Brampton Village Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Peter Allen Headteacher Brampton Village Primary School The Green Brampton Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE28 4RF

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 24 January 2017 with Her Majesty’s Inspector Cindy Impey, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the previous inspection in March 2012, where the school was judged to be good.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. You, your leaders, governors and staff exhibit a strong commitment to the school and the community. Together with parents and pupils, you have created an ethos of determination and resilience at the heart of your school. Consequently, pupils continue to experience a good standard of education, are happy, and look forward to coming to school.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

The school has grown, and continues to do so. You, ably supported by your deputy headteacher, have worked quickly and effectively to ensure that all your leaders work together to meet the needs of this expanding school. With the further school expansion of pupil class sizes imminent, the school has taken immediate, and effective, action to ensure that the existing school team has the capacity to meet the needs of the increasing pupil numbers they expect. This is ensuring that the growth of the school will not be detrimental to the good standard of education currently on offer.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

Brambles pre-school has integrated well since it joined your school. Your leader in the early years works closely with the pre-school to ensure that the team have a good understanding of the needs of individual children before they start their full- time education. Older pupils also ‘buddy’ with the younger children. ‘Year 4 friends’ accompanied children in the pre-school on an autumn walk last term. Children regularly visit the main school to sing songs and share learning. This ensures that transition is not too daunting when the time comes for children to move into Reception. Consequently, children settle quickly and happily, and make good progress.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

Providing support and celebrating achievements are crucial aspects of your leadership monitoring, to further develop and improve teaching and learning. Leaders have created a culture of high expectations for staff and pupils. As a result, staff and pupils are keen to be successful, and aspire to do their best.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

You have maintained an ethos of care and commitment throughout the school. Your arrival in September 2015, and the restructuring of the leadership team, has ensured that professional development links very closely to any training needs that you identify in your monitoring. Staff are very positive about the quality of the guidance and support they receive, and the relentless focus that you have on achieving the best outcomes for the pupils.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

Parents are very positive about the school’s work. They believe that the school is well led and say that their children enjoy coming to school; the majority would recommend the school to others. One parent summarised the thoughts of many, saying: ‘I am very happy with the education children are receiving at Brampton. The school has a lovely atmosphere and the staff are very approachable and supportive. The school is a safe and happy environment, and I feel they are making good progress. Communication between parents and teachers is very good. The new headteacher has made a positive impact on the school.’ Another parent said, ‘We are proud to be a part of the school as it continues to get bigger.’

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

The school’s systems, approach and culture for safeguarding pupils are effective. Governors ensure that pupils and staff are safe through their monitoring work and discussions with staff and leaders. Nominated governors for safeguarding ensure that all policies and procedures are in place, and monitor the safeguarding of the school closely.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

The school business manager maintains an effective overview of the school’s single central record. She ensures that there are no gaps in the processes to check the suitability of adults to work with pupils. The detail and methodical approach provide in-depth information, so leaders can be secure that they are making sure pupils are safe.

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Short inspection of Brampton Village Primary School

As an additional support and liaison between the school and families, the inclusion worker provides effective support to pupils. This enhances the secure practice already being carried out by leaders. As a result, families trust the school and feel able to share information that helps the school take good care of children and pupils. Parents feel that their children attend a school that is safe, and pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school. Pupils can describe the different types of bullying and know the difference between bullying and falling out with each other over a lunchtime disagreement. Pupils told inspectors that there are ‘listening boxes’ around the school, where they can post any worries they may have. Pupils feel very sure that any adult will help them and respond to their concerns, should the need arise.

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Inspection findings

 To determine that the school remained good, one of my key lines of enquiry was about leaders and their capacity to improve the school. You involve yourself completely in all aspects of the teaching and learning and have effectively disseminated your passion and vision throughout the leadership team. This has meant that all staff have clear responsibilities and fully accept accountability for pupils’ progress as an integral part of their role.  Leaders have accurately identified how the school needs to improve. For example, leaders have strategically restructured the teaching team following each set of results since the previous inspection, to ensure that they can build on what is successful, and rapidly work on areas requiring improvement. This is already having a positive impact on pupils’ progress, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment continues

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Inspection findings

to develop the quality of provision for pupils. An example of this is the work being undertaken by leaders to refine teachers’ advice and feedback to pupils. Teachers’ guidance to pupils is now specific and concise. Pupils use this well to improve their work and develop their understanding, especially in their writing across the curriculum.  The school is relentlessly working on the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. One of my lines of enquiry was to look at the assessment of writing. Pupils’ current writing in books and the school’s progress information indicate that it is now becoming a strength within the school. Children are given the opportunity to explore writing in many different contexts throughout the curriculum, and in every key stage. For example, in geography, Year 6 pupils wrote an explanation about what a Biome is, and in Year 4, pupils applied their skills to write high-quality reports on the historical events of Pompeii.

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Inspection findings

 Another focus for the inspection was the progress that disadvantaged pupils are making. Unchecked, published information for 2016 suggests that disadvantaged pupils did not make the progress that they were capable of. However, leaders have recognised this, and acted quickly. The school’s meticulous monitoring and assessment information show that disadvantaged pupils are well supported. Teachers are very aware of the needs of the disadvantaged pupils in their class. As a result, teachers’ planning takes into account individual needs in order to support and challenge disadvantaged pupils, so they make good, and better, progress.  Inspection evidence verifies that well-planned teaching and learning supports pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress in lessons from their various starting points. Consequently, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are now making consistently

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Inspection findings

good progress from their various starting points.  The school is in a far more secure position in ensuring that the most vulnerable pupils get the appropriate support to make good progress. However, you acknowledge that the school must have more of a strategic plan to ensure that all pupils, particularly the most able, are making even more rapid progress from their various starting points, to reach the higher standards.  The experienced and knowledgeable governing body ensure that leaders remain tightly focused on the pupils and the community that the school serves. Governors have a secure knowledge and understanding of the school’s priorities. Each governor has several responsibilities, including monitoring a specific aspect of the school’s work. Governors ensure that they cover all areas of teaching and learning, and are therefore well informed about pupil achievement so that they can support and challenge leaders to further improve the school.

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Inspection findings

 The final key line of enquiry was focusing on phonics achievement. Results in the 2016 phonics screening checks show that the numbers of pupils who were expected to meet age-related expectations are just below the national expectation. You have already made changes that have contributed towards strengthening the teaching of phonics. Current pupils are making good progress in phonics. The most able readers read with confidence, fluency and understanding, while the younger children use their phonics knowledge well to help them read unfamiliar words. Pupils are enthusiastic about their reading.  In 2016, unchecked results show that not enough pupils reached the higher attainment level in mathematics, or made the expected progress from their different starting points. You have invested time in teacher training and providing support for less experienced staff. Already the work done by the recently appointed mathematics leader is ensuring that mathematics teaching is

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Inspection findings

improving, and pupils’ progress is quickening as a result. You promote working closely with other schools to develop teaching practice, and have made effective use of support from the local authority. As a result of this work, pupils’ achievement in mathematics is improving.  Children’s ‘learning journeys’ are informative and help staff and parents gain an understanding of a child’s individual needs, and their progress. Evidence of many observations, assessment information, parents’ comments and pupils’ work gives a comprehensive picture of the ‘whole’ child.  Children make good progress in the early years. Current assessment information is showing that children’s good level of development is on track to exceed national expectation at the end of 2017.  You and your team readily take on board advice to further improve the school. You have benefited from the help given by the local authority during the

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Inspection findings

transition in leadership, and the growth and development of the school.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 more pupils make more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly the most able, so that they achieve the higher standards they are capable of  teaching in mathematics continues to develop with a clear focus on helping pupils to deepen conceptual understanding, and increase their confidence.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of governors, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cambridgeshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, the inspection team met with you, the deputy headteacher, the early years leader and the mathematics leader. I also met with ten governors, including the chair and the vice-chair of the governing body. I met with a representative from the local authority who provides support to the school. The inspection team met pupils while visiting classrooms, and listened to pupils read. The team inspector also spoke with one group of pupils about their school experience. The inspection team, the headteacher and deputy headteacher visited all classes, and scrutinised pupils’ workbooks. In addition to this, I assessed the school’s safeguarding arrangements, including the single central register (the school’s record of safeguarding recruitment checks on staff). I evaluated the school’s documentation in relation to pupils’ performance, improvement planning, attendance, governing body meetings and monitoring records. I took account of 73

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Information about the inspection

responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, the 66 responses to the Ofsted free-text service and 34 responses to the staff survey. There was one response from a pupil to Ofsted’s online survey.

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