Bramham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bramham Primary School Clifford Road, Bramham, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 6JQ

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Outcome

Bramham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Bramham Primary School are happy and enjoy coming to school. They are polite, courteous and welcoming of visitors. Pupils demonstrate the school’s core values of confidence, acceptance, resilience and empathy. They develop positive relationships with adults and their peers. These strong relationships help pupils to feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond positively to the school’s high expectations of behaviour. At playtimes and lunchtimes, they play well together. Pupils insist that there is no bullying, and they know that adults would deal with it swiftly if it did occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high ambitions that every pupil will achieve their best, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and are keen to contribute in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in a range of leadership roles. School councillors appreciate their contributions to making the school a better place. Reading ambassadors advocate for reading and help choose books for the school library. Food ambassadors play a part in deciding menus on offer for lunch. Pupils show respect for equality and diversity.

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

The school has planned and introduced an ambitious curriculum. The curriculum makes clear what pupils need to know and when. A sequence of learning is planned from early years to Year 6. There is a clear vision for what pupils can achieve.

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

Reading is a high priority. Staff share their favourite books with pupils. Adults encourage a love of reading. Pupils benefit from a carefully constructed phonics programme that is delivered by well-trained staff. They learn phonics in well-structured lessons. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they are learning. This helps them to become more fluent in their reading. Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ knowledge. Those who fall behind are quickly identified and supported to keep up. 30 and 31 January 2024

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The curriculum for mathematics is sequenced in a way that ensures pupils build their knowledge over time. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well in mathematics. Teachers adapt the curriculum to make sure that pupils with SEND study the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers regularly check that pupils are remembering important mathematical facts and methods. Children in the early years have plentiful opportunities to acquire and secure early mathematical skills, often relating to the ‘number of the week’. Pupils’ success in reading and mathematics is not reflected consistently across the wider curriculum. In some subjects, including French and religious education, previous learning is not revisited in ways that help pupils remember the knowledge the school intends them to learn.

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Pupils behave well throughout school. The school deals with rare instances of challenging behaviour effectively. In lessons, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Children in the early years behave extremely well and respond positively to well- established routines.

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Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or who have SEND, participate in many extra-curricular sporting opportunities. They often take part and enjoy success in a range of sporting competitions. Leaders know that widening the extra-curricular offer would provide pupils with further opportunities to develop their skills and interests.

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Pupils’ personal, social and health education is integrated well into the life of the school. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and how to keep themselves healthy. They learn to value differences between people and are respectful and tolerant of others. Pupils are encouraged to discuss and debate important topics, such as the role of artificial intelligence in society.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about their experience of working at Bramham Primary School. They describe leaders as caring and considerate. Leaders ensure that staff workload is carefully considered and is manageable. Leaders and governors are committed to a happy and healthy workforce but know there is more they can do to improve communication with parents.

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The governing body has undergone some changes in the last year. Governors have undertaken a review of their work and are working on a detailed plan for improvement. They undertake training that helps them to understand their governance role. They have strengthened their practice. Governors share leaders’ commitment to the continual improvement of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 and 31 January 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the most important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn is not revisited often enough. This means that sometimes pupils cannot remember what they have been taught well enough. The school should ensure that the most important knowledge and vocabulary in these subjects is revisited regularly so that pupils strengthen their learning.  Although pupils benefit from opportunities to participate in sport, their talents and interests are not sufficiently developed in other areas. The school should do more to widen opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests through the curriculum and other activities.

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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 November 2018.

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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, 30 and 31 January 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Kathryn Wilkinson

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2018

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The head of school was appointed in September 2022.  The school is part of The Federation of Bramham and Shadwell.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the head of school and other leaders. He also met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. 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. 30 and 31 January 2024

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 The inspector examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, the pupil survey and the staff survey. The inspector spoke informally with parents at the end of the school day.  During the inspection, the inspector met with groups of pupils, both formally and during less structured parts of the day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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