Broadfield Community Primary School

Inspection of Broadfield Community Primary School Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, Lancashire OL16 1QT

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2023

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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 Requires improvement 13 and 14 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Broadfield Community Primary School enjoy their learning and want to do well. Staff place a sharp focus on raising pupils’ aspirations and encouraging them to value their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has taken decisive action to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff have increased their expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils, including children in the early years, benefit from a considerably strengthened curriculum. Most pupils learn and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A considerable proportion of pupils join the school part-way through the academic year. These pupils are welcomed warmly by the whole school community. Pupils celebrate the diverse range of cultures and religions within the school and the local area. They learn how to treat one another with kindness and respect. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe in school. Pupils who act as well-being champions are keen to support their peers if they feel sad or lonely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many trips and visits that the school arranges to enhance their learning and to develop their independence. The school offers a variety of activities to foster pupils’ musical and sporting talents, which are open to all pupils. Pupils take on a wide range of leadership roles which enable them to contribute positively to the school community.

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better?

The governing body provides suitable support and challenge to the school, which has empowered leaders to identify and implement necessary improvements to the curriculum. The positive impact of these improvements is particularly evident for younger pupils, including children in the early years. However, some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum and because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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better?

The school has devised a carefully considered curriculum that identifies how pupils’ knowledge should develop over time. It makes clear to teachers the prior learning that pupils should have secured, as well as the next steps that pupils are working towards. This helps teachers to design coherent learning that builds successfully on pupils’ prior knowledge. Teachers value the support that the school provides to develop their subject-specific knowledge and curriculum expertise, and to reduce unnecessary workload.

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better?

Teachers typically use suitable strategies to check on pupils’ learning. However, from time to time, the activities that teachers choose to deliver the curriculum do not support pupils to deepen their knowledge as well as they could. Added to this, sometimes staff do not identify and address some older pupils’ gaps in learning as quickly as they could. Occasionally, this can hinder the learning of some pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). 13 and 14 December 2023

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Most pupils who follow the entirety of the school’s curriculum, from the early years to Year 6, achieve well. However, a large number of pupils join the school during key stage 1 and key stage 2. These pupils often speak English as an additional language. While these pupils progress well through the curriculum, their success is not reflected in the school’s published outcomes.

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The school has acted decisively to strengthen its approach to developing pupils’ reading knowledge. A successful programme to teach pupils to read is now well embedded, starting in the early years. In the Nursery classes, children enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes. This prepares them well for learning phonics. Staff have received effective training which enables them to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Skilled staff support pupils who find reading more difficult to keep up with their peers.

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Pupils who speak English as an additional language receive targeted support which helps them to rapidly develop their reading expertise. Pupils value the regular opportunities that the school provides for independent reading. They appreciate sharing an ambitious range of class novels with their teachers.

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Staff quickly forge warm relationships with children when they join the Nursery or Reception classes. Whenever new pupils join the school, leaders use a range of appropriate assessment techniques to establish any barriers to learning, such as pupils’ additional needs. This includes accurately identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff have been suitably trained to support these pupils to learn successfully.

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Pupils are taught how to behave in lessons and around the school. They rarely disrupt the learning of others. Well-established systems support teachers to manage any behaviour that does not meet the school’s high expectations. Pupils enjoy frequent opportunities to celebrate their positive behaviour and achievements. They take pride in their knowledge, and they are enthusiastic to share their learning with others.

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The school is aware that some pupils need to improve their rates of attendance. It systematically analyses patterns of absence so that it can identify and overcome barriers that may prevent pupils from attending as often as they should. This is encouraging more pupils, including some who are disadvantaged, to attend school more regularly.

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The school has designed an ambitious and rigorous programme to support pupils’ wider development. Pupils develop an age-appropriate knowledge of the dangers of the online world. They learn how to use technology safely and responsibly. Pupils also learn how to forge and sustain healthy relationships with their peers. This helps to prepare pupils well for their life after primary school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 December 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum and as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On occasion, this prevents these pupils from being fully prepared for secondary school. The school should ensure that staff are well supported to address any gaps in pupils’ learning promptly, so that their future learning is not hindered.  From time to time, the activities that staff select to deliver the curriculum do not help pupils to deepen their knowledge as effectively as they could. This hinders some pupils, including some with SEND, from learning all that they should. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to design learning that supports pupils to acquire and remember their knowledge securely over time.

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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). 13 and 14 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Rosemary Nunwick

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides childcare in the form of breakfast and after-school clubs, which are open to all pupils.  The school does not use alternative provision for any pupils.

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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 senior leaders, including the headteacher, and a range of staff. The inspector also spoke with representatives of the local governing body, including the vice-chair of governors. 13 and 14 December 2023

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 The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans and minutes of trust board and governing body meetings. Inspectors also reviewed records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  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.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and social times.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, English, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, they discussed the

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some teachers and pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Charlotte Oles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ruth Moran His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 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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