Brook Community Primary School

Inspection of Brook Community Primary School Spelders Hill, Brook, Ashford, Kent TN25 5PB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 1–2 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Brook Community Primary School are happy and feel safe. Pupils report that bullying is very rare. They trust adults to help them if they have a worry and say that any problems they have get sorted out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally behave well. They move around school calmly because there are clear routines and staff expect them to behave well. Sometimes, pupils lose interest in the tasks their teachers set because they do not build on what pupils already know.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils have many opportunities to learn outside the classroom. Pupils really enjoy their visits to the woods. They take part in activities like making fires and building shelters. Pupils told us that they can do these things because they follow the rules and that means that adults trust them. This helps pupils develop their independence and confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the Reception Year make a strong start to life in school. However, in other years, the curriculum is not planned carefully enough so that, over time, pupils do not learn the knowledge they need. This is particularly true in reading. Leaders have only just started the work to make sure that the curriculum is planned carefully so that what pupils learn builds over time.

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better?

Pupils do not develop detailed knowledge and skills over time because the curriculum is not sequenced well enough. Leaders have begun work on improving things. However, this is at an early stage. Teachers use different approaches to curriculum planning in different classes. A high number of staff changes since the last inspection have added to the lack of a consistent approach. Leaders and governors have tried hard to tackle recruitment difficulties and staffing is now more stable.

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better?

Leaders have begun to identify the most important subject knowledge that pupils should learn in each subject. Teachers are beginning to use this to check what pupils remember. There are some signs of improvement, for example in mathematics, where leaders have made sure that training has improved the skills and understanding of teachers. A new approach is being used in all classrooms. Pupils’ knowledge builds over time because learning is planned carefully so it adds to what they know. Teachers tackle pupils’ misconceptions well. However, these gains are not seen in all subjects, and teachers do not always know enough about what pupils should be learning, or check that they have learned it, so as to plan the next steps.

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better?

Pupils’ reading initially improved as a result of the changes leaders made to the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent), and the proportion of pupils passing the phonics screening check in 2018 increased significantly. However, this has not been sustained. Teachers’ skills in teaching reading are hampered by a 1–2 October 2019

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lack of training. As a result, they are not clear on the best ways to teach young pupils to read. Pupils who fall behind in their reading receive support to catch up but this does not always happen quickly enough. Leaders have improved the school library. Pupils enjoy choosing from the wide range of books on offer. Teachers reward pupils for reading regularly. This motivates pupils to read more often. Pupils can talk about their favourite books and remember stories that their teachers have read to them.

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Leaders and staff want all pupils in the school to achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Plans to support them include clear guidance to teachers on the best ways to help them learn. However, leaders do not review the impact of these plans sharply enough.

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Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities that allow them to take on extra responsibilities. For example, house captains develop their leadership skills by leading assemblies on relevant themes, such as anti-bullying week. Pupils develop a clear understanding of the importance of tolerance and respect and say that everyone is treated equally and fairly. They behave well for the majority of the time and are keen to learn. Where the curriculum is not planned carefully enough, they sometimes struggle to stay on task.

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Children in the Reception Year are looked after well. The curriculum is planned around their interests and staff are skilful in adapting what is taught to make it fun and memorable for children. Children behave well. They play and learn together happily in the classroom and newly refurbished outside area. Staff share information about the children’s learning effectively with their parents and carers.

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Staff are proud to work at Brook Community Primary School. They aspire to make the school as good as it can be. They enjoy working together as a team and appreciate the guidance and support that leaders and governors give them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that pupils are kept safe. Staff receive effective training and accurately report any concerns that arise. Leaders keep careful records of any concerns and the actions that they take to support pupils and their families. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and can explain what they would do if they were concerned about themselves or someone else. 1–2 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils’ early reading skills are not as strong as they need to be. Leaders need to ensure that training equips teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to improve pupils’ reading.  Changes to curriculum leadership and a lack of consistent planning have resulted in teachers not being able to identify what pupils have previously learned. Leaders need to ensure that the design of the curriculum results in pupils’ knowledge and skills building over time across all subject areas.  Training needs to equip staff with the subject knowledge and skills to deliver learning more effectively across a carefully planned curriculum. It should also ensure that they are able to check that pupils know and remember more and that they can plan the next steps in learning, based on how things are going.  Leaders need to ensure that they check the impact of the school’s work to provide a good quality of education for pupils with SEND so that they achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 1–2 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10058260 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 January 2016

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has joined the Care Foundation Trust.  The headteacher was appointed to the school in September 2017.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, all class teachers, the special educational needs coordinator and representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with them about their experience of school. Inspectors also observed pupils at lunchtime.  The school’s records of safeguarding checks were scrutinised. Inspectors spoke to staff about how they keep pupils safe and sought the views of pupils.  Inspectors met parents at the school gate to seek their views and considered 32 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.  Inspectors looked closely at the teaching of reading, mathematics, history and 1–2 October 2019

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Inspection team

James Freeston, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kirstine Boon Ofsted Inspector 1–2 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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