Brockley Primary School

Brockley Primary School Clowne Road, Shuttlewood, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S44 6AF

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have worked diligently to improve the school since the previous inspection. Their actions have created a learning environment in which pupils make good progress.  Leaders know the school’s strengths and their accurate evaluations identify areas for continued improvement. The school improvement plan, however, does not help leaders in sustaining some of the improvements that they make.  Leaders have brought consistency to the quality of teaching, which is now good. Teachers use assessment to plan work that is well matched to pupils’ needs.  Pupils make good progress throughout the school. This leads to standards being at least in line with, and sometimes above, those seen nationally by the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2.  Leaders use the pupil premium funding well to ensure that most disadvantaged pupils make good progress. However, the gaps in attainment between some disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are not closing

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quickly enough.  Leaders provide pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with effective support. These pupils achieve well from their starting points.  The school’s curriculum is designed to engage pupils as learners. Curriculum plans ensure that pupils increase their knowledge, skills and understanding across all subjects.  Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and respectful. Leaders provide a safe environment for pupils to learn in.  Leaders place a high importance on pupils’ personal development and welfare. They promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders have successfully improved some pupils’ attendance. A small group of pupils, however, still do not attend as well as they should. In addition, too many pupils do not turn up to school on time, which hinders their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning.  Children in the early years are cared for well. They make good progress in all areas of learning.  New governors are committed to school improvement. However, they have not yet developed the skills and structures needed to provide effective challenge to school leaders.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the governance of the school by ensuring that: – new governors further develop their skills and establish structures so that they can carry out their roles with more rigour – senior leaders provide governors with clear strategies to sustain school improvement and focused information about the attainment and progress of groups of pupils so that governors can better measure the impact of leaders’ actions on pupils’ progress over time.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers provide opportunities for disadvantaged pupils to make even more progress and consistently attain as well as other pupils nationally.  Improve pupils’ attendance and their attitudes to learning by ensuring that: – all pupils arrive at school on time – the proportions of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND who are persistently absent from school are further reduced.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher is ambitious for all pupils who attend Brockley Primary School. She has set high expectations of what pupils can achieve. The headteacher’s drive and determination are shared by all staff. The relationships between staff and pupils are excellent.  Senior leaders have a comprehensive and accurate view of the school. They know what the school does well and what, as leaders, they need to improve within their areas of responsibility. Improvement planning is effective in setting out actions for improvement. However, leaders are not doing enough to check that the impact of these actions is sustained over time.  All staff in this small community school work in harmony. The leaders for English and mathematics are knowledgeable about their subjects. They have shown a clear ability to improve pupils’ progress and attainment in these subjects.  There is a consistency of approach in teaching across all subjects and throughout the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

school. For example, pupils benefit from teachers’ consistent use of the school’s marking and feedback policy. Senior leaders make regular checks on the quality of teaching. The systems to do this are thorough and focused on improving pupils’ progress. Leaders provide staff with training and support which help them to improve their practice.  Pupils make good progress across the school. Teachers routinely compare assessments in reading, writing and mathematics with other schools to increase their accuracy and reliability. Leaders have introduced a new system to record pupils’ assessments. This is set to improve the quality of information available for teachers and leaders. This new tool, however, is at an early stage of its development. It has yet to provide leaders with some of the useful information that they need to further improve pupils’ progress over time.  Leaders have given great thought to the school’s curriculum. They have clearly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

identified the knowledge, skills and understanding that they want pupils to acquire. Leaders have begun a review as to how the curriculum can deliver subjects in a more progressive way and build on pupils’ previous learning.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social awareness well. ‘The Brockley Way’ underpins this. Leaders have ensured that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They ensure that pupils have a clear understanding of equality and develop respect for the beliefs and opinions of others.  Leaders mainly use the extra funding for disadvantaged pupils wisely. They identify individual disadvantaged pupils’ barriers to learning and provide them with targeted support. This helps most disadvantaged pupils to make good progress in their learning and in developing their social skills. Leaders know, however, that some disadvantaged pupils are still not making enough progress to catch up with other pupils nationally.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The few pupils in school with SEND are well catered for. Individual learning plans and extra resources support these pupils in making good progress. Information that teachers and leaders gather about pupils with SEND is not, however, evaluated or shared with governors as well as it could be. Checks on the impact of this extra funding are, therefore, not thorough enough.  Enrichment activities for pupils to engage in are plentiful. Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to develop other interests and extend their learning experiences. They make valuable use of the physical education and sport funding to provide pupils with access to different sporting activities.  Leaders involve parents and carers successfully in their children’s education. Parents have opportunities to find out how to support their child’s learning. For example, parents can attend classes or workshops to see how different subjects are taught.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

Parents receive valuable information about their children’s progress. Almost all parents expressed their support for the school.  The school has actively sought support from their school improvement partner. This has helped to improve the school and has validated leaders’ judgements of the school’s effectiveness. The local authority has contributed to staff training to improve the quality of teaching, and has supported the school well.

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Governance of the school

 Governors display a sound understanding of the strengths of the school and are also committed to school improvement. They are, however, a newly formed governing body whose members have not yet fully developed their skills. As such, some of their structures and practices do not have enough rigour to further improve the school.  Governors keep informed through the reports that leaders provide and from some visits they make to the school. They use this information to question leaders about their work. Some of the information provided and gathered, however, is not precise enough. Governors are, therefore, not as well informed as they should be and this has an impact on their ability to hold leaders to account for improving pupils’ outcomes.  Governors have a good understanding of their responsibility for safeguarding. They routinely discuss the school’s safeguarding procedures to check that they are suitable

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Governance of the school

for keeping pupils safe. Governors also make some checks on the extra funding the school receives for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Their checks, however, are not as thorough as they could be to ensure that any improvements in pupils’ progress are sustainable.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders place a high importance on keeping pupils safe. All staff know the pupils well and there is a culture of vigilance and care. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Checks to ensure the suitability of staff and volunteers are carried out correctly.  Procedures for keeping pupils safe are implemented robustly and records are detailed and well maintained. Staff are trained effectively and understand the correct procedures to follow, including those associated with radicalisation and extremism. Partnership working with parents and external agencies is effective in making sure that all pupils are effectively supported and are safe.  The curriculum contributes well to raising pupils’ awareness of safe practices, such as how to manage any cyber bullying. Pupils who spoke with the inspector felt safe in school. They said this was because adults were there for them. Parents who responded

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Safeguarding

to Ofsted’s online survey, and those who were spoken with during the inspection, agreed that their children are safe and well cared for.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Good-quality teaching helps pupils make good progress. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They establish productive working environments and good relationships.  Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to plan interesting and fun lessons. The activities they deliver motivate pupils and pupils are keen to take part in their learning. Typically, most pupils work hard and stay focused on their tasks. They take great care and pride in the quality and presentation of their work.  Teachers plan activities carefully to meet different pupils’ learning needs. Pupils complete tasks at different levels of difficulty. Teachers use questioning well to both check pupils’ understanding and make them think harder. The most able pupils are usually presented with challenging work. Very occasionally, they are not moved on to harder work fast enough.  Teaching assistants, typically, make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. They

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

provide effective support when working with individuals or small groups of pupils. At times, however, some disadvantaged pupils do not make as much progress as they could.  The teaching of reading is good. Pupils develop their early reading skills well. They apply their phonics knowledge successfully when reading new texts. Pupils who read to the inspector said that they enjoy reading. They read with the fluency and understanding appropriate to their age. During guided reading sessions, pupils were engaged in a range of different tasks to successfully develop their reading skills.  Pupils quickly develop a neat handwriting style and set their work out tidily. Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to write at length. They also pay close attention to pupils’ correct use of grammar and spelling.  Teaching provides pupils with plenty of opportunities to develop their mathematical fluency. Teachers ensure that pupils apply their skills to solve complex mathematical

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

problems and explain their learning. For instance, in key stage 2, pupils worked conscientiously on applying their calculation skills to solving problems related to perimeter and area. Pupils become proficient in using and applying basic mathematical skills.  Teachers provide well-thought-out topics to promote pupils’ learning across the curriculum. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the subjects they learn. Equal amounts of care and attention are given to learning across a range of subjects. Pupils also benefit from the consistent use of homework to reinforce knowledge and skills or to research new learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school is part of the local community and pupils and families are well known to staff. Pupils thrive in a caring environment where adults value pupils’ individuality. They are confident and work with a growing sense of independence.  Leaders make strong use of The Brockley Way agenda to promote school values. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is effectively developed. They learn to understand differences between themselves and other people. Pupils are respectful towards each other and to adults.  Leaders provide a range of enrichment experiences for pupils so that they broaden their horizons and raise their aspirations. Pupils hold numerous positions of responsibility. For instance, pupils can apply to become anti-stigma ambassadors, digital leaders, reading buddies or members of the student council. Leaders also

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Personal development and welfare

provide many clubs, such as gardening, dance and choir, as part of the school’s extra- curricular offer. Parents appreciate the opportunities leaders provide for their children.  Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, they explained with confidence what they should not do when using the internet. At playtimes, older pupils act as excellent role models for younger children as they serve them snacks and remind them about good manners.  Pupils have a clear awareness of how to keep themselves safe from bullying. They told the inspector that, if bullying should occur, staff deal with it quickly and it stops. Incidents of bullying and racism are rare.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school provides a calm and orderly place for pupils to learn in. Pupils move around the school sensibly. They work and play well together in lessons and at playtimes. Pupils are polite, friendly and welcoming.  Leaders’ efforts to improve pupils’ attendance have been successful. Pupils’ attendance is now similar to that of other pupils nationally. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils has also improved. Too many pupils, however, do not arrive at school on time. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced. However, despite leaders’ actions, a few disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND still do not attend as often as they should.  Pupils’ behaviour has improved since the previous inspection. Pupils know the school’s behaviour policy well and staff apply the policy consistently. The number of fixed-term exclusions has reduced over time. Incidents of poor behaviour are few and they are

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Behaviour

tracked carefully by leaders. A few pupils, however, occasionally do not meet the high behaviour standards leaders, or indeed their peers, expect. Most parents have no concerns about the behaviour of pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress throughout the school. Since the previous inspection, the proportions of pupils who reach the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2 have increased.  Over time, the proportion of pupils achieving the national standard in the Year 1 phonics screening checks has also increased. In 2018, it was above the national average. Pupils currently in the school continue to achieve well in their phonics skills development.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good. Typically, they reach standards similar to those seen nationally. This does fluctuate, however, due to the small number of pupils in each year.  The pupil premium funding is usually used successfully to help disadvantaged pupils make good progress. At times, they catch up to the same standards as other pupils nationally. This is not consistent, however, for all year groups.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Leaders make individual progress checks on the small number of pupils with SEND. They provide appropriate support and help them make good progress.  The most able pupils are routinely challenged. The proportions of pupils reaching higher standards at key stage 1 and a greater depth at key stage 2 have increased since the previous inspection.

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Early years provision Good

 Many children enter Nursery and Reception with skills below those typical for their age. Children make good progress. Many children make enough progress to reach a good level of development. Most children are ready to enter Year 1 and meet the demands of the key stage 1 curriculum.  Leaders set high expectations for children’s achievement in the early years. They have created a calm and focused learning environment in which children can succeed. The indoor learning environment, in Nursery, is fit for purpose. The outdoor learning environment, for both Nursery and Reception, is stimulating and spacious.  During mixed-class sessions indoors, the Reception children do not have enough opportunities to play, explore or be creative. Leaders have made plans to rectify this for the start of the new academic year.  Leaders plan the early years curriculum around the statutory framework and children’s needs and interests. Adults’ engagement with children is effective. They use

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Early years provision Good

conversations and questions well to encourage discussions, expand children’s vocabulary and check on children’s learning. Questioning was used very effectively during an adult-led activity in which children were learning about shapes. Children made particularly strong progress during this session.  Adults use a range of media to record the development of children’s skills. They use assessment carefully to fill any gaps they identify in children’s learning.  Children are confident to explore the well-planned opportunities on offer. They work and play well together, sharing their ideas with each other. Children sustain their concentration when activities capture their imagination. For instance, a small group of children role-played well together in ‘the ice-cream parlour’.  Effective phonics teaching ensures that children become confident in their understanding of different letter sounds. The inspector saw good examples of

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Early years provision Good

children’s writing and use of number skills. Reception children, during the inspection, confidently wrote full sentences, neatly and with spaces.  Children in the early years enjoy their learning and their behaviour is typically good. Arrangements for safeguarding in the early years are effective.  Adults in the early years have established positive relationships with parents. Parents play an important role in their children’s learning. Adults make strong use of other agencies to provide children and their families with any extra support that they may need. Parents spoken with during the inspection were happy with the school’s work.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address info@brockley.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 January 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school is part of the Bolsover Excellence School Trust teaching group.  The school provides a breakfast club for its pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed the work of the school and looked at a broad range of evidence, including the school’s analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, as well as planning and monitoring documentation. She also looked at the work in pupils’ books, records relating to attendance and behaviour and the school’s information on pupils’ current progress and attainment.  The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were scrutinised. The inspector reviewed the school’s website to confirm whether it met the requirements on the publication of specified information.  The i nspector observed pupils’ learning in all classes. Most of this learning was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions took place with staff, members of the governing body and a local authority representative.  The inspector met formally with a group of pupils and talked informally with many other pupils. The 15 pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s survey were taken into account. The

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Information about this inspection

inspector also listened to Year 2 and Year 3 pupils reading, and observed assembly and pupils’ playtime.  The inspector took into account the 24 parent responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including 13 free-text comments. The inspector also considered the 12 staff responses to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Vondra Mays, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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