Brampton Primary School

Brampton Primary School School Board Lane, Brampton, Chesterfield, S40 1DD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders, including governors, manage teachers’ performance well. They have successfully improved the quality of teaching and learning since the previous inspection. Both are now good, and the school continues to improve.  Good teaching has resulted in good progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. This includes those in the specially resourced provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs (the Rainbow Room).  Children make good progress in Nursery and Reception and begin to be able to read, write and count. The school prepares pupils well for each next stage of their education.  Behaviour is good; attendance is above average, pupils enjoy school and they want to do well.  Pupils welcome those who are new to the school. They empathise with and readily support those who find learning difficult, for whatever reason.  The promotion of British values is evident in much

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

of the school’s work. Pupils understand the need for rules and they help the school to function in an orderly manner.  Parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the school and what it does to support them and their children. They also say that the school cares for and stretches all of its pupils well.  The provision made for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, especially those who attend the enhanced resource base, is outstanding.  Pupils say they are happy and safe at school, and all of their parents agree. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using internet.  Governors support the school well, but they also use their excellent knowledge of it to challenge it to do even better. They keep the pupils at the heart of everything they do.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While overall progress in writing is good, it is not as good as in reading and mathematics.  Errors recur in spelling, grammar and punctuation because teachers do not routinely expect pupils to correct them.  Pupils do not produce longer pieces of writing often enough so that they can practise writing in different styles or for different purposes.  Parts of the playground are hazardous because of the unevenness caused by tree roots disturbing the tarmac and encroaching into the school building. This considerably reduces the areas available for play, outdoor learning, sport and physical education, thereby limiting provision and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in parts of 21 sessions. The headteacher joined an inspector for two of these observations.  Inspectors sampled sessions where pupils were learning phonics (the sounds that letters make). They analysed the work in pupils’ books, and talked to pupils formally and informally about their work and about school. They also observed pupils’ behaviour at play and lunchtimes, listened to some pupils reading, and talked to pupils about their work.  Inspectors took account of the views of the 31 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also gained the views of parents directly as they brought their children to school. They also considered the 20 responses to the questionnaire for staff.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including the school’s data on current pupils’ progress, its self-evaluation document and the school improvement plan. They evaluated other planning

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Information about this inspection

and monitoring documents, including those relating to teaching, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors held discussions with senior and other leaders, three governors, various members of staff and a representative of the local education authority.  Inspectors also examined the provision made for pupils attending the enhanced resource base (Rainbow Room) and sampled the work of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in class and in small groups around the school.

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Inspection team

Doris Bell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is above average. This funding is for pupils in local authority care and/or those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  In the early years, Nursery-aged children attend part-time and Reception-aged children attend full time.  The school has specially resourced provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The provision, known in school as the ‘Rainbow Room’, is for primary-aged pupils with a diagnosis

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Information about this school

of autism spectrum disorder.  The resourced provision is funded by the local authority but managed by the school. It caters for 14 pupils, all of whom are on the school’s roll, on a full-time basis. The pupils receive specialist teaching in the Rainbow Room when necessary, but most are fully included, with support, in the relevant mainstream classes.  The school also has a breakfast club and it provides regular part-time nurture support for pupils who need it from time to time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress in writing by:  giving pupils more time to write at length in literacy sessions and in different subjects so that they can practise using and improving their writing skills more frequently and, therefore, reach their writing targets faster  extending the range of writing that pupils do so that, in all year groups, they have more opportunities to write in a range of styles to suit different audiences and purposes  ensuring that pupils do their corrections so that they do not make the same mistakes time and time again.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Remove the hazards in the section of the playground that cannot at present be used safely for outdoor learning, play, sport and physical education.

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The leadership and management are good

 Following the example of the headteacher, all school leaders are highly ambitious for the pupils. They create a very calm, caring and purposeful environment that allows pupils of all abilities and backgrounds to thrive and achieve well. They have high expectations of staff and pupils. These expectations are met well. Staff morale is high. Staff are proud to work at the school in which, they say, leaders support them well and ensure that children always come first.

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The leadership and management are good

 The exceptionally strong teamwork among staff and the excellent partnership between home and school are the result of the school’s drive to maximise pupils’ progress. Parents are very proud of the school, its reputation in the community and the help it gives to pupils of all abilities and backgrounds.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is strong. Senior leaders and those who lead different subjects and aspects of the school’s work, such as the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, check the quality of teaching and learning regularly. They support their judgements about teaching with a thorough analysis of the information they collect about pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school brings together all of the information gained from checks on pupils’ progress and uses it to set challenging targets for staff and pupils. It provides staff with secure guidance on ways to improve their teaching. Areas identified for improvement form the basis of well-targeted training for staff that leads to further improvement. Thus, the school is constantly evolving and improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness is accurate and well-founded. It forms the basis for the school improvement plan and, subsequently, the targets set for staff as part of the good management of their performance. The school improvement plan is an effective tool for improvement because it brings together everything the school needs to do to improve further. The plan identifies clear steps against which progress towards priorities can be measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s close working partnership with parents and external agencies is helping to improve attendance. The school follows up all unexplained absences, not least to ensure that pupils are safe from harm.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is extremely vigilant in respect of safeguarding. Procedures meet current requirements and staff are very clear about how to identify pupils at risk of harm, and take the necessary steps to help them. Record keeping is meticulous. The school works closely with the relevant agencies to tackle any issues that arise.

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The leadership and management are good

 Risk assessments are thorough. Electrical testing is up to date and fire drills take place regularly. School leaders and governors are vigilant in ensuring action is taken to minimise risk to pupils and staff at all times. Parts of the playground are unusable and reduce considerably the areas for outdoor learning, play, sport and physical education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school uses pupil premium funding effectively to close gaps in pupils’ learning. For example, it helps to provide one-to-one and small-group tuition for relevant pupils and to fund a breakfast club so that pupils have a good start to their day. The school uses the primary school sports funding well to increase the range of sporting and physical education opportunities available to pupils and to increase staff expertise.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity exceptionally well. It ensures that all pupils, including those from the ‘Rainbow Room’, are fully included in everything it has to offer and can make good progress. The school successfully tackles discrimination of any sort and teaches pupils to understand the importance of respecting others, treating them equally and, as far as possible, including them in everything. All of this is evident in the way pupils accept each other, relate to adults and work happily with and alongside pupils from different backgrounds and abilities.  Good leadership and management of the support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs ensure that most of these pupils make the same good progress as other pupils in the school. Where this does not appear to be the case, there are clear reasons related to the nature of the pupils’ needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the provision for pupils from the ‘Rainbow Room’ is outstanding. It quickly enables the pupils, with support, to make good progress and take a full part in all activities in mainstream classes. The school is implementing the new national Code of Practice for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in a measured way. This is ensuring pupils’ learning is equally well-planned and their progress is not compromised.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good leadership of the provision for children in the early years means that children settle quickly and are ready to learn. The close working partnership with parents also helps children to learn well at home and at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is implementing the new National Curriculum well. It is using staff expertise effectively to develop learning in different subjects in more depth during topic work. Lessons, activities and topics are interesting and engaging, enthusing pupils and spurring them on to find out more at home. The school also ensure that pupils learn about British values and how to become good citizens.

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The leadership and management are good

 A good range of visits, visitors and well-attended activities in and beyond the school day further enriches pupils’ learning. However, the curriculum does not include enough guidance for staff on how to promote writing skills at every possible opportunity in order to raise achievement in writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systems are in place to assess pupils’ progress without using national curriculum levels. The school is refining them to ensure it can measure smaller steps in learning more effectively. The new approach successfully teaches pupils, through feedback from teachers and other pupils, to recognise how to improve their learning. It does not, however, ensure that pupils act on to the guidance given.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides an appropriate level of support for this school. The school uses the support and guidance it receives well. For example, following a review with the local authority, the school has already altered the timetable to include more time for pupils to write at length.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is good. Governors know the school well. They visit the school regularly and get first-hand information by meeting with staff and talking to pupils. They also receive comprehensive reports from the headteacher. They combine all of this information with their good knowledge of data about the progress of different groups of pupils over time and use it effectively to challenge the school to improve further.  Governors play their part in school self-evaluation and in formulating the school improvement plan. They monitor progress towards the priorities in the plan and understand the importance of having clear, measurable steps to success against which they can do this. Governors ensure the school meets all statutory requirements. They manage the headteacher’s performance well. They also have a basic understanding of how school leaders manage teachers’ performance and use the outcomes to

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The leadership and management are good

determine pay awards or tackle underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The systems for promoting good behaviour are used consistently well throughout the school. Pupils respond quickly to instructions, appreciate rules and regulations and know why they are important.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour is often exemplary in lessons. Pupils have a high work ethic. They persevere with their work and use a wide range of strategies to keep it on track. For example, they work alongside and with each other, or use the good range of information available around the classroom, to help them learn.  The support that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive, particularly those from the Rainbow Room, helps these pupils to control and manage their own behaviour well. It ensures that lessons proceed uninterrupted and all pupils can take a full part in everything the school has to offer. The additional support that these pupils receive when it is time to move up a year group or on to high school or special school, eases transition and helps them to deal better with new situations.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy playtimes because they like being with friends. Lunchtimes, too, are happy, social occasions where pupils relate well to each other and to adults. Assemblies promote good behaviour well, with pupils entering and leaving singing. Pupils gain an awareness of issues such as homelessness, poverty, the need for tolerance and respect and the importance of helping others.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have a strong voice in the school, for example, as school or eco councillors, playground buddies. As sports ambassadors they encourage reluctant pupils to become more involved in sport and exercise activities. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the increased range of sporting activities available to them through the primary schools sports funding. The school’s records show that the numbers attending such activities have risen because there is now something for everyone.

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Behaviour

 The breakfast club gives the pupils who attend it a good start to their day. It develops pupils’ social skills well and has a measurable impact on pupils’ behaviour, attendance, punctuality and progress.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour around school and in the playground is mostly good. Nevertheless, a small minority of pupils tend to run or rush through doors and along the narrow corridors, unaware of the effect they might have on others.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Health and safety checks are carried out diligently, and the school site is kept secure at all times. Nevertheless, through no fault of the school, areas of the playground cannot be used. Leaders are actively trying to address these problems.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of the dangers associated with using the internet and social networking sites and how to keep themselves safe when doing so. They also know how to keep others safe. For example, pupils who are trained as anti-bullying ambassadors fulfil their roles well in helping to resolve conflict in the playground.

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Safety

 Pupils report that bullying does occur from time to time. They understand the different forms it can take, including cyber-bullying. The school’s records show that incidents are relatively rare and that they are dealt with quickly and effectively. Parents are always involved, the school always checks that they are satisfied with the outcomes, and parents report that they are.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of their pupils’ learning, work rate and behaviour, and pupils respond well to them. Good subject knowledge enables teachers to plan work that ensures pupils are suitably challenged, whatever their level of ability. Staff readily adapt pupils’ work during lessons in response to how quickly pupils are learning. ‘Cheeky challenges’ always await pupils if they finish planned work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Well-established routines focus pupils’ attention well, encouraging them to work hard and improve their learning. Teachers’ questioning is probing. It checks pupils’ understanding, extends pupils’ thinking and dispels misconceptions with further explanation and guidance.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has a good range of practical and other resources that staff use well to help pupils move their learning on in different ways. For example, a strength in the teaching of mathematics is that pupils are successfully taught several methods of calculation. They are encouraged to use different resources in diverse ways to deepen their understanding of key mathematical concepts such as number.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is good. Lively, engaging sessions ensure pupils enjoy learning about letters and sounds. The impact of this work is that reading and spelling have improved, and the school has turned its attention to bringing about the same improvement in writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Well-briefed, well-trained teaching assistants provide good levels of support for pupils in all parts of a lesson. They are particularly helpful in breaking down learning for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The help they give to pupils from the Rainbow Room ensures that these pupils can be taught alongside pupils of the same age in mainstream classes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers encourage pupils to help improve their own and other pupils’ learning. They use assessment information well to provide additional support, close gaps in learning, or to push the most able pupils further.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils usually receive good guidance through verbal and written feedback. However, teachers do not always ensure that pupils do corrections, or have subsequent work that enables them to show they understand what is expected of them. This sometimes causes errors to persist and, therefore, tends to limit somewhat the effect of potentially good marking and feedback.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many children start Nursery with communication, literacy, numeracy and personal skills below those typical for their age. Although children make good progress in the early years, their attainment is still below average at the start of Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the end of Year 2, pupils reach standards that are in line with the national average. This represents good progress. The results of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 were below average last year, but evidence in school shows that the situation is much improved now and pupils are on track to do much better this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, attainment was average for pupils at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics and represents an overall improving trend. Data also show that the proportions of pupils making and exceeding expected progress compare favourably with those found nationally. The school’s meticulous tracking of the progress of individuals and groups of pupils shows clearly that, pupils, regardless of any additional educational needs they may have, achieve well. Good progress is also evident in the work of pupils currently in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The complex issues that some pupils face affect their learning and overall outcomes. These issues include, for example, long-term absences for medical reasons, often including hospitalisation, or learning difficulties associated with particular behavioural issues. Consequently, judgements that progress is good differ from those that might be reasonably deduced from published data.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading. They use their phonics skills well to read and spell unfamiliar words. Pupils report that they read widely, including at home, and like to use the library so that they can read many books. They are also developing good comprehension skills, not least because staff teach these skills well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils’ handwriting is neat and tidy, and pupils present their work well, including in mathematics. Pupils’ books show good progress in writing, including grammar, punctuation and spelling, and in mathematics. Pupils’ knowledge of how to use more powerful words is extended through, for example, using similes and searching for synonyms to improve the quality of their writing. Pupils work together well to extend their vocabulary. For example, pupils in Year 2 enjoyed learning from each other and including words such as ‘ferocious’ and ‘petrified’ in their writing as they discussed their reactions to a dragon.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are making increasingly good progress in mathematics. Their mental mathematics skills are good and they proudly talk about the tables challenges they complete each week, showing that they can recall their tables faster each time. Pupils improve their understanding of mathematics through tasks that require them to think deeply about what they are learning. For example, as pupils in Year 2 learned to interpret information. They explored what information was explicit and, therefore, easy to find, and what was implicit and, therefore, required them to use information given rather than just repeat it.  Throughout the school, good attention is given to fiction and to narrative writing. However, progress in writing is hindered because, until Years 5 and 6, pupils have few opportunities to write in different styles for different audiences and purposes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Those from the Rainbow Room respond equally well to the challenges presented to them in the work they do in the unit and the work they do with their peers in class. They and other pupils who find learning difficult receive good-quality support that breaks learning down for them so that they can achieve success.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils almost always have harder work to do, although they sometimes have to work quickly through simpler work first. Nevertheless, they get to the ‘cheeky challenges’ sooner and also make good progress. An increasing number are working at higher levels now compared with the past as the school builds on the better progress pupils in different year groups are now making.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who qualify for the pupil premium make good progress by Year 6. The gaps between these pupils and other pupils have narrowed over time and continue to do so for pupils currently in the school. In 2014, their overall attainment was one-and-a-half terms behind other pupils nationally and one term behind other pupils in school. In mathematics, they were approximately one term behind other pupils nationally and in the school. In reading and writing, they were approximately two terms behind other pupils nationally and one term behind other pupils in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Overall, pupils leave the school with a strong work ethic and having reached standards that ensure they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The early years provision is good

 The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2014 was below that found nationally. However, it represents good progress from the children’s starting points in Nursery. Similarly good progress is evident in the work of the children currently in the early years.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well. They are curious and keen to learn, and they enjoy learning to read, write and develop mathematical skills, especially number. They develop a range of phonics skills, which they are encouraged to use to help them read and write.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s well being is of paramount importance and staff pay great attention to their welfare, health and well-being. Staff look after the children particularly well. They keep them very safe and help them to be aware of any dangers they might encounter.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good and staff assess, track and record children’s learning effectively. They know each child well, plan work accordingly and ensure that activities are lively, engaging and help the children to succeed in their learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Good leadership of the early years ensures that activities always have a clear learning purpose and that children can learn and develop indoors and out. The school’s systems to prepare children for starting school are effective. Leaders draw parents into helping their children learn at an early age and establish excellent relationships that continue throughout the school.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s speaking skills remain weak for some time. This is evident in the number of Nursery children that still do not speak in full sentences, and in the limited range of vocabulary that persists into Reception.

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The early years provision is good

 ‘Cheeky challenges’ are also used in this age group to stretch most-able children. However, they are less effective here because children cannot always read them. When children are engaged in activities they have chosen themselves, some of the staff do not interact sufficiently with them to ensure that they respond to the challenges. Staff provide good support for children who find learning difficult.

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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 132225 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 462020

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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 314 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nigel Saul Headteacher Wayne Parkinson Date of previous school inspection 15 May 2013 Telephone number 01246 232817 Fax number 01246 232817 Email address enquiries@brampton.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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