Broom Valley Community School

Inspection of Broom Valley Community School Broom Valley Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 2QU

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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 4 and 5 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Broom Valley is a warm and welcoming school that is at the heart of its community. Because of this, those new to the school, including pupils from overseas, settle quickly. One pupil, reflecting the views of many, stated, ‘The whole school is a big, huge family and no one gets left out.’ Pupils enjoy learning in an environment in which they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils speak English as an additional language. Before starting at the school, some pupils have had no experience of learning in a formal setting. Staff quickly develop pupils’ skills to enable them to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. Adults are excellent role models. Pupils behave well and know they have to make the correct choices, even when adults are not close by. They are awarded ‘integrity stars’ when making a sensible decision. Pupils are polite, very welcoming to visitors and are eager to talk about what they have learned. Incidents of bullying are rare, but when they do happen, the school is quick to sort them out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience an exciting curriculum. The school has high expectations and aspirations for all pupils. These are reflected in the quality of pupils’ work in books and on display.

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better?

Published outcomes for the school do not reflect the high-quality of education provided by Broom Valley. A significant proportion of pupils join and leave the school across any one year.

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better?

Reading is a key priority for the school, with the focus on teaching pupils to read and also supporting them to develop a love of literature. Books are celebrated and displayed all around the school. The headteacher has compiled a recommended selection of books to read, which are prominently displayed. Staff teach phonics well and are quick to provide support for those pupils who start to fall behind. Reading books are accurately matched to pupils’ reading ability. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to practise reading skills in other subjects. When meeting with an inspector, pupils were eager to talk about their favourite authors, such as Anthony Horowitz and Robert Swindells.

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better?

Over time, the school has worked hard to develop the curriculum. Subjects are carefully planned, identifying what pupils need to learn. The curriculum develops year on year from Nursery through to Year 6. Teachers use many opportunities to revisit and build upon what pupils have already learned. For example, in Year 3 mathematics, pupils used their knowledge of number to add and subtract various three-digit numbers. However, in some subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge, which stops them from progressing as quickly as they could. Leaders recognise this and have already started to further develop these subjects. 4 and 5 October 2023

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When children join school in the early years, the curriculum focuses on communication and language. Children thrive in an exciting learning environment where teachers have planned what children need to learn. Carefully chosen texts support this. For example, after reading ‘The Colour Monster’, children were accurate in their vocabulary choice when describing how they felt. Adults are supportive and help children to develop routines. There are many activities that spark children’s curiosity. Some children concentrated for a long time, creating watercolour paintings of a sunflower. Others displayed great resilience when trying to fill up syringes with water.

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The school is fully inclusive. Staff are well trained to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, staff are quick to identify these pupils’ needs and provide effective support. Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum and all other aspects of school life, including representing their school at competitive sporting events.

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The school has very clear expectations in terms of behaviour, and pupils respond positively to these. Staff support those pupils who find it difficult to manage their feelings. Pupils focus on their work in lessons and are keen to learn. The school supports families to ensure pupils attend regularly. However, there are still some pupils who are frequently absent and, as a result, they miss out on learning.

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Through an elected parliament, pupils actively contribute to improvements in the school. For example, they have organised a tuckshop within the school. Pupils are very proud of their roles, which include both anti-bullying and reading ambassadors. The school offers a range of clubs, some of which are based on pupils’ own interests. Pupils value and understand everyone’s differences.

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The school is well led and managed. Governors are committed to supporting the school on its improvement journey. They know the strengths of the school and what needs to be improved. Leaders demonstrate a clear moral purpose: they are determined to give pupils the best start. The headteacher, supported by her leadership team, has built a motivated and enthusiastic team. Staff are proud to be part of the school. Teachers, including those at the beginning of their careers, are well supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Across the curriculum, some subjects do not match the quality of others. As a result, pupils remember more in some subjects than others. The school should 4 and 5 October 2023

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further develop the curriculum so that it is of equal quality across all subject areas.  Some pupils do not attend school frequently enough. Because of this, these pupils miss out on vital learning. The school must continue to improve the attendance of some pupils to ensure they benefit from the curriculum on offer.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 4 and 5 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Eddie Coates-Madden

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School details

Website www.broomvalleycommunityschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since September 2022.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with 4 and 5 October 2023

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subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, with the exception of geography.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures; scrutinised documents to evidence how the school identifies and supports pupils who may be at risk of harm; and spoke with a range of pupils and staff to evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils from conversations and through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  An inspector spoke to parents during the inspection. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including written responses.

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Inspection team

Andy Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gordon Watts Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 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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