Brockton CofE Primary School

Inspection of Brockton C of E Primary School Brockton, Much Wenlock, Shropshire TF13 6JR

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 24 and 25 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the level of care and nurture that exists in school. They trust the staff to look after them, which makes them feel safe. Leaders and staff know every pupil by name. Pupils are proud of their school and speak confidently about the school’s values, such as ‘generosity’. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are rarely absent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, well mannered and greet staff and visitors with a smile. On the playground, pupils enjoy playing with their classmates. Older pupils like to help younger pupils. However, staff are not applying the behaviour policy consistently well in lessons. As a result, pupils do not listen well, and at times they do not focus on their work. This has an impact on how well they learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for all pupils. Leaders, supported by governors, have made improvements to the curriculum. However, there is more work to be done to improve the quality of education that pupils receive across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are positive about the range of activities that their children experience. However, some parents express concerns about the academic progress that their children are making and the quality of communication with the school.

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better?

When children join the Nursery and Reception classes, they settle quickly. This is because the school works closely with families before their children start school. Nurturing relationships are the hallmark of the early years classes. However, the early years curriculum does not clearly set out what children will learn in and across the Nursery and Reception classes. Staff plan enjoyable activities, but these do not routinely build on what children already know or fit into a well-ordered sequence of learning.

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better?

In a wide range of subjects, the curriculum progressively maps out the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn from Year 1 to Year 6. However, in some subjects, the school is not considering the structure of mixed-aged classes when planning the delivery of the curriculum. As a result, what pupils learn is not consistently building on what they have learned before. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge, which makes it difficult for them to access new learning.

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better?

Teachers model subject-specific language accurately, which pupils are starting to mirror when explaining their own understanding. Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils with their learning. However, the school is not routinely making checks on what pupils already know to inform the choice of learning activities. Consequently, some activities are too easy, and some are too difficult. This limits how well pupils achieve.

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better?

Reading is a high priority in the school. The school is working hard to foster a love of reading through the English curriculum, story times, a well-stocked library and 24 and 25 October 2023

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special events. The teaching of phonics is well ordered and builds pupils’ phonics knowledge over time. In most instances, staff teach phonics well because they have secure subject knowledge. If required, staff give pupils extra help so that they can keep up with the pace of the phonics programme.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Pupils with SEND are fully included in lessons and all aspects of school life. Staff are always at hand if a pupil needs extra support or guidance.

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The school enriches the curriculum through a range of experiences, such as trips, visitors, sporting tournaments and clubs. Some of these are organised by the pupils themselves. Pupils articulate the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise. In addition, they have a growing awareness of mental health. Pupils have a developing understanding of democracy and the system of voting. They know about the different types of families that exist in society. Pupils accept and respect differences.

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School leaders, supported by the governing body, have secured improvements in various aspects of school life. However, they know that there is more to do. They are determined to improve the school further. As part of this work, the school has arranged support for new subject leaders to equip them with the skills needed to lead and develop their curriculum areas.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. Teachers value the training they receive, including safeguarding. They say this helps them to do their job better. Teachers say that workload can be a challenge because they work in a small school and they ‘wear many hats’. However, teachers value the help they get from each other, which supports 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 some subjects, the school is not considering the structure of mixed-aged classes when planning the delivery of the curriculum. Consequently, what pupils learn is not consistently building on their prior knowledge. The school should adapt how it delivers the curriculum to align with the structure of mixed-aged classes so that what pupils learn builds on what they already know.  The early years curriculum does not clearly set out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that children will learn in and across the Nursery and Reception classes. Consequently, learning activities do not fit into a well-ordered sequence of learning. The school should sequentially map out the knowledge, skills and 24 and 25 October 2023

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vocabulary that children will learn in and across the Nursery and Reception classes.  The school is not using formative assessment effectively to inform teaching and the selection of learning activities. As a result, some learning activities are too easy, and some are too difficult, which limits pupils’ progress through the curriculum. The school should use formative assessment to inform next steps in pupils’ learning in a more consistent manner.  Some subject leaders are in the early stages of monitoring and developing their curriculum areas. As a result, they are unsure what is working well and what needs to improve further. This limits the development of their subject. The school should ensure that subject leaders monitor and subsequently develop their respective curriculum areas.  Staff are not applying the behaviour policy consistently in lessons. Consequently, pupils do not listen well, and at times they do not focus on their work, which

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limits how well they learn. The school should ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently well by all staff.

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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). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 June 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery, which admits two-year-olds.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises. This provision is operated by the school.  A Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of Brockton C of E Primary School as a Church of England school took place on 10 March 2017.  The school does not use any alternative 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; 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 lead inspector met with the headteacher and with five members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of leaders to discuss provision for pupils with SEND, pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the early years, personal development and additional funding.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils

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about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. A group of pupils accompanied the lead inspector on a personal development learning walk around the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses received during the inspection. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s self- evaluation, school development plan, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 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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