Holcombe Brook Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Holcombe Brook Primary School Longsight Road, Holcombe Brook, Bury, Lancashire BL0 9TA

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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Outcome

Holcombe Brook Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Holcombe Brook Primary School. They are rightly proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Staff know pupils well and they work hard to support and nurture them. As a result, pupils typically meet these expectations, and classrooms are exciting, vibrant places for focused learning. Pupils are happy, polite and courteous, and they are motivated to learn well. Pupils’ achievement is strong across a range of subjects. They are fully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years develop positive social skills and learn to play together cooperatively. Pupils feel safe and they attend school regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk eagerly about their numerous leadership opportunities, such as becoming play leaders or school councillors. These roles, along with various trips and enrichment opportunities, allow pupils to explore their skills and talents and build their independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school collaborates effectively with families, fostering a strong sense of unity. Parents and carers praise the compassionate atmosphere and the thoughtful pastoral care that their children receive.

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

The school fosters a love of reading among pupils. Pupils confidently discuss books they have recently enjoyed, demonstrating empathy and a strong grasp of plots and characters. The school integrates reading and storytelling into the school day, starting from the Reception Year. Teachers link books to engaging activities, helping pupils to 10 and 11 December 2024

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explore themes introduced in their lessons. During the inspection, for example, early years children eagerly shared their work on the theme of ‘people who help us’, connected to the books that they have read.

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Pupils, including children in the early years, who are in the early stages of learning to read, participate in daily phonics lessons. The school closely monitors pupils’ progress in mastering letters and sounds. Pupils read books that align with their phonics knowledge, and parents receive helpful guidance on supporting reading at home. Pupils who find reading challenging receive additional support, helping them to quickly build strong reading skills and become fluent, confident readers.

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The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum. It outlines the key knowledge that pupils need to acquire across different subjects. Teachers receive regular training to enable them to deliver this curriculum effectively. Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. For example, significant work in mathematics has resulted in more pupils achieving a high standard by the end of Year 6.

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Pupils frequently recall previous learning, such as understanding the states of matter in science or the features of instructional writing in English. However, on a few occasions, teachers move on to new learning before ensuring that pupils have understood subject content. As a result, some pupils do not fully secure the knowledge they have learned.

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The school takes effective action to make sure that pupils benefit suitably from the education they receive. For example, the school has identified appropriate refinements to the curriculum. The governing body provides useful support and challenge to the school. Leaders and the governing body consult with staff regularly on issues that may impact their workload.

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The school provides effective help and support to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can successfully access the curriculum. Staff promptly identify pupils who may have additional needs and use their strong expertise to support them. The school ensures that pupils with SEND benefit from a high-quality education.

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Pupils clearly understand the school’s behaviour expectations and know that staff will guide them in making things right if they make a poor choice. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.

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The school maintains high attendance rates. When pupils struggle with attendance, the school acts swiftly to address any issues. This has improved pupils’ attendance significantly.

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The school has put much work into developing strong provision for pupils’ wider personal development. This ensures that pupils learn to respect one another, practise kindness and tolerance, and adopt healthy and safe lifestyles. Pupils expressed thoughtful understanding of the dangers of stereotyping and emphasised the importance of respecting and appreciating other faiths. 10 and 11 December 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding consistently well across subjects. As a result, some pupils may not fully grasp the concepts needed to support their understanding of more complex ideas later in the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff understand how to check that pupils have a secure understanding before introducing more challenging content.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in June 2016.

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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 10 and 11 December 2024

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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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jonathan Haworth

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment 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.  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 met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, middle leaders and a range of staff. The inspector met with members of the governing body. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, she spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the results of Ofsted’s online staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 December 2024

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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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