Broseley CofE Primary School

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

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Mr Aiston Headteacher Broseley CE Primary School Dark Lane Broseley Shropshire TF12 5LW

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 28 February 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 May 2014.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary 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 Broseley CE Primary School

Since your appointment as headteacher at Broseley CE Primary School in January 2018, you have wasted no time in raising expectations for standards, behaviour and outcomes. You have already made a notable, positive impact that has been readily accepted and welcomed by pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors. In a short space of time, you have got to know the school very well. You have sharpened plans for improvement and have a clear strategic direction for the school. You are aspirational for the future of the school and your vision is shared by all those involved.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

You have quickly established positive relationships with a new leadership team, and although some are very new to their roles, they understand clearly what is expected of them. You are ably supported by an experienced deputy headteacher who managed the school well in the term prior to your appointment. She, equally, ensured that the school continued to move forward during this interim period.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Governors are well established and are committed to the school. They have a broad range of skills and experience that they use effectively to support and challenge school leaders. They visit school regularly, effectively analyse assessment information, meet with subject leaders and talk to pupils. They recognise that the school is an integral part of the community and is highly regarded by parents. They make themselves available to parents on consultation days and communicate with parents through the ‘parents’ forum’. They have an accurate view of the strengths of the school and know what needs to improve.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Parents have a very positive view of the school. They particularly value the support that pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities receive. Parents appreciate your visible presence and the recent improvements that you have made. All parents who responded to the parent questionnaire said that their children were happy, safe and well looked after. The comment, ‘Teachers have each child’s best interests at heart’, reflects the view of many parents.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy their learning and say that lessons are interesting. They are particularly proud of all the sport in school and the opportunity to take part in the many after-school clubs such as basketball, cross-bar football, dance, drama and media club. They say that they are lucky to have the multi-use games area which they use every day and a newly refurbished library. They are responding well to the new ‘SMART’ code for behaviour and agree that it is making the school an even better place.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Since the last inspection teachers have raised their expectations of pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics. For example, in science, physical education (PE) and computing, a clearer progression of skills is now in place so that teachers build on pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding more effectively. In science, teachers received training to have a better understanding of the different types of enquiry skills and how to develop them over time. Teachers have acted upon this training and enhanced their planning. As a result, pupils say that they learn lots through practical activities in both mathematics and science.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Teachers have the same expectations for spelling in other subjects as they do in English. For example, pupils are expected to use the vocabulary accurately that they are given for different subjects. Pupils are expected to self-check and correct their work. Consequently, pupils’ editing skills have improved. A daily focus on spelling has improved pupils’ accuracy in spelling. However, leaders recognise that spelling, handwriting and presentation are not yet of a consistently high standard in all classes and that they must continue to address these areas.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

All subject leaders now have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and have appropriate action plans in place. They have reviewed expectations for their subjects and have established how they will monitor the effectiveness of their subject areas. Governors are also linked to different subject areas and meet with subject leaders. This is better established in some subjects than others, for example in PE, computing and science. However, you are building on the good practice already in place to further develop leadership across all subjects.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

Leaders have found a variety of ways to develop pupils’ understanding of different faiths and cultures such as introducing multifaith week, inviting leaders of other faiths to school and visiting different places of worship, such as a synagogue and the Gurdwara Temple. Quite rightly, you recognise that there is still work to do and have plans in place to further broaden pupils’ cultural experience and understanding. Safeguarding is effective.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

The culture of safeguarding in school is strong and leaders have ensured that arrangements are fit for purpose. Safeguarding is a weekly agenda item in staff meetings. As a result, safeguarding remains a high priority and leaders can check regularly that staff understand their responsibilities. Staff are well trained and know exactly who to go to and what to do if they have concerns. They are vigilant and raise concerns promptly. Leaders keep records securely and make referrals to external services in a timely manner.

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Short inspection of Broseley CE Primary School

The pastoral support in school is a strength. The learning mentor supports families who need it. Pupils know that she is someone to go to if they do not feel good about themselves. One pupil said, ‘She is the number-one person if you are feeling sad.’ Pupils agree that they are safe in school. They know how to keep themselves safe and follow school procedures well, for example signing themselves in electronically for breakfast club. They are also vigilant and would raise a concern with staff if visitors were not wearing an appropriate badge.

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Inspection findings

 The new leaders in English and mathematics are well supported in their new roles. For example, they have received training on how to carry out effective observations of teaching, how to check pupils’ work and how to give helpful feedback. They are responding well to this support and are beginning to influence the work of others. They have adopted good practice in monitoring and evaluation, for example identifying areas for improvement for teachers, which are then followed up promptly in further visits to lessons. You are developing a culture where teachers have the opportunity to observe each other and to share best practice. As a result, the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics, continues to improve. Clear records of monitoring and evaluation already show how the quality of teaching is developing.  Other subject leaders, for example in science, show that they too are clear about

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Inspection findings

their roles and responsibilities. Evidence in the science subject leader file shows that the leader has checked the teaching cycle, coverage of the curriculum, lesson objectives, progress of pupils and the use of subject-specific vocabulary. The outcomes from this monitoring have been used to inform appropriate training for teachers to develop further subject-specific knowledge, skills and understanding.  Pupils can talk about other faiths and cultures they have learned about in multifaith week. They demonstrate respect for people from other backgrounds or who may be different from them and say, ‘We treat people the same.’ However, you acknowledge that pupils’ cultural experiences could be developed further.  Over time, pupils’ progress has generally been in line with or above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2017, there was a dip in pupils’ progress, especially in mathematics. Leaders can explain the reasons for this dip,

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Inspection findings

and in response have taken swift and effective action to ensure that pupils make the progress they are capable of.  Teachers have high expectations for learning and develop pupils’ use of mathematical language well. They use effective questioning to encourage pupils to think and explain their understanding. Pupils are confident to ask questions and can apply their mathematical understanding. For example, one Year 2 pupil said that the shadow of the rectangular face of a cuboid could be made up of two cubes. Work in books shows that pupils are given a high level of challenge and frequent opportunities to develop fluency, reasoning and problem solving. However, on occasion, some pupils demonstrate that they have not yet developed a secure understanding of basic skills to be able to apply them successfully in problem solving.  Leaders have recently refined plans to support disadvantaged pupils. The plans

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Inspection findings

are detailed and identify specific needs. Although numbers are small, leaders have taken appropriate action to ensure that these pupils are a high priority. Daily targets have been introduced and pupils receive additional teacher time. Interventions are in place to address individual needs, and you ensure that you spend time with disadvantaged pupils on a weekly basis to monitor their learning. Leaders have spent funding appropriately to target areas of need, and some pastoral issues have been addressed swiftly. For example, attendance has improved significantly. However, it is too early to evaluate the impact of the most recent strategies that leaders have implemented.

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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

 the curriculum is further developed so that pupils’ experience and understanding of other cultures and faiths are well embedded  basic skills in mathematics are secure so that pupils develop greater fluency and confidence in the application of their skills  the effectiveness of support and interventions for disadvantaged pupils continues to be monitored closely to support greater rates of progress.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, your deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, and the leader for mathematics. I met with a representative of the local authority, the chair and vice-chair of the governing body and three other governors. I spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day and met with a group of parents. I considered 58 responses to Parent View and 27 free-text responses, 17 responses to the staff survey and 61 responses to the pupil survey.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised a range of school documentation, including the single central record, your school self-evaluation and your school improvement plan. I reviewed records of the monitoring of teaching and learning, a subject coordinator file, your pupil premium strategy, subject action plans, minutes of governing body meetings, the local authority safeguarding review and child protection records.

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Information about the inspection

I visited every classroom with you and looked at pupils’ work in mathematics. I spoke to the school council about the curriculum, their learning and safety and spoke to other pupils informally. I observed pupils’ behaviour at the beginning of the school day, on the playground, in the dining room and in lessons.

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