Broadway Junior School

Springwell Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR4 8NW

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ reading is a strength of the school’s work, because of the high priority the school gives to it and the involvement of all adult staff in listening to pupils read.  Members of the auxiliary staff play an important part in helping pupils to read well.  Evidence in books, in classrooms and in the school’s records show that teaching over time has been good.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and improves as they move through the school.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher make a good team with their different specialisms and preferences. One likes keeping a check on systems to track achievement, while the other specialises in pastoral care.  Middle leaders make a good contribution to pupils’ progress and to improving teaching.  The governing body are committed and ambitious and supports the school well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ achievement in writing did not match that in reading and mathematics in 2014.  Pupils make too many spelling errors and do not take enough pride in their handwriting.  When pupils respond to the teachers’ comments after their books are marked they are not given sufficient guidance on how it might be improved further.  Higher-ability pupils are not always given more difficult work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 17 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 10 different teachers. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, talked with them about how much reading they did and looked at their work in class.  Discussions took place with members of the governing body, staff, groups of pupils and two representatives from the local authority.  Documents were examined, including those relating to safeguarding, the school’s improvement plan, and records of the school’s checks on teaching and learning, as well as its own assessment data.  Sixteen parents responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The results of the school’s own questionnaire, which surveyed the views of 117 parents, were also studied.  Twenty-eight members of staff completed questionnaires about their view of the school.

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Inspection team

Frank Cain, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Broadway is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils classed as disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and those that are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is just below average.  Almost all pupils are from White British communities.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress and improve their attainment, particularly in writing, by:  having more emphasis on basic writing skills, so that pupils improve their presentation, spelling and punctuation across all subjects  making sure that work for pupils is sufficiently hard, particularly for higher-ability pupils  ensuring greater consistency in the guidance given to pupils, so that they know how to improve their work and learn from their mistakes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders in the school are very experienced in their roles as managers and support for them, from other staff and parents, is good.  The good management of teachers’ performance has improved the quality of teaching in the school.  The leadership of teaching and learning is good, and lessons are regularly observed by the leaders and also by subject leaders, who also check on the quality of pupils’ work.  The leaders of the key areas of English and mathematics have regular half-termly pupil progress meetings. Information about pupils’ progress is used to plan well-targeted professional development courses for teachers and teaching assistants.  A member of staff has now taken charge of overseeing the provision for the disadvantaged and the most able pupils, and is well informed about the achievement of both groups. The pupil premium funding has been used to provide additional staff and resources. The school’s analysis of data shows secure progress

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The leadership and management are good

for pupils targeted by this spending.  Pupils have opportunities to connect with people from other cultures. Pupils run a healthy tuck shop in school and the profits from it have been sponsoring the education of a girl in Ghana for a number of years.  The curriculum is organised around themes, such as the Victorians, and now includes computer programming. There are opportunities for studying the local history of Sunderland and all pupils have the opportunity to take part in residential visits, to Cumbria, for example. Pupils are taught values of respect and tolerance for others in assemblies as well as in lessons.  A large proportion of pupils access school clubs, which take place at lunchtime and after school. The school has set up its own rock band, with the help of a teacher and a member of the school governing body.  The school recognises the importance of the role of parents in raising the achievement of pupils. Parental

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The leadership and management are good

attendance at parents’ evening is very good. The school’s ‘family learning’ programme is well regarded and parents and their children enjoy the experience of working together.  The school is inclusive and the vast majority of pupils have an equal chance to be successful.  The extra funding provided for primary school sport has been used effectively to introduce new activities, such as dance, and to improve teachers’ skills in teaching gymnastics.  The local authority has provided recent support for the school in reviewing English across the school.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet current requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governors understand the school is improving pupils’ achievement, including that of disadvantaged pupils and those with a disability or special educational needs. Governors are less specific, however, on the actual amounts of progress made by these pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governors are clear about the quality of teaching in the school and understand that teachers’ performance needs to be managed in a way that enables them to reward good teaching. Their management of resources is good and they can pinpoint where recent extra funding for school sports is used to create new opportunities for pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s no-nonsense behaviour policy encourages good behaviour from the time pupils enter the school and, by the time they reach Years 5 and 6, it is excellent. Classrooms are calm and orderly and there is a very positive attitude towards school work.  Pupils are friendly and polite to visitors. They greet them with smiles and open doors for them.  When working together in groups, pupils are keen to help each other.  Pupils look exceptionally neat in their school uniform, the school is litter free and corridor wall displays are well kept. Clearly, pupils are proud of themselves and their school.  The vast majority of pupils, staff and parents think behaviour is good. Some pupils, however, said that behaviour on the playground is not as good as it is in the classrooms.  School records show that there have been no exclusions for at least three years.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say they feel safe and they love coming to school. The school is seen by pupils as a safe place to learn and to make new friends in the zumba class or in the football team.  One comment summed up the views of pupils saying, ‘Teachers, helpers and friends, we all make a safe team.’  Pupils are aware of how to keep safe and have a good knowledge of the dangers of smoking and what they need to do in case of fire.  Pupils say bullying is infrequent and any is dealt with well by the school. Pupils understand bullying can take different forms and they are aware of the dangers presented by new technology (cyber bullying), because the school has responded well to addressing the possible problems it causes.  A small number of pupils do say ‘silly name-calling’ is sometimes a problem outside the classroom.  The school’s systems for keeping the more vulnerable pupils safe are good and thorough records are kept

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Safety

showing the considerable support these pupils are receiving, leading to them making good progress.  Pupils’ attendance overall is broadly average, but the school has significantly reduced the number of pupils absent for prolonged periods.  The school staff work hard to promote good attendance and to challenge any unnecessary absence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils in lessons and pupils are enthusiastic learners. This was confirmed by inspection evidence that included: observations in class; looking at pupils’ work in books from the past two years; and speaking with pupils and parents.  Pupils are keen to take part in lessons, by answering and asking questions, and to demonstrate what they are capable of in front of their classmates.  In mathematics, activities are often practical, and include problem solving and investigation work, such as charting how temperature rises and falls. Many pupils report that they enjoy mathematics. This was clearly apparent during a Year 5 session, for example, when pupils were learning multiplication by singing out the answers. They evidently enjoyed this, while at the same time learning effectively.  While pupils are engaged in some complex work in literacy, their basic written work is not as good as their

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The quality of teaching is good

reading because of errors in spelling, punctuation and untidy handwriting. This is also evident across pupils’ topic work and also in mathematics.  In Year 3 English pupils were studying the poetry of Wilfred Owen, linking their topic work on the First World War to literacy. The reading was very challenging for pupils but it gave them an opportunity to write a diary reflecting a soldier’s life in the trenches.  In a Year 6 English class pupils showed they had a good understanding of literacy terms, which they could use to capture the interest of a reader of their work. Pupils’ books contained many examples of highly imaginative writing One pupil exclaimed, ‘I love adverbs because they set the mood.’ (for a story).  Pupils think teaching is good and say that teachers give good advice to pupils on how to improve their work during lessons.  Pupils value the new ‘green pen’ marking in their books, where they respond to the teachers’ comments.

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The quality of teaching is good

At times, these are not always directed towards improving pupils’ learning. Pupils say, however, that this style of correction gives them more confidence in judging how well they are doing.  Pupils also found the interactive whiteboard effective for learning, for example, by demonstrating how light is reflected from objects.  Teaching assistants perform a vital role in many classes in helping pupils to make good progress. They ask appropriate questions to make pupils think and do not resort to answering the question for them.  Pupils value homework because they say it helps them learn. This positive picture was supported by all parents who responded to both questionnaires.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When pupils enter the school, many are at standards of attainment that are below the national average for their age, but by the time they leave their attainment is close to the national average, apart from in writing in 2014.  Over time, pupils make consistently strong progress in reading and in mathematics. Pupils’ progress in writing is less consistent, and dipped slightly in 2014.  The most able pupils do not always make as much progress as they could. In response to this, the performance of these pupils is now carefully tracked by the school’s information system. Nevertheless, at times, these pupils are not given the extra challenge that they need in order to do as well as they possibly can.  In contrast, extra support for the most able readers is good (the ‘Broadway Bookworms’) and they meet each Friday after school to improve their reading skills.  Because of the well-targeted extra support for disadvantaged pupils the attainment gap between them

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The achievement of pupils is good

and other pupils in the school reduced in 2014. It is on track to reduce even further in the current Year 6 to the equivalent of less than half a term in reading, writing and mathematics. The gap with pupils nationally is also narrowing. In 2014, disadvantaged pupils at the school were about a term behind non- disadvantaged pupils nationally in reading and mathematics, and about two terms behind in writing.  Reading is a strength of the school’s work. Pupils value the extra support they get from adults, including the headteacher and the cleaning staff who listen to them read. The commitment of the school’s auxiliary staff to helping pupils is outstanding and is possibly unique. A few weaker readers lack confidence when reading, but are still willing to try their best.  The pupils’ many activities outside lessons is used as a stimulus for writing exercises and these activities are helping to improve their written work, particularly when writing at length. The school’s ‘big writing

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The achievement of pupils is good

books’ show pupils are making good progress. These books also show some examples of the excellent progress being made by pupils with special educational needs.  Generally, pupils with a disability or special educational needs make good progress from low starting points.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 108757 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 448733

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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 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 245 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair L Wyatt Headteacher Margarita Acklam Date of previous school inspection 8 February 2010 Telephone number 0191 553 5980 Fax number 0191 553 5982 Email address broadway.junior@schools.sunderland.gov.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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