Bramley Vale Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Bramley Vale Primary School York Crescent, Doe Lea, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S44 5PF

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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 14 and 15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bramley Vale is a warm and welcoming place. The school has high expectations for every pupil. Pupils are happy and enjoy attending this school. They use words to describe it such as ‘active’, ‘joyful’, ‘amazing’, ‘creative’ and ‘kind’. Pupils say they feel safe. They are ready to learn and enjoy their lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent in classrooms and at social times. They show respect for each other and for staff. Pupils know that if bullying happened it would not be tolerated and would be dealt with quickly. Pupils can use ‘worry boxes’ to report any concerns or talk to an adult.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the rewards they earn for doing their best. They develop their leadership skills as school councillors, reading leaders and anti-bullying ambassadors. Many pupils attend clubs in school and enjoy activities where they develop their interests, including in sports and music. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme of visits to a diverse range of places both locally and nationally which widen their experiences and enhance learning. These include several museums, a farm and a coastal residential visit.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They say their lessons are interesting. One pupil typically commented: ‘I really enjoy maths as it is fun and I just love it.’

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better?

The school’s ‘CRAVE’ curriculum (cross-curriculum, relevant, attainment, varied, experiences) is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum identifies the key knowledge that pupils need to learn, and the order in which they need to learn it. The school has provided training to develop staff’s expertise in curriculum development. Teachers teach the curriculum effectively in most subjects.

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better?

Teachers provide pupils with regular memory tasks to revisit what they have learned. This helps pupils know and remember more. It also helps teachers to identify and deal with gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Teachers provide regular feedback to help pupils to improve their work.

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better?

Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. The school identifies pupils with SEND as soon as possible. Leaders seek appropriate advice from external agencies to support pupils with specific additional needs. Teachers receive training to support these pupils. Most pupils with SEND achieve well. However, some teachers do not adapt teaching precisely enough to allow pupils with SEND to achieve as well as they could.

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better?

The school has made reading a priority. Pupils learn to read quickly when they start in the early years. All staff receive training to teach the school’s phonics programme. 14 and 15 May 2024

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The daily phonics sessions are highly structured and staff deliver these expertly. Teachers make sure that books are matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. They read daily to pupils. Teachers identify pupils who may be falling behind in their reading. These pupils receive extra support to catch up. Pupils practise reading regularly at school and at home. This helps them become fluent readers. Pupils say they enjoy reading. They enthusiastically take part in reading challenges and receive rewards.

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Staff in the early years teach children the personal, physical and social skills they need to succeed. A well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum ensures children are ready for their next phase of learning. For example, staff have planned a range of activities centred around the class reading book ‘Betsy Buglove’. These activities develop children’s communication skills, their understanding of science, their literacy and mathematical knowledge as well as their creativity. Children add to their knowledge by visiting a tropical butterfly house.

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The school makes expectations about good attendance clear to parents and carers. Leaders make frequent checks on pupils’ attendance. Staff work closely with families to promote good attendance. This is beginning to have an impact. Although most pupils attend well, a small number of pupils continue to be absent from school too often.

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The curriculum provides many opportunities to experience the world beyond Doe Lea. Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Pupils know how to stay safe online because of the school’s ‘iVengers’ programme. However, although pupils speak positively about these opportunities, they often remember the activity and not the learning. For example, they visit places of worship but cannot recall what they have learned about other faiths. Pupils do not always develop a firm understanding of British values.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They say that leaders consider their well- being and workload. Governors are fully informed about the school. They hold leaders to account, but also support them to bring about improvements. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not use the strategies that have been identified by the school to support and teach pupils with SEND consistently well. Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that all teachers use 14 and 15 May 2024

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the school’s identified strategies to support and teach pupils with SEND so that they achieve the best possible outcomes.  The school has a creative approach to the personal development curriculum. Pupils have many cultural experiences which they enjoy. However, not all pupils gain a firm understanding of British values and different faiths from these experiences. The school needs to ensure that the planned experiences in the personal development offer allow pupils to gain a firm understanding of British values and different faiths.

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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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website https://www.bramleyvaleprimary.com

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 June 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use 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.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders, including curriculum leaders and the leader with responsibility for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and computing. 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. 14 and 15 May 2024

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 Inspectors also considered pupils’ learning in a range of other subjects, including English, science, history, and art and design.  The lead inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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 considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.  The lead inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted online surveys for staff and parents.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with the school’s local authority school improvement adviser.

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Inspection team

Stephen Long, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Wicken Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 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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