Broadmead Lower School

Broadmead Lower School Park Crescent, Stewartby, Bedford, MK43 9NN

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Children get a good start in the Reception class. Well-planned activities and good teaching mean they develop skills and achieve well.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are above average. Pupils are working well above the level expected for their age by the time leave in Year 4.  Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do. They make lessons interesting by linking much of the work to exciting topics and themes.  Pupils behave well in and around school. They happily play together and older pupils readily take responsibility for younger ones.  Pupils feel safe in school. They know that the site is secure and that teachers will look after them. They understand how to keep themselves safe outside school, such as on the road and when using the railway crossing.  The school is well led by the headteacher and her

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

senior leaders. The headteacher checks that lessons are taught well and makes sure staff have opportunities to develop their teaching skills.  Senior leaders rigorously check how well pupils are doing. They make sure any pupil in danger of falling behind is quickly helped to keep up. As a result, standards have improved since the previous inspection.  Governors are very supportive of the school. They visit regularly and ask leaders challenging questions to make sure the school continues to improve.  Pupils take the school’s values, such as tolerance, respect and consideration, very seriously. They contribute to particularly strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, teachers spend too long organising equipment in lessons. When this happens, pupils lose focus on their learning and have to wait to start or continue with their work.  While subject leaders check pupils’ progress, they have not developed the skills they need to make judgements about the quality of teaching in their subjects.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning in 10 lessons or parts of lessons, all of which were seen together with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, a group of pupils and three members of the governing body.  Informal discussions were held with parents.  The inspector took account of the 38 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, the school’s own questionnaires and the 17 completed staff questionnaires.  The inspector observed the school’s work and reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on its performance, its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress, records of behaviour and safety, school improvement plans, records relating to classroom observations and the management of staff performance, safeguarding arrangements and records of meetings of the governing body.  The inspector also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on attendance.

p.2

Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage start in a full time Reception class in the September of the year in which they have their fifth birthday.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils (those supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority) is below average at just over 20%.  At 5%, the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well below average.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, to attain even higher standards, by making sure that learning time in lessons is not wasted on administration and organisational tasks.  Strengthen leadership and management by making sure that subject leaders develop the skills they need to make judgements about the quality of teaching so that they can drive improvements in their subjects.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 Under the strong leadership of the headteacher, she and other leaders ensure that pupils achieve well throughout the school. They rigorously track pupils’ progress and make sure that support is given to any who may be in danger of falling behind. As a result, the school is a community whose foundations are good teaching and behaviour.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher regularly checks how lessons are being taught so that the quality of teaching is good throughout the school. The appraisal system introduced last year has supported her in this. Teachers’ movement up the pay scale is dependent on the achievement of pupils in their class. Leaders make sure that teachers have training opportunities to help them refine their skills and meet their challenging targets.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders use data effectively to check pupils’ progress. However, they have not developed the skills to make judgements about the quality of teaching, which would give them an even clearer picture of how to drive improvements in their areas of responsibility.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Strong partnerships with local schools give staff the chance to share expertise. Links with a local academy trust and teaching school provide training opportunities for staff. The school also works with other lower and middle schools to create opportunities for pupils to work with, or compete against, those from other schools.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium funding is used well to fund additional adults to work with disadvantaged pupils. The adults are well trained and make sure that pupils are helped to keep up with their classmates. As a result, any gaps in attainment are narrowing.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The new primary sports funding has supported more pupils in competing in a wider range of activities. During the inspection, Year 4 pupils were to have taken part in a Tag Rugby competition, which was unfortunately postponed due to inclement weather. Other pupils have enjoyed success in the inter-school ‘Tri Golf’ tournament. The funding also pays for sports specialists to work alongside teachers and help them develop their teaching techniques.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The subjects pupils learn are lively and interesting. Pupils talk enthusiastically about visits and other activities linked to the topics they study. For example, a visit to St Albans and dressing up as Romans helped pupils understand more about the ancient Roman way of life. Younger pupils enjoyed a visit to a sea life centre as part of their ‘Deep Down Under’ topic. Older pupils spoke about the recent trip to Ypres and how interesting they found the memorials.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s values are introduced each month in assembly and used by teachers in lessons. Pupils take these very seriously. One pupil commented, ‘When you move on to a different value of the month, you don’t forget the other ones. You should try to remember them all, not just in school but all the time.’ This supports strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and helps prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Pupils learn about other cultures through lessons, visitors to the school and visits to different places of worship. They celebrate festivals, both those of the local community and others from different cultures, such as Diwali and Chinese New Year. The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination to ensure that all pupils, whatever their background or ability, achieve well.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority recognises that the school is successful and needs minimal support. Nevertheless, it has provided useful guidance for leaders in planning future improvements and has checked that the school’s assessments are accurate.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. The governors are very supportive of the school and understand its strengths and how it can improve further. They have high expectations of what the school can achieve and ask leaders challenging questions to check how well the school is doing. Governors also visit regularly to see for themselves.  Governors have recently conducted an audit of the governing body to see how they can improve their own practice. They make sure that individual governors’ skills are used well in supporting and challenging leaders. Governors complete training courses to make sure they are up to date with latest government guidance.  The school’s finances are managed well and governors check that the pupil premium is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. They use school data well to compare the school’s performance with that of others and to make sure that any gaps between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and

p.4

The leadership and management are good

other pupils are narrowing. They know that the primary sports funding is improving pupils’ participation in sports and physical activities.  Governors understand how the quality of teaching is enabling pupils to achieve well. They make sure that the appraisal system rewards only teachers whose pupils make good progress.  Governors ensure that the school meets the national requirements for safeguarding. All adults are checked for suitability to work with children, and governors make sure that the site is safe and secure.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They play well together and co-operate in lessons, readily sharing ideas and equipment. They are polite to adults and respond to the good role models set by adults in the way they speak and respond to each other. For example, during the inspection, pupils were overheard thanking each other for their help and offering advice on each other’s work.

p.5

Behaviour

 Older pupils enthusiastically take on roles of responsibility, such as organising the music and presentations in assemblies. ‘Playground Friends’ proudly wear their yellow hats and check that no-one is lonely at playtime. Pupils told inspectors that it was good to know that someone would play with them if they sat on the purple bench.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils are enthusiastic about their lessons. They are keen to do well. Even if too much time is spent giving out and collecting in equipment, they usually wait patiently for the learning to start.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils feel that behaviour is good. They acknowledge that a few pupils find behaving well difficult, but show a mature sensitivity to their difficulties. Pupils report that they ignore the occasional challenging behaviour, which is dealt with well by adults. This means that pupils’ learning is not disrupted.

p.5

Behaviour

 The school has worked closely with parents to ensure pupils attend regularly and are punctual. Attendance has improved and is currently just above average.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils know that the site gates are locked and say that the teachers keep them safe.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils move around the school calmly and play safely at playtimes. For example, they were very clear about why the climbing apparatus cannot be used in certain weather as the slippery surfaces would be unsafe.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in different situations. They know about railway safety which is important as there are railway crossings at each end of the village. All pupils learn about road safety and older ones learn to ride their bikes safely. They show a good understanding of safe use of the internet.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils understand what bullying is and the different forms it can take, such as physical, name-calling and hurting people’s feelings. They say there is very little bullying in school. Any problems are always dealt with quickly by an adult. All pupils spoken to felt there was someone in school they could go to with a problem and they would be taken seriously.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils rise to these expectations. For example, pupils in Year 1 confidently wrote about exciting houses they would build as part of their topic work. In Year 2, pupils used well-constructed openings to sentences, such as ‘All of a sudden, I felt terrified.’

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make lessons interesting by linking the work they do to the topic being studied. For example, pupils in Year 3 solved mathematical problems about Roman soldiers and used new spelling patterns in sentences about the ancient Roman way of life. In writing, Year 3 and 4 pupils applied for the job of a Roman soldier and wrote letters home explaining what their life as a soldier was like.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Additional adults in the classroom work effectively alongside the teachers. They are well-briefed and trained to support pupils’ learning. Some adults support disadvantaged pupils to help them keep up with their peers. Others sensitively work with disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, either in the classroom or on a one-to-one basis outside. The additional support of all pupils is good and they make good progress, which is carefully recorded and checked by school leaders.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers build successfully on what pupils already know. They check understanding through asking probing questions. Teachers make sure that pupils fully understand what they have learnt by asking them to explain it. For example, pupils are asked ‘How do you know?’ or ‘How did you work that out?’

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Most-able pupils make good progress because lessons build on what they know and quickly move on to new learning. In whole-class activities, teachers make sure that the questions they ask require responses that will make pupils think deeply about their learning, whatever level they are working at.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally, teachers take too long organising equipment. For example, distributing and collecting in resources can take so long that pupils lose focus. This means that the few pupils who find it difficult to behave well have opportunities to be silly. Other pupils have to wait for the teacher to be ready before they can continue learning.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils start in Key Stage 1 with skills broadly typical for their age. They make good progress and by the end of the key stage standards are above average. Despite a slight dip in writing in 2014, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have risen steadily since the previous inspection.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the 2014 national screening check on how well Year 1 pupils understand phonics (the sounds letters represent) were above average. Pupils demonstrated these skills during the inspection, using them to read unfamiliar words. For example, a Year 1 pupil confidently sounded out ‘worn-out furniture’ while a Year 2 pupil worked out ‘restaurant’. All pupils read regularly in school and those who also read regularly at home make particularly good progress.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 There were too few disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 in 2014 to comment on their achievement without risk of identifying them. However, school data show that disadvantaged pupils throughout the school make at least as much progress as other pupils. In many cases they make better progress and this is narrowing any gaps between their attainment and that of other pupils.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their different starting points. Their needs are quickly identified and support provided to help them achieve well. Their progress is regularly checked to make sure that the support is effective. The school has formed good links with other specialists to help them support pupils with specific complex needs.  Most-able pupils achieve well. The school checks that, not only are they attaining high levels, but they are also making rapid progress. In 2014 more pupils attained higher levels in reading and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 than in previous years. Although not quite as many pupils attained high levels in writing in 2014, more pupils currently in Year 2 are working at a level above that expected for their age. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 who attained Level 3 at the end of Year 2 are making good progress and

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

working well above the level expected for their age.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in the early years class. Most start with many skills typical for their age, although this changes from year to year. However, language and mathematics skills are less well developed. Activities are planned to help develop these and children leave with skills more typical for their age.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children learn new skills while working with adults and have opportunities to practise these in their games. They play together well and share toys and equipment. During the inspection they were overheard talking enthusiastically to each other about what they were doing. For example, a group of children in the ‘home corner’ planning a birthday tea, ‘telephoned’ guests to invite them.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 The early years leader rigorously checks children’s progress. She makes sure that activities are planned to develop specific skills of different groups of pupils so that they all achieve well. Other adults follow her good example and ask pupils questions which will develop their skills and understanding well. Staff are well trained and ensure a safe environment both in the classroom and outside.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 All staff are sensitive to the children’s particular needs. They create a calm, purposeful atmosphere for the children to learn in. This means that by the end of their time in the class, children are well prepared for their move to Key Stage 1.

p.7

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 failing

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 109483 Local authority Bedford Inspection number 448375

p.9

School details

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

p.9

School details

Type of school Lower School category Community Age range of pupils 4–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Gaunt Headteacher Kim Hewlett Date of previous school inspection 7 July 2010 Telephone number 01234 768318 Fax number 01234 768800 Email address office@broadmeadlowerschool.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

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

p.10