Broadmayne First School and Nursery

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

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Melanie Austin Headteacher Broadmayne First School Knighton Lane Broadmayne Dorchester Dorset DT2 8PH

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

Following my visit to the school on 2 February 2017, 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 school was judged to be good in May 2012.

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

This is a popular school which has grown in numbers since the previous inspection. You have developed a good reputation within your learning community as a caring school that is particularly experienced in providing for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. You have established an efficient system to identify the learning needs of pupils new to the school. A parent who spoke with me confirmed that when her child arrived at the school midway through the term, teachers lost little time in getting to know her child’s needs. As a result, her child settled quickly to learning and the whole family felt very welcome at the school.

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

You and your staff are rising well to the challenge of providing for the full range of pupils’ learning needs. You have wisely increased staffing levels in year groups where pupils’ learning needs are particularly complex. This year, your most able pupils are making good progress and most are on track to achieve the higher levels expected of them. The regular and detailed checks you and your middle leaders carry out indicate that most pupils in key stage 2, including groups, such as the disadvantaged, are making consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2016, your national assessment data for Year 2 pupils reflected disappointingly lower than expected outcomes in these subjects. However, you wasted no time in adapting the curriculum for these pupils in Year 3 to ensure that any gaps in their learning are revisited.

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

Pupils are safe in the school. A strong culture of safeguarding has been built around a secure knowledge of pupils’ individual needs and any vulnerabilities they may demonstrate. Staff know the needs of pupils and their families well. They are vigilant in spotting any evidence that a child may not be thriving. You possess a very good knowledge of the pupils in your care whose circumstances make them particularly vulnerable. The checks that are made on the staff’s backgrounds and their suitability to work with children comply with legal requirements. Records show that staff and governors are well informed, appropriately trained and regularly updated on changes in safeguarding legislation. The school takes appropriate action where necessary and works closely with external partners in order to help pupils to thrive as well as keep them safe. Parents who spoke with the inspector agreed their children were safe and well cared for while at school. A typical comment written by

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Short inspection of Broadmayne First School

a parent was, ‘A friendly and caring school. My children have always felt very welcome and part of the Broadmayne Family.’ Another wrote, ‘The school provides an environment in which my children cannot only be themselves and be happy, but also develop a love of learning and be well prepared for their future education beyond Year 4.’

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Inspection findings

 One of my key lines of enquiry in helping me to decide whether the school remained good was to find out how well the school had addressed the areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection. To this end, I looked for evidence that pupils’ handwriting and presentation skills were improving, at how well teachers were making clear to pupils what they needed to learn in a lesson, and whether pupils had opportunities in different subjects to write for a range of audiences.  Together we reviewed pupils’ written work in their books and on display around the school. We found plenty of evidence that pupils are learning to write for a range of audiences and that handwriting is taught systematically throughout the school. Younger pupils in particular have daily opportunities to practise their letter formation and handwriting skills. Pupils told me they enjoy writing. One pupil, when asked what she liked about school, said, ‘Our teachers make lessons

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Inspection findings

fun. For example, we have been writing a diary today as if we were Anglo Saxons.’  This is an inclusive school. A positive behaviour policy, based on trust and mutual respect, is fully embedded within the school. Staff effectively manage the few pupils who sometimes exhibit inappropriate behaviour. Behaviour records confirm that the school works closely with these pupils and their families to help them thrive in school. One pupil who spoke with the inspector summed up the views of many: ‘Teachers are really nice when someone gets angry. They respect us and we respect them. If you do good things, you might get a dojo point!’  The most able pupils are well provided for. Staff have been trained to ask questions that will challenge pupils to think and solve problems. This strategy is working well, as more of the most able pupils are working at the higher levels they are capable of reaching. Currently, there are greater than average numbers

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Inspection findings

of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities on roll. Most are in the key stage 2 classes. Their progress is carefully monitored, as it is for other groups, such as the most able and the disadvantaged. You have also used assessment information wisely to place staff where they are most needed. For example, you have increased the number of staff working this year with Year 3 pupils. Teachers now ensure that pupils clearly understand what they need to learn in lessons.  Teaching assistants are highly valued and are kept up to date through regular training. They are confident and adapt learning appropriately in response to pupils’ needs. They work closely with teachers to provide effective support for individual pupils and groups. You draw on expertise from your local partnership of schools to provide staff with special pastoral support as well as subject knowledge training. Staff who spoke with me confirmed the regular training they

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Inspection findings

receive is enabling them to be more confident in providing for the learning needs of all pupils. Recently, a review of special educational needs provision showed that interventions were well targeted and effective. As a result, fewer pupils currently need to receive this kind of additional support.  You provide your senior and middle leaders with sufficient time to fulfil their subject responsibilities. They are adept at tracking and measuring the progress pupils make in their subject or area of special interest. You acknowledge that the accuracy of assessment information has improved in recent years because leaders have worked closely with colleagues from within the local partnership of schools to assess the quality and standard of pupils’ work. As a result, you are confident the information you receive on pupils’ learning and progress is reliable.  A further line of enquiry looked at how well governors are provided with

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Inspection findings

sufficient, accurate and evaluative information regarding the work of the school. Although good verbal communications exist between teachers, senior leaders and governors, middle leaders do not provide governors with sufficiently evaluative written accounts of their work. Also, reports to governors lack thorough evaluation of the impact of school improvement work. As a result, governors are not fully able to drive improvement and hold the school rigorously to account.  My final line of enquiry was about attendance. The most recent published information suggested that overall absence is higher than the national average, especially for some disadvantaged pupils and boys. You have put in place a rigorous system to monitor all pupils’ attendance. You also work closely within your partnership schools to address poor attendance and, where necessary, with pupils’ families as well. This is proving to be successful as pupils’ overall

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Inspection findings

attendance is now broadly in line with the national average.

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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

 self-evaluation reports contain clear evaluations of school improvement work  governors demonstrate greater effectiveness in holding the school to account.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met regularly with you as part of a professional dialogue throughout the day. Together we undertook observations of learning in lessons. I examined pupils’ work, focusing on writing and presentation. I also met with members of the governing body, including the chair. I met with subject leaders, talked to pupils and other staff informally during the day. Before the inspection, I examined a variety of documents, including the school’s website, published performance data and a summary of its self-evaluation. I spoke with parents at the start of the day and also took into account the online survey, Parent View.

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