Brentry Primary School

Inspection of Brentry Primary School Brentry Lane, Brentry, Bristol, BS10 6RG

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 14 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 22 and 23 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about Brentry Primary School. They are deeply appreciative of the care, guidance and support staff give to their children. A significant number of parents commented on the school’s ‘inspiring’ commitment to nurturing pupils’ individual interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, too, brim with confidence when talking about the happy and caring environment. They know how the school’s mission statement of ‘Safety, Health, Achievement, Responsibility and Enjoyment’ is at the centre of their learning. For example, Year 6 pupils take pride in carrying out responsible jobs, such as playground buddies and looking after the school’s budgerigars.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are clear that bullying does not happen. If it did, they feel sure that staff would sort it out. Leaders have created a positive and respectful culture where everyone feels safe. Pupils greet visitors warmly. They display positive behaviour in the classroom and around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong understanding of diversity. Staff make it a priority to teach the importance of respecting differences and ending discrimination. A view held by many pupils is how the staff ‘want us to leave the school as good citizens’.

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better?

Leaders have successfully created an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported and valued. Pupils live up to staff’s high expectations for behaviour in their work and play.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading. In key stage 2, there is an ambitious reading programme. There is a strong focus on expanding pupils’ vocabulary. For example, pupils are confident finding out and explaining the meaning of unfamiliar words they come across in lessons. Leaders have improved the teaching of early reading. Leaders have prioritised training for teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, well- trained staff support the youngest children to hear and recognise sounds as soon as they start school. There is a clear and consistent structure to phonics lessons. Leaders have invested in books that match the sounds that pupils are learning. Most pupils learn to read well. However, on occasion, when pupils need additional practice, the books they read can be too hard. This prevents a small number of pupils from reading fluently.

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better?

Before the first national lockdown, leaders overhauled many subjects in the school’s curriculum. They worked hard to put together well sequenced and ambitious plans. These plans include the important knowledge and skills leaders expect pupils to learn in each subject. However, this work stalled during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For example, some assessment systems used to check what pupils learn and remember are only starting to develop. This means that leaders do not know 22 and 23 September 2021

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enough about how well pupils are learning the curriculum in some subjects, such as religious education.

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Leaders’ work to improve the curriculum for mathematics and history is paying off. Children leave Reception ready for the next stage of their education. At the start of Year 1, most pupils can successfully count, find pairs of numbers, and recognise patterns. In Year 6, pupils understand important historical concepts, such as empire and invasion. They have developed a strong knowledge of chronology from what they have learned in previous years.

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Leaders and staff include pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in the life of the school. Staff are skilled at providing the right support for pupils with complex needs. They adapt the learning in lessons and social times so that pupils have every opportunity to succeed. Many parents recognise this.

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Leaders have put together a strong programme to develop pupils’ personal development. Pupils speak highly of how staff build their interest and talents through debating, public speaking and trips. Leaders plan learning so that pupils become compassionate and considerate towards others. For example, pupils learn to accept differences by learning about significant people. As such, they are well prepared for living in a diverse society.

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Governors share school leaders’ ambitions. They are knowledgeable about the school’s work. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities and place a high priority on staff well-being. Governors understand the school’s work on improving the wider curriculum. They check on the effectiveness of leaders’ plans and offer challenge where appropriate. Governors are committed to pupils’ academic and personal success.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors keep pupils’ well-being and safety at the forefront of their work. The designated leader of safeguarding ensures that staff receive up-to-date training. Staff at all levels know what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a pupil. Leaders are quick to support pupils and families in need of additional help and support.

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Safeguarding

There is unanimous agreement from parents, pupils and staff that Brentry Primary School is a safe place to learn.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A minority of pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 who are at the early stages of reading struggle to read fluently. The books they are reading are not consistently well 22 and 23 September 2021

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matched to their phonics knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that these pupils read books that match the sounds they know, so that they develop reading fluency and confidence.  Leaders are developing the use of assessment in some subjects, such as religious education. Some pupils have gaps in their learning. Leaders need to ensure that assessment is used to check pupils’ learning over time, so that pupils know more and remember more of the intended curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 22 and 23 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199368 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Pullin

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 February 2007, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are new to post since the previous inspection.  There is an on-site breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The previous ‘outstanding’ judgement reflected the school’s overall effectiveness in February 2007 under the relevant inspection framework at that time.  The new judgement of ‘good’ reflects the current inspection framework as well as any changes at the school since the last inspection.  The school has not been inspected for 14 years, which is longer than the normal interval between inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Changes 22 and 23 September 2021

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in school effectiveness may have happened at any point in that period. The long time between inspections is because the law changed in 2011; it made most outstanding schools exempt from routine inspection.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the school improvement officer. Inspectors spoke with three representatives from the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, science, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, including personal, social and health education.  Inspectors listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding documentation, including the

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single central record. They considered how well the designated safeguarding leaders act on concerns about pupils’ welfare and safety. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and governors about safe working practices.  Inspectors considered 54 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 54 free-text responses and 16 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Dale Burr, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah O’Donnell Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 September 2021

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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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