Broomhill Infant & Nursery School

Broomhill Infant School and Children's Centre Fermaine Avenue, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 4UY

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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 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching continue to improve at Broomhill Infant School. This is because of the excellent leadership of the headteacher, the effective support provided by governors, the good teaching and the exceptional care all staff give pupils.  Leaders are realistic in assessing the school’s strengths and weakness and know what is needed to make it even better. Consequently, the school is well placed to improve further.  Good provision in the Nursery and Reception classes ensures children have a very positive start to their education.  Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is average by the end of Year 2. This represents good progress from their starting points, which are generally below those typically expected for their age.  Pupils enjoy learning because teachers are knowledgeable, manage their classes very effectively and provide varied and interesting tasks.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 A rich curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. This, combined with their good grasp of basic skills, ensures that pupils are well equipped for both the next stage of their education and for their future lives in modern Britain.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and most attend regularly. They behave well and are kept very safe.  Parents express very positive views of the school. They spoke warmly to inspectors of the good care and support pupils receive.  Governors are very knowledgeable. They have a well-informed and accurate view of the school’s performance. Governors work successfully with senior leaders to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Too few pupils reach the higher levels at the end of Year 2.  Work is not always set at the right level of difficulty. As a result, learning sometimes slows, especially for the most able pupils.  Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to improve their skills in investigating and solving problems in mathematics.  Teachers sometimes fail to ensure that pupils’ punctuation, grammar and spelling are accurate and that pupils always present their work neatly.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons and gained other evidence on the quality of teaching by looking at the work in pupils’ books and talking to pupils about their work. The headteacher jointly observed two of these lessons with the inspectors. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, senior and middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed the work of the school, attended assembly and looked at a range of documentation, including: the school’s view of its own performance and development plan; policies and information about pupils’ performance, attendance, behaviour and the quality of teaching; safeguarding information; and the minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors considered the questionnaire returns from 28 members of staff.  Inspectors took account of 41 responses by parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke to

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Inspection team

Carol Warrant, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Broomhill Infant School is similar in size to an average-sized primary school.  Provision for the children in the early years is part-time in the Nursery class and full-time in the two Reception classes. There are two single-age classes in both Year 1 and Year 2.  Most pupils are White British.  A small but increasing proportion of pupils are new to speaking English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported by the pupil premium, is above the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The governors and the headteacher also manage two local children’s centres, one of which is on the school site, neither of which formed part of this inspection.  The school runs a breakfast club in the children’s centre.

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Information about this school

 Leadership and teaching are supported through links with the South East Bristol Educational Trust.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching so that pupils make even faster progress and more pupils reach the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 1 by making sure that:  pupils capable of reaching higher levels are always given appropriately challenging work  pupils consistently use accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation in their written work  pupils are given more opportunities to improve their skills in investigating and solving problems in mathematics  pupils take a greater pride in the presentation of their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The high aspirations and calm but unwavering commitment of the headteacher have helped to create a harmonious atmosphere where good behaviour can flourish, making the school a positive place for learning.  The headteacher, other leaders and governors have ensured that teaching is good and that all groups of pupils make good progress and achieve well.  At the heart of the school’s highly positive nurturing ethos is the commitment that all pupils have an equal opportunity to achieve success. Any form of discrimination is not tolerated.  Staff performance is well-managed and ensures that teaching is good. Pay progression is closely linked to pupils’ progress and achievement. Staff skills are developed effectively, using well-targeted training. This includes that provided for newly qualified teachers and support staff.  Increasingly, middle leaders use their expertise and skills to identify and effectively address any

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The leadership and management are good

shortcomings or gaps in pupils’ learning.  The curriculum is good, with increasing opportunities taken to organise learning in creative and imaginative ways. The range of enrichment activities, including an artist who works with the pupils each week, are a strength of what the school offers. Regular visitors and visits, including a residential visit in Year 2, reinforce the school’s excellent promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  Strong working relationships and links with parents and families and the children’s centre have a highly positive impact. Parents feel that their views and contributions are valued and appreciated. All parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent.  Primary physical education and sport premium funding is used effectively to promote healthy lifestyles.

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The leadership and management are good

The sporting skills of pupils are developing well because the staff’s coaching skills are improving as a result of effective training. Pupils’ participation rates and enjoyment in a wide range of sports are good. Pupils have a good understanding of the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise.  Pupil premium funding is used to good effect to support disadvantaged pupils through well-targeted extra help and support. This enables disadvantaged pupils to make good progress.  Safeguarding and child protection arrangements meet requirements. Procedures are securely established and effective practice is adopted in the day-to-day management, care and protection of pupils.  The local authority has a clear and accurate view of the school’s performance. The school’s improvement partner works successfully with the school, challenging and supporting senior leaders and governors.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors support the school effectively. The range of expertise on the governing body means that it offers rigorous challenge and asks leaders searching questions about the school’s performance. Governors have a good understanding of pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching, take an active part in evaluating them, and contribute well to improvement planning. They hold leaders to account for pupils’ achievement and ensure that pay awards are linked to good teaching and that under- performance is tackled robustly. They make sure that pupil premium funding is used effectively to make a positive difference to eligible pupils and that sports funding is having a positive impact on pupils’ health and well-being. They ensure that staff undergo appropriate employment checks and are suitably trained and that safeguarding practices and procedures are effective and meet national requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They know the expectations staff have of them. They like and understand the rewards they get for good behaviour.  The school manages pupils’ behaviour well and has clear policies in place to promote good behaviour.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They respond well to instructions, are keen to cooperate and are respectful, polite and friendly. This supports their good progress. Only occasionally, when lessons do not engage them, do they become restless and fidgety.  The breakfast club provides a safe and caring environment and a good start to the day for those who attend.  The vast majority of parents who responded to the online Parent View survey agree that behaviour is good and the school keeps their children safe. Staff and governors agree. Inspection evidence confirms these views.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils learn about how to stay safe through, for example, fire drills, e-safety training, playground rules and the safe use of equipment.  Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying. They say that there is no bullying in their school, just some rough play and unkindness at play-times that is dealt with quickly by staff. There have been no recorded incidents of bullying or racism since the previous inspection.  The headteacher provides strong leadership on safeguarding matters. The school takes every step possible to ensure that all pupils, particularly the most vulnerable, are extremely well cared for and protected. Case studies of the care and support for individual pupils provide convincing evidence of the school’s effective safeguarding arrangements.  The robust systems for checking and recording safety matters ensure that all concerns are swiftly dealt

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Safety

with and important points are not missed. All staff are systematically checked prior to their appointment to the school. Staff and governors are highly vigilant in carrying out regular risk assessments and make sure that the school is a very safe place for pupils to be.  Attendance is average and getting better. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection. The school has made determined efforts to improve attendance and has been successful. Pupils are punctual and enjoy coming to school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good and enables pupils to make good progress.  Teachers ensure lessons are well-managed and organized. Pupils are kept on task and disruption to lessons is rare. Relationships are positive and pupils want to please their teachers.  Effective teaching of sounds and letters (phonics) in Reception and Key Stage 1 promotes pupils’ reading and writing skills well. Daily teaching that is well structured and focused on teaching key skills helps pupils to make good progress.  Teachers work hard to encourage pupils’ writing through providing interesting and engaging tasks as well as regular assessments and clear next steps for their learning. This has ensured pupils achieve well. There is good evidence of the variety of writing and pupils’ enjoyment of it in their work books. However, pupils do not always take a pride in the presentation of their work and sometimes not enough attention is given

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The quality of teaching is good

to accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.  Teachers place effective emphasis on developing basic skills in number and calculation. However, pupils are not given opportunities to think mathematically or to solve practical problems often enough. This sometimes limits their ability to use their mathematical knowledge or investigate patterns in number in a range of everyday situations, and this can slow down their progress.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly disadvantaged pupils, those with disabilities and special educational needs and those at an early stage of learning English. Individual pupils make good progress from their starting points because they are given support which meets their needs well.  Planning for lessons mostly sets out the expectations for the learning of pupils of different ability to ensure work is set at the right level for them. However, the most able pupils sometimes waste valuable learning

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The quality of teaching is good

time completing work that is too easy for them. This is because teachers’ expectations are sometimes not high enough and on these occasions, the most able pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Teachers mark work regularly so that pupils are clear about how well they have done and what they need to do to improve. The school marking approach is followed consistently and is well understood by pupils.  Teachers provide appropriate homework which reinforces reading, spelling, mathematics and topic work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Nursery and Reception classes with skills which are generally below those typical for their age. A sizeable proportion enter with skills which are weaker in communication and language and literacy. Pupils make good or better progress from these low starting points during their time in the school. They leave at the end of Year 2 with attainment which has been broadly in line with the national average in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection.  Work in books shows that pupils make good gains in their knowledge and understanding. Their skills develop effectively and they are helped to overcome barriers to learning. This enables them to leave the school well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics dipped in 2014 but this was not a surprise to the school. Pupils in this year group still made good progress, especially when taking into account their particularly

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The achievement of pupils is good

low starting points and the complex additional needs of a high proportion of them.  Current school data and recent end-of-year assessments show that current Year 2 pupils are on track to attain standards similar to those seen nationally in 2014. The proportion of pupils attaining in line with, and above, standards expected for their age has improved considerably from 2014.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are identified early and receive targeted support which effectively meets their needs and helps them to make good progress towards their specific targets.  The school works closely with external agencies to ensure appropriate support for the small number of pupils who start school with little or no English. Pupils receive targeted support to increase their vocabulary. This ensures that their English language skills improve quickly. Consequently, they make good progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are good systems in place to track pupils’ progress. This, combined with comprehensive termly checks, enables the school to identify pupils who are falling behind and ensure they are given the necessary support to help them catch up. This is helping to ensure that the gaps between the performances of different groups are closing and that the school is promoting equality of opportunity.  The school has worked hard to improve the level of challenge for the most able pupils. This has resulted in them making better progress. However, too few reach the higher levels at the end of Year 2.  Pupils in Year 2 who are supported by additional funding attain less well than their classmates and other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. On average, the gaps between them and other pupils at the school and nationally are approximately one term in reading writing and mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress during their time at the school because of the well-targeted

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The achievement of pupils is good

support they receive. Gaps at the end of Year 2 narrow considerably when compared to the gaps on entry to the early years for the same pupils.  Writing has improved because pupils now have regular opportunities to write at length and in their topic work. This has raised standards in writing and ensured pupils make good progress. However, pupils do not always take pride in the presentation of their work and sometimes not enough attention is given to accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation. When this is the case, the standard of writing pupils produce is not as good as it might be.  There are effective systems in place to support good progress in reading. An above average proportion of pupils performed well in the Year 1 phonics (letters and sounds) screening check in 2014. There is a good emphasis on phonics work across the school and this enables pupils to develop their early reading skills well. Older pupils read with expression, taking careful account of punctuation. They are able to retell what

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The achievement of pupils is good

they have read and are proud to be ‘really good readers’. Most pupils regularly read to their parents at home and show a real enjoyment of reading.  Pupils generally achieve well in mathematics, because the school places strong emphasis on developing basic skills in number and calculation. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to think mathematically or to solve practical problems. This sometimes limits their ability to use their mathematical knowledge or investigate patterns in number in a range of everyday situations, and slows down their progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Children start in both the Nursery and Reception classes with skills and abilities below those typical for their age. A sizeable proportion enter school with skills which are weaker in communication and language and literacy. All groups, including disadvantaged children and disabled children and those who have special educational needs, make typical or better progress. An increasing proportion of children achieve a good level of development by the time they leave the early years provision. Most children are well prepared to enter Year 1.  Teaching is good. Staff provide a range of stimulating activities that engage children fully in their learning. For example, children were very excited by their ‘adventure’ as they walked to the off-site Forest School. In preparation, they wrote lists of what they needed to take with them, including a packed lunch for their picnic and wellies in case it was muddy. They clearly understood the need to wear their high visibility

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The early years provision is good

jackets to keep them safe on their journey and when crossing the road.  The outdoor learning areas provide excellent opportunities in all areas of learning. During the inspection, children were observed exploring and experimenting with water and natural materials. They discussed what they were going to do and worked extremely well together for a long period of time. One child very proudly told the inspector: ‘We are working as a team.’ Children’s independence, social skills, language and appreciation of risk are extremely well developed when learning in these highly stimulating outdoor spaces.  Excellent relationships ensure children behave well, enjoy their learning and engage happily in the wide range of activities on offer.  The leadership of the early years is good. The early years leader has a well-informed view of children’s achievement and checks the quality of teaching effectively. She ensures that the curriculum is appropriate,

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The early years provision is good

is planned to build on children’s previous experiences and meets their interests well.  Staff regularly assess how well children are doing and ensure that activities are planned well so that children are challenged in their learning. Staff make good use of learning journals to record children’s progress and provide extension or support where needed.  Children who enter the early years provision with very little English make excellent progress because they are very well supported by staff who are determined that these children catch up with their classmates as quickly as possible.  Safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures are fully in place to ensure the safety of children. Staff also promote safety within the classroom and outside, for example in the safe use of scissors and equipment.  There are very good links with parents, who are well informed about their children’s progress. A range of

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The early years provision is good

induction activities ensure parents are fully involved as partners in their child’s learning right from the start.

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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 108983 Local authority Bristol, City of Inspection number 461948

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 216 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Carew Headteacher Lesley Newman Date of previous school inspection 12–13 July 2011 Telephone number 01173534440 Fax number 01173534277 Email address broomhill.i@bristol-schools.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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