Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy Low Street, Brotherton, Knottingley, West Yorkshire WF11 9HQ

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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Outcome

Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Ben Greene. This school is part of Ebor Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gail Brown, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Rachel Mary Totton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘courage, honesty, trust and respect’ are at the heart of everything that Brotherton and Byram Primary Academy has to offer. Pupils talk about the values in detail and understand the high expectations the school has of them. One pupil said, ‘The values help us to be good people and make the school a better place.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well with each other and have a sense of belonging in this caring and nurturing community. Pupils greet visitors with a smile and a warm welcome. They are sociable, friendly and good natured. The ‘daily check-in’ gives every pupil a chance to talk about their feelings. Children learn the language they need to describe their emotions right from early years. The school provides high-quality pastoral care.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. They know how to behave sensibly and usually do. The rewards that pupils receive help them to behave well. Pupils are proud to be placed on the ‘Wow Board’. They take their responsibilities seriously, such as being a sports leader or a member of the trust parliament.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when online and in their local community. The ‘safeguarding thought of the week’ and visitors coming into school remind pupils how to do this. Pupils learn about important issues, such as road safety and anti-social behaviour. 18 and 19 October 2023

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

The curriculum is clearly sequenced. It sets out the key knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn from early years to Year 6. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. The curriculum is adapted so that pupils with SEND access the same learning and achieve well.

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

In lessons, a variety of approaches are used to teach activities that help pupils to remember the intended curriculum. Teachers present new learning clearly. Through effective questioning, adults check pupils’ understanding. Teachers adapt pupils’ learning when they notice any misconceptions. At the end of a unit of work, teachers check how well pupils have learned the content. Leaders at all levels know how well pupils are learning the curriculum in phonics and mathematics. However, the school’s systems to check pupils’ learning in the wider curriculum subjects, such as history, are not developed consistently. In these subjects, the school does not have a clear understanding of how well pupils are learning over time.

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

Early reading is a high priority in school. The phonics programme is taught consistently and effectively. The school ensures that children begin the phonics programme as soon as they start in Reception. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. This helps pupils to practise and apply their phonics knowledge when reading. Staff provide effective support for pupils who are not keeping pace with the programme. These pupils are given the support they need to catch up quickly. However, there is more to do to develop the key stage 2 reading curriculum. The school has not identified precisely enough the important reading knowledge that pupils in key stage 2 need to learn. Some older pupils are not able to read as confidently and fluently as they should.

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

Children are sociable and happy in early years. Children in Nursery and Reception hold friendly conversations and listen to each other. The curriculum is carefully designed to engage children’s interest. Children benefit from a range of carefully considered activities. Children work with increasing independence. They explain their learning clearly to adults. Children are proud to show what they have achieved. Adults use these conversations to extend children’s vocabulary and language. Children treat each other with kindness and respect. They manage their emotions well.

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

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Playtimes are fun and safe. Bullying rarely happens. Positive attitudes towards learning are embedded in the school’s culture. Pupils stay focused on their learning, including in early years. Pupils are polite and respectful towards adults. When incidents happen, adults use a restorative approach quickly and effectively. This enables pupils to reflect on their own behaviour and think about its impact on others.

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

The school ensures that pupils have opportunities to broaden their experiences and know their place in the world as responsible citizens. Pupils enjoy attending clubs and representing the school in sports competitions at the local high school. This helps pupils to develop their identity and self-esteem in their own community. One parent said, ‘The school encourages the children to respect each other and encourages individuality and 18 and 19 October 2023

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confidence.’ Pupils have a clear understanding of people’s differences, other faiths and fundamental British values.

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The school is proud of its pupils. The local community is well understood by leaders, including governors and trustees. Governors know the school well and provide valuable insights, support and challenge. There is a strong culture of developing teachers’ expertise and leadership knowledge. Staff appreciate the thoughtful ways in which leaders consider their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the foundation subjects, the school’s systems to check what pupils have learned over time are not fully developed. This means that the school does not have a secure understanding of the essential knowledge and concepts that pupils are remembering. The school should continue to develop an effective system to check how well pupils learn and retain key knowledge.  In the key stage 2 reading curriculum, the school has not identified the most important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn by the end of each year group. This means that some pupils are developing gaps in their reading knowledge. The school needs to develop a clearly sequenced approach to teaching reading in key stage 2 to ensure that all pupils learn to read confidently, fluently and accurately.

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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 May 2018. 18 and 19 October 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’ 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). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

Website https://brothertonandbyram.ebor.academy

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and assistant headteacher are new to their roles since the previous inspection.  The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has been appointed to the school since the previous inspection.  The school is part of Ebor Academy Trust.  Leaders provide an on-site breakfast club.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has a nursery for three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the chief executive officer of the trust, the director of education, the trust safeguarding lead and the SENCo.  The inspector met a representative from the board of trustees and members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school, at playtime and

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at lunchtime. The inspector spoke with pupils about their views of the school and their learning, behaviour and safety.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record of recruitment checks; met with the designated safeguarding leads; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff and pupils respectively and the online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View, including comments received via the free-text facility. The inspector also talked to parents in the school playground.

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Inspection team

Nicola Beaumont, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 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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