Brierley Primary School

Inspection of Brierley Primary School Mirion Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 2AZ

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

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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 Good 15 and 16 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is at the heart of the community. Pupils, including children in the early years, know that they are part of the Brierley family. They said that everyone cares about each other. This helps them to feel valued, happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The care and support that staff provide for children in the early years helps them to settle into school quickly. Children enjoy joining in with the interesting activities that staff plan for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their wider interests and talents through clubs, such as sign language, singing and sports clubs. Residential visits and experience days, such as days to learn about the Romans and volcanoes, help to enrich pupils’ learning. Pupils and children learn about helping others by holding fundraising events for charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have clear and high expectations for pupils’ and children’s behaviour. Pupils and children behave well. They are well-mannered and respectful. Poor behaviour seldom disrupts their learning. Pupils play happily with each other during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Leaders do not tolerate any forms of bullying. Pupils are confident that, when it happens, staff will deal with bullying quickly and effectively.

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better?

Leaders are aspirational for what all pupils, including pupils with SEND, can and should achieve. Leaders want pupils to believe in themselves and aim high. They have designed a curriculum to help pupils and children to succeed both academically and personally.

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better?

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils, including children in the early years, to have learned by the end of each year. Pupils achieve well in most subjects. This is because leaders have designed the curriculum so that new learning builds, step-by-step, on what pupils and children already know. Leaders have thoughtfully built into the curriculum sufficient opportunities for pupils to recall earlier learning. In these subjects, pupils and children readily remember what they have learned. For example, in mathematics, pupils recall multiplication facts with ease when they are solving problems. However, in a few remaining subjects, leaders have only recently taken steps to make sure that pupils revisit and recall prior learning regularly. As a result, there are times when some pupils struggle to recall some aspects of their earlier learning in these subjects. On occasion, this hinders some pupils when they set about completing increasingly complex tasks.

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Teachers have a strong knowledge of the subjects that they deliver. For the most part, they use this knowledge to deliver curriculums with clarity. Staff regularly check how well pupils and children are remembering the curriculum. They use this information to plan for next steps and to provide additional support for pupils when required. However, some teachers are new to their roles as subject leaders. Although they know their subjects well, some subject leaders are still acquiring the expertise that they need to support teachers to better deliver curriculums. This means that, from time to time, teachers are not as confident about the best way to deliver some aspects of curriculums well.

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Pupils and children enjoy coming to school. Most arrive on time and attend regularly. On the whole, pupils and children are keen to try their best. However, occasionally, some pupils lose focus in lessons. When this happens, teachers act swiftly to ensure that these pupils get quickly back on track with their learning. Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

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Leaders have made pupils and children learning to read a priority for everyone. They want pupils to become accurate and fluent readers who read widely and for pleasure. Staff celebrate the joy of reading through assemblies and other events. Younger pupils and children delight in listening to stories and sharing books with staff. Older pupils speak enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors.

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Children become familiar with sounds as soon as they start in the Nursery class. This ensures that they are well prepared to listen to the sounds that make up words when they begin in the Reception Year. Staff are trained well to teach the carefully sequenced phonics programme. Pupils learn new sounds in a logical order and practise their reading regularly. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they are learning in class. This helps pupils to become confident readers quickly. Teachers are quick to spot if pupils and children start to struggle with reading. Staff provide extra help for pupils so that they can catch up quickly.

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Skilled staff work closely with parents and with other professionals to identify pupils with SEND as early as possible. Staff provide appropriate support to help these pupils learn well. Teachers adapt their approaches, so that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as others. This group of pupils join in with everything that the school has to offer.

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Pupils are prepared well for secondary school. They develop a respect for people’s differences. They learn about different faiths and cultures. They take their responsibilities as school councillors, pupil governors and librarians very seriously. Older pupils understand the importance of being role models for younger pupils.

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Governors are knowledgeable about their role and make sure that they are informed well to effectively hold leaders to account for the quality of education provided for pupils, including for children in the early years. Staff said that they are proud to be part of the Brierley family. They feel valued and well supported by leaders to manage their workload. 15 and 16 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff are kept up to date with the latest safeguarding training. Leaders and staff know pupils and their families well. This helps them to notice any changes in pupils’ behaviour that may alert them to signs of concern.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act on any safeguarding concerns quickly and diligently. They work effectively with external agencies to secure appropriate and timely support for pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors understand the risks and dangers that pupils may face in the local area. They make sure that the curriculum helps pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. For instance, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Until recently, in a small number of subjects, pupils have not had sufficient opportunities to revisit and recall earlier learning. This means that, from time to time, pupils are hindered in building securely on what they have learned already. Leaders should ensure that their recent changes to the curriculum in these subjects are implemented fully so that pupils have enough opportunity to revisit and consolidate earlier learning across the curriculum.  Some subject leaders are new to their role and they are still building their expertise in supporting teachers to deliver some aspects of the curriculum. This means that, at times, teachers lack the confidence and support to deliver some aspects of curriculums well. Leaders should now ensure that subject leaders have the further training, continued support and time that they need to lead their areas of responsibility successfully.

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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. 15 and 16 November 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. 15 and 16 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10242160 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers and other members of staff.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. They spoke with staff to check how well they understood their safeguarding responsibilities.  Inspectors considered a range of curriculum documentation. 15 and 16 November 2022

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. Inspectors spoke with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and some pupils about their learning. Inspectors also reviewed pupils’ work in these subjects.  Inspectors spoke with subject leaders for some other subjects. Inspectors observed some pupils and children read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at lunchtime and playtimes.  Inspectors spoke with some members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  Inspectors spoke with parents and carers to gather their views about the school. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments.  Inspectors spoke with staff to gather their views about their workload and well-

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being and considered responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff. Inspectors gathered the views of pupils during the inspection and considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils.

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Inspection team

Julie Morley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Smith Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 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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