Broomgrove Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Broomgrove Infant School Broome Grove, Off Heath Road, Wivenhoe, Colchester, Essex CO7 9QB

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Broomgrove Infant School are delightful. They support one another well because staff place a strong emphasis on friendship, the first of the school’s six ‘FAMILY’ values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to talk about their learning. They find the topic-based learning interesting. Pupils say that staff will help them find a way to answer questions if they get stuck. However, the support that pupils who find reading hard and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive does not ensure that they catch up quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils pack in many extra-curricular activities in the three years they spend at Broomgrove Infant School. Pupils talk confidently about their expertise in yoga and swimming. They like the range of after-school clubs that develop their academic, creative and sporting prowess. Pupils know that some of these could not happen during the pandemic, but they can talk about what staff did instead to make learning fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know about bullying. They describe bullying as repeated, unkind behaviour. They say that it rarely happens at their school. When it does occur, pupils trust staff to help the pupils involved so that the problem gets solved. Being able to share their concerns freely ensures that pupils feel happy and safe.

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

The early reading programme is not working well. Although staff receive training, leaders do not monitor this carefully to check that it is having the desired effect. Staff do not know strategies to teach pupils to help them all learn to read words confidently and fluently. Some pupils’ reading is laboured. They rely on overt sounding out and blending 25 and 26 January 2022

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of single letters. This becomes problematic for them when the books they receive contain words with two- and three-letter sounds.

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Sometimes, the progress that pupils with SEND make is slow. This is because the extra support for pupils with SEND is not always measurable and timely. Leaders have not realised that the slow progress may be a sign that the staff providing the additional help need better training and support to ensure that pupils with SEND all achieve their best.

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Leaders have had more success elsewhere in their curriculum development. They have set out clearly what they want pupils to know. Teachers are supported well to know how to plan an effective sequence of learning, with appropriate activities for pupils to complete. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils first learn the different ways to move, then they learn to combine movements, before learning how to sequence different combinations for a final dance performance.

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Leaders have devised some suitable assessment systems. At the start of a unit in mathematics, for example, teachers organise a ‘cold’ task to find out what pupils already know. They use this information to adapt their work to help address gaps in pupils’ learning. Then, at the end of a unit in mathematics, teachers organise a ‘hot’ task to check that pupils have remembered what they have been taught.

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Staff make effective use of an online platform to share pupils’ achievements with parents and carers. Staff showcase activities that can be replicated with household items to support a child’s learning in the home. Parents report positively on this aspect of the school.

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Leaders want all pupils to know the final ‘FAMILY’ school value: you are loved. Leaders provide staff with a clear policy and training to help staff support pupils’ behaviour well. Pupils behave politely and kindly. They understand the rewards and consequences at their school. Pupils particularly like the ‘#hotchocolatefridays’, where those pupils who have shown exemplary behaviour or effort with their schoolwork spend some special time with the headteacher. Pupils say that it makes their parents proud when they do the right thing.

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Leaders see value in showing pupils ways to stay healthy in body and mind. Leaders may turn a one-off event, such as a yoga workshop, into a frequent activity to provide pupils with a broad range of experiences.

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Leaders, including governors, build strong, supportive relationships with those in the school community. Staff work hard because they care deeply for the pupils and feel valued by leaders. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Staff organised sensible support for those pupils who found it hard to return to school after periods of remote learning. Parents recognise and praise staff at all levels for the care they provide. Leaders welcome challenge and support in their effort to further improve the school for their pupils, staff and the wider school community.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that early reading and the support for pupils with SEND may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. 25 and 26 January 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors ensure the school’s nurturing ethos is realised through clear policies. Leaders organise training that helps staff understand how to follow these policies. The regular quizzes check that staff are alert to the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff raise concerns quickly because leaders maintain an environment in which asking questions or sharing worries is encouraged. Pupils say that they can approach any adult in school with a question or a problem and the adult will always help them ‘work it out’. Leaders manage support for vulnerable pupils and their families in a tenacious, timely way. Leaders oversee the necessary checks for adults working or volunteering in the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils are not keeping up with the pace of the early reading programme. Although these pupils receive additional support, leaders do not monitor this well. Staff do not demonstrate the knowledge needed to support these pupils to read fluently. Staff must receive training that helps them know how best to teach reading to these pupils, and leaders must check closely that the support for these pupils is helping them catch up.  Not all the support for pupils with SEND is working as leaders intend. The targets staff set are not measurable or time focused. Leaders do not monitor astutely to see whether a pupil needs a more ambitious target or whether the staff providing additional support need training to help the pupil catch up. Leaders must refine their systems to ensure a clear, timely cycle of setting and reviewing support for pupils with SEND.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, 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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection 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 September 2011. 25 and 26 January 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 25 and 26 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.broomgroveinfantschool.co.uk

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Date of previous inspection

7 December 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is on the same site as Broomgrove Junior School.  The school runs its own before- and after-school club, which pupils from Broomgrove Junior School also attend.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the SEND coordinator, two lead teachers and several governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE.  For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their 25 and 26 January 2022

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also heard a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed records. The inspector met with the office assistant to scrutinise the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The inspector also spoke with governors, teachers and pupils.  The inspector spent time observing and speaking to pupils, including those who attend the before-school club.  The inspector gathered parents’ views by reviewing the 50 responses and 38 free-text comments submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with any hand- delivered letters to the school.  The inspector gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them. The inspector also took account of the 17 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Daniel Short, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2022

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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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