Brigg Primary School

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

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Mrs Sarah Spencer Headteacher Brigg Primary School Atherton Way Ancholme Business Park Brigg North Lincolnshire DN20 8AR

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 17 October 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 2014.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are ambitious for the school and are leading the school with energy and vision. Together with a hard-working leadership team, you have the full support and confidence of staff, governors and pupils. You know your school well and you are determined to provide the best education possible for every pupil.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

You have promoted a calm, warm and inclusive atmosphere in which pupils are happy, ready to learn and behave well. Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning and are proud to belong to the school. Parents and carers share pupils’ positive view of the school. They were keen to tell me how inclusive the school is and how well staff support their children, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Parents are supportive of the school and value the work of you and your team. As one parent commented to me, ‘I can’t praise the school enough; it’s an amazing school.’

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

You lead a dedicated team of staff who are proud to be members of the school community and share your vision to achieve the best for each and every pupil. Staff appreciate the frequent opportunities that you give them to work collaboratively in school and with other settings. As a result of well-planned training, you have improved the quality of teaching and standards have improved.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Leaders have a clear and realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. As a leadership team, you have worked together effectively to make sure that any weak teaching is addressed. You have increased the rigour of your checks to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently strong and that all pupils are making good progress in all areas of school. You ensure that information about pupils’ progress is carefully analysed. You and your staff know every pupil individually and have an in-depth knowledge of their needs. As a result of regular discussions, you know which pupils are at risk of falling behind and what support is needed to help them progress.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Provisional results of the school’s performance at the end of key stage 2 in 2018 indicate that standards in reading and writing are better than in 2017 and 2016. You have rightly identified that the progress of middle-attaining pupils in mathematics needs to improve further.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Governors are committed to the continued success of the school. They regularly visit the school to see the impact of the changes that you and other leaders are making. Governors keep a close eye on pupils’ attendance and are aware that more needs to be done to ensure that attendance is closer to the national average and that the number of pupils who regularly miss school reduces.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

You have successfully addressed the areas identified at the last inspection. For instance, you were asked to improve standards in writing and mathematics by ensuring that teachers provided regular opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in other subject areas. Attractive displays of high-quality writing and mathematics work in a range of subjects are evident around the school. Pupils’ books show that they now regularly write at length in subjects such as history, geography and science. Consequently, standards in writing at the end of key stage 2 are now in line with the national average. The area for improvement relating to mathematics continues to be addressed through the whole-school focus on this subject.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Leaders and governors ensure that pupils’ safety and welfare are high priorities. As designated safeguarding leads, you and your learning mentor make sure that staff training is up to date and that staff understand their responsibilities. You keep thorough records and act swiftly to follow up concerns, including by involving external agencies. Vetting checks on staff, governors and volunteers are carefully recorded.

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Short inspection of Brigg Primary School

Parents who responded to Parent View expressed mixed views about bullying. Pupils told me that ‘there is always someone there to help us’ and that bullying is extremely rare. When they have a worry, they are confident that adults will listen. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. Parents agree that the school keeps their children safe.

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Inspection findings

 At the start of the inspection, we agreed on the key lines of enquiry. The first line of enquiry looked at how effectively leaders are improving progress in reading for pupils by the end of key stage 2. This is because in 2016 and 2017 pupils’ progress was in the bottom 20% of schools nationally and standards have been below average. You have reflected on the school’s approach to how reading is taught and have taken effective action to improve it.  Throughout the school, pupils are enthusiastic about reading, and they read accurately and fluently. You have developed a love of reading effectively, across the school. Pupils appreciate the fiction, non-fiction and classic texts on offer in the school’s well-stocked library. Pupils enthusiastically told me about the school’s motto, ‘Fly away with a book’, and told me about their favourite authors, such as David Walliams and J. K. Rowling.  You have recently changed the way reading comprehension is taught across the

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Inspection findings

school. Whole-class reading sessions take place three times each week. Pupils read challenging texts and use these to answer a range of questions which develop their reading skills well. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to develop their vocabulary well in these lessons. In a Year 6 class we visited, we observed pupils confidently finding synonyms for words such as ‘principally’ and ‘contemplate’ and using these words correctly in discussions with the teacher. ‘High-flying words’ are displayed around school, and pupils are celebrated if they are spotted using these words in their writing. As a result of your work, provisional outcomes in 2018 and inspection evidence indicates that by the end of Year 6 the pupils are now making good progress in reading, from their starting points, and that standards are rising.  My next line of enquiry was to explore how effectively leaders are addressing the

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Inspection findings

progress that middle-attaining pupils make by the end of key stage 2 in mathematics. This is because in Year 6 in 2018 the provisional results indicate that these pupils made weaker progress than other pupils, from their individual starting points. You have rightly identified mathematics as an improvement priority.  Teachers’ subject knowledge in mathematics is good, and they regularly ask pupils challenging questions to extend their learning. Pupils are often given time to talk to each other about their learning in mathematics. In a Year 5 lesson we visited, pupils confidently discussed how to calculate square and cubed numbers.  Pupils’ skills in number and calculations are secure. However, our visits to classrooms and work in pupils’ books showed that teachers do not always give middle-attaining pupils enough opportunities to tackle more challenging problem- solving and reasoning activities soon enough.

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Inspection findings

 I also considered how well leaders ensure that children make a good start to school in Reception Year. This is because the proportion of children achieving a ‘good level of development’ declined in 2018 and fell below last year’s national average.  The changed environment and organisation of the Nursery and Reception classes has increased opportunities for children’s successful development. There are attractive spaces for children to learn through play. Adults skilfully develop children’s communication, language and literacy skills. For example, children playing in the ‘baby clinic’ role-play area were encouraged to ‘use the stethoscope to find the baby’s heartbeat’. During the inspection, I observed children joining in enthusiastically with well-planned activities, indoors and outdoors. As a result, children are making good progress.  My final line of enquiry related to attendance. This is because in 2016 and 2017

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Inspection findings

absence, including persistent absence, was higher than the national average. You expect all pupils to attend regularly. You work closely and effectively with agencies to support pupils and their families. You make good use of well- established procedures to check pupils’ attendance, and act quickly and decisively in the case of any unexplained or unauthorised absence to ensure that pupils are safe. You have introduced a range of initiatives to encourage pupils to come to school. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving and fewer pupils are persistently absent. We agreed, however, that this should remain a key focus for you.

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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

 middle-attaining pupils are given more opportunities to solve challenging and complex problems in mathematics, so they become confident mathematicians, and more pupils achieve national and above-national expectations  the school continues to embed and strengthen its approach to improving attendance so that attendance meets the national average and the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.

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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 Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection I met with you, your deputy headteacher, English and mathematics leaders and a key stage 1 leader. I also spoke to four governors. I talked to two representatives of the local authority. I met with six pupils from Year 6 and spoke informally with other pupils during lessons. I visited classes with you, where I observed teaching and learning, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils. I also heard pupils read.

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Information about the inspection

I took account of 54 free text responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire, 28 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 50 pupil responses. I also met with parents before school. I evaluated a range of school documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, safeguarding records and information about current pupils’ achievement and attendance. I undertook a review of the school’s website.

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