Brambles Primary Academy

Brambles Primary Academy Kedward Avenue, Middlesbrough, Teeside, TS3 9DB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils achieve exceptionally well academically, personally, physically and creatively because of the exceptionally wide range of opportunities which staff ensure are available to all pupils. Pupils become confident, polite, courteous young people.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have an excellent start to their education. In Key Stages 1 and 2 the teachers build upon this excellent start. Pupils’ progress in all subjects is outstanding. It is exceptionally good in writing.  All groups of pupils make outstanding progress, including those known to be eligible for the additional funding through pupil premium, disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and the most able. This is because each pupil’s progress is frequently reviewed and support is provided if their progress is not better than expected.  Outstanding teaching ensures that pupils learn very quickly. Teachers apply high

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

expectations to all subjects. Teachers’ marking of work in pupils’ writing books is of high quality. The written feedback is not as strong in their mathematics books.  Staff have very high expectations and a consistent approach to managing pupils’ behaviour, resulting in pupils showing high levels of respect to adults and each other. Pupils feel very safe in school. Their attendance is above average. Pupils are eager to learn and are very proud of their academy.  The principal’s inspirational leadership has ensured that the whole academy team works well together to provide the highest quality of education. Senior and middle leaders carry out their roles very effectively. This provides an excellent starting point for reviewing the quality of the academy’s work and planning the next developments. All aspects of the academy are improving rapidly.  The governing body and academy sponsor very effectively challenge all aspects of the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

academy’s work. They also provide high quality support.  The three academies within the trust work very effectively together. Through the trust, the staff have many excellent opportunities to develop professionally.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 15 lessons. In addition, inspectors listened to pupils read and reviewed their written work.  Meetings were held with different groups of people involved with the academy. These included pupils, members of the governing body, the principal, senior and middle leaders, other members of teaching staff and a representative of the academy sponsor.  The 51 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s surveys for parents were examined. The Ofsted questionnaire completed by school staff was also examined. The academy’s website was reviewed.  A range of documents was reviewed, including information on pupils’ achievements, the academy’s data on pupils’ current progress, documents relating to planning for improvement, procedures for checking the quality of teaching, documents relating to safeguarding and records relating to behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Barbara Hudson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Karen Holmes Additional Inspector Steven Goldsmith Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school became part of the Navigate Academies Trust in September 2012 and became known as Brambles Primary Academy. The three academies within the trust work closely together.  This is an average-sized school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is well above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding allocated for pupils who are in the care of the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals.)  The school meets the government’s current minimum floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers’ written feedback of pupils’ mathematical work helps them to move their learning forward.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve exceptionally well. This is because teachers cater exceedingly well for each individual child. They ensure that the vast majority of pupils make outstanding progress from their individual starting points. The academy has a very clear focus on pupils’ personal, physical and creative development through the very interesting curriculum. This contributes to pupils’ happiness and motivation to learn. As a consequence, it also helps their academic achievements.  Most children join the Nursery with skills and abilities that are well below those typically expected for their age. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make an excellent start learning to speak, listen, read, write, understand numbers and cooperate with one another.  In Key Stage 1 pupils continue to make excellent progress from their starting points. The recording systems for pupils’ abilities are so effective that teachers can immediately build upon

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

what the pupils already know. Even though pupils make excellent progress from their starting points, standards in the 2013 Year 2 teacher assessments were significantly below the national average. Academy data and work in pupils’ books indicates that standards this year are very close to average.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 make outstanding progress. They make exceptionally strong progress in writing because of the effective marking and the way in which they are given time to re-draft their work so as to make it even better. This has resulted in standards that are above those nationally. Pupils’ progress in mathematics is strong and standards at the end of Year 6 are above those nationally.  Pupils make outstanding progress in reading. The academy data show that pupils’ standards are above average by the end of Year 4. In Year 5 and 6 they are average. This is because these pupils have not experienced the intensive work that pupils now receive on linking letters to

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

sounds. In the 2013, the reading standards of Year 6 pupils were low, compared with the national figures. This was because of an incident that disrupted the test. The academy data showed that pupils were working at average standards and the data for this academic year show that standards are better than last year.  The most able make excellent progress because they are provided with challenging work. Pupils are expected to apply what they have learnt to subsequent pieces of work across the curriculum.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress. This is because they receive excellent teaching, frequently in small groups or one-to-one, and their work is very well matched to their abilities and needs.  Extra provision, funded by pupil premium, has provided more staff. This enables pupils to be taught in small classes as well as one-to-one and in small groups. As a result, pupils supported

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

by this funding make excellent progress from their starting points. In the 2013 tests, pupils eligible for free school meals attained as well as the other pupils in their class and were over a term ahead of the same group nationally. The academy’s commitment to providing equality of opportunity is outstanding.  Pupils are very proud of what they achieve. One pupil’s comment, ‘the teachers make you work hard and want you to do very well’, is a very valid observation.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding because senior leaders have focused on developing high quality teaching through effective training and evaluation of its impact. Teaching staff are given clear areas for improvement, which they successfully implement.  Lessons are taught at a lively and enthusiastic pace. This was very evident in a Year 4 lesson when pupils were asked to develop a sales pitch for a butter stick (an adaption of the television programme Dragons’ Den). Pupils are very clear about what they are to learn and are motivated to have a go. Pupils also know that if they go wrong, teaching staff will help them get it right in a way that shows their efforts have been valued.  The key feature of the outstanding teaching is the speed at which pupils are moved on to the next stage of learning. This is because teachers are continuously assessing what pupils know and can do. They quickly adapt the pupils’ work to accelerate learning or provide further

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

reinforcement. This was very evident in a Year 3 mathematics lesson about fractions.  Teachers and teaching assistants work exceptionally well together. This ensures that all pupils have the appropriate challenge and support that they need to make excellent progress.  Pupils use their targets very well and the teachers’ marking of pupils’ written work is consistently of high quality. Pupils are given time to respond to the comments and are expected to apply their improvements in their next pieces of work. Teachers’ marking of pupils’ mathematical work is predominantly celebratory, but indicates where mistakes have been made. There is little evidence of them providing comments designed to move pupils’ learning forward.  Teachers are very adept at linking different areas of the curriculum together. An excellent example of this was in a Year 6 lesson where pupils had used the school grounds to make a

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

Brazilian favela and then wrote about their experiences. This work involved pupils using a very wide range of communication, literacy, mathematical and creative skills.  Pupils say that their teachers are ‘brilliant’. Parents feel that their children are taught well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Staff and pupils show enormous respect for each other. This ensures a very welcoming, happy and harmonious place. The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. This is because of the very high standards set by all staff. Those pupils who have some difficulty managing their own behaviour are extremely well supported. Pupils are exceedingly polite and well mannered.  The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say that they feel very safe. They have a very clear understanding of the academy’s system to manage behaviour. They are aware of the different types of bullying and are confident that if it should occur, the staff would quickly resolve the problem. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations because the curriculum covers a wide range of aspects about staying safe, including those relating to the use of computers.  Pupils’ attendance is above average. Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to their academy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very effectively in lessons. Pupils work very cooperatively together and this increases their learning.  Pupils receive very high quality support and care. The thorough procedures to safeguard pupils are very effectively implemented throughout the school. Staff liaise effectively with a wide range of support agencies, so as to be sure that they are providing the very best possible for each individual pupil.  Parents are very positive about pupils’ behaviour, indicating that their children feel particularly safe in school and that they are very well cared for.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The principal provides excellent, inspirational leadership. She has developed an extremely effective whole-school team. Senior leaders and middle leaders have clearly-defined roles and responsibilities. All leaders carry out their duties rigorously and to a very high standard. Their evaluation of how things stand is used exceptionally well to provide an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development across the whole academy.  Exceedingly robust procedures to check the quality of teaching and the accuracy of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ standards and progress have been instrumental in improving pupils’ achievements. Each pupil’s progress is rigorously reviewed every half term. Actions, whether for academic or pastoral support, are very quickly put in place if any individual is not making better than the national expected progress from their starting point.  Systems to manage staff performance are used exceptionally well to support and challenge their

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The leadership and management are outstanding

work. Staff highly value the range of well-targeted training opportunities offered within and beyond the academy.  Academy leaders and governors willingly seek advice when necessary. They value the high quality advice that they receive from the academy sponsor and the local authority. The three academies within the trust work exceptionally well together. Staff have many opportunities to develop and share their skills and expertise across the academies. This academy also works very productively with other schools not in the academies trust.  Pupils are given a very lively, well-planned curriculum which contributes to their eagerness to learn. The academy provides pupils with an extremely wide range of sporting and creative activities and educational visits. These help pupils to develop into mature young people.  The new primary school sport funding is used well to employ a full-time sports coach. This

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The leadership and management are outstanding

provides pupils with many opportunities to take part in a wide range of physical activities in lessons, through clubs and taking part in competitions.  Rigorous financial monitoring and evaluation ensure that the funds the academy receives are used well, including the pupil-premium funding.  The staff have built very strong links with parents. Parents are very appreciative of the education that their children receive.  The governance of the academy: – Governors are very proactive and have the skills and expertise to challenge and support the leaders appropriately. They know the academy exceptionally well. They make a significant contribution to the way in which the academy evaluates itself and sets areas for development. They use information about pupils’ progress exceptionally well when they review staff performance and pay progression. They have a clear understanding of school’s finances, including pupil premium and primary sport funding. The academy’s safeguarding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

arrangements meet the statutory requirements. Governors are very proactive in enabling staff to share their expertise and develop their skills within the other two academies within the trust and also within the local authority.

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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 138559 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 440050

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 293 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Hodges Principal Jane Wilson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01642 210704 Fax number 01642 210495 Email address info@bramblesprimaryacademy.co.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 and 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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