Brook Primary School

Brook Primary School George Street, Wordsley, Stourbridge, DY8 5YN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a good school

 Brook Primary willingly takes in pupils from across Dudley, many of whom have failed elsewhere, and prepares them well for their futures. As a result, it makes a real difference to pupils' lives.  Pupils in the behavioural, social and emotional needs unit make good progress in overcoming their particular difficulties because of effective support and the high- quality training provided for staff.  Pupils' achieve well across the school. Attainment in the Year 1 reading check in phonics (sounds and the letters they make) was above average in 2012.  Teaching is almost always good, enabling pupils who have been in the school since their Reception Year to make at least good progress from very low starting points. As a result, their attainment is broadly average by Year 6.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make rapid progress because teachers provide exciting activities.  Pupils are polite and helpful. They behave well

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This is a good school

and are safe and secure at school.  Efficient planning by the governing body means money is spent well for the benefit of all groups of pupils, providing additional staff to support those who are known to be eligible for additional funding.  The school is effectively led by an experienced headteacher. Leaders place a strong focus on improving the performance of staff through rigorous monitoring and training to improve teaching.  Leaders, managers and the governing body have brought about improvements in achievement, particularly in reading skills and, also, in attendance since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Despite mostly good teaching, not enough is outstanding. Teachers sometimes unnecessarily talk for too long and give pupils little opportunity to practise their own speaking skills.  Pupils across the school, particularly the more able, are not always challenged to work quickly enough, especially in writing.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons, most of them jointly with the senior leaders. In addition, the inspectors made a few short visits to observe pupils’ learning and listened to some pupils read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and managers, staff, members of the governing body, the schools' educational psychologist, a local authority representative and a group of parents and some pupils.  The inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own information about pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documents, safeguarding information and pupils’ work.  Inspectors took account of the 25 responses to the online survey (Parent View) and also to the 44 responses to the inspection questionnaire from staff.

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Inspection team

Denise Morris, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alwyne Jolly Additional Inspector Mary Maybank Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school which has grown rapidly in the past few years. It caters for children from the local area and a few who come from further afield who have failed in their local schools due to their challenging behaviour, social and emotional needs, or their learning difficulties.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of educational need is well-above average.  Since the previous inspection, the school has established specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. There are eight pupils in the unit between the ages of 5 to 11 who have behavioural, social and emotional needs, and who come from across Dudley.  Almost all pupils are White British and no pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for those known to be

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Information about this school

eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority and those from service families) is above average. A few pupils are in the care of the local authority and some have free school meals.  The school has provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Pre-School for up to 80 pupils and up to 60 in the Reception classes.  The school provides childcare for pupils before and after school, along with a breakfast club and a wide range of after-school activities. All of this provision is managed by the school’s governing body.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching across the school so that a greater proportion is outstanding by:  increasing the pace and challenge of learning in lessons so that pupils, especially the more able, do more work in the time allowed, particularly in their writing tasks  making sure that teachers place a greater emphasis on pupils’ speaking and give pupils more time and opportunities to practise this skill for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils make good progress and achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Entry data and inspection evidence show that a high proportion of pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage at a much lower level than in most other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The attainment of those who join the school later is often considerably behind that of those who are present for the Reception Year. These pupils often have personal difficulties that prevent them from attaining as well as the majority. However, all make good progress because teaching is almost always good across the school. Pupils' progress is enhanced by their good reading skills particularly in Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The vast majority of pupils, including those in the main school who are disabled or who have special educational needs, achieve well. Achievement has improved, particularly in reading, in the past three years. Any pupils who fall behind are given additional support to help them quickly catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in the behavioural unit make good progress immediately they start at the school. Their very challenging difficulties are supported by individual teaching and high-quality care so that they gradually learn to get on with others and improve their behaviour. Though their attainment is still below average by Year 6, they make good progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Staff place a high focus on improving and developing reading skills across the school. Rigorous and regular teaching of phonics ensures that younger pupils’ reading skills improve rapidly. Older pupils continue this good progress, many reading fluently and with enjoyment. By Year 6, many have a wide taste in literature and can talk knowledgeably about their choices.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good achievement is evident in the Early Years Foundation Stage classes, where orderly atmosphere and a wide range of resources engage children well in playing and learning. Staff make very good use of symbols to ensure understanding of language so that children are able to develop and reinforce new vocabulary.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Just occasionally, a few pupils do not achieve as well as they could because tasks are not challenging enough and expectations of what they could achieve are too low. This is particularly evident in writing, where some pupils do not complete enough work in the time allowed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ personal development is promoted well by staff. Pupils now have many opportunities to take responsibility and make choices and decisions about their learning. They do not always have opportunities to practise their speaking skills, however, and some lack the confidence to talk aloud in class. This was evident in one of the older classes where pupils were writing an advertisement for a radio broadcast. The lack of emphasis on oral rehearsal and practice meant that pupils found it difficult to report back to the class.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those known to be eligible for the pupil premium now make as good progress as others because leaders have used the extra funding to increase the number of additional staffing to support them. Although the attainment of these pupils in English and mathematics is below that of others, the support they receive is helping to reduce the gap between their attainment and that of other pupils in the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Positive relationships and effective help for individual pupils across the school mean that lessons are calm and pupils understand what is expected of them. Those who join the school late are helped to settle in well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is almost always good but too little is outstanding. Teaching usually extends pupils' skills through high expectations of what they can achieve and challenges them to do well, building on previous learning. This was particularly evident in a Year 5 mathematics lesson where the teacher challenged pupils to apply their knowledge of division to solve problems. Good questioning encouraged the pupils to work together to use different methods well so that they achieved the task.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Year 1 phonics, pupils worked very well with a partner to learn new vowel sounds. The teacher reinforced rules and helped pupils to understand by putting unknown words in context and, as a result, pupils made good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Questioning is a key feature of the most successful teaching in helping pupils to think carefully and search for knowledge. For example, in a successful lesson in the behavioural unit, the teacher used questions well to find out whether a pupil really understood his reading. She asked, 'What does “capture” mean?'– pointing to a section of print. He thought for a moment, looked carefully and said, '....like grab something and put it in a cage' – showing that he had really understood the context of his reading and benefited from the good one-to-one teaching. Teaching in the behavioural unit is consistently good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although teaching is almost always good, not enough is outstanding because expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough and even the best teachers do not regularly challenge pupils to do more. This is particularly evident in writing tasks, when teachers sometimes accept too little work and do not challenge pupils about their grammar or spellings. A good cursive style of writing has been introduced so that presentation is improving.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking of pupils’ work has improved and ensures that pupils know their targets and know how to improve their work. Teaching assistants play a valuable role in supporting learning and checking outcomes. Occasionally, teachers talk for too long at the beginning of lessons and do not provide enough opportunities for pupils, themselves, to contribute to discussions and gain confidence in speaking aloud.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils' have positive attitudes to school and to learning. Their behaviour is at least good and often excellent. No evidence of learning being disrupted by challenging behaviour was evident.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils from the behavioural unit are regularly integrated into the mainstream classes where they work well and get on with their peers. This is because of the very high quality of support that they receive and the robust behavioural-management systems which support pupils to cooperate with their peers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils in the behavioural unit are there because of their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, which have resulted in them being at risk of exclusion from their previous schools. Records show that once at the unit their behaviour improves and their attendance rises.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say there is no bullying at the school and that they feel safe. They know how to keep themselves safe and understand about cyber-bullying. They say they have not experienced this at the school. Their parents agree that behaviour is good. There were few records of bullying observed during the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In discussion, pupils say they enjoy school very much. They like their teachers and really value the different trips that are planned each year. They excitedly talked to the inspectors about a trip to the theatre to see Matilda.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance across the school has improved and most pupils now attend regularly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Older pupils act as monitors at playtimes to help others and ensure everyone has someone to play with. Year 6 pupils take on responsibilities and understand the need to care for others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development is promoted well through assemblies, visits and the wide range of curriculum topics. A strong link with a school in Uganda has been maintained for several years and enables pupils to have a good awareness of the wider world.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, effectively supported by staff and the governing body, has successfully built on previous good performance to further improve attendance and reading in the past three years.

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The leadership and management are good

 Effective use of the national standards for teaching shows a strong commitment to improving teachers’ skills so that they can progress and seek promotion. Training is specific to school priorities. For example, a high level of behaviour-management training has succeeded in improving behaviour of a few pupils and the attendance of all.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well supported by the local authority, which recognises the improvement the school is making to the lives of pupils, including those in the well-led behavioural unit and to other improvements across the school. The local authority regularly supports leaders in the management of behaviour and in monitoring the performance of staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership responsibilities are effectively spread and staff are all personally involved in evaluating the quality of their work and the impact it has on pupils’ progress and achievement. Regular monitoring of lessons has resulted in leaders being fully aware that not enough teaching is outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum has been strengthened and improved so that it now gives pupils of different abilities and learning needs the range of learning opportunities expected. Additional experiences have been added to enrich and enliven pupils' lives.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school manages the successful breakfast club and the 'before-and-after' school clubs well. These clubs support the wide range of social and learning needs of the pupils and promote their enjoyment. Leaders promote very positive relationships with local schools and support agencies.

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The leadership and management are good

 Relationships with parents are very good, as shown by pupils' rising attendance and the positive response to the online questionnaire. During the inspection, many parents were eager to tell inspectors about their children's positive experiences at the school. One parent commented, 'The children are always courteous as you walk through the school, holding doors open for you.'  Leaders make sure that all pupils have equal opportunities, as demonstrated by the high proportion of pupils who benefit from individual support and additional experiences.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Risk assessments are routinely made and behaviour patterns are regularly analysed. Effective training in the management of behaviour for all staff has resulted in a calm and supportive environment in which all groups of pupils are equally valued.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body provides effective direction to the school, promoting an atmosphere in which pupils thrive. Members of the governing body are fully involved in checking the strengths and areas for improvement through regular updates from leaders and through visits to the school. They know about the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils. They have a clear awareness of their role in managing the performance of staff and they make sure that there are sufficient funds to provide the training needed to improve teaching further. They manage the school’s finances well and make sure that money allocated for pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is focused on increased support for the benefit of those pupils ensuring their progress improves. Governors make sure that good teachers and staff are rewarded through the school’s management structure for staff performance and there are

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The leadership and management are good

effective examples of where teachers have been rewarded for their performance and that any underperformance is improved through additional training and support.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 103778 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 412152

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 356 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Barnard Headteacher Lynn Cartwright Date of previous school inspection 14 December 2009 Telephone number 01384 818835 Fax number 01384 818836 Email address lcartwright@brook.dudley.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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