Brighstone Church of England Aided Primary School

Inspection of Brighstone Church of England Aided Primary School New Road, Brighstone, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 4BB

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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 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school, which sits at the heart of the local community. They enjoy their many opportunities to lead initiatives across the school and help their friends. The work by the pupil ‘equality and rights advocates’ (EARA) embodies the school’s values of love, courage and respect. These pupils lead EARA school assemblies which promote empathy and understanding about diversity and difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are proud of their ‘Bee-haviour’ awards. At breaktimes, they enjoy playing with their friends across year groups. Pupils are not worried about bullying, which happens rarely, and they are confident that staff help them with any worries. The actions of the pupil and adult safeguarding leads mean that pupils are happy and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic outcomes and, in most subjects, pupils live up to them and achieve well. They are well prepared for secondary school. Pupils, parents and carers appreciate being part of the school family and its wider work with the local community. One parent summed up the views of many when they said: ‘We feel so lucky that our children will always have such good memories of their primary school days.’

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better?

Since the last inspection, the school has taken decisive action to improve the curriculum and pupils’ learning. In every subject, there is a clear outline and order of what pupils need to learn. In some subjects, the school has sensibly utilised published curriculum schemes to help manage the workload of a small staff team. The school has prioritised subjects for review as the school population has changed to include mixed-year-group classes. In subjects where this work is further along, pupils learn well and accumulate the knowledge and skills they need. In a few subjects, where curriculum changes have been recent, pupils’ recall and use of key knowledge is not as secure.

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better?

Pupils become confident and fluent readers. This is because staff are well trained to teach the school’s phonics scheme. Pupils enjoy their familiar phonics routines with ‘Fred talk’ and appropriate reading books. Any pupils who need extra support with their reading are quickly identified and the help they receive allows them to catch up quickly. Pupils enjoy choosing books from the school library, including books which inform them about other cultures and human rights. The weekly school newsletter, ‘The Buzz’, includes reading recommendations from staff and pupils.

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better?

In many subjects, there are robust systems to check how well pupils are learning. Teachers routinely recap prior knowledge to help pupils remember and apply it in their new learning. At the start of lessons, ‘flashbacks’ are used to remind pupils about their learning over time and to address any gaps they may have. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified and appropriately 6 and 7 February 2024

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supported with their learning. As a result, they access the full curriculum and achieve well.

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The school’s induction procedures mean that children settle extremely well into early years. Parents and carers are given valuable information so they can support their children as they start school. This includes information about reading and the phonics scheme. Children visit from nearby pre-schools and therefore become familiar with the school environment and teaching staff. This means that, right from the start, they are happy and eager to learn and play with their friends. Their curiosity about the natural world is encouraged and nurtured. During the inspection, children showed excitement about the blue tits they could see nesting. Staff help them to use books to find out about other birds and new vocabulary. Children are keen to share their knowledge and participate in the RSPB’s ‘Big Garden Birdwatch’.

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Pupils benefit from many wider opportunities. These give them an understanding of what their local area, and beyond, has to offer. They are proud of their contributions to the Brighstone Horticulture Show and when they perform with the choir or country dancing at community events. School trips, including to the British Museum in London, build pupils’ cultural understanding as well as enhancing their learning in the classroom. Pupils enjoy a range of inclusive clubs which include seasonal sports, boccia, bellringing and mindfulness.

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The governing body are effective at challenging, supporting and checking the school’s work. They meet regularly with staff and pupils to gather their views about the school. Staff appreciate the school’s outward looking culture. Being a small team, they value opportunities for professional development and support with other schools, the local authority and diocese. The impact of this is highly evident in recent curriculum improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, curriculum changes have only recently been implemented. As a result, pupils have not always secured the prior knowledge needed for the learning that follows. Leaders should ensure that recent changes to the curriculum provide pupils with a consistently deep body of knowledge on which to build. 6 and 7 February 2024

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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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary aided Church of England primary school within the Diocese of Portsmouth. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in May 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due in 2024.  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.

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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. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 The inspectors met with school leaders and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, science, history and music. They also met with the mathematics leader and examined pupils’ work across the curriculum. 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 samples of pupils’ work.  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 inspectors evaluated responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and spoke to pupils

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to gather their views.  The inspectors analysed responses to the staff survey and spoke to staff about their views of the school.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses. The lead inspector also spoke with parents at the start of the second day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Kate Fripp, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Vicky Matthews Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 February 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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