Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy

Inspection of Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy Braeburn, Eastfield, Scarborough YO11 3LG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have transformed the learning culture in the school. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and how they should behave. Pupils rise to these expectations and are respectful and polite to adults and each other. Parents and carers have positive relationships with staff in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum matches some of this ambition. Many pupils do not have the knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics that they need to be successful. Across subjects, some teachers sometimes do not pick up on when pupils have not understood something or do not give pupils the practise that they need to strengthen their knowledge. Pupils forget too much of what they have been taught. Too many pupils move on to secondary school without the skills in English and mathematics that they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff in the early years teach children how to show ‘high energy’ and ‘active listening’. These are the first two aspects of the school’s ‘HEART’ values. Pupils in the rest of the school behave well and have confidence in staff to sort out any minor issues. Pupils are proud to get a postcard if they achieve a ‘WOW’ award by behaving particularly well. If staff suspect bullying is happening, then leaders investigate this and deal with it straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured that there is a rich extra-curricular offer in the school. Pupils love the educational visits and clubs that they get to be part of. Pupils get the chance to learn skills like how to use a knife safely in their outdoor education lessons. They know how to cook a healthy meal in their ‘cook school’ sessions. Many pupils attend clubs like music, boxing and art. Pupils recently took part in a dance competition in York and regularly compete in other such events. Physical education (PE) in and out of lessons is a particular strength of the school.

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better?

Leaders have introduced a curriculum that focuses on the vocabulary that pupils need. Leaders have mapped out what pupils should be able to do to demonstrate what they know at key points through the year. Leaders have then planned the specific vocabulary that pupils should use linked to this. However, leaders have not precisely defined the crucial knowledge that they intend pupils to learn, step by step, to be able to achieve this. Some teachers do not have the subject knowledge to be able to plan this out themselves. This means that sometimes teachers ask pupils to do activities without an understanding of what it is that pupils need to remember from doing the activity.

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better?

Leaders have not ensured that what teachers are assessing matches the content of what has been taught in the curriculum. Some teachers sometimes try to assess knowledge that pupils do not have. Teachers are sometimes not clear on what pupils 7 and 8 February 2023

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need to remember in some subjects and so miss where pupils need more support or do not understand something.

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Children in the early years get off to a positive start in their reading by listening to the sounds of letters in words. When children start in Reception, they learn the letters that make these sounds and they keep up with where they need to be in their learning. Staff in the early years also help to develop children’s love of books by reading stories with rhymes and parts where children can join in. However, some pupils in Year 1 are not keeping up with the reading curriculum. Leaders have recognised this and give these pupils suitable catch-up programmes. Pupils read books matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils continue to enjoy being read to, throughout school. Classrooms fall silent at the end of the day while pupils listen to staff read what will happen next in the well-selected stories.

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Teachers introduce new vocabulary to pupils through books or texts. Pupils then get the opportunity to use this in group work or discussions. Pupils debate ideas using their newly acquired language. However, pupils get fewer opportunities to practise key skills in reading and writing. This means that some pupils are not able to build fluency in reading or stamina in writing alongside the language that they have learned.

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Teachers ensure that work is adapted for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who need it, such as being able to record differently by, for example, using videos. Staff are quick to spot any additional needs that pupils have and put in support that is matched to this particular need. As with all pupils, sometimes the activities that pupils with SEND are asked to complete are not precisely matched to the knowledge or skill that they need to develop.

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Leaders have ensured that the behaviour in the school has improved significantly. They have brought in a ‘restorative approach’ to behaviour management. This is very well understood and used by staff. Pupils have ‘check-ins’ every morning and teachers use these to know how pupils are feeling and offer support. If pupils fall from ‘good’ to ‘wobbly’ or even ‘unacceptable’, then staff always respond to this and have a conversation with the pupil to get them back on track. Pupils are happy and proud of their school. Attendance is high. Pupils move from one room to another sensibly and conduct themselves very well coming in and out of school. They play well together and make independent choices about their play.

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Pupils learn important knowledge about democracy and treating others with respect. They have sessions in the school’s ‘HUB’ on how to use sign language or the importance of sleep on their health. Pupils discuss and debate important moral questions, such as how to challenge negative ‘body talk’.

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Trustees ensure that the school has the resources and staff it needs. They delegate some responsibilities to the local governing body and check how well this is working by making visits to meetings and by checking governing body meeting minutes. However, leaders do not have enough information on how well pupils are remembering the knowledge that they have been taught and therefore the impact of 7 and 8 February 2023

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the curriculum. Local governing body members and trustees do not ask enough about the current impact of the taught curriculum or evaluate it sufficiently. The reasons why pupils are not retaining information across all subjects is not well enough understood.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, both in school and trust leaders, are keen that safeguarding should go ‘way beyond the compliance’ and it does. Leaders have thought carefully about issues that pupils might face in the local community, such as domestic abuse or criminal activity. They have ensured that the curriculum includes how to deal with these issues and learning strategies to avoid getting involved in toxic relationships. Pupils are well informed about keeping themselves safe online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders support families well to get the help that they need from external agencies. Leaders regularly work with, and encourage, agencies to understand what it is that families need. Leaders keep comprehensive records of all concerns, so it is clear what is needed. Trustees check that this is happening through regular visits and information from trust and school leaders.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not precisely defined the knowledge that pupils need to learn in each subject, particularly the small steps of knowledge that pupils should remember. Sometimes, teachers design activities that do not help pupils to remember something in the long term. Leaders need to ensure that the ambitious end points of learning are broken down into well-defined small steps that teachers use to design activities.  Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise basic skills in some subjects. Some pupils are not secure in aspects like writing basic sentences or reading fluently. Teachers should ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise basic skills across all subjects in order to build fluency and automaticity.  Leaders have not matched what teachers need to assess closely enough to the planned knowledge in the curriculum. Teachers are not clear enough on what pupils can do or remember, and sometimes miss pupils’ misconceptions. Leaders

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should ensure that what pupils are assessed in matches the knowledge defined in the curriculum and activities that teachers use allow them to assess what pupils have been taught.  Leaders do not have enough information about what pupils have remembered and can do. Trustees do not sufficiently challenge what leaders know about the impact of the curriculum. Leaders sometimes make changes to teaching strategies or curriculum design that do not support pupils to know more over time. Leaders should develop monitoring and evaluating systems that help them to understand 7 and 8 February 2023

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what pupils know and can do so that they can make changes based on this. Trustees need to challenge and question the impact of what leaders do in relation to this.

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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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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255559 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy converted to become an academy school in October 2018. When its predecessor school, Scarborough, Braeburn Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall. The school is now part of Ebor Academy Trust.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club at the start of each day.  There is a Nursery class for three- and four-year-olds and some children attend this full-time.

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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 the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 February 2023

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 The lead inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders throughout the inspection. To discuss governance arrangements, the lead inspector also met with a trustee and members of the local governing board. The lead inspector also met with trust leaders, including the chief executive officer of Ebor Academies Trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, history and design technology. 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.  To look at other specific aspects of the quality of education, inspectors also talked to leaders of science and PE. Inspectors looked in science books and visited some PE lessons as part of this.  Inspectors met with leaders of safeguarding and checked the records that leaders

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keep on staff and pupils.  Pupils were spoken to in groups about what their daily experience of being in the school was like. Inspectors looked at what pupils are taught in their personal, social and health education lessons and the wider experiences that pupils have.  Inspectors checked how staff planned to support pupils with SEND and then visited pupils in their lessons to see how this was done.  The responses from the online survey, Parent View, were evaluated by inspectors. Inspectors also spoke to parents in person during the inspection.  Inspectors evaluated the responses from the pupils and staff surveys and spoke to staff in school.

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Darren Marks Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Patricia Head Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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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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