Broadfield Primary School

Broadfield Primary School Windmill Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 4BX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

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

 Teaching is not yet consistently good in all year groups. Work does not build sufficiently on what pupils already know. Consequently, it is not always set at the right level of difficulty to ensure pupils make good progress year-on-year in reading, writing and mathematics.  Tasks set for the most-able pupils are not always challenging enough to ensure that they achieve the standards of which they are capable. Sometimes, time is wasted on going over the work that pupils already understand.  Pupils’ achievement, although improving, is not consistently good over time, especially in writing in Key Stage 2. Often, this is because pupils have insufficient opportunities to improve their writing skills in different subjects.  Marking does not consistently help pupils to improve their work and pupils do not always have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ guidance.  Subject leaders who are new to their roles are not

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

yet involved in the drive to improve teaching and raise standards.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is improving after a period of instability and poor performance. Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and achievement and are working closely together to move the school forward.  Teaching in early years is good. This is helping the children to make rapid progress from starting points that are below the level typically found when children begin school.  The rate of progress in reading is rapidly improving.  Pupils are kept safe and behave well. Their good attitudes to learning contribute well to the school’s positive ethos.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively and pupils value others’ beliefs and ways of life. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils who have social and emotional difficulties that affect their behaviour are supported effectively to ensure that they work collaboratively with others

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The school has the following strengths

and make accelerated progress from their starting points.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 25 lessons, three of which were seen jointly with the headteacher. They made a number of short visits to lessons and observed small groups of pupils taught by teachers and teaching assistants. The inspectors also listened to pupils in Years 2 and 6 read to them.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of staff, and with the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors took account of 93 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). They talked to parents in the morning when they accompanied their children to school. Inspectors considered 46 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including: the school’s own data on pupils’ current attainment and progress; the school’s evaluation of its performance; school improvement

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Information about this inspection

planning; documentation relating to teachers’ performance over time; and records relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Tusha Chakraborti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average primary school.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, pupils in care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  There have been significant changes in staffing in recent years; the deputy headteacher and several teachers have left since the previous inspection. Twelve out of 15 teachers are relatively new to the school and a new deputy headteacher has joined the school in the current year.

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Information about this school

 The school works closely with other local primary and secondary schools.  Children in the early years are taught full-time in Reception and part-time in the Nursery classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress so that they are at least good in all classes by ensuring:  tasks set in lessons always build on what pupils can already do and are sufficiently demanding for all pupils  all teachers give the most-able pupils more challenging tasks so that they achieve the highest levels of which they are capable and move their learning on quickly in lessons  teachers implement the current marking policy consistently in all classes by providing all pupils with clear guidance on the next steps in their learning, and giving them the opportunity to respond to teachers’ comments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement in writing, especially in Key Stage 2, by:  increasing opportunities for pupils to write in other subjects to extend their writing skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  strengthening the capacity of new subject leaders to check teaching and learning in their areas effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong leadership. Ably supported by other leaders and governors, she has successfully improved teaching and pupils’ progress over the past 18 months. Leaders have established a harmonious and welcoming environment where pupils behave well and grow up as mature learners. The school has an accurate view of its successes and knows where further improvements can be made.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders monitor the quality of teaching effectively and set challenging individual annual performance targets for staff. These are linked to teachers’ professional development. Senior leaders make frequent observations of pupils’ learning and work. As a result, teachers are improving their skills strongly. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The rigorous procedures for monitoring teachers’ performance ensure that all teachers are held responsible for their pupils’ achievement. The robustness of the school’s system ensures that only those teachers who meet the ambitious targets that are set for them move up the salary scale. Others do not.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders, including in the early years, have developed a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They reflect on the quality of the work in their areas and use these insights well to develop their roles further. However, some middle leaders are new to their posts and have not had the chance to develop fully their role in monitoring teaching and pupils’ achievement in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new curriculum is planned effectively and gives pupils good opportunities to enhance their learning and skills through additional activities, events and visits. Music, art and drama play an important part in pupils’ life in school. There are, however, insufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills in other subjects. The school has introduced several initiatives to prepare pupils for life in modern democratic Britain. For example, pupils had a visit from a magistrate and gained an insight into the how the legal system works. A visit from a polar explorer helped them develop their appreciation of the school’s key values, such as the importance of showing resilience and perseverance when trying to achieve an aim in life. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Assemblies and religious studies provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on teachings from the Bible

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The leadership and management are good

and to understand the beliefs of other religions and cultures that are very different to their own.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary school sport premium is used to provide specialist coaches for some competitive sports activities and to train staff so that they, too, develop greater expertise in sports. Pupils enjoy taking part in the increased number of competitions and the wider variety of sports that the school now hosts. Consequently, participation rates in sports clubs and activities are high and pupils gain in health and physical well-being.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that all safeguarding and child protection policies and practices meet current requirements, and that pupils are safe and well cared for.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium funding is used effectively to ensure that the disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as they can as a result of the school’s well-organised intervention programmes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is committed to equal opportunities for all its pupils. It focuses strongly on raising the achievement of all groups and quickly tackles any hint of discrimination. Leaders are aware that, although pupils’ progress has accelerated, further improvement is essential to prepare pupils sufficiently for their next stage in education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided very effective support in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and has provided appropriate training for staff. The impact of its support is reflected in the improvement in teaching now being seen across the school. The leaders have worked closely with the local authority and other local schools to extend the expertise of staff and to share good practice.  The governance of the school:  The governing body carries out its duties effectively. Governors support the headteacher and other leaders well. They rigorously hold the headteacher and staff to account for the standards in the school; they regularly challenge them to show how their work is improving the school further. Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance through their own monitoring visits and reports from the headteacher and the local authority adviser. Governors have recently monitored

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The leadership and management are good

how effectively pupils are prepared to perform under examination conditions because this was highlighted as an area for development in the last monitoring report by Ofsted. They understand data about pupils’ achievement and know how the school’s results compare with other schools nationally. Governors appraise the headteacher’s performance against agreed targets and check that the staff performance is monitored properly. They link increases in teachers’ salaries to the effectiveness of their teaching and ensure that teachers receive financial award only if their pupils reach their achievement targets. Governors know how funding is used, including the pupil premium and sports funding, and make sure that all funding has the impact intended, particularly in raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. They ensure that the procedures for safeguarding pupils are effective and regularly reviewed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are courteous and respectful of each other and adults. They have positive attitudes to learning, listen attentively to teachers and respond immediately to instructions. They say that teachers care for them and help them to learn. Occasionally, when pupils are not sufficiently engaged by the work in class, their concentration lapses slightly.

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Behaviour

 There are good procedures to help adults to manage pupils’ behaviour and pupils consider them fair. These are applied consistently and pupils respond well to them. Pupils are proud of their school and thrive in the school’s inclusive atmosphere where everyone is valued and trusted.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities. Year 6 pupils read to the Reception children and look after them during the playtime. Members of the school council organise fundraising activities for national and international charities. Year 5 pupils recently visited a local bank and took the initiative to learn how the bank operates and how they could use it. Pupils enjoy participating in the mathematics challenge that teachers have arranged with the local secondary school.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved and is now above the national average. This is because the school has worked very hard with external agencies and parents over the past year to raise attendance.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. As a result, pupils say they feel safe in school at all times and the majority of parents who responded to the questionnaire agree.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when using the internet or on the road, and in case of fire. They know what to do if they should encounter such problems. They are concerned about the safety of others and are well aware of how to stay healthy because these issues are often included in lessons.

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Safety

 Pupils say that there is very little bullying in the school. They are confident that if it did occur it would be dealt with quickly and fairly. Pupils show a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including name-calling, racism and cyber-bullying.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it has not yet secured consistently good achievement across the school, largely as a result of the legacy of weak teaching in the past.  Teaching is improving as a result of more rigorous monitoring of teaching by leaders, and by their use of effective performance management and their good support for staff. However, it is not yet consistently good in all year groups and subjects. In writing, for example, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their writing skills effectively in other subjects. In mathematics, pupils are taught calculation and problem solving skills but are not always challenged sufficiently to develop their understanding and skills in these areas as well as they should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always have high expectations of how much progress pupils can make in lessons. Work does not always build sufficiently on pupils’ prior attainment and is not consistently well matched to their learning needs. Teachers do not always demand enough of pupils so that they learn and move on quickly. As a result, pupils do not always achieve as well as they could.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The most-able pupils are sometimes set extension work but these additional tasks do not always stretch them sufficiently to deepen their knowledge and understanding in all subjects. Sometimes, time is wasted on going over the work that pupils already understand.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is regular but the comments teachers write on pupils’ work do not always provide clear guidance to help them to improve. Pupils, therefore, do not always learn from their mistakes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is good pupils learn rapidly. In the better lessons, teachers display good subject knowledge and use effective questioning to check on pupils’ understanding and build on what they already know. There is a positive climate for learning in lessons; relationships are good and behaviour is managed well in most classes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has improved in the current year. In most lessons, the teaching assistants support these pupils effectively through appropriate intervention programmes. This is accelerating their progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of phonics has improved. Teachers use a consistent method so that pupils can build on what they are learning from week to week.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers encourage good reading habits across the school. The attractive library helps pupils to select a range books by different authors for reading sessions in school and at home. Lessons to develop pupils’ comprehension skills are helping to improve standards in reading.

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requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement is not consistently good; progress has been too low in the past, leaving pupils with too much ground to make up. Attainment was significantly below the national average at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014. Leaders and governors have taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the whole school by implementing a rigorous monitoring and support system in all areas. As a result, the attainment of the pupils currently in the school is rising and their progress is improving quickly. However, pupils still have much to do before they reach above average standards by the time they leave the school.

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requires improvement

 The school’s own current assessment records and pupils’ work show that pupils are now making faster progress, particularly in reading and mathematics. Progress in writing is slower because pupils have insufficient opportunities to improve their writing skills in different subjects.

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requires improvement

 The achievement of the most-able pupils is not yet good. The most-able pupils in Year 6 are now making accelerated progress, given their starting points, but this is not consistently the case in other years.

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requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 is now average and increasing numbers of pupils in Key Stage 1 are making expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with specific social and emotional needs, are now making faster progress from their starting points. This is because they now receive good support in all year groups than was previously the case. However, like other groups of pupils in the school, their achievement continues to require improvement.

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requires improvement

 The achievement of disadvantaged pupils, who are eligible for additional government funding, has improved over the past two years. A range of effective interventions have been introduced to help pupils on an individual basis. Consequently, most of these pupils are making better progress in reading, writing and mathematics than previously, narrowing the gap in attainment between themselves and their classmates. In 2014, these pupils were approximately two terms behind their classmates in school in reading, writing and mathematics. Nationally, they were approximately four terms behind in all three subjects.

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is good

 Leadership of the early years is good and provides children with an enjoyable, safe and secure learning environment. Staff work effectively to engage parents with their children’s learning. For example, children’s work in their learning journals is shared with parents, and the school values parents’ contributions regarding their children’s progress.

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is good

 Children’s behaviour is good. They settle quickly into their daily routines and form excellent relationships with adults and each other. They are polite to adults and work well together. Staff have created a caring and positive environment where children feel secure and able to engage in their learning. Children’s health, safety and well-being are always of utmost importance to staff. All the children are kept safe and secure.

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is good

 Teaching is good. Teachers plan a range of stimulating activities that capture children’s imagination and engage their interests. Children are encouraged to become confident in pursuing indoor and outdoor activities that match their own interests as well as those directed by adults. Adults keep a close check on how children are doing and use this information to plan the next steps of their learning.

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is good

 Children start in Reception with skills that are below those typical for their age in all areas, particularly in their language and communication. They make good progress during their stay in the Nursery and Reception. Regular teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) supports children well in rapidly developing their reading and writing skills. For example, when asked to describe a picture, several suggested, ‘the snake is slithering’. Many show a great deal of interest in writing and are able to write short sentences recounting stories they read. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development by the end of Reception is above the national average. They are well prepared for their entry into Key Stage 1.

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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 135339 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 453785

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 429 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Hughes Headteacher Christine Hall Date of previous school inspection 26 September 2013 Telephone number 01442 426300 Fax number 01442 426302 Email address admin@broadfieldprimary.herts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory 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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