Brookside Primary School

Inspection of Brookside Primary School Bucknell Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX26 2DB

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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 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are respectful and kind to each other. Pupils enjoy school and, as a result, attendance is high. There is a strong sense of community at Brookside Primary School. Pupils know that adults are there to support them. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious in all subjects. Staff expect pupils to achieve well. Pupils attain well in national examinations and achieve well across the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive excellent support. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND are positive about the impact the school has on their children. The school’s learning behaviours of cooperation, resilience, concentration, curiosity, imagination and reflection are taught and support pupils to learn well in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs. These include sports, board games and mindfulness. Pupils enjoy taking on roles of responsibility in the school. They can become leaders as part of the school council, sports leaders, science council leaders and playground leaders. Pupils enjoy a range of trips and visits. Highlights include the botanical gardens and residential trips to the New Forest in Year 4 and Wales in Year 6.

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

The school has a broad curriculum which is well planned and sequenced in all subjects. Pupils build knowledge over time. They can recall what they have learned in most subjects and apply it. Achievement in many subjects across the curriculum is strong; this includes reading, writing and mathematics. Staff regularly check what pupils know and can do and adapt teaching. However, occasionally the tasks do not reflect what pupils should learn. As a result, in these lessons, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

Reading is prioritised at the school. Children learn to read as soon as they start in Reception. Staff in the school have been trained to deliver high-quality phonics lessons. Support is put in place when pupils fall behind. Teachers read carefully chosen stories, poems and rhymes to pupils on a regular basis. Pupils develop a love for reading, which supports them in the rest of the school curriculum.

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

The school has an increasing number of pupils with SEND. They are supported to learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Pupils’ needs are identified effectively. The school works with parents to put appropriate plans in place to support learning. This means that pupils with SEND achieve well in school.

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

There is a warm and respectful relationship between staff and pupils. The school rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’ are part of life at school. Low-level disruption is rare. Staff follow the school’s behaviour policy to maintain high expectations for pupils’ conduct. 25 and 26 March 2025

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Pupils attend school regularly. The school works closely with parents to ensure they understand the importance of good attendance.

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Routines are well established in the early years. The curriculum is planned to support children to establish the secure foundations of learning, such as basic reading, writing and mathematics. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The curriculum in all subjects begins in early years. The school is responsive to the needs of children and is focusing on physical development, communication and language and writing. Staff support children well, with high-quality interactions helping to take learning further.

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The school develops pupils’ experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils go on well-planned trips that support their wider development. The school uses links with local sports partnerships to create an inclusive curriculum that promotes a healthy lifestyle for pupils.

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Leaders and governors have a clear vison for the school. They know the school’s strengths and where it continues to develop. Governors hold leaders to account for their work and fulfil their statutory duties. The school engages well with staff and workload is considered thoughtfully. The well-considered professional development programme enables strong teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, teachers do not always ensure that the planned activities match the intended learning well enough. This results in some pupils not learning what leaders expect. The school should ensure that teachers provide pupils with well-considered activities and tasks that develop pupils’ knowledge and skills across the curriculum.

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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. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at pupils’ writing books.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders within the school. The lead inspector also met with governors, including the chair, and a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-evaluation

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reports, minutes of governing body meetings and attendance data.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View, and one inspector also spoke with parents on the first day of the inspection.  The views of staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection as well as the staff survey.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through classroom visits, group discussions and the pupil survey as well as at playtime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Paul Grundy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Britnell Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 2025

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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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