Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Sarah Hunter Broadmead Primary School 366 Sydenham Road Croydon Surrey CR0 2EA

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School

Following my visit to your school on 20 May 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 Ensure that curriculum plans for all subjects are carefully organised so that teachers can easily identify what pupils need to learn and when.  Develop subject leaders’ ability to evaluate the impact and consistency of subject delivery.

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Context

Since the last inspection in September 2019, an experienced chair of the local governing body has been appointed along with new governors. Leaders have worked closely with the community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Main findings

You and the leadership team have used external support well to secure improvements since September 2019. Phonics is now taught consistently throughout the school. This enables pupils to rehearse, practise and apply their phonics knowledge well. Leaders have introduced extra sessions for pupils who have fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic or are new to speaking English as an additional language. Some reading books, however, are not matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge. Further training is planned to ensure that all staff identify pupils’ next steps in reading.

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Main findings

Leaders are working effectively to develop the joy of reading through daily story- telling sessions. Pupils explore different genres and respond to texts through character descriptions.

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Main findings

You and your team are now starting to plan further improvements in writing. Pupils are expected to practise and learn key writing skills before completing extended writing tasks. Leaders have also made some positive changes to the mathematics curriculum. Further work is needed, however, to tighten the sequence of learning in mathematics to ensure that it builds on pupils’ knowledge more effectively.

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Main findings

Consideration has been given to improving areas of the wider curriculum such as geography. Subject training has been well received by staff and is starting to make a difference. In most subjects, key knowledge is clearly summarised so that pupils and teachers know what is to be learned. Knowledge ‘harvests’ help pupils test what they know. However, tasks are not always sequenced well to ensure that pupils learn key subject vocabulary. For example, in geography, work such as ‘building globes’ leaves pupils confused about the differences between lines of longitude and latitude.

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Main findings

Subject leaders are gaining confidence in checking the quality of pupils’ learning, rightly linking this to pupils’ acquisition of knowledge. Nevertheless, there is more to do. Training, that has been missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is planned. This includes support for newly appointed subject leaders to ensure consistency in curriculum planning.

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Main findings

Governance has been strengthened through the appointment of an experienced chair of the local governing body. Members of the governing body and trust board have the right combination of knowledge and skills to challenge and support you and the leadership team. Between them, leaders and governors demonstrate a determination and clarity of purpose for improving the curriculum. Improvement plans are focused on the right things to improve the school. However, leaders’ self-evaluation is overgenerous. This leads to an over-estimation, by leaders, of the curriculum’s effectiveness.

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Main findings

Parents and carers are positive about the school. They praised the quality of remote learning and the support they received during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders have liaised with other agencies to support pupil and family mental health and well- being.

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Additional support

The local authority continues to provide a higher level of support for the school through a school adviser and other support services. Additional support from the The Pioneer Academy and independent consultants has also been sourced by leaders. This includes using leadership and curriculum subject experts to help improve reading, English and mathematics.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders, pupils, staff, the chair of the local governing body, and members of the trust board. The school development plan was reviewed. I also visited lessons and scrutinised samples of pupils’ books.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust and, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Croydon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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