Bradley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bradley Primary School Dover Street, Nelson, Lancashire BB9 7RF

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Outcome

Bradley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embody the school’s aim of being respectful towards one another and to staff. They strive to meet the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. Pupils achieve this with ease. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn the importance of sharing and taking turns. Pupils across the school behave impeccably and their learning is rarely interrupted. This helps them to feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many pupils are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language when they join the school. They receive consistent support from staff to develop their vocabulary and spoken English. Pupils make the most of the learning opportunities that the school provides for them and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the opportunities that they have to take on responsibilities in school. For example, pupil librarians help to maintain the school library and they recommend books for others to read. Pupils benefit from the range of clubs available to them. These include different sporting activities as well as reading and art clubs. The school ensures that many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from these clubs.

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

The school has carefully considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn across the majority of the curriculum. It informs teachers on what pupils should have learned in previous year groups. Teachers use this information well to identify and address any gaps in knowledge that pupils may have, before moving on to new learning. Across most of the curriculum, teachers design learning opportunities that build on what pupils already know. In these subjects, pupils achieve well.

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

In a small number of subjects, the school has not set out the important knowledge that pupils should learn. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what knowledge to prioritise when designing lessons. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils have gaps in 30 April and 1 May 2024

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their knowledge and do not learn as well as they could.

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The school’s effective systems identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Staff provide carefully considered support and resources which allow these pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers. In the main, pupils with SEND are well prepared for the next stage of education.

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The school places a high priority on children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 developing a secure knowledge of phonics. Well-trained staff teach the phonics programme consistently. Staff quickly identify those pupils who need extra help and support them to keep up with their classmates. Pupils who join the school in key stage 2 and are new to learning English, quickly begin to understand the different sounds that letters represent.

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The published performance data in 2023 showed that some pupils in Year 6 did not achieve as well as their peers nationally in reading. Some of these pupils missed significant amounts of time in school as a result of closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a number of pupils joined the school during key stage 2 and were new to learning English. However, there were also some historic weaknesses in the curriculum. The school has taken urgent action to improve the curriculum and how it is taught. Staff have benefited from high-quality training that helps them to teach reading consistently. Pupils currently at the school are developing into confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils are very well mannered. They are courteous and helpful. The school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and they show determination when faced with any challenges. Well-developed systems and procedures help the school to identify any potential attendance issues and to take timely action. This includes taking appropriate actions in response to extended term-time holidays which adversely affect the attendance of some pupils.

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Pupils experience many opportunities that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. For example, they recognise the hazards of open water and know what they should do to cross the road safely. Pupils understand the importance of having a healthy diet. They know that too much sugar can cause tooth decay. Pupils enjoy the range of trips that the school provides. These include visiting galleries, museums and historical sites.

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Governors carry out their legal duties effectively. That said, they do not provide the required support and challenge to the school on the quality of education. This limits their impact to improve the school’s effectiveness.

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Staff value being part of the school. They are highly positive about the school’s support for their workload and well-being. They appreciate the training that they have received to help them to lead subjects and to deliver the curriculum well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not finalised its curriculum thinking with regard to the important knowledge that pupils should learn. This hinders teachers from designing learning that helps pupils to build up a deep body of knowledge. The school should ensure that it finalises its curriculum thinking so that it is clear what pupils should learn and when this knowledge should be taught.  Governors do not hold the school to account for the quality of education. This limits their impact on school improvement. Governors should ensure that they access appropriate training to enable them to provide effective challenge and support.

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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 November 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, 30 April and 1 May 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 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The school operates a breakfast club which is overseen by the governing body.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken this into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. As part of the deep dives, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. He also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. He spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. He also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. He also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 30 April and 1 May 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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