Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School Broom Road, Ferryhill, County Durham DL17 8AN

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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 Requires improvement 6 and 7 July 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Broom Cottages Primary and Nursery School is a happy, caring place where pupils enjoy learning and playing together. Leaders have established positive partnerships with families. Pupils and their families feel listened to. Relationships between adults and pupils are respectful. Pupils look after each other and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years are quick to settle and learn routines. They enjoy a wide range of activities and learn how to work with others. Parents and carers of children in the early years say that their children thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about equality, positive relationships and how to recognise bullying. They know that adults will help them with any concerns. Pupils have a strong sense of responsibility. They say that anyone new to the school is welcomed and quickly makes friends. Older pupils learn how to help younger children through a peer support programme. The active school council works to improve aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well both in and out of lessons. They work hard and listen carefully to adults. There are very few incidents of bullying or poor behaviour. Everyone understands the traffic light behaviour code. Pupils say it is ‘good to be green’. Getting to red is very rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A small number of pupils do not attend school as often as they should. Leaders work with the local authority to support parents and improve this situation.

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better?

Leaders have developed a broad and well-planned curriculum. Subject leaders make sure that teachers can deliver the curriculum effectively. Key subject themes and vocabulary are well established. In art, pupils discussed their learning about printing. They took inspiration from the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. In science, pupils spoke about investigating and testing scientific theories. In most lessons, teachers are quick to identify and support pupils who are at risk of falling behind. However, some activities do not provide opportunities for teachers to check pupils’ learning. In science, some teachers are unsure how well pupils learn investigative skills. In history, teachers have not identified weaknesses in some pupils’ chronological knowledge. This makes it more difficult for leaders to identify weaknesses in provision. Leaders are aware of this and have plans to review

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have introduced a programme of work for mathematics. Teachers introduce new content in small steps, building on what pupils already know. Pupils have regular opportunities to apply their learning through solving problems. Some pupils have developed gaps in their mathematical knowledge during COVID-19 lockdowns. This includes those with special educational 6 and 7 July 2022

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needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have deployed more staff to support these pupils in lessons. As a result, they are catching up.

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. They have introduced a sequential phonics programme which starts in Reception class. All staff use the same approach. Pupils have regular opportunities to apply their phonics knowledge through reading and writing. Leaders ensure that reading books match the sounds that the pupils know. Teachers are alert to any pupil who might be falling behind and the needs of those pupils with SEND. These pupils receive extra phonics sessions, which helps them catch up. As a result, most pupils learn to read by the end of key stage 1. The few pupils who are not fluent readers in key stage 2 receive regular phonics teaching. These pupils say that this is helping them to be more confident readers.

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Most pupils read often. Teachers read regularly to pupils. Pupils say they enjoy the ‘Favourite Five’ books and the core text for each term. They say the stories inspire them to read the books for themselves and seek other books by the same authors.

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Leaders set high expectations for behaviour and for personal responsibility. Pupils try hard to live up to these expectations. They learn about positive relationships, keeping healthy and staying safe. Pupils enjoy these lessons and say they are relevant and useful. They learn about diverse cultures and world views in assemblies and religious education lessons. They learn about citizenship through fundraising for charities.

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Some provision for pupils’ development is less consistent. Leaders recognise that many pupils suffer from poor communication skills and low self-confidence. In the early years, leaders have made changes across the curriculum to address this. They have provided more opportunities for children to try new activities. Leaders have prioritised vocabulary and opportunities for children to talk about their learning. Provision in the rest of the school is not as focused on these issues. They are not included in leaders’ plans for improvement.

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Children make a strong start in the early years. Leaders have developed a curriculum that prepares children well for key stage 1. Adults are quick to identify children with SEND. These children get the support they need and play a full part in all activities. Children enjoy the many stories that adults read to them. They want to learn to read and they engage well in their phonics lessons. Children enjoy a wide range of activities which help build their knowledge. They identify and count the inhabitants of their ‘bug hotel’. They use their bird hide to record the behaviour of wildlife.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure a strong culture of safety. Several senior members of staff act as safeguarding leads. They ensure that all record-keeping, checks and processes are robust. Staff are well trained to identify and report any issues that might cause 6 and 7 July 2022

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concern. All concerns are recorded and followed up by safeguarding leads. Leaders work closely with external agencies to support children and their families.

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Leaders ensure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are aware of online dangers and know when to seek help from an adult if they are worried. They also know how to keep themselves physically healthy.

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Governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They meet regularly with senior leaders and have a thorough knowledge of current issues.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ priorities for improving the school do not always reflect the barriers to learning that many pupils face. For example, leaders have identified that the lockdowns have affected pupils’ communication skills, but have not recognised the benefits that their work on vocabulary and activities in lessons could have on this. Leaders should review their priorities for the school, so that opportunities to address the needs of pupils are not missed.  In some subjects, such as science and history, teachers are unsure whether pupils have learned all the intended subject content. This makes it difficult for leaders to identify which parts of the curriculum to improve. Leaders should carry out their plans to strengthen assessment, so that teachers use a range of strategies to regularly check pupils’ learning.

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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. 6 and 7 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227431 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.broomcottages-pri.durham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use 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 full 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.  During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The lead inspector met with governors, including the vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also held conversations with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with several teaching and support staff and considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. 6 and 7 July 2022

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 Inspectors met with pupils throughout the inspection, both formally and informally, during breaktimes, lessons and breakfast club. Inspectors also considered the 13 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and art. Inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, listened to pupils read to a familiar adult, talked with pupils and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke with pupils about their learning in other subjects.  Inspectors considered the content of governing body minutes and other documentation, including reports from local authority officers.  To evaluate the school’s management of safeguarding, inspectors considered relevant school policies, examined the single central record and the school’s procedures for the safer recruitment of staff. Inspectors talked with staff, governors and pupils to check their views on safeguarding.

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 Inspectors considered 22 responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour in and outside lessons. Inspectors also examined school behaviour records and spoke with pupils about behaviour.

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Inspection team

Ian Dawson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucie Stephenson Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 July 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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