Brook Acre Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Brook Acre Community Primary School Hilden Road, Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 0JP

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

Brook Acre Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy school that sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils are very well behaved and work hard in lessons. Each day, they try their best to live up to the high expectations that leaders and teachers have for them, both academically and socially.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind, caring and considerate towards each other. They feel safe in school. Relationships are strong. Pupils said that adults always listen to them and help them to resolve any issues quickly. Leaders are quick to address any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom. They particularly enjoy playing in the school’s extensive outdoor environment. Pupils value the range of after- school clubs, including football, rugby and choir. Leaders organise trips and residential visits which help to broaden pupils’ horizons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. One parent, whose opinions represented the views of many, said, ‘Brook Acre is the kind of school that expects the best from its pupils and provides an environment in which they can thrive.’

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

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. They encourage staff and pupils to see reading as the gateway to learning across the curriculum. Leaders have provided training to enable staff to become experts in the teaching of early reading. Across classes, staff have developed a consistent approach to phonics teaching. By the time that pupils reach Year 2, most are reading independently. Regular checks help staff to identify any pupils who are struggling. These pupils are well supported so that they can keep up with their peers. Reading books are matched closely with the sounds that pupils have learned. This helps them to practise and to read fluently. The focus on reading continues as pupils 18 and 19 October 2022

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move through the school. The older pupils who met with the inspector read fluently and had a good knowledge of different authors and book types.

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Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum. Teachers use the curriculum to help pupils to gain knowledge and skills across the full range of subjects. In most curriculum areas, leaders have thought carefully about the content and the key knowledge that pupils need to acquire. Leaders have provided training and support for staff so that they understand how the curriculum builds on what pupils have learned previously. Across year groups, staff mostly teach in line with the intended curriculum. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders have not given enough thought to the order in which pupils build their knowledge. This impacts on the progress that pupils make in these subjects.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. This is reflected in the active contribution that pupils make each day to caring for the well-being of others. Pupils have the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities, such as being a member of the school council or becoming an eco-warrior. Pupils learn about other faiths and cultures. This helps them to better understand life in modern Britain.

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Children get off to a flying start in the early years. Staff have established effective routines that help children to settle happily into school life. The curriculum is well designed. Children quickly develop their knowledge and confidence and enjoy learning with their friends. Across classes, children and pupils behave well. They work hard in lessons and learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

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Staff make careful checks on pupils’ learning. This begins in the early years, where teachers use these checks to ensure that the activities that they plan support children well in their learning. Leaders have also established effective systems to identify any pupils who may have SEND. Leaders work with staff to ensure that these pupils are well supported in their learning. Where necessary, staff adapt learning to enable all pupils to access the same curriculum.

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Governors share leaders’ high ambition. They want the best for all pupils. Governors are diligent in carrying out their statutory responsibilities. They know the school well and provide both support and challenge to leaders in order to further improve the school.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working at Brook Acre. They feel well supported in their roles. They appreciate the care that leaders and governors show towards their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is given the highest priority. They provide regular training so that staff know how to recognise and respond to any signs of abuse or neglect. 18 and 19 October 2022

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Leaders understand the types of difficulties that vulnerable children and their families may face. They liaise well with outside agencies to ensure that timely support is provided where it is needed.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe when playing out in the community. They also learn about the risks that they may face when working or playing online. They know what to do if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not ordered learning carefully enough to ensure that pupils’ knowledge builds on their prior learning. Leaders need to ensure that learning in all curriculum areas is carefully sequenced. This will help pupils to transfer knowledge to their long-term memory, so that they progress successfully through the curriculum.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The governing body runs a before-school provision on the school site.

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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 that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other members of the school’s leadership team.  The inspector held a meeting with three governors, including the vice-chair of governors. He also spoke with the chair of governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, science and history. As part of this process, he met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, listened to pupils reading and looked at their work in books. The inspector also scrutinised the curriculum in other subject areas. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The inspector met with the special educational needs coordinators to evaluate provision and practice for pupils with SEND.  The inspector examined safeguarding records. He also spoke with several members of staff about safeguarding.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunchtime. He also spoke with pupils about their experience of school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. He also looked at the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Paul Tomkow, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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