Brompton-Westbrook Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Brompton- Westbrook Primary School Kings Bastion, Brompton, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5DQ

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The headteacher of this school is Sue Mason. This school is part of The Westbrook Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Oliver Allen, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Norley.

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Outcome

Brompton-Westbrook Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are thriving at this friendly and inclusive school. Staff recognise that pupils have different multi-cultural backgrounds. Some pupils also have parents in the armed forces. Time is taken to consider the different needs of pupils and offer bespoke support to help them settle quickly into school life. The school is committed to ensuring everyone has a secure sense of community and belonging. Pupils feel confident to be themselves in the school’s nurturing atmosphere.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud and happy to be a part of their special school community. They feel safe and are keen to learn and achieve well. The school's 'Zero Hero' approach to behaviour ensures that pupils make a positive contribution to the calm environment of the school. They are polite and well-mannered. Pupils value the recognition they receive through celebration assemblies. Rewards are highly appreciated and include invitations to the headteacher's 'tea party' and 'wow' messages.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very enthusiastic about the vast array of high-quality enrichment activities on offer. There are several leadership roles to help support their character development. These include wellbeing and subject ambassadors, play leaders and being members of the school council. Pupils are supported to be articulate, confident and to share their thoughts and opinions.

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum that successfully meets the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide 11 and 12 June 2024

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pupils with learning that is engaging and exciting. Careful thought has shaped the curriculum from the early years to Year 6. At each stage, the curriculum sets out the essential knowledge and skills pupils should learn. This prepares pupils at all stages for the next steps in their education. Overall, pupils achieve well. Teachers deliver the curriculum skilfully. They do this because of their strong subject knowledge and due to the effective training and support they receive.

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The school's recent changes in mathematics reflect leaders’ actions to strengthen much of the school’s curriculum. In mathematics lessons, pupils are developing strong reasoning and problem-solving skills. Children in the early years acquire the skills and knowledge that they need and are well prepared for Year 1. Younger children quickly acquire number recognition skills. In some subjects, however, the schools' methods of checking pupils' knowledge are still being developed. Teachers do not always consistently check what pupils have remembered long-term before moving on to new learning meaning pupils are not always learning as much as they could.

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The school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified accurately and swiftly. Staff are resolute in their view that any additional needs should not be a barrier to learning. When necessary, they expertly adapt resources so that these pupils can learn the same curriculum as their classmates. The school engages with outside agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND receive expert support when it is needed. Although many pupils join the school at different points, the school identifies what they already know. They use this information to help build on and develop pupils' knowledge.

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Reading is at the centre of pupils’ learning. The school focuses on communication and language to develop children’s learning in the early years. Children are immersed in rhymes, songs, and stories. This helps them to build an understanding of new vocabulary and sounds quickly. Reading ambassadors take their role in promoting a love of books with their peers seriously. They speak with pride of reading sessions and assemblies they lead to support this initiative. Well-trained staff expertly deliver phonics sessions across the early years and key stage 1. Pupils who find learning to read more difficult, including those who speak English as an additional language, benefit from the additional support they are given. This increases their confidence in reading and means most pupils can read fluently for their age.

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Pupils demonstrate positive behaviour. Lessons are usually calm and purposeful. Pupils understand the importance of the school values. Children in the early years enjoy exploring during purposeful play and become increasingly independent and confident. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Levels of attendance are high and leaders work closely with a small number of families to identify any barriers that is preventing pupils from attending regularly.

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The school has thought extensively about how to provide for pupils’ personal development. There is a vast range of experiences on offer to enhance the curriculum through a programme of visits and visitors. Pupils embrace and celebrate the uniqueness of individuals. They demonstrate their understanding through warm relationships with one another. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from the school. 11 and 12 June 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not consistently use appropriate checks to see if pupils are secure in their knowledge before moving on to new learning. As a result, some lesson activities are not always adapted carefully enough to help pupils achieve as highly as they can. The school should continue to ensure that pupils’ understanding is checked so that any gaps in understanding can be quickly identified and addressed.

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Background

When we have judged 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 January 2019.

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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 11 and 12 June 2024

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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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Website www.bromptonwestbrook.medway.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Brompton-Westbrook Primary School is one of four schools in The Westbrook Trust.  The school runs its own before- and after-school clubs.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held a range of meetings with the headteacher, the CEO, school leaders, and teaching and support staff.  The inspector met with a member of the local governing board and trustees. 11 and 12 June 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector heard pupils read aloud to a known adult.  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.  The inspector took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and trust board minutes.  The inspector considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text comments that were submitted. They also took account of the responses

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to the confidential staff survey and gathered the views of both staff and pupils throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Numera Anwar, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 11 and 12 June 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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