group and class activities. Those parents and carers spoken to during monitoring visits, and who responded to the school’s surveys, appreciate recent improvements in the way their children learn. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching has improved and has strengths that are common throughout the school. These include teachers’ good relationships with pupils and clear planning to meet the different abilities in each class. There are, though, inconsistencies in other aspects of teaching. Pupils are keen to learn and engage in practical or more adventurous activities, but not all teachers take full advantage of their enthusiasm. As a result, lessons are sometimes too predictable or uninspiring. The teaching of basic skills is improving, and is beginning to pay dividends in terms of pupils' greater confidence to read. However, pupils’ skills in writing are not always developed as well. This was evident in a literacy lesson, for example, when pupils were not given sufficient guidance about how to spell correctly or structure their writing when trying to construct an effective conclusion to a piece of writing. Teachers' planning makes

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Quality of teaching

good provision for the range of needs in each class and teaching assistants play an effective role, often helping to guide pupils in small groups or one-to-one teaching sessions. Those pupils who speak English as an additional language also benefit from this extra help targeted to their specific needs. In the Reception classes, there is a suitable range of activities, although they are not always well structured in guiding children’s learning even further.

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Quality of teaching

Within lessons, pupils are generally aware of what they have to learn, but opportunities are occasionally missed to explain why they need to learn certain skills. Pupils generally say their lessons are now ‘more fun’ with ‘more to do’, but say that sometimes teachers talk for too long which stops them getting down to their work quickly. Although the curriculum is now promoting pupils’ basic skills effectively, there are missed opportunities to develop them further within other subjects. Not all pupils benefit from clear guidance about how to improve their extended writing or use of number skills. Teaching encourages pupils to think, study or reflect upon how others live to develop their social and moral awareness. Aspects of pupils’ cultural and spiritual awareness are promoted well in a range of activities. Work is regularly marked and the teachers’ comments are generally helpful in giving pupils praise for

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Quality of teaching

their efforts and in giving them guidance about how to improve their work further. Parents and carers who responded to the school’s surveys note and appreciate the improved quality of teaching which is confirmed by inspection evidence.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils' behaviour has improved since the previous inspection, as there are now clear boundaries, which pupils know and support. The curriculum, which includes more extra-curricular clubs such as cooking, has helped motivate pupils’ learning and foster greater enjoyment of school. Pupils still speak enthusiastically about their new school building, citing 'more space' and 'newer equipment' as key features. Pupils appreciate the rewards for their good behaviour such as the ‘e for excellence’ cup and pupils are motivated by completing their ‘tracker cards’ as recognition of good behaviour. An increasing number of pupils enjoy contributing to the school's website and social network websites to promote the school. Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying, including physical, verbal, computer-based or that aimed at Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

criticising differing backgrounds and beliefs. Pupils report that incidences of bullying are very rare. Not surprisingly, pupils’ attendance levels have risen significantly since the last inspection. Parents and carers spoken to or who responded to the school’s own surveys indicate that they believe their children to be safe and they are very pleased about the positive ethos now found within the school. This was confirmed by the inspection evidence.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has set very clear and high expectations of what is expected of all staff and pupils. There has been a rigorous focus on monitoring teaching, and in ensuring that pupils' behaviour and personal development remain at good levels. A new reading scheme for younger pupils is starting to raise their confidence to read. There are clear improvements in teaching, but this is not yet consistent through the school, as some staff have found it easier than others to rise to the higher expectations. Nonetheless, all staff indicated that they felt the school was well led and managed in a recent survey. The roles of middle leaders are being clarified and reviewed as their impact on raising standards has been inconsistent. Improvements to the curriculum, including more first-hand experiences for some pupils such as visiting the Tower of London, have helped increase their motivation to learn and meet their needs. A good focus on developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and

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Leadership and management

cultural awareness has ensured friendly and tolerant relationships within the school.

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Leadership and management

The governing body’s monthly monitoring, aided by the local authority, has maintained momentum for improvement, while ensuring that the new building opened on time to give pupils modern resources. During these changes, they have ensured that rigorous safeguarding routines have continued, including the vetting of new or temporary staff. They, along with the headteacher, have monitored the progress of different groups of pupils with a view to ensuring that pupils from different backgrounds achieve as well as they can and so ensure equality of opportunity. Governors are clear that they want pupils' achievement to be even better and have also ensured that any form of discrimination is not tolerated. Links with parents and carers, which was a weakness at the time of the previous inspection, have been strengthened so that parents and carers are now appreciative of the efforts of the headteacher and governors to improve the school further, which

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Leadership and management

is confirmed by inspection evidence. Given the school's track record of sustained improvement since the last inspection, it is demonstrating the capacity to improve further.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

Thank you very much for making me feel welcome whenever I visited to your school. I have seen your school improve and both myself and the inspector who came along on this visit felt that your school no longer needed ‘special measures’ to help it improve.

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

Yours is now a satisfactory school, which although improving steadily, still needs to be better. This means the school does some things well and others it needs to improve. It looks after you well and makes good provision for you to develop so that your behaviour is good. It has a friendly atmosphere because of the way you interact with each other, look after each other and value the differing backgrounds you come from. The activities in the curriculum help you to learn key skills, although they do not always help you to write using good spelling and punctuation. We also think that you need to keep working at being confident at your basic number skills so that you can add, multiply and divide quickly and accurately. Your behaviour and attitudes within your lessons are good and I hear that your trip to the Tower of London was exciting.

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

We know that your new headteacher and governors really want to make the school even better so we have asked your headteacher and teachers to:

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

 help you with your writing and number work so you are confident and excited to write and can solve difficult mathematical problems using your number knowledge  try to make all teaching really good so that your learning is exciting and that you are really inspired to do lots of work in different subjects but particularly in your writing and mathematics  help staff to make sure that any subjects they are responsible for are organised really well so your learning can be even better.

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

You can help to by trying to produce your very best work and keeping up your good behaviour.

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Inspection of Broadford Primary School, Romford, RM3 8JS

Kevin Hodge Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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