Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School

Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School Lower Street, Leeds, Maidstone, ME17 1RL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ progress is not consistently strong across the school.  In Years 1 and 2, teachers do not always take enough account of what pupils need to learn next when they are being taught alongside older or younger classmates.  Attainment in writing lags behind attainment in reading or mathematics. Phonics (learning about letters and the sounds they make), spelling and handwriting are not always taught systematically enough. Some adults lack confidence when teaching phonics.  Although the headteacher is doing the right things to move the school forward and there has been steady improvement since the previous inspection, members of staff are not involved fully enough in decision making. Consequently, the reasons for change are not always well understood by staff and not all are clear about what they are trying to achieve and why.  The governing body is relatively inexperienced and not all governors have yet had enough

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities.  The school does not communicate well enough with all parents and carers.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ progress accelerates in Key Stage 2, especially in the Years 4, 5 and 6 class where teaching is consistently good or better.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress, especially in developing confidence and independence.  Throughout the school, teachers get on well with their pupils and take good care of them. They make learning fun in many lessons.  Pupils feel safe, behave well, and thoroughly enjoy school. They learn good values such as manners and politeness and they are sociable and articulate. They confidently have a go at new things without fear of failure.  Leaders are identifying the right areas for development and have a good track record for improving teaching, although the pace of change has been affected by staff turnover. Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 11 lessons, of which five were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, with members of the governing body, with members of staff and with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 39 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also talked to some parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance and safeguarding documents.  The inspector analysed 12 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average sized primary school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a mixed-age Reception and Year 1 class. All other classes are also mixed-age.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average. None of these pupils is educated off-site for any part of the week in alternative provision.  An average proportion of the pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding given to schools to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care.  There have been several staff changes since the previous inspection, with new teachers in two

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching at Key Stage 1 so that it is consistently good by ensuring that work is neither too hard nor too easy for pupils and that teachers do not spend too long talking at the start of lessons.  Improve pupils’ spelling and handwriting by:  ensuring that phonics and handwriting are taught systematically across the school  providing more training for staff on how to teach phonics.  Improve leadership and management by:  ensuring that staff have greater involvement in decision making and are listened to more so that there is a shared understanding of what senior leaders are trying to achieve and why  providing further training for governors on their roles so that they can provide the right level of challenge to senior leaders.  Build a stronger partnership between parents and carers and the school by improving communication between home and school. Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because progress is not consistently good across the school. The good start made by children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is not built on well enough in Key Stage 1, where pupils make the slowest progress and there are pockets of underachievement, especially in writing. Pupils often make spelling mistakes and do not form letters correctly because these skills are not taught systematically enough.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress most of the time. When they start school, most children are working at the expected levels for their age. From these broadly typical starting points, attainment rose to above average levels in the last year and a similar picture is already emerging this year. Progress is especially strong in personal, social and emotional development. Children develop good confidence and work sensibly, both in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

groups and independently. They show curiosity and persevere well with their activities.  In Key Stage 2, pupils are now making good progress in most lessons, and attainment rose to above average levels in national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2012. Reading skills improve quickly and pupils become confident mathematicians. By Year 6, pupils write confidently in different subjects, although some still make errors when spelling because there are gaps in their knowledge of letter sounds.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same inconsistent progress as their classmates in lessons. In some lessons, these pupils are over reliant on adult help to complete their work.  Leaders monitor the progress of different groups, including those known to be eligible for pupil premium funding, carefully. Most pupils who are supported through the pupil premium improve their learning because funding is used to augment staffing and to support extra

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

activities as required. Consequently, the gap between their attainment and that of others closes quickly, especially in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because there are occasions when pupils in Key Stage 1 do not learn quickly enough. Work is too hard or too easy for some pupils and the pace of learning is sometimes too slow because teachers spend too long talking at the start of lessons.  Phonics teaching has been improved recently, but groups are still too large and skills are not taught systematically enough. Some adults lack subject knowledge when teaching letter sounds, for example not always saying sounds correctly, and the school has rightly identified that there is a need for further training.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage helps children to improve their skills quickly. They are given sensitive support and work builds well on the children’s own interests. They are able to explore their own ideas, for example when finding out how quickly they can get a car to roll down guttering, and adults support learning well by asking questions and talking to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

children about what they are doing. There is a small outside area, but its layout and the quality of resources mean that it is not used effectively to support learning in all areas of the curriculum.  In Key Stage 2, literacy and numeracy are taught more effectively than in Key Stage 1, although the way in which handwriting and phonics are taught is not consistently good. However, in most lessons in Key Stage 2, pupils are given work that helps them to learn quickly, with the more able ‘stretched’ to fulfil their potential.  On occasions in Key Stage 2, teaching is outstanding. When this happens all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, are challenged to think for themselves, and the teacher supports this well by asking questions that move learning on Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

very quickly. For example, in a very well structured literacy lesson, pupils worked together to devise talks about the value of school uniforms. The teacher made sure that pupils understood what they were trying to learn and organised groups so that all of the class were fully involved.  The quality of marking is good. It is most effective in Years, 4, 5 and 6, where pupils respond especially well to the teachers’ written comments. This good practice, along with the effective use of targets, ensures that pupils are clear about the next step in their learning.  Homework is not used well enough to support learning. Older pupils, in particular, are clear that they would like more, especially projects that they can do at home, so that they are helped to get ready for secondary school.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to learning, especially when working with disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is typically good. They are polite and courteous and play sensibly together at playtimes. Pupils have good attitudes towards learning and are keen to have a go at new work. They make positive comments about school such as ‘We all get on well together’ and ‘We know that we need to work hard to succeed.’  Pupils feel safe and have a good awareness of how to avoid the dangers they may face in later life. Pupils say that there is no bullying in school, and adults are ‘kind when we have a problem’. They talk knowledgably about internet safety and how to avoid cyber bullying, quoting recent teaching that you should ‘Think before you Click’.  Rates of attendance are above average, reflecting pupils’ good enjoyment of school. Pupils work hard in lessons although just occasionally they become overexcited and when this happens noise levels become too high and the pace of learning dips.  The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity and ensures that there is no

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

discrimination. Pupils from different backgrounds play together happily at break times and they support each other very well in lessons.  There is an active school council that gives pupils a good voice in decision making. Pupils keenly take responsibility for jobs around school. They value each other as friends and are very kind to each other.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher is determined to improve the school but his ideas and the reasons for change are not always well understood by other staff. Some feel that they are not listened to or consulted well enough and that consequently they are not able to contribute fully to making the school more effective.  Nevertheless, the hard work of staff means that the school continues to move forward steadily and leaders have demonstrated the capacity to improve. Key issues from the previous inspection have been tackled well and pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is rising, especially in mathematics. Pupils are more independent in lessons and investigative science is now taught well.  The headteacher has a wealth of information about how different groups are learning and uses this carefully to evaluate their progress and to check that the pupil premium is having the desired effect. Activities such as individual support for some numeracy and literacy work

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The leadership and management requires improvement

improve the skills of eligible pupils quickly.  The school does not engage well enough with all parents and carers. While the vast majority are pleased with their children’s progress, behaviour in school and the quality of care, a small minority feel that there are weaknesses in leadership, especially in communication with parents. The headteacher is fully aware that he has not established a good relationship with Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 6 of 9

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The leadership and management requires improvement

all parents and carers. He has made a start to tackling this by trying to be more visible at the start of the school day and by organising more parents’ meetings. However, these improvements are relatively recent and have not yet been effective in helping to build a stronger relationship with all parents and carers.  Since the previous inspection, responsibility for improving teaching has been shared more widely. The school now has a good track record for improving teaching over time and opportunities for professional development are closely matched to the needs of staff. Leaders ensure that only good teaching is rewarded through performance management (the systems used to check and improve the work of teachers and support staff and award pay rises) and teachers are set challenging targets which they say are ‘helpful’.  The local authority has provided extensive support over the last year and this has had a

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The leadership and management requires improvement

particularly good effect on developing the roles of the different members of the leadership team.  The curriculum has improved over the last two years, although provision for the teaching of phonics and handwriting is not yet strong enough. The curriculum is rich and varied and encourages pupils to think for themselves and to take account of the needs of others. This has a good effect on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The governance of the school:  Although many governors are new to their role and are inexperienced in how to provide the right level of challenge to senior leaders, they have a realistic view of how well the school is doing and know that it is not yet good. They acknowledge that they need more training and they have made a start to tackling this by recently establishing links with another governing body so that they can learn from it about how to take a bigger part in monitoring provision

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and analysing data so that they can compare the school’s performance with others. Governors are clear about where teaching is stronger or weaker. Financial planning is thorough. For example, governors ensure that the pupil premium is used to improve the attainment of eligible pupils. They have begun to set challenging targets to improve the work of senior leaders and they ensure that rewards are only given for improved performance. The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 7 of 9

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. Inspection report: Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School, 28–29 November 2012 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 118623 Local authority Kent Inspection number 401770

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 70 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sean Connolly Headteacher Steve McGill Date of previous school inspection 14–15 September 2009 Telephone number 01622 861398 Fax number 01622 863637 Email address headteacher@leeds-broomfield.kent.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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