Brecknock Primary School

Inspection of Brecknock Primary School Cliff Villas, Camden, London NW1 9AL

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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 7 and 8 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and leaders want the best for all pupils. Pupils are safe and enjoy coming to school. Leaders are working hard to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils treat each other, staff and visitors with respect and kindness. They understand the school rules and learn how to have positive friendships with each other. If pupils are unkind to one another, leaders deal with this quickly. Pupils described how this means that bullying is rare. In the playground, pupils like joining in with games together, such as playing football. They mostly do this sensibly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning. They follow a broad curriculum, which interests them. Their learning is enriched by scientist and artist residencies and a wide range of other visitors. These experiences are planned to deepen pupils’ interest in and enjoyment of the subjects that they study. Leaders have high expectations for all, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils from Nursery to Year 6 progress well through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Following the federation with a nearby primary school, pupils access a wider range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy coming together with their peers from this school to take part in activities. For example, pupils can take part in a wide variety of sports and music provision, including an orchestra and jazz band, as well as a range of clubs.

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better?

Leaders have developed a demanding curriculum. They have the expertise to make sure that subjects are typically planned well, and expectations are ambitious. In most cases, leaders have set out clearly what pupils should learn. They have prioritised making sure that pupils’ knowledge builds in a logical order. Through leaders’ effective curriculum development, pupils are supported to continuously develop their skills and knowledge.

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better?

Starting in the Nursery class, staff and leaders focus on supporting pupils to understand and use important vocabulary in a subject. Pupils are helped to use the words that they are taught confidently. For example, in art, pupils in Year 5 used subject-specific language accurately to discuss the artists and artwork that they had been learning about.

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better?

Staff regularly check what pupils have learned. If they identify gaps in learning, they provide pupils with effective support to fill these. However, in a very small number of subjects, the delivery of the curriculum does not help pupils to build their knowledge as effectively. At times, teaching does not focus sufficiently on helping pupils to grasp and remember ideas in depth. In part, this is because leaders’ curriculum thinking is not fully developed and clear in these subjects. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Reading is prioritised. Staff have the subject knowledge to implement the phonics curriculum effectively. Children begin to learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Leaders and staff organise regular events so that parents and carers can understand what is being taught in school and how to support their children’s reading development. Staff choose books for pupils to read that match their phonics knowledge. This enables pupils to build up their reading accuracy and fluency. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about stories and books. For pupils who find reading challenging or who are new to the school, leaders provide well-targeted help, both through small-group and individual support. This helps pupils to catch up quickly in reading.

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Leaders and staff implement the behaviour policy effectively in classrooms. Starting in the early years, staff teach children about expectations for behaviour and how to follow routines. Pupils take pride in their work. They trust and respect each other. This means that they work well together in lessons.

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Leaders plan for pupils with SEND to be fully included in lessons. These pupils’ needs are carefully identified. Adaptations, such as small-group, focused sessions, help pupils to understand the curriculum content taught.

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Pupils are taught about healthy relationships as part of the school’s personal, social and health education programme. They also learn about respecting people’s rights and their responsibilities, and they are taught about different faiths and beliefs, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.

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Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to become active citizens in the school community, including becoming school council representatives and members of the ‘children’s parliament’. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their future goals and ambitions. Staff encourage them to think about different careers, including in computing and engineering.

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Many pupils have a history of poor attendance. In some cases, pupils’ attendance has improved because of leaders’ support and challenge. However, for others, attendance remains low. Leaders are taking further steps to tackle this and are proactive in their response to absence.

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Members of the recently federated governing body have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities in supporting and challenging leaders’ work to improve the school.

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Staff are positive about working here. They receive a wide range of professional development opportunities and value how leaders consider their workload and support them to carry out their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Leaders have made sure that safeguarding is taken seriously. Staff are trained regularly so that they can spot and report any risks that pupils may face. If there is ever a concern, leaders act quickly. This includes securing additional help from outside agencies to support pupils and their families. Leaders keep accurate records of any safeguarding concerns.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe, both at school and online. They know that they can talk to an adult if something does not feel right. This learning starts in the Nursery class, where trusted adults are introduced as an important part of helping children to feel and stay safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum thinking in a few subjects is not as embedded as it is in others. This results in inconsistencies in how these subjects are implemented by teachers. In these subjects, teaching does not enable pupils to learn subject content in as much depth as they could. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking in all subjects is secure and that teachers are confident to deliver the curriculum effectively.  Some pupils’ attendance rates remain low. This means that they miss out on their learning. Leaders have been working closely with parents and the local authority to improve these pupils’ attendance. This is beginning to have an impact, but leaders need to make sure that improving attendance remains a priority so that all pupils attend school as regularly as they should.

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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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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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 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255371 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Richard Harrison and Luca Salice (co- chairs) Headteachers Helen Bruckdorfer (Executive Headteacher) Lisa Hyland (Head of School) Website www.brecknock.camden.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Brecknock Primary School joined a federation of schools with Torriano Primary School in September 2022. The schools share a governing body and an executive headteacher.  Leaders do not currently use any alternative provision for pupils. However, leaders have used one registered alternative provision in the past year.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school provision.

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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 this into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 March 2023

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school, members of the senior leadership team and members of staff. Inspectors also met with members of the federation and the governing body.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design, history and science. For each of these subjects, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with staff and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum for other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with parents and considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, including the free-text responses from parents.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and staff about the school’s work to keep pupils safe. Inspectors also considered safeguarding records and documentation, including the school’s single central record of staff suitability checks.

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Inspection team

Adam Vincent, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Robinson Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 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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