Brockswood Primary School

Inspection of Brockswood Primary School Shenley Road, Woodhall Farm, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7QH

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 3 and 4 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school flourish in this welcoming, harmonious and happy environment. Children learn from their start in the Nursery Year to be kind and caring towards others. Pupils develop their self-confidence throughout their time at school. They benefit from a curriculum that is ambitious and carefully designed to meet their needs, especially those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are very well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and its inspirational staff motivate pupils to be the very best that they can be. Pupils strive to meet the school’s high expectations. They work hard during lessons and their behaviour is exemplary. They make excellent progress through the ambitious curriculum. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a range of opportunities to take on responsibilities in school, including being well-being and eco champions and sports and library leaders. Older pupils are proud to become positive role models and help younger children to learn. Pupils enjoy a wealth of experiences that extend well beyond the academic curriculum. These include residential visits and many trips to local community and cultural settings.

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

The curriculum is highly inspiring. The school has revised its curriculum to make clear the important knowledge and vocabulary that all pupils need to learn. It is organised so that pupils revisit important knowledge to help them to connect prior learning to new, more complex, curriculum content. Teachers skilfully use the information from the checks they make on pupils’ understanding to identify and address any misconceptions or gaps in knowledge that pupils may have. Pupils build a rich body of knowledge in the subjects they study that deepens over time because of this.

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

The school carefully identifies pupils’ individual needs, including those of pupils with SEND. Staff ensure that all pupils are included in every aspect of the school. When necessary, teachers adapt resources and activities skilfully so that pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers. This helps pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum. The school ensures that all pupils have the support that they need to succeed. This starts in the early years. Strong foundations are established quickly. For example, in Nursery, children practise counting in real-life and play situations, such as adding peas to a container while role playing the ‘Princess and the Pea’ book characters. This helps them gain confidence and apply what they learn.

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

Reading sits at the heart of the school’s work. Staff take great care to check on, and develop, pupils’ language skills, especially for those who start school with limited communication skills. In Year 1, pupils are taught to use their phonics knowledge to read accurately, including those who need extra support to catch up with the intended curriculum. By the time pupils reach Year 6, they confidently read with fluency and understanding. 3 and 4 December 2024

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Pupils conduct themselves exceptionally well around school, and in lessons, ably supported by the ‘pupil well-being ambassadors.’ Pupils sustain high levels of concentration in all aspects of learning. The school ensures that attendance is a high priority. The reasons for absence are well known by staff, who work closely with families to help improve attendance rates. Pupils attend well as a result.

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Pupils benefit from an impressive range of experiences that prepare them exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. The school’s personal, social, health and economic education programme ensures that pupils develop a keen awareness of the importance of fundamental British values. Pupils learn about diversity among people and families. They celebrate their own uniqueness as well as other beliefs and religions. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the exceptional range of activities to broaden the curriculum. These include many clubs to attend and interesting trips that support their learning in different subjects.

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Governors play a highly effective role in ensuring that pupils continue to receive an excellent education. They hold the school to account for what pupils achieve. The school’s commitment to reducing staff workload helps teachers to focus on providing the best possible education for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body David Bloomfield

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School details

Dates of the previous inspection 7 and 8 May 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth-form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 The inspectors spoke to the headteacher, deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers and special educational needs coordinators and met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, physical education and music. 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. They also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors discussed the school’s approach to behaviour and attendance. They spoke with pupils about behaviour and observed pupils at lunchtime and when moving around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 inspectors met with staff and considered their views expressed through the online staff survey.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Hewer Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 2024

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