Brimpton C.E. Primary School

Inspection of Brimpton C.E. Primary School Brimpton Lane, Brimpton, Reading, Berkshire RG7 4TL

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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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 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and caring school. Pupils, parents, staff and governors all feel part of the Brimpton family. The school values of responsibility, love, forgiveness, respect and community are woven into daily school life. Pupils know they come first. They feel safe and trust adults to listen and to help them. Relationships between pupils and adults are strong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave extremely well. They understand the school’s ‘good to be green’ behaviour system. Pupils concentrate in class and enjoy playing with their friends during social times. Year 6 prefects are on the playground to help with any problems that emerge. Pupils know the consequences if they do not follow the rules. Those who struggle to manage their behaviour are supported well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Year 6 pupils are proud to take on roles of responsibility, such as mental health ambassadors and team captains. Pupils enjoy the variety of clubs, for example choir and sports clubs. They appreciated their recent whole-school trip to Hampton Court.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, to achieve well. Pupils are keen to work hard and are motivated to learn. As a result, they typically achieve well across the curriculum.

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better?

The school has designed an interesting and well-sequenced curriculum from early years onwards. It sets out the building blocks of knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember over time. Each subject has clear intentions for what pupils should know when they leave Brimpton at the end of Year 6. Staff are swift to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They typically make useful adaptions to support these pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

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better?

Staff often provide helpful support that helps pupils to learn important content. As a result, pupils usually achieve well. Staff revisit important concepts to help pupils to make connections to new learning. They prioritise developing pupils’ vocabulary from Reception onwards. As a result, pupils confidently use technical language to discuss their learning. For example, older pupils use accurate vocabulary to describe the features of rainforests. Sometimes, the tasks that pupils complete are not sharply focused on the most important learning. This means that on occasion, pupils do not have sufficient time or practise to secure their learning before moving on.

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better?

In some subjects, such as mathematics, staff use a well-established approach to check what pupils know and can do. They use this information to carefully adapt their teaching to address pupils’ gaps in understanding. This helps pupils to swiftly correct misconceptions. In other subjects, the school’s approach to checking pupils’ understanding is not yet fully developed. 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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Reading is a priority for the school. Adults want pupils to develop a love for reading. Teachers make sure that pupils have the opportunity to listen to a wide range of quality texts. The youngest children look forward to spending time with their reading buddy. The school has recently introduced a new programme to teach phonics and early reading. Staff have received high-quality training and have the required expertise to teach early reading. Reception children learn their sounds from the moment they start. Staff closely follow the programme and provide effective extra support for weaker readers. Pupils at an early stage of learning to read are given books that contain the sounds they have learned. This helps them to develop confidence and fluency.

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Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are consistent across the school. From the start of Reception, pupils quickly learn the routines and are encouraged to be independent. Classes are calm and learning is not interrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils engage with their learning and are keen to contribute to lessons. They move sensibly around school. Pupils are polite and courteous to both adults and each other.

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Pupils’ personal development is a notable strength of the school. The school’s Christian ethos and values make sure that pupils are kind and respectful to all. Pupils understand the importance of respecting differences. They are taught about different cultures and religions. Pupils understand that discrimination of any kind is wrong. They learn what is important in a relationship. Pupils are taught the importance of how a healthy diet and being fit will support their mental health and well-being.

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All staff feel well supported by the school’s leadership. They are appreciative of the importance given to their well-being. Governors share leaders’ aspirations for pupils’ outcomes. They appropriately hold the school to account and are mindful of the additional challenges facing small schools.

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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, teachers do not check carefully enough that pupils have retained important content. As a result, future learning does not address gaps or build well enough on what came before. The school should ensure that teachers emphasise the component knowledge that pupils need and routinely check that it has been learned, so that they can plan appropriate future learning.  Sometimes, pupils complete tasks that are not sufficiently focused on the key content. This means that on occasion, pupils do not have sufficient time to develop fluency and accuracy with new learning before moving on. The school 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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should ensure that staff design tasks that are sharply focused on the most important knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn and remember.

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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 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). 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started in her post following the previous inspection in 2018.  The school’s last section 48 inspection of the school’s distinctiveness and effectiveness as a Church of England school took place in May 2017.  The school does not currently 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.  Through no fault of the school, two inspectors returned to the school for further inspection activities on 22 January 2024.  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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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 Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult and talked to them about their reading.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum, reviewed curriculum documents and looked at pupils’ work in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to discuss the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leader, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector met with a group of governors and spoke to a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  The lead inspector visited classrooms with the headteacher to review behaviour across the school. Inspectors observed pupils in the playground and moving around the school. They also spoke to different groups of pupils.  The views of parents were considered through the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text comments. The lead inspector also spoke with some parents at the end of the first day of the inspection.  Inspectors took account of staff’s views during meetings with them and through their correspondence given to the lead inspector.

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Inspection team

Becky Greenhalgh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Laurie Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector (22 January 2024)

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Inspection team

Linda Culling His Majesty’s Inspector (22 January 2024) 11 and 12 October 2023 and 22 January 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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