Brisbane Park Infant School

Inspection of Brisbane Park Infant School Blake Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 1NY

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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 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision is to help pupils build up their self-belief. Pupils’ positive relationships with caring staff, coupled with the range of experiences that the school provides, helps them to become confident and independent. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn the importance of the school rules. Pupils are well mannered and caring. Those pupils who need extra help in managing their emotions receive effective support from nurturing staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils embrace the learning opportunities that the school provides for them. They are keen to learn and many pupils achieve well during their time at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a range of community activities, such as singing to the residents of a local care home. These opportunities build pupils’ understanding of empathy and what it means to make a positive contribution to society. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs that are available to them. These include different sport activities, storytelling club and choir.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious for pupils, including those with SEND. The school has effective systems in place that identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Carefully considered support and resources help these pupils to progress well through the curriculum.

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better?

The school has set out the key knowledge that pupils should learn in key stage 1. In the Reception Year, the school has identified much of the important knowledge that staff will teach and the order in which children will learn it. However, there remain a small number of areas where the school has not identified this in sufficient detail. This hinders staff when they design some learning activities, as it is not clear what they should focus on. As a result, some pupils are not as well prepared for the demands of the Year 1 curriculum as they could be.

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better?

High-quality training enables many staff to deliver the curriculum effectively across a number of subjects. In most subjects, teachers use assessment information to identify and address any gaps in knowledge that pupils have. That said, in one or two subjects, some of the activities provided for pupils do not build on what they already know or deepen their knowledge. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Nevertheless, across many other subjects, pupils build up a deep body of knowledge and are well prepared for the next stage of education. 25 and 26 June 2024

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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. Staff teach the phonics programme consistently well. They quickly identify and support those pupils who need extra help to keep up with their peers. Pupils who join the school in key stage 1 and are new to learning English quickly begin to understand the different sounds that letters represent.

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Children in the Reception Year develop a love of books. They know and enjoy many stories, rhymes and songs. Children learn about reading through the well-chosen texts that staff regularly share with them. When pupils begin to learn phonics, they read books that are carefully matched to the sounds that they have learned. This helps them to experience the success of reading independently. Many pupils are fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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The school’s clear rules and routines help to create calm classrooms in which pupils focus on their learning. This begins in the early years where children listen attentively to staff and learn cooperatively alongside one another. Previously, some pupils have been absent from school too often. The school has put in place a range of effective strategies that are reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent.

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Pupils experience a range of opportunities that prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils know what to do if they see something online that upsets them. They understand what they should do in order to cross the road safely. Pupils benefit from a range of visits. These include places of local historical significance, museums and the beach.

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Governors support and challenge the school well to improve the quality of education. They work effectively with the school to realise the agreed values. Staff appreciate the actions taken by the school that keeps paperwork to a minimum and the investment made in developing their teaching expertise.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two subjects, some of the activities provided for pupils do not deepen or build on what they already know. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers have the knowledge that they need to design activities that connect learning and help pupils to build up a deep body of knowledge.  In a small number of areas within the early years curriculum, the school has not identified some of the important knowledge that children should learn in 25 and 26 June 2024

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readiness for Year 1. This hinders staff in knowing what learning they should prioritise when designing activities. As a result, some pupils are not as well prepared for the demands of the Year 1 curriculum as they could be. The school should finalise their curriculum thinking in these areas of learning.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provision and one unregistered alternative provision.  The governing body operates a breakfast club and after-school 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ 25 and 26 June 2024

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work in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The lead 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 inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. They spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. They also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also

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considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors spoke with some parents and carers. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathryn Pym Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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