Broom Barns Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Broom Barns Primary School Homestead Moat, Bedwell, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 1UE

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Outcome

Broom Barns Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils are happy. Pupils play together and are kind to each other. Play leaders ensure that everyone has someone to play with at breaktimes. Clear routines establish calm and sensible behaviour from children in the Nursery and Reception classes. Pupils are safe and well cared for. Bullying very rarely happens. When it does, leaders deal with it swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about a broad range of subjects. Pupils engage in their learning and take pride in producing high-quality work. They enjoy the trips that link to topics that they have learned about. For example, a residential visit to the Isle of Wight links to pupils’ learning in history about Queen Victoria and the royal family. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about themed learning days that take place during the year. These include a French themed day and World Book Day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy opportunities they have to learn to play a musical instrument and to take part in sports clubs and competitions. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who regularly, and successfully, compete against other schools in sports festivals.

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

Leaders have put an ambitious curriculum in place. They have ensured that curriculum plans identify the important information that pupils need to know. A well-sequenced curriculum allows pupils to build on what they have previously learned. This includes the curriculum for the youngest children, which is well designed and links to subjects studied at key stage 1. Subject leaders monitor and evaluate their curriculum areas to identify where the curriculum could be improved. They put improvements in place to address these areas.

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

Teachers have good subject knowledge. Leaders provide support and training that helps teachers to develop their expertise. Teachers teach the curriculum content with clarity. 12 and 13 July 2023

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They regularly and carefully check what pupils know. They then adapt their teaching to ensure that pupils know the important information that they need.

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Pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils talk with enthusiasm about their favourite books and authors. Children start learning to read in Reception. All staff have received extensive training to teach the phonics programme. They teach phonics with consistency and provide additional support for those pupils who do not keep up. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils know. Pupils who need it are given timely help to keep up or catch up with their classmates. This helps them to develop fluency in their reading. Pupils enjoy their visits to the local library as well as the well-stocked school library.

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Leaders are proactive at identifying pupils with SEND. Individual support plans clearly identify the help that these pupils need to access the curriculum alongside their peers. Staff training helps them to provide the right support for these pupils. This has a positive impact on these pupils’ learning and outcomes.

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Children in the Nursery and Reception classes engage positively in their learning. Leaders provide children with focused learning opportunities which utilise the outdoor learning spaces. Staff develop children’s listening, communication and social skills. Children are very well ready for Year 1.

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A well-structured personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum helps pupils to develop their wider knowledge at an age-appropriate level. Pupils can talk confidently about healthy lifestyles and relationships. Pupils take on responsibilities around the school, for example as members of the school council. All pupils take part in voting to elect class members as their representatives. They link these elections to their learning about democracy and fundamental British values.

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Behaviour of pupils is exceptional. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They listen to the instructions of adults and work hard in lessons.

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Leaders engage with parents and the local community. They have recently opened the ‘food shed’, which provides additional support for families. Parents are supportive of the school. However, pupils do not routinely practise their learning at home. Leaders have not yet put in place all of the support and resources required to help parents engage with their children’s education. This means that pupils do not make progress as quickly as they could.

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Governors regularly visit the school to check leaders’ work and provide challenge where necessary. Staff are proud to work at the school. They say that leaders are mindful of their workload and care about their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Effective systems help to keep pupils safe. Training is in place which provides staff with the information they need to 12 and 13 July 2023

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effectively identify and record concerns. Leaders put appropriate support for pupils and their families in place where necessary. This includes engagement with external agencies.

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Leaders carry out and record appropriate pre-employment checks on adults.

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Pupils know and understand the safeguarding risks that they may experience. This includes when they are online. They know that they should share any worries with a trusted adult.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Despite leaders’ efforts, the information and support provided to parents does not fully help them to engage with their children’s learning at home. This means that not all pupils make as much progress as they could. Leaders need to continue their work to strengthen the support and resources that will enable parents to engage with their children’s learning.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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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. 12 and 13 July 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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10284261 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 6 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a breakfast club and after-school provision led and managed by school leaders.  Leaders do not use any 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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ school development plans and policies. 12 and 13 July 2023

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 The inspector scrutinised the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks and a wide range of safeguarding documents to inspect safeguarding. The inspector spoke to the designated safeguarding leads, staff, pupils and parents.  The inspector met with an early career teacher to discuss the support that they receive.  Meetings were held with the special educational needs coordinator, behaviour leaders and the subject leader for PSHE.  The inspector met with three members of the governing body.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with the Hertfordshire improvement partner.  Pupils talked to the inspector about their views of the school. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and in lessons.  The inspector spoke to parents at the school gate. He considered the 16 responses and 11 free-text responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also

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reviewed the 24 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and the 11 responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Wayne Jarvis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 July 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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