Brompton Community Primary School

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

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Mrs Jane Byrne Headteacher Brompton Community Primary School Station Road Brompton Northallerton North Yorkshire DL6 2RE

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 30 January 2018, 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 December 2012.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in certain areas. This may indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

You have successfully created a culture in which pupils and staff have high expectations of what they can achieve. Staff and pupils alike are very proud to be part of the school. Pupils are welcoming and friendly and take great delight in talking to visitors about their school. You are continually improving the high quality of education in the school; for example, improving the quality of mathematics teaching led to well above average outcomes for key stage 2 pupils in 2017 and strong progress for current pupils.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

Pupils enjoy learning and excellent relationships exist between staff and pupils. Teachers ask probing questions, which challenge pupils to think, and pupils use their skills to rise to the challenge. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and they ably use quality resources to learn independently. Routines are well established and pupils enjoy opportunities to talk to their partners or group to check their learning. Teachers check pupils’ learning frequently, which enables them to address swiftly any misconceptions so that pupils stay on track. Pupils enjoy receiving praise for their work and are proud to wear ‘merit badges’ to demonstrate their achievements to others.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

Leaders have effectively tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. Teachers embed literacy and numeracy firmly across the curriculum, ensuring that pupils have many opportunities to practise their skills and improve their progress. Tracking systems are in place, which allow teachers to assess pupils regularly. Leaders and teachers moderate pupils’ work internally and externally, ensuring the highest possible standards and accuracy of assessment. Teachers use time in lessons very well to ensure that pupils make excellent progress. Pupils embrace opportunities to learn and work hard to achieve.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

During the inspection, we agreed that you could improve the quality of your whole- school development plan so that it is more precise and sharply focused so that you are able to evaluate the impact of your actions more effectively. In addition, while there are many strengths in the wider curriculum, we agreed that there could be greater opportunity for pupils to develop subject-specific skills alongside literacy and numeracy skills.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff receive regular safeguarding training to ensure that they are aware of the signs to look out for should a child be vulnerable. Safeguarding leads have appropriate training and ensure that they act swiftly to any concerns that staff raise. Appropriate checks are carried out on all adults working at the school.

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Short inspection of Brompton Community Primary School

You have created an open culture in your school and pupils feel safe. They are confident that you and your staff will support them if they have a problem. Pupils say there is very little bullying because pupils get on well together and enjoy working together. This is a reflection of your efforts to ensure that pupils thrive in school.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders are passionate about constantly improving standards in the school. Pupils, over time, make strong progress in writing and mathematics. Pupils’ progress in reading has not been as strong historically. However, current pupils make strong progress in reading because leaders ensure a consistent whole- school approach and make sure that a variety of strategies meet the needs of all learners.  Pupils read widely and often, both in and out of school. Through the cross- curricular approach to reading, there is a constant focus on fluency and comprehension. Pupils are able to apply their phonics skills effectively to read and understand challenging texts. Pupils, over time, achieve above the national average in the national phonics screening check.  Leaders’ spending of additional funding for pupils who are disadvantaged is leading to better outcomes for these pupils. For example, in 2017, disadvantaged

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Inspection findings

pupils in key stage 2 made better progress in reading, writing and mathematics than other pupils nationally. Interventions by classroom teachers and teaching assistants, as well as support for social, emotional and mental health, are helping pupils to achieve highly.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and pupils take opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities, which complement the curriculum. Core skills in literacy and mathematics are firmly embedded. Over time, pupils’ attainment in science had not been as strong as in literacy and mathematics. Leaders recognised this and a new enquiry-based approach is now in place in science. Skills are developing and progress is improving, but it is too soon to see the full impact of this new approach.  Leaders of the early years provision are ensuring that there are many high- quality and stimulating activities for children to develop their skills in literacy and

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Inspection findings

numeracy, areas that have been weaker over time for disadvantaged pupils. With encouragement and challenge from teachers and teaching assistants, children use numbers, and write and read. They are keen and eager to join in, in all activities, both indoors and outdoors. Pupils make excellent progress from their starting points.

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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

 whole-school development plans are precise and sharply focused, so that leaders can evaluate the impact of their actions effectively  pupils have greater opportunity to develop subject-specific skills in the wider curriculum.

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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 North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this one-day inspection, I met with you and your deputy headteacher. I also met with middle leaders and the vice-chair of governors. I visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning jointly with you. I spoke to pupils during their lessons and at lunchtime. I reviewed pupils’ work in a range of subjects in a sample of their workbooks. I reviewed information detailing pupils’ progress and attainment, the school self-evaluation document, the school development plan and your arrangements for checking on the performance of teachers. Documents relating to your work to safeguard pupils, including safeguarding incidents, were also checked. I reviewed the information and policies on the school’s website. I considered the 39 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) and 22 free-text responses. There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire or pupil questionnaire.

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