Brooklands Primary School

Inspection of Brooklands Primary School Woodbourne Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 3SY

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding 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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at Brooklands Primary School. They behave exceptionally well and develop excellent attitudes to learning. They are confident and articulate when engaging in conversations with each other and with the staff who teach them. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe and well looked after in school. They view the school as one enormous family. They said that if they were concerned about bullying, they could go to any member of staff for help. They are confident that adults would deal with such issues promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, including governors, have high expectations for all aspects of school life. They provide pupils with many opportunities to develop leadership skills. For example, older pupils organise events and supervise clubs for other year groups. Pupils are taught how to look after themselves. They learn about the importance of eating healthily. They also learn about road safety and how to stay safe while working or playing online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils enjoyed a wide range of after-school clubs and inter-school sporting events. Staff are gradually reintroducing these activities, along with educational trips and residential visits.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new senior leadership team has wasted no time in gaining the unwavering support of the staff team. Staff are fully supportive of the actions that leaders are taking to further improve the quality of education.

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better?

Pupils study a curriculum which is well planned and well sequenced. Subject leaders have thought carefully about how to order the curriculum so that pupils build on their previous learning. This helps pupils to learn more and remember more as they move through the school. Many pupils who met with inspectors demonstrated a deep understanding of the subjects that they are studying. In conversations with inspectors, some older pupils were able to discuss how their teachers had made learning memorable. They could also recall key knowledge that they had learned in previous years.

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better?

Reading has a high profile at Brooklands. Teachers make sure that pupils develop a love of reading by introducing them to a wide range of books. Staff have been well trained in the teaching of phonics. They ensure that children in the Reception Year practise the sounds that they are learning regularly. Younger pupils soon develop their phonics knowledge and the skills needed to develop into independent readers. Many older pupils are avid readers, who have knowledge of a wide range of authors and genres.

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better?

Subject leaders have played an important role in developing the school’s curriculum. They also keep a check on how well pupils are learning in each subject. However, some subject leaders have a limited understanding of how learning in the Nursery 19 and 20 October 2021

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and Reception classes is structured. They are unsure how this learning prepares children for key stage 1.

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Pupils thrive in this school’s positive and respectful culture. The school’s values of friendship, perseverance, respect and honesty are evident in pupils’ excellent behaviour and their positive attitudes to learning . Learning is almost never disrupted by weak behaviour. Pupils show consistently high levels of respect for others. Some older pupils, who met with an inspector, explained how they discuss sensitive issues such as puberty in an extremely mature manner during lessons. Other pupils spoke of the importance of valuing diversity. They gave examples of how the school celebrates the achievements of black women who have overcome prejudice and discrimination.

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Leaders work well with staff to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early. Where necessary, they engage with outside agencies to ensure that pupils get the help that they need. Staff support pupils well and ensure that they do not fall further behind in mathematics and English. However, until recently, pupils with SEND have often been removed from class to receive additional support. This has prevented them from developing their knowledge across the full range of subjects.

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Governors know the school extremely well. They have made a strong contribution to the school’s development. Governors hold leaders to account for the financial and academic performance of the school. They also provide support for school leaders. For example, they helped to ensure that the staff had the capacity to provide remote learning during the recent partial school closures related to COVID-19.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They feel highly valued by school leaders, including governors. This was reflected in many of the responses to the staff survey, one of which read, ‘Leaders are continually seeking ways to support staff well-being.’

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Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. The views of many parents were captured in this statement on Parent View: ‘Brooklands is a forward thinking and inclusive school promoting equality and diversity, critical thinking and collaborative skills.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They are quick to act if they have any concerns about a pupil’s safety or well-being. They know whom to go to and have confidence that leaders will deal with issues quickly and appropriately. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. 19 and 20 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils with SEND have missed out on key learning in wider curriculum subjects. This is because they have been removed from lessons to receive extra support for English and mathematics. Leaders need to ensure that pupils with SEND develop their knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum and that their learning builds sequentially on what they already know.  Some subject leaders do not have a secure understanding of how children’s learning should build from the early years into key stage 1. As a result, the plans for these subjects do not help teachers in key stage 1 to build effectively on what children have previously learned. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders develop their knowledge of the early years curriculum. They should also ensure that the school’s curriculum plans for Year 1 identify how each subject should build on what children have learned in the early years.

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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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 February 2007, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  There have been significant changes to the staff team since the school was last inspected. The deputy headteacher took up her post in 2019. The headteacher started at the school in September 2021.

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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 of the school.  During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, who is also the leader for SEND. They also met with two assistant headteachers and other members of the leadership team. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 The lead inspector met with six governors, including the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktimes.  Inspectors visited the early years classrooms. They spoke with the early years leader and other adults who work in the early years.  An inspector examined safeguarding records and met with the designated safeguarding leader, to discuss the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, English, science and geography. As part of this process, they met with subject leaders, visited lessons and spoke with teachers. They also looked at pupils’ work and talked with pupils about their learning. The lead inspector also listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also looked at the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Tomkow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bev Dolman Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 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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