Brampton Village Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Brampton Village Primary School The Green, Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4RF

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Outcome

Brampton Village Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Brampton Village Primary School has grown in size in recent years. Despite this, there remains a close-knit feeling between staff and pupils. Pupils learn and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are positive relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils appreciate these relationships and are proud of their school. They are happy and safe. One pupil, summing up the views of many, said: ‘I feel lucky to be at this school because I learn lots in every lesson and know that I am safe.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. Adults support pupils to make the right behaviour choices. Learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils listen attentively and work hard. Bullying is rare. When it does occur, staff deal with it quickly. Pupils know that staff will help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a voice that is listened to. There are many opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities. School leaders actively promote democratic processes through the school council and this helps pupils understand that they can influence decision-making. Pupils have lots of opportunities to take part in sports clubs and competitions.

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

While other changes have taken place due to the school growing in size, leaders have maintained their focus on improving the quality of education provided. This has ensured that pupils continue to learn and achieve well.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that ensures the knowledge and skills that pupils learn are built on and revisited over time. This means pupils can practise and become confident in using important knowledge. While teachers check on pupils’ learning regularly and identify any gaps or misconceptions in most subjects, this is not the case for all subjects. In a few subjects, teachers’ checks on what pupils have learned are not as 8 and 9 March 2023

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thorough. They do not check carefully that pupils have learned what leaders intended. Pupils’ understanding in these subjects is less secure.

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Leaders help children settle in quickly when they join early years. Staff have established consistent routines and expectations. These help children to understand how to play and learn, both together and individually. In some subjects, leaders are not clear about how learning in early years prepares children for learning in key stage 1 and beyond.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Children start learning to read as soon as they join the school. The phonics programme is well structured. By the end of Year 1, most pupils have learned the phonic knowledge they need to read well. There is a deliberate focus on helping pupils ‘keep up’ rather than ‘catch up’. This helps motivate pupils to make speedy progress. Books match the sounds children learn. This means that pupils can practise using the sounds they know, helping them to become more fluent, confident readers. Teachers choose class texts that broaden pupils’ interest and knowledge. Older pupils are enthusiastic about reading. They enjoy various pupil leadership roles linked to reading. For example, reading ambassadors create ‘Brampton Bookworms’ newsletters, which they share with the school community. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same early reading programme as their peers and it serves them well.

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Teachers are supported by leaders to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers know how to adapt lessons for individual pupils so that all children learn well. Leaders check that systems for identifying pupils with SEND are effective. This helps most pupils with SEND to make strong progress.

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Pupils enjoy a variety of school trips, and visitors come into school to broaden learning experiences for pupils. Pupils have lots of opportunities to take part in sports clubs and competitions. There are fewer activities for them to follow and develop other interests.

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Pupils are positive about their learning in personal, social, health and economics education lessons. Pupils show respect and tolerance. They learn about difference and why it is important. For example, pupils learn about different family types, identities and cultures. They know how to stay healthy physically and mentally. They learn how to stay safe online and what makes a positive relationship.

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Staff are very supportive of leaders and governors. They share leaders’ vision to make the school as good as it can be. Leaders care about the well-being of staff. They do all they can to help staff manage their workload.

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Governors have a clear, realistic vision for the school’s future. They know what the school does well and what it needs to do next. They work closely with school leaders to support continuous improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 March 2023

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Leaders have trained staff so that they know how to spot and report pupils who might be at risk. Leaders act on concerns promptly. They make sure they keep pupils safe. They keep accurate records of their actions and the reasons for them. Leaders work with other agencies effectively, when necessary, so that pupils get the help they need.

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Leaders follow the latest guidance to complete the checks required to ensure adults are suitable to work with pupils.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know how to recognise risks, including when working online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not check precisely on what pupils have learned. This means that teachers do not always identify where pupils have gaps in their learning and they do not address some misconceptions. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that teachers check regularly that pupils are learning what is intended in all subjects.

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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 February 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. 8 and 9 March 2023

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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. 8 and 9 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In recent years there has been a significant number of new houses built in and around Brampton. Since the last inspection, the number of pupils on roll has increased.  This school does not use any alternative provision.  This school has its own pre-school, Brambles Pre-School. This pre-school serves the community of Brampton and offers a minimum of 24 places, during school hours and term time only. The governors of Brampton Village Primary School are the managing body for the pre-school and are responsible for admissions.

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. 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. 8 and 9 March 2023

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 The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body. She also met with a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s pupil survey and Ofsted’s staff survey, along with written comments from parents.  A wide range of documents were scrutinised by inspectors, including curriculum plans, school development plans, and policies and documentation for behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and staff to gather information about the culture of safeguarding at the school.  Inspectors also conducted meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils. This included scrutinising the school’s single central record of recruitment and vetting checks.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

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Inspection team

Bridget Harrison, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Fiona Webb Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 March 2023

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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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