Brampton Abbotts CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Brampton Abbotts CofE Primary School Brampton Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7FX

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Outcome

Brampton Abbotts CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s value of the month for December – ‘happiness’. They are proud when they are ‘values award’ winners. They enjoy school and are enthusiastic about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants every pupil to do as well as they can. Teachers make sure that almost every child is reading at the expected standard by the time they start Year 3. The school is highly supportive whenever a new pupil is learning English as an additional language.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and throughout the school. They are friendly and courteous to visitors and get on well with each other. Those pupils spoken to said there is always a trusted adult to turn to if they are worried. Pupils are well prepared by the school to keep themselves safe. Staff are vigilant. The mantra is, ‘Just a niggle builds a picture.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are numerous wider enrichment opportunities for pupils and younger children. They proudly performed for parents in the school’s nativity play, ‘Twinkle Town’. Every year, pupils participate in a local film festival. They make a film and premiere it at the local cinema. Pupils enjoy active links with a college in Uganda and a local care home.

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

The school has an ambitious and typically well-sequenced curriculum which enables pupils to do well. All pupils access a wide range of subjects, backed up by an extensive range of other activities that enhance the curriculum further. The school has ensured that the content they want pupils to learn in most subjects is appropriate for pupils across split- year group classes. This is so pupils do well by the time they leave school, as is the case in mathematics. In French, the curriculum builds logically so that whichever class a pupil is in, they all receive the same core content. In a few subjects, however, the curriculum is not as well thought out and this leads to gaps in some pupils’ experiences and knowledge. 13 December 2023

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Children get off to a rapid start learning to read in Reception. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils have achieved the expected standard in the phonics assessments. The school has a phonics scheme where books are well matched to the sounds and letters pupils learn. All staff who deliver the programme are well trained. Effective additional support enables pupils who find reading difficult, are at an early stage of reading, or have fallen behind, to catch up. Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident and fluent in their reading. Staff foster a love of reading by their example. The library is a centrepiece of the school.

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When needed, teachers put in place suitable adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND, starting from the early years. The school benefits from a high proportion of additional adults supporting pupils. Staff make extensive use of technology to assist with pupils’ learning. All pupils, including children in Reception, have access to an electronic tablet where work can be presented visually. This is beneficial, especially for pupils who need additional help to access their learning.

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Teachers check how well pupils are doing through their effective questioning in lessons. Many subjects have formal assessment processes in place, but this is not consistent across all subjects.

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Previously high absence rates have significantly improved to be much closer to the national average. The school knows its families well. It has worked hard with them to challenge, as well as support, those who face difficulties getting their children into school regularly. The small number of pupils who need help managing their behaviour receive effective support. This helps to secure improvements over time.

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Pupils show respect for each other, including those from different backgrounds and faiths to their own. Pupils learn about different religions and have visited some local places of worship. Each class goes on at least one trip a year. Reception children recently carried out a local study. There are links to the local football club, Hereford Football Club, and pupils have attended a Gilbert and Sullivan workshop.

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Staff appreciate how the school is mindful of their workload. Governors are aware of their responsibility for the welfare of senior leaders. As this is a small school, some staff take on several leadership responsibilities. However, the school does not ensure that it evaluates its work fully to identify and address any shortcomings in curriculum provision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not ensure that leaders have sufficient time to carry out their subject leadership responsibilities as fully as possible. This means that the school does not 13 December 2023

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have a sharp enough understanding of what needs to improve in different subjects. The school should explore opportunities across the two schools in the federation to maximise leadership capacity so that leaders have a clearer understanding of the strengths and relative weaknesses in subjects.  The school has not ensured that, in some subjects, all pupils in the same year group receive the same curriculum provision. This leads to gaps in some pupils’ learning. Leaders should ensure that the organisation of the curriculum for each year group results in pupils receiving the same intended curriculum content so that pupils achieve well.

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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 September 2013.

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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). 13 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Daniel Brearey (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A head of school has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school is federated with Bridstow CofE Primary school.  There are five mixed-age classes. Years 1 and 4 are both split across two different classes.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school has a Christian ethos. The school’s last section 48 inspection was in July 2017. The next scheduled inspection is due in 2024.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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. 13 December 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school and other leaders and staff.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils.  Inspectors met the chair and vice chair of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View free-text service, the online questionnaire and the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors considered information on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and personal development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, French and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at

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samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also listened to pupils read and discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including in the early years foundation stage.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Price His Majesty’s Inspector 13 December 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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