Setting

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

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Mrs Helen Shepherdson Brough Primary School Springfield Avenue Brough HU15 1AE

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School

Following my visit to your school on 27 June 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in June 2016. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a consultant working with the school to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plans were evaluated and other documents provided by the school were scrutinised. You and I conducted a learning walk during which we made brief visits to lessons. I looked at pupils’ books from early years, Year 2 and Year 6.

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Context

You took up your post following the last inspection in September 2016. At the same time a new chair, and vice-chair, of the governing body were elected. A new assistant headteacher and a temporary leader for early years were appointed internally. In September 2017, a permanent leader for early years will take up post.

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Main findings

You have a clear vision for the future of the school. You have shared your high expectations for the quality of teaching and professional standards with staff. Your determination that pupils’ outcomes should improve is central to the drive for improvement evident in the school. Your detailed and appropriate action plans are supporting this drive. As a result, the quality of leadership and teaching, learning and assessment have improved.

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Main findings

Other senior leaders have flourished as a result of their work with carefully selected external consultants. As a consequence, senior leaders have improving skills in monitoring and evaluating their area of the school. Leaders’ increasing effectiveness is reflected in the evaluative reports they write about the impact of their work. The self-evaluation of senior leaders and governors is accurate. Actions are taken in a timely fashion to address identified areas for improvement.

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Main findings

Governance has improved. The new chair, and vice-chair, of the governing body use their extensive educational experience effectively to support you with your monitoring and evaluation. Following the review of governance, a new committee structure was devised. The committees provide more focused challenge to school leaders. A new governor with financial experience is adding to governors’ capacity to monitor the school budget. Governors have responsibility for a particular key stage in the school. They are very knowledgeable about all aspects of the school, especially the outcomes of groups of pupils at both key stages and in the early years.

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Main findings

As a consequence of thorough and regular monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment, through lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and evaluation of progress information, leaders have established an accurate view of the quality of teaching. Those teachers whose practice needs to improve are supported and challenged both by school leaders and external consultants. As a result, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved.

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Main findings

Our brief visits to lessons and my scrutiny of pupils’ books demonstrate considerable improvement both in pupils’ handwriting and the presentation of their work. Teachers have also raised expectations of what pupils can learn. Teachers are beginning to provide challenging work which deepens pupils’ understanding. However, this increased challenge is not consistent, particularly in subjects other than English and mathematics. It is too soon to see the impact of more demanding work for the most able on pupils’ outcomes. However, the school’s focus on reading has resulted in improvements in progress seen in teachers’ assessments of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils.

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Main findings

The assessment of pupils’ progress has improved. The progress of individuals is carefully tracked and analysed. As a result, extra support can be provided quickly for pupils who are falling behind. The assistant headteacher monitors carefully the progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Assessments of pupils’ progress have been checked with other schools to ensure that they are accurate. Information provided by the school shows that attainment of current Year 2 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics is similar to the cohort of 2016, whose overall attainment was broadly in line with the national average. Progress information for the current Year 6 suggests an improvement in reading, writing and mathematics compared to 2016. The improvement is greatest in reading.

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Main findings

Provision in the early years has improved. Accurate information is gathered about children’s skills and abilities when they enter the school. Detailed recording and tracking of children’s progress help adults to plan learning and identify where children have gaps in their understanding and skills. Children are given effective support to help them make progress. As a result, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development has risen in 2017. Leaders recognise that there is still work to be done to develop children’s independent learning skills.

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External support

You make very effective use of external consultants and support from a national leader of education. Consequently, senior and middle leadership has improved and also the provision in the early years. The local authority has been involved in monitoring the impact of the school’s work in key stage 2.

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External support

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

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