Bramhall Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Nevill Road Infant School Nevill Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3ET

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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, including children in the early years, enjoy attending Nevill Road Infant School. They are greeted by staff at the beginning of each day with a warm and friendly smile. Teachers expect pupils to work hard in lessons, concentrate and do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn subjects that they find interesting and fun. However, in some subjects, teachers are not as clear about the key knowledge that pupils should learn. In these subjects, this hampers teachers in designing learning and, at times, prevents pupils from achieving as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and children behave well in class and around the school. This makes the school a calm and happy place for pupils to learn. Pupils genuinely care about each other and they form trusting friendships across different year groups.

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What is it like to attend this school?

If bullying occurs, staff act quickly to make it stop. The inspector observed pupils, including children in the early years and two-year-old provision, with happy, smiling faces clearly enjoying their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful. Pupils are confident that staff would listen to any worries that they may have and act on them. This helps pupils and children to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a wide range of experiences to broaden their awareness of the world around them. They happily take on leadership roles. For example, those pupils elected as school councillors gently remind their teachers not to waste electricity and to recycle plastic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are delighted with many aspects of the school’s work and would happily recommend it to others. 29 and 30 June 2022

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

The recently appointed headteacher has quickly gained a secure understanding of what the school does well and the improvements that must be made to the quality of education. Since his appointment, some progress has already been made in a number of areas.

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

In recent months, governance has been strengthened. Members of the governing body are now asking leaders deeper and more probing questions about all aspects of the school’s work, including the quality of education. A new behaviour management policy has been introduced which has improved behaviour across the school. Pupils are aware of the golden rules, rewards and sanctions. They feel that the new systems to manage behaviour are fair. Low-level disruption during lessons seldom interrupts pupils’ learning.

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

Leaders and staff have started work on redesigning the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all pupils in the school, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND). The curriculums for reading and mathematics are now clearly planned and sequenced. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, achieve well in these subjects.

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

That said, there is still more work to be done. Subject leaders have not thought carefully enough about the essential knowledge and key vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. They have not considered fully the order in which this content should be taught. This hinders teachers in designing learning for pupils. In addition, some of these curriculums are relatively new and subject leaders have not had the opportunity to check in depth that these curriculums are being delivered well.

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

In some subjects, there are appropriate assessment systems in place to check pupils’ progress as they learn more and remember more. However, these systems are at an early stage of development in many other subjects, for example history and geography. Consequently, leaders do not have an accurate overview of how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum.

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

Leaders have ensured that teaching pupils to become confident and fluent readers is a priority at the school. As soon as children enter the two-year-old provision, they are introduced to the joys of listening to stories, reciting poems and rhymes. Conversation flows freely as children learn and play. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics which starts in the early years. Pupils, including those with SEND, read books that are closely matched to the words and sounds that they know. Pupils who fall behind in the reading curriculum get the support that they need to help them to catch up.

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

During lessons, teachers explain new learning well. They make sure that pupils have understood what has been taught before moving them on to more complex learning. Pupils are keen to learn. In classrooms, pupils have many opportunities to work together, sharing their thoughts and ideas. 29 and 30 June 2022

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The needs of pupils with SEND, including those in the early years, are identified quickly. They learn alongside their friends and benefit from additional support and extra resources.

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Pupils’ wider development is enhanced through a varied range of opportunities. They enjoy an exciting range of activities after school such as the ‘glee’ club, athletics and cartoon clubs. A wide range of visitors have recently visited the school. Pupils talked with enthusiasm about a recent theme week: ‘my beautiful mind’. During this week, pupils took part in activities to help them feel good about themselves and develop their resilience. Pupils recognise the importance of keeping active and eating a balanced diet to promote their good health.

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Staff work well as a team and morale is high. Senior leaders are mindful of staff’s workload and well-being.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that science and art and design may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Staff are trained well and they have a secure understanding of what they must do if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare. Staff can identify subtle changes in pupils’ behaviour which may indicate that pupils may need help. Leaders and staff work with outside agencies to make sure that vulnerable families get the help and support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they are taught how to use the internet safely. Pupils understand the importance of not disclosing personal information or downloading software applications that are not appropriate for their age. Pupils understand the personal qualities that make a good friend

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In subjects in the wider curriculum, leaders have not ensured that teachers are clear about the essential knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. This hinders teachers in designing learning that supports pupils to deepen their knowledge in these subjects. Leader should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers are clear about the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn and the order in which this content should be delivered.  Many curriculums are relatively new. In these subjects, leaders have not had the opportunities to check that these curriculums are being delivered well. This hampers leaders in providing appropriate support for some teachers to deliver certain aspects of subject curriculum content. Leaders should ensure that staff benefit from appropriate support to deliver these new curriculums effectively. 29 and 30 June 2022

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 Leaders’ systems to check on the progress that pupils make as they move from year to year are at an early stage of development in the foundation subjects. This means that leaders do not have an accurate overview of how well pupils are achieving in different year groups. Leaders should develop these systems so that they give them an accurate understanding of how well pupils are achieving in all of the foundation subjects as they move through the school.

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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 as 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 November 2011.

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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. 29 and 30 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226157 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher started at the school in September 2021 and a new deputy headteacher was appointed in June 2022.  A new chair of governors has taken up post since the previous inspection.  Leaders do not currently make use of alternative provision for any pupils.  The school provides provision for two-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken this into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and members of staff.  She met with three members of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative from the local authority on the telephone.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding. She spoke to staff about safeguarding, their workload and well-being. 29 and 30 June 2022

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 She observed behaviour as pupils moved around the school, in class and in the outdoor play area.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.  The inspector conducted deep dives into early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. She also listened to pupils read with a familiar adult. The inspector also considered the curriculums in other subjects.

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Inspection team

Sheila Iwaskow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 29 and 30 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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