Brockwell Junior School

Inspection of Brockwell Junior School Purbeck Avenue, Loundsley Green, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 4NP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management 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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto, ‘safe, smile, succeed’, is at the heart of this caring school’s ethos.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They arrive at school with smiles on their faces, ready to learn. They say that their teachers are kind and fair. Relationships between pupils and adults are a strength of the school. Pupils have absolute confidence that every member of staff would help them if they had a problem, for example if they thought they were being bullied.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They know exactly how they are expected to behave in lessons. Classrooms are calm places in which to learn. Pupils concentrate well and work hard. They want to do their best. Playtimes and lunchtimes are fun and lively. Pupils know that they are lucky to have such a large space in which to play together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, academically and personally. Parents and carers and staff recognise the school’s strong leadership. One parent commented, ‘Brockwell Juniors is a fantastic school. They have an exceptional headteacher, excellent teachers and wonderful teaching assistants.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff, parents and governors are rightly proud to be part of the Brockwell Junior School community.

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better?

Leaders are determined that all pupils will learn to love reading. They have developed a well-thought-out curriculum that places an emphasis on learning to read fluently and with an in-depth understanding of the text. Pupils who struggle to read fluently are given extra help. Teachers make effective use of whole-class teaching sessions to develop pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills. Often, the books that teachers read are linked to pupils’ work in other aspects of the curriculum. For example, Year 6 pupils were reading ‘After the war’, which was linked to their history unit about the Second Word War. The knowledge that pupils had gained in history enabled them to discuss the issues included in the text, such as the Holocaust and refugees.

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better?

Leaders are reviewing their curriculum to make sure that it is the best that it can be. They have adapted existing subject plans to ensure that key knowledge is identified and logically ordered. This helps pupils to build their learning up step by step. In many subjects, this has been achieved successfully. For a few subjects, these reviews have not yet taken place. In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they do in other areas. 8 and 9 June 2022

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Teachers use regular assessments to check how well pupils are doing at key points in the school year. However, they do not consistently check that pupils have remembered the important knowledge that they have been taught over time.

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Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) without delay. Support is put in place swiftly to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their classmates. The additional needs of pupils with SEND are well known to all staff. Teachers use a range of effective strategies to make sure that these pupils achieve well. Leaders communicate well with parents. When needed, external agencies are used to provide further advice and support.

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The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development is a strength. Leaders have clearly identified the character traits they want pupils to develop: to be respectful, be honest, be kind, be responsible, and be determined. Pupils strive to exemplify these values. Pupils value the opportunities they are given beyond what they learn in lessons. They relish the trips and sporting events, and the chance to learn to play a musical instrument.

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Governors have played a key role in supporting leaders. They share leaders’ ambitions for pupils. They work closely with leaders to steer the school in the right direction. They fulfil their roles and responsibilities with skill and confidence.

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Staff appreciate that leaders are highly considerate of their workload and well-being. They say that they feel valued and listened to.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a culture of vigilance. They make sure that staff receive safeguarding training. Staff show high levels of concern for pupils. They quickly spot pupils who may be at risk of harm. They report any concerns they have promptly. Detailed records are kept. Safeguarding leaders take appropriate and timely action. They involve external agencies to make sure that pupils and families have the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe. They are aware of the risks they may face and learn how to make good decisions.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have reviewed the curriculum for many subjects. However, some subjects have yet to be reviewed. In these subjects, it is not fully clear what pupils should learn, and when. Pupils do not achieve as well in these subjects as they do in 8 and 9 June 2022

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others. Leaders should ensure that these remaining curriculum plans are reviewed so that all curriculum planning is of an equally high standard.  Leaders have not developed a systematic approach for checking that pupils retain key knowledge over time. Some pupils cannot remember the important knowledge they have learned in previous lessons. Leaders should ensure that a consistent approach is developed, so that teachers regularly check that pupils have secured this important knowledge in their long-term memory.

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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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.brockwell-jun.derbyshire.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection

8 May 2008, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher (who is also the coordinator for special educational needs), and six members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, English, mathematics, history and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead 8 and 9 June 2022

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inspector also visited reading lessons and listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To inspect the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors met with safeguarding leaders. Inspectors reviewed the single central record, safeguarding policies and safeguarding records. Inspectors also spoke to staff about their safeguarding knowledge.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around school, in lessons and at lunchtime. They spoke with pupils and staff about behaviour in school.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including the school development plan, leaders’ self-evaluation documents and minutes of meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors considered parents’ responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and the responses to Ofsted’s free-text service. They also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and met with a group

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Westmoreland Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 June 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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