Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School

Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School Legh Road, Salford, Lancashire, M7 4RT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Good 2

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

 In the period of time since the school opened as an academy, pupils’ progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 in reading and writing has declined and the school’s internal data indicates that this decline has continued in 2014.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the school. In some lessons, expectations of what pupils can achieve, in particular the most able, are not high enough and as a result, their progress slows.  There are not enough opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their writing skills across the curriculum.  The quality of marking lacks consistency. There are examples of teachers’ marking that is unhelpful and ineffective in enabling pupils to make progress.  In some lessons, particularly when teaching fails to inspire them, a minority of pupils, usually boys disengage and disturb the learning of others.

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The school has the following strengths

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters and groups of letters make) leads to pupils achieving above average results in the Year 1 phonics screening test in 2013 and their continued high performance in 2014.  Pupils’ progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensuring that they are well prepared for Year 1.  The school’s strategies for keeping pupils safe.  The attainment and progress of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those pupils with special educational needs.  The quality of teaching in mathematics, particularly at Key Stage 2, leading to pupils and in particular girls making better than expected progress in this subject.  The considered and hard-working approach of the headteacher, her determination to improve teachers’ classroom practice and improve outcomes for pupils.  The drive and passion of the governing body to improve the school and their support for senior leaders as they continue to improve the quality

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 part-lessons taught by 17 different teachers. Two of those lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed pupils’ interactions as they moved around the school and during morning break.  Separate meetings were held with members of the senior leadership team including the headteacher and the Principal; the Chair of the Governing Body and one of his colleague governors; the special educational needs coordinator and the teacher responsible for the Early Years’ and Foundation Stage. Inspectors also met with the phase leaders for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; a group of teachers and groups of students of different ages. Inspectors also heard groups of pupils read and the lead inspector spoke with the school’s improvement partner.  Pupils’ work was scrutinised in order to determine its quality and to evaluate the standard of marking. The school’s policies were examined as was the school’s self-evaluation and the school

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Information about this inspection

development plan. Inspectors carried out an analysis of the school’s records of attendance and behaviour. An inspector also scrutinised the central record of the checks made by the school on the suitability of adults to work with children in order to ensure that these checks meet statutory requirements. The school’s records on the quality of teaching and learning were considered by inspectors; as well as the data relating to pupils’ current attainment and progress and the data relating to pupils’ achievement over time.  Inspectors considered the 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and also the 93 responses from parents to Ofsted’s on-line Parent View survey.  The inspection of the school’s religious character was carried out by the Pikuach inspection service at the same time as this inspection.

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Inspection team

Charles Lowry, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Susan Davis Additional Inspector Terry Bond Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School is an above average sized primary school located about two miles to the north-west of Manchester City Centre.  The school became an academy in September 2012.  There is a below average number of girls in the school, however, the ratio of boys to girls in each year group is inconsistent. For example, there are equal numbers of boys and girls in Year 2 and substantially more boys than girls in Year 4.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is extra funding the school receives to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and most speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and who are supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, all pupils were educated on the school site.  There is a separate kindergarten on the school site. However, this provision is subject to separate inspection arrangements and was not visited by inspectors.  Senior leadership of the school is carried out in partnership between the headteacher and school Principal both of whom are relatively recent appointments having taken their posts since the school’s conversion to academy status. The headteacher has responsibility for the secular curriculum and the Principal responsibility for the Kodesh curriculum.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school so that it is at least consistently good by:  ensuring that teachers use all the information available to them on pupils’ capability to plan lessons to meet the needs of all pupils and in particular the most able  planning activities in lessons that enthuse pupils and capture their interests, particularly boys so that they remain engaged and on task  bringing all marking in the school up to the standard of the best so that it makes an effective contribution to pupils’ progress. With teachers pointing out to pupils the strengths in a piece of work, what they need to do to make it even better and then making sure that pupils follow up their teachers’ advice  Improve achievement in reading and writing, particularly by the end of Key Stage 2, by:  giving pupils even more opportunities to write in different styles and for different audiences

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

across the curriculum  continuing to develop pupils’ reading comprehension skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 has been on a downward trend for the last two years and the school’s data for 2014 is showing that this decline has continued in reading and writing; the most marked decline is in writing.  Similarly, at Key Stage 1 pupils’ attainment has declined from being significantly above average in 2012 to broadly in line with it in 2013. Although the school’s data is showing that attainment in reading and writing is improving, conversely pupils’ progress from Year 1 to Year 2, in both subjects has been on a downward trend for the past three years, particularly for the most able pupils.  The school’s data indicate that most pupils’ have made at least expected progress in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014. This is an improvement of over four percentage points from 2013. In addition, the proportion of pupils making more than expected progress in this subject is fourteen percentage points higher than the 2013 national average. This increase is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

due to the improved performance of the girls.  The school’s work to promote equality in achievement between groups continues to develop. In the most recent year for which national data is available, the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, at the end of Key Stage 2, exceeded that of their peers across the country. As a result, these pupils left Year 6 in 2013 one national curriculum level ahead of them in reading, writing and mathematics, bucking the national trend. However, there is still work to be done by the school to ensure that high ability pupils achieve their best, particularly in reading and writing.  As a result of good quality teaching and teachers’ high expectations, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learn well and make good progress. However, the most able children could be provided with greater challenge to further accelerate their progress. Nevertheless, by

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the end of the EYFS the children are well prepared to face the challenges of working at Key Stage 1.  Effective action taken by senior leaders to improve the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters and groups of letter make) has led to improvements in the results of the phonics screening test taken by pupils in Year 1. These have moved from below average in 2012 to above it in 2013 and the school’s data is showing that this improvement is set to continue in 2014.  The groups of pupils from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 heard read by inspectors demonstrated their well-developed phonic skills. They used a number of strategies to read unfamiliar words and could show they understood the text they had been given to read.  Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by the special educational needs coordinator. As a result of close monitoring and appropriately targeted activities, they make

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress at least in line with their peers across the country.  Most parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire, Parent View, feel that their child is making good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching across the school is inconsistent. There are pockets of highly effective practice where pupils make good progress. However, in a number of lessons expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough and as a result they do not make sufficient progress.  Where teaching over time requires improvement teachers’ planning does not take enough account of pupils’ capability. As a result, activities are not closely enough matched to pupils needs, particularly the most able. Consequently, these pupils can sometimes find the work too easy and their learning slows, and, in the case of some boys, leads to their disengagement and restless behaviour, which disturbs the learning of others.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills in areas of the curriculum other than literacy. Pupils’ writing in the sample of topic books scrutinised by inspectors shows

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

few examples of pupils being asked to write in a range of styles. This means that pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their writing skills outside their dedicated literacy lessons and enable their teachers to assess their mastery of them in novel contexts.  Although pupils enjoy reading and are well supported at home to improve their reading skills, inspectors did not find enough examples of activities where pupils and particularly older pupils had been given opportunities to analyse text in depth so further developing their comprehension skills.  The headteacher’s drive to improve the quality of marking is beginning to bear fruit. All books viewed by inspectors having been marked up-to-date by teachers. In the best examples, teachers describe to pupils what they have done well and the next steps they need to make to improve their work even more. The pupils then act on their teachers’ advice, making appropriate

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

corrections and so learn from their mistakes. However, there are examples of marking where improvements suggested by the teacher are not sharp enough and pupils have not followed them up. As a result, opportunities for marking to be effective in accelerating pupils’ progress are missed.  When teachers take into account the range of abilities in the class and provide activities that are challenging, pupils are made to think and work harder and their progress accelerates as a result. Teachers use questioning skilfully to probe pupils’ understanding and guide their learning.  All groups of pupils make the most progress when teachers are sensitive to individual pupil’s needs spotting where pupils are not understanding the work and adjusting their teaching to deal with any misconceptions, enabling pupils to move on.  Inspectors observed some effective examples of pupils’ assessing the quality of each other’s

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

work, both in books and in lessons, with pupils providing pertinent and sensitive feedback to their peers on strengths and areas for development and as a result making a positive contribution to their progress.  The very large majority of parents who responded to Parent View feel that their child is well taught.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In some lessons, boys are slow to settle to the tasks they are set and as a result, transitions between activities take too long, slowing the learning for everyone. This is certainly the case when teaching does not challenge or enthuse them.  Conversely, girls’ behaviour and attitude towards their studies are more positive. They are eager to learn, engage readily with the tasks they are given to do and as a result make good progress.  Pupils engage well with each other at playtimes, with adults providing visible supervision, contributing to pupils’ sense of security.  Pupils are proud of their school. They wear their uniform with pride and play their part in keeping the school grounds tidy and litter free.  The personal, health and social education (PHSE) programme is effectively preparing pupils to manage the responsibilities and challenges of growing up. For example, pupils in Year 6 are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

clear about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and other forms of electronic communication. They are also knowledgeable about some of the different forms that bullying and other intimidating behaviour can take. Those pupils spoken to by inspectors said that bullying sometimes takes place in school but that when such behaviour is brought to the attention of their teachers and the other adults who work with them, it is dealt with promptly.  Senior leaders monitor pupils’ behaviour carefully, enabling them to identify, early, those pupils whose personal conduct and attitude towards others gives cause for concern. They have implemented a number of effective strategies to help these pupils better manage their behaviour. As a result, senior leaders’ use of temporary exclusion from school, as a sanction for poor behaviour, has been reduced.  Pupils value the school’s system of rewards and in particular the incentive of ‘Golden Time’. This

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

demonstrates to the pupils the importance that the school places on consistently good behaviour, hard work and behaving sensibly.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The checks, made on behalf of governors, on the suitability of adults to work with children, meet statutory requirements.  Policies relating to child protection and safeguarding are in place and regularly reviewed. Staff receive regular training in child protection and key members of staff have undertaken training to ensure that recruitment and selection procedures help deter, reject or identify people who are unsuitable to work with children.  The headteacher and her colleagues have taken effective action to improve pupils’ attendance which was below average in 2013. Communication with parents , about the school’s high expectations in relation to attendance, have resulted in whole-school attendance increasing by

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

nearly two percentage points during the current academic year. As a result, the rate of attendance is above the 2013 national averages for all schools and for those schools with a similar number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  Those pupils spoken with by inspectors said that they feel safe. Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View survey agree.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since their appointments, the headteacher and Principal have formed an effective working relationship and are addressing the priorities in the school development plan. They have identified strengths and areas for development in teachers’ classroom practice using a range of evidence including scrutiny of the work in pupils’ books and observations of teaching. As a result, they have provided support for those colleagues whose quality of teaching falls below the school’s expectations. This has resulted in improvements in teaching standards and the eradication of inadequate practice. However, senior leaders are under no illusions that further work needs to be done to ensure that all teaching across the school is at least consistently good and meets the needs of the different groups of pupils, particularly the most able.  The headteacher monitors pupils’ progress regularly. Along with the appropriate phase leader,

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The leadership and management are good

she meets with each class teacher every term. Together they evaluate the data on each pupil’s progress, spot those pupils whose standard of achievement is falling below expectations and identify the additional help these pupils will receive to enable them to get back on track. This extra help includes 1:1 and small group teaching. However, the headteacher is aware that the analysis of pupils’ data lacks precision; it does not take into account the progress pupils and groups of pupils make from their starting points. Accordingly, she has sought the help of a local school to improve this aspect of her own school’s practice. However, it is too early to measure the impact of this partnership.  Senior leaders have carried out a detailed evaluation of how well the school is doing and have used their findings to write the school’s development plan. The latter provides a comprehensive road map for leaders and managers to follow on the school’s journey of improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since her appointment, the headteacher has continued to develop the school’s strategy for managing teachers’ and teaching assistants’ performance. On an annual basis, each member of staff is set targets which relate to their professional practice and training needs. Throughout the year each member of staff then keeps a log of their progress against these targets, which is reviewed, regularly by their line manager. This strategy is enabling the headteacher to hold her colleagues to account for the standard of their work and pupils’ outcomes. However, the headteacher is currently working towards refining this policy so that it unequivocally links staff performance to pay.  In order to support their work to improve the quality of teaching and learning, senior leaders have employed the services of an external consultant. This consultant has been working with teachers to improve the quality of marking and the feedback they give to pupils on the standard

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The leadership and management are good

if their work. Although the standard of marking and feedback in pupils’ books is improving it is not yet of consistently high quality across the school.  Although the school receives only a relatively small amount of additional funding from the pupil premium, leaders and managers have used this funding effectively to improve pupils’ outcomes. Pupil premium funding has allowed the school to increase staffing enabling senior leaders to provide additional help and support for pupils. It has also been used to ensure that all pupils are able to accompany their peers on trips and school visits. As a result, pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals make substantially better progress than their peers across the country.  The extra funding the school receives from the physical education (P.E.) and sport premium for primary schools has enabled senior leaders to enhance P.E. provision at Key Stage 1. This

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The leadership and management are good

includes funding a sports coach to work with staff to develop their expertise in this area of the curriculum. This additional finance has also been used to purchase extra sports equipment and refurbish outdoor provision for sport. This is enabling more pupils to take part in organised games at breaks and lunchtimes, encouraging them to have a healthier lifestyle.  The opportunities afforded to pupils to reflect on their learning and life through daily prayer, their understanding of right and wrong, opportunities for them to work together in groups and the many school trips and activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The governance of the school:  The governing body are passionate about the school and are deeply committed to meeting the needs of the children and the aspirations of their parents. Members of the governing body have a range of experience and expertise which enables them to be effective partners, with

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The leadership and management are good

senior leaders, in determining the school’s long term strategic direction. They are knowledgeable about those areas of the school that require improving and hold senior leaders robustly to account for the progress the school is making against each of the areas in the school development plan. They know how well pupils are achieving and are aware of how the school’s performance compares with all schools nationally at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. They have a clear understanding of how the additional funding the school receives from the pupil and sport premiums is spent and its impact on pupils and their outcomes. They are actively involved in collecting, first-hand, information about the quality of the school’s work including observing lessons and examining the work in pupils books. As a result they have a clear picture of the quality of teaching in the school. They have supported the headteacher’s work to increase the effectiveness of performance management for all staff, in order to

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The leadership and management are good

improve staffs’ impact on pupils’ learning and link performance to teachers’ pay. Governors regularly undertake training to keep themselves abreast of current developments in education. The governing body has ensured that statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils are being met.

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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 138543 Local authority Salford Inspection number 440161

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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 Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 419 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dov Black Headteacher Shelley Caplan Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0161 921 2500 Fax number 0161 921 2510 Email address admin@bjps.net 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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