Broomwood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Broomwood Primary School Mainwood Road, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 7JU

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Outcome

Broomwood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is central to the local community that it serves. Pupils, including children in the early years, are happy and enjoy coming to school. Those who are new to the school settle quickly and make friends. This is because they receive strong care and support from staff. Pupils trust the adults that work with them. They know that they always have someone to talk to if they are worried or upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn a broad and ambitious curriculum. Their learning is enriched with a wide range of opportunities to engage and interest them, such as outdoor learning and school trips. From varied starting points, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and appreciate the school’s clear behaviour strategies. They respond well to these. For example, children in the early years learn how to share and take turns. Older pupils are taught how to reflect upon, manage and improve their own behaviour. They also learn about the rights and feelings of others. This creates a positive school environment where pupils work and play well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Beyond the school curriculum, pupils access a range of activities that benefit their personal development. For example, all pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. The school also offers cooking classes for pupils and their families to take part in together, so that they can learn about healthy eating.

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

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils from the early years to the end of Year 6. Recently, the school has made considerable improvements to the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for all. In most subjects, the school has identified the essential knowledge and subject-specific concepts that it wants pupils to learn. It has thought carefully about the order in which pupils are 16 and 17 May 2024

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taught this information. This helps pupils to make links in their learning and build upon what they already know. However, in a small number of subjects, the school is still in the early stages of deciding the key knowledge and concepts that pupils should learn. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what they should emphasise and consolidate when they design learning. As a result, some pupils do not acquire a sufficient depth of subject- specific knowledge in these subjects.

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Teachers value the regular support and helpful resources that the school provides to help them to develop their expertise and deliver the curriculum effectively. This has a positive impact on balancing staff’s workload, as well as enhancing pupils’ learning. Teachers use effective strategies to check that pupils have learned the curriculum well. They regularly recap pupils’ prior learning and check their understanding. This enables them to identify and address any misconceptions that pupils may have.

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The school carefully identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND, including children in the early years. The school provides a wide range of specialist support for these pupils so that they can learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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The school places a high priority on reading. It has carefully selected engaging texts and books for children in the early years and across the rest of the school to enjoy. These books are integral to the curriculum. They appeal to pupils and encourage them to read for pleasure.

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In the early years, the curriculum is carefully designed so that children, including two- year-olds, regularly sing songs, share books and gain an understanding of sound patterns. This helps them to develop their communication and language skills. From the start of the Reception Year, children follow an effective phonics programme. Staff deliver this programme with confidence. The books that children and pupils read are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Teachers check pupils’ progress through the phonics programme regularly and they provide additional support for any pupils who need it. This helps these pupils to swiftly gain the phonics knowledge that they need to read with confidence and fluency.

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Typically, pupils behave well. Staff establish strong routines and nurturing relationships with children in the early years. Older pupils learn about difference and tolerance. On the rare occasions when they may struggle to regulate their own behaviour, staff help them with well-thought-out strategies and additional support. This ensures that pupils can learn without distraction.

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The school provides many opportunities to enhance pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils access residential visits and a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities such as gardening, hockey and choir. The school is a diverse community. Pupils show respect for others and have a secure understanding of different faiths and cultures. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. This helps pupils to develop their understanding of the world and ensures that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. 16 and 17 May 2024

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Governors know the school well. They provide the school with effective support and challenge to ensure that it continues to develop and improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, teachers are not clear enough about the key knowledge and concepts that pupils need to know. Consequently, some pupils do not develop sufficient depth of subject-specific knowledge and skills. The school should ensure that teachers understand the essential knowledge and concepts that pupils should know and remember in all curriculum areas.

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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 June 2015.

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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. 16 and 17 May 2024

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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). 16 and 17 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has full-time and part-time provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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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 representatives of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, middle leaders, staff and pupils. 16 and 17 May 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. 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. The inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult. The inspector also looked at pupils’ work from a range of other subjects.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. She met with a range of staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. However, the inspector met with pupils from different year groups to gather their views about school life. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.

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 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

Amanda Downing, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 16 and 17 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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