Bramley Sunnyside Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Bramley Sunnyside Infant School Flanderwell Lane, Bramley, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S66 3QW

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Outcome

Bramley Sunnyside Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at Bramley Sunnyside Infant School. They say that if they feel worried, they speak to adults who ‘help to solve our problems’. Pupils say that bullying is not an issue.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils recognise that adults keep them safe in different ways. For example, a pupil said, ‘The teachers help us when we fall over. The teachers keep us safe by making us wear hats and gloves when it snows. Then we can make snowballs.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils are inspired to read because high-quality books are everywhere: in corridors, on the stage, in the hall, on walls and even displayed on the floor. They are there for pupils and families to enjoy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate all the opportunities the school offers. They love having roles and responsibilities in school, including being school councillors and play leaders. They enjoy coming to school and understand why it is important to attend every day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are taught by highly trained adults. Staff training is a priority for leaders. Staff have a secure knowledge of the subjects they teach.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Even at a young age, pupils embrace differences. They make comments such as, ‘Everyone is made to feel welcome – it doesn’t matter what god they believe in. We’re all friends.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have worked meticulously to improve the curriculum in mathematics and English. The plans for what pupils will achieve in these subjects are ambitious. Staff receive high- quality training and use this effectively. All staff are quick to spot where pupils are finding work too easy or too hard and amend their teaching quickly. 26–27 November 2019

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Leaders are passionate about promoting a love of reading. Children in Reception make a prompt start to learning to read. Staff are well trained in teaching phonics. Teachers give children books to read that contain the words and sounds they have already learned to read in class. This means that they get lots of practice and soon become fluent readers.

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Adults read stories to pupils daily. They use songs and rhymes to bring books and poems to life, right from the moment children start Nursery. This helps pupils to learn new vocabulary that they are beginning to use in their writing. Pupils say they love reading as it helps them get ideas for writing. All pupils in key stage 1 have learned to recite and perform a poem about their topic.

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Mathematics is a strength of the school. Leaders have mapped out the skills and knowledge that they want pupils to learn in mathematics and in what order. This means that teachers know what to teach and when, so that pupils learn well. Teachers and teaching assistants introduce new concepts clearly. Pupils are confident mathematicians who have secure knowledge and skills. Leaders have worked hard to identify previous misconceptions in learning and put support in place to stop these before they occur, for example by having number lines that go forward and backward and up and down, so children know that number can be represented in different ways.

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One parent says that their child really understands the mathematics they are learning because of the good support in place. She describes the child’s classroom as a ‘numerical treasure trove’.

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Teachers have a good understanding of how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The support meets pupils’ social and emotional needs as well as their academic needs. The inclusive nature of the school ensures that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Leaders are keen to ensure that pupils develop the skills and depth of knowledge needed for future learning in all subjects. They have recently improved teaching sequences in several subjects, including science. Links between subjects and previous learning are beginning to be made. However, learning is not being re-visited frequently enough to make it stick in pupils’ memory.

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Leaders and teachers provide stimulating educational experiences as part of the curriculum. Pupils enjoy trips to Twycross Zoo, Skipton Castle and the local library. Pupils vote for the type of clubs they would like to have in school, for example, Disney dance, tag rugby and football.

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Staff feel very well supported by leaders and are proud to work at the school. Leaders, including governors, are very attentive to the well-being and workload of staff. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the leadership and all that the school offers them and their children.

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Pupils’ attitudes are highly positive. Classrooms are calm and orderly places where pupils and teachers focus on learning without disruption. This helps pupils to achieve as well as they do. 26–27 November 2019

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Children in early years play and work together well. They share resources and help one another. Children develop the attitudes and knowledge they need to get off to the best possible start in Year 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors give a high priority to keeping pupils safe. They have thorough procedures in place for staff to follow and deal quickly with concerns. All adults, including governors, are well trained on issues such as county lines and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff are vigilant and report any concerns. Leaders make timely referrals to the local authority. They seek early help when concerns about pupils’ safety arise.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there are systems in place for checking on and monitoring attendance. As a result, the number of pupils who are regularly off school is declining and overall attendance is improving.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is better planned in some subjects, such as English and mathematics, than it is in subjects such as science. Pupils do not have opportunities to practise and re-visit what they have learned in subjects such as science, which means that they do not remember as well as they could. Leaders should continue their plans to make sure that the curriculum is well sequenced in all subjects. They should give pupils chance to re-visit what they have learned so that they remember more in all subjects. Leaders are determined to ensure that all curricular areas are as well planned as English and mathematics. Leaders need to continue to work to support subject leaders to be able to put in place their clear plans for learning effectively.  Curriculum leadership is at varying stages of development. Where curriculum development has got off to a strong start, pupils achieve well. They do not achieve as

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

well in the subjects that have not been planned and implemented as carefully. Senior leaders should continue their work to support curriculum leaders in putting a well- sequenced curriculum in place in all subjects. 26–27 November 2019

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good or we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 26–27 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110817 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.bramleysunnysideinfant.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 April 2016

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Information about this school

 The school has a breakfast and after-school club.  The school shares the site with Bramley Sunnyside Junior School.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, about their work and school life. I spoke with members of the local governing body, a representative from the local authority, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, and other members of staff. I reviewed a range of documentation, including information about attendance and safeguarding.  I considered the 40 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, the 38 responses to the online staff survey and the 53 responses to the pupil survey.  I looked in depth at reading, mathematics and science. This entailed discussions with curriculum leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of children’s work, discussions with teachers, discussions with children and listening to children read. 26–27 November 2019

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26–27 November 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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