Brundall Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Brundall Primary School Braydeston Avenue, Brundall, Norwich, Norfolk NR13 5JX

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Outcome

Brundall Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community at Brundall Primary School that pupils value in this welcoming school. Pupils treat each other with kindness. Pupils, including children in the early years, benefit from caring relationships with staff. Pupils are confident that staff will listen to their concerns and worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and appreciate the high expectations that staff set for them. Pupils cooperate well with each other and work hard in lessons. 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?

Pupils behave very well, and no time is lost in lessons due to interruptions caused by poor behaviour. Pupils know that bullying is unkind. Bullying is rare, and leaders resolve any incidents that do occur. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a clear sense of right and wrong but view ‘being kind’ as the most important value to uphold in life. The oldest pupils talk with great affection about teachers past and present, and many view their futures with confidence.

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

Leaders have reviewed the overall design of the curriculum. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. In most subjects, leaders think carefully about the important information that they want pupils to know, and the order in which they should learn it.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum to provide pupils with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to develop into well-rounded individuals, well-prepared for the next stages in their education. In most subjects, plans enable pupils to build their knowledge in subjects they study. It is designed to capture pupils’ interests which helps pupils to engage with their work. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Leaders give teachers the information they need to teach in an order that ensures pupils can build their knowledge effectively on what they already know. Teachers regularly check on what pupils know and remember. This helps them adapt curriculum planning. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not receive the clarity, guidance, and support that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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Rightly, leaders place a strong emphasis on reading from early years to Year 6. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often, both in and out of school. They enthusiastically take part in reading activities and enjoy regular trips to the well-resourced school library. Leaders have successfully introduced a new phonics programme. This is taught from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff are well trained and they deliver this new programme with confidence. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to help them to catch up. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with SEND. Leaders and teachers are adept at quickly identifying pupils’ needs. They secure early support and expert help for pupils with SEND when needed. Leaders provide teachers with helpful information. They support teachers to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. This ensures that these pupils access the same curriculum as their peers and consequently, they achieve well.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. Pupils can get on with their work in lessons without any distractions. Leaders establish effective routines right from the start of the early years. Pupils treat each other with respect. They show consideration through their thoughtful actions and behaviour. If any conflict arises, leaders support pupils to talk to each other and restore positive relationships.

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Staff have deliberately planned and extended the opportunities that pupils have to develop themselves beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils can join the residential trips in key stage 2. Pupils take part in a range of creative and sports activities. These include performing in ‘Glee Club,’ learning the ukulele and playing multi-sport after school.

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Staff feel valued. They appreciate the consideration that leaders give to their well-being. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the time and support that they receive so they can carry out their roles effectively.

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Governors take pride in this developing school. They provide effective support and challenge for important aspects such as the quality of education. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A strong culture of safeguarding underpins leaders’ intentions to ensure pupils are safe. All the required checks are made when recruiting staff to the school.

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Safeguarding

Staff are adept at recognising pupils who may need help or are at risk of abuse. They work with a range of external agencies to protect pupils at risk of harm as appropriate. Staff know the potential risks that pupils may face and report all concerns which are followed up quickly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils of all ages learn how to recognise unsafe situations. They learn how to protect themselves when working online at home and school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders do not give teachers the clarity and guidance that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that in these curriculum areas, subject leaders provide specific guidance for teachers on the effective delivery of the curriculum, so that pupils achieve consistently well in all areas of 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 October 2017. 13 and 14 March 2023

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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.

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255227 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 19 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Together, with one other primary school, the school became part of The Hive Federation in September 2022. Both schools are governed by one governing body.  Leaders do not currently use an alternative provision.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  As part of this inspection, the inspector met with the executive headteacher and also met with the designated safeguarding lead. He also met with the head of school. The inspector also met with the special educational needs coordinator and held meetings with teachers.  The inspector held a conversation with the chair of the governors and four additional governors. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. He also looked at work in science, geography and French.  The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. The inspector met with pupils to talk about safeguarding and what it is like to be a pupil at this school.  The inspector considered information relating to safeguarding, including the school’s single central register of vetting checks on adults working at the school.  The inspector took account of 62 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the 47 who used the available freetext facility. The inspector also reviewed the 21 responses from Ofsted’s staff survey and listened to the views of pupils.

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Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 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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