Avanti Brook Primary School

Avanti Brook Primary School

Address: Newland Avenue, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2UW Unique reference number (URN): 149537

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Early years Strong standard

Staff skilfully guide children in the Reception class to quickly find their feet when they start school. Many children move from the pre-school class, and the transition between the two is extremely well managed.

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Early years Strong standard

Children develop warm and trusting relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe and ready to explore. As a result of the high-quality provision, children soon become independent, resilient and curious. They learn very well in their first years of school. This is because staff rightly prioritise the important skills in reading, writing and number that children need to learn. This learning, mixed with a broad curriculum across all areas of learning, prepares children very well for Year 1.

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Early years Strong standard

Staff interactions with pupils are of a high quality. As a result, all children are able to access the learning environment around them. This includes disadvantaged children and children that staff quickly identify as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use their knowledge of how the youngest children learn and develop to ask the right questions at the right time, to maximise learning. They model the language that they expect children to use. Children develop their gross motor skills through a range of activities such as bikes, ramps, digging in the soil and movement games. Over time, these help to build fine motor development through the use of tools, cutting equipment and carefully decorating cupcakes.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have crafted their personal development programme to meet the needs of their own pupils and children in the early years. This has a sharp focus on ‘community’ given the location and context of the school. The school sits at the heart of this new housing community, and pupils are in a unique position to build their community from the ground up.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Wider opportunities are rich and plentiful. Leaders have shaped these to provide experiences that pupils may not otherwise encounter. These opportunities help pupils to build their understanding of people from different cultures and backgrounds to themselves. Pupils develop an appreciation of the wider world through educational visits including to the planetarium, farm and a music festival. Pupils also support the community, spending time with residents from the local care home and hosting them for performances in school. Whether through the arts, music or sports, pupils have a range of opportunities to help broaden their experiences and enable them to develop their talents and interests.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from a well-considered personal, social, health education (PSHE) provision. Pupils’ learning across the PSHE curriculum positively impacts their approach to and view of the world. They understand the need for healthy diets, the importance of exercise and the value of yoga for calming their minds and preparing them to learn. Pupils enact the important virtues the school promotes. These flow from the school’s ‘tree of life’, guiding pupils to, for example, understand differences between themselves and others, maintain a positive outlook on life, and be proud of their unique qualities. Pupils, at an age-appropriate level, show these virtues during their time in school. They value one another and enjoy finding out the beliefs and background of other people.

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Expected standard

Staff know pupils as individuals and know if a pupil is not themselves. Where pupils need additional support to help manage their emotions or feelings, staff provide this extremely well.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils learn well as they move through the school. They learn the important knowledge they need to be secure in a range of subjects. The youngest pupils learn to read well. They use their phonic knowledge to help them, for example to spell new words and write in sentences. Most pupils form their letters accurately when they write, which ensures that what they write can be read by others.

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Achievement Expected standard

This positive picture of achievement can also be seen for pupils who attend the specially resourced provision, ‘The Spring’. These pupils develop well from their own individual starting points, taking account of their individual needs and targets set out in their education, health and care plans.

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Achievement Expected standard

Disadvantaged pupils also learn well. In a range of subjects such as geography and art, they build new learning on what they already know to learn and achieve well.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils attend school regularly. Leaders keep a close watch on the attendance of each pupil. If attendance starts to fall, meaning a pupil misses too much school, leaders step in quickly. Positive relationships with families ensure that support can be provided that is tailored to individual circumstances. Leaders’ effective work helps to get attendance back on track when needed. Leaders and staff help pupils and parents and carers understand that every session counts. As a result, there are very few pupils who miss too much school.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well in school. Pupils are friendly, kind and understand how to be a good friend. As a result, bullying and unkind behaviour are rare. If an incident does occur, staff respond quickly to put a stop to any issues that arise. Pupils, and children in the early years, have positive attitudes to their learning. They work hard in lessons and try their best. A small number of pupils need extra help in managing their behaviour and emotions. Staff provide this in a calm manner. These pupils respond well to this help. Leaders’ new approach to supporting behaviour is a step in the right direction and is helping to further improve and refine staff practice in this area.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have in place a well-considered curriculum. This considers both the important knowledge that current pupils need to know and remember, along with a clear and ambitious programme for pupils when they move into key stage 2 as the school grows over the next few years. Leaders have an accurate view of what is working well and where teaching needs further refinement.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

On the whole, teachers teach well. They have the subject knowledge they need to ensure that they explain new ideas and check on pupils’ learning. Teachers generally check carefully to make sure pupils understand what has been taught. Staff skilfully teach phonics. They teach the phonics programme well and provide effective support for pupils who need a little more help in learning to read. The same can be said for the guidance received by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school and in some subjects. At times, for example, teaching is not always adapted sufficiently to ensure that activities precisely meet and address the individual needs of pupils. This means that, at times, work can be too easy or too hard for some pupils. Leaders know this and are taking the right actions to bring about further improvement.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There is a well-established culture of inclusion across the school. Pupils' individual needs are quickly identified and addressed. This is both when children join the school in the early years, or if pupils join the school part-way through the academic year, which a significant number have done recently. In all cases, staff understand the barriers faced by their pupils. They work to reduce these barriers effectively.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) generally benefit from careful, well-considered adaptations to their provision. This is because staff receive high- quality training, to help them provide the right support and interventions. There are times, however, when this is not the case and a small number of pupils do not benefit as well as they could. Leaders, though, are taking the right actions to improve this aspect.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupils with specific SEND, such as speech and language difficulties or autism, receive high- quality support. This is through the school's dedicated specialist resourced provision, The Spring. Pupils' academic, emotional and care needs are very well catered for. Skilled staff ensure that these pupils are fully included in the wider life of the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Disadvantaged pupils, and pupils who face other barriers, receive full access to the curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities. Targeted support and specific interventions help to address each pupil’s individual needs. This is because staff keep the needs of disadvantaged pupils high on their agenda. Leaders check the impact of pupil premium funding closely to ensure it has the greatest impact on pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and accurate grasp on what is going well and what more needs to be done to continue to improve the school for pupils. As the school moves into the next stage of growth, with the first cohort of pupils moving into key stage 2 next year, leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for this phase of development. Recent changes in the school leadership team have brought even greater stability to the wider leadership team. Trust leaders work closely with school leaders, ensuring they maintain a sharp eye on quality and standards for current pupils, while leading the ongoing expansion of the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees and members of the local school stakeholder committee are strategic in their approach. They have created a kind and supportive working relationship with school leaders. However, those responsible for governance do not shy away from asking searching and challenging questions of leaders to ensure that pupils continue to get the best possible deal. Trustees also draw upon external and impartial views of the school through the school improvement boards. This adds an additional layer of oversight for trustees.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are very proud to work here. Leaders look after staff wellbeing and take sensible steps to manage their workload. Staff receive regular and relevant high-quality professional learning opportunities. Leaders support staff to continually strive to improve.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school sits at the heart of the local community. Leaders and staff build and maintain very positive relationships with parents and carers. This leads to close collaboration between home and school. This means that parents are comfortable having open and honest conversations about their children with staff, should the need arise.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils belong as part of a welcoming and inclusive school community. They are some of the first pupils ever to walk through the school's doors, and older pupils delight in this fact. They are proud of their classrooms, playground and the friendly culture that runs through every aspect of school. Many pupils have joined the school part-way through the academic year. They are welcomed with open arms by their new friends and settle quickly into their new learning environment.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The youngest children in the pre-school and Reception classes get off to a flying start. They benefit enormously from the guidance of expert staff who know each child’s individual needs very well. This means they are skilfully guided to learn and develop extremely well in their first few years in school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The oldest pupils set a fine example for younger pupils in how to behave in class and around the school. Lessons are calm and pupils concentrate well and generally listen carefully to their teachers. Some pupils do need a little more help in managing their emotions and behaviour. Staff are becoming ever more skilled in providing well-tailored support for these pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils who attend the school’s specially resourced provision, The Spring, build positive relationships with staff and their friends. They benefit not only from a well-considered individualised curriculum but also from the warmth and compassion with which staff greet them each day.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Wider opportunities are rich and plentiful, such as those provided through the lens of the arts, music and sport. These are underpinned by the ‘Avanti Way’, which provides pupils with opportunities to develop and reflect on important virtues such as courage, gratitude and respect. These are lived out in abundance across the school. If they feel anxious, angry or upset, pupils of all ages draw on their experiences gained from their yoga lessons to help them, for example, control their breathing and thoughts.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to fully embed highly effective teaching across all subjects and year groups, in particular the way teachers adapt activities to ensure that they precisely meet and address the individual needs of pupils.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Avanti Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Dr James Biddulph, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Younger.

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About this inspection

The executive principal, Rhys Jones, oversees this school along with two other schools in the locality.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive principal, the headteacher and the assistant principal for inclusion, along with a range of other school staff. Inspectors also spoke with the CEO, trust leaders, members of the trust board and the chair of the school stakeholder committee during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school includes provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, and/or autism as part of the school's specially resourced provision. This provision, known as The Spring, currently provides education for up to 12 pupils.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school also, under the same registration, runs a nursery. In school, this is known as the pre-school.

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About this inspection

The school opened as new school in September 2023. At this point there was only a Reception class. The school now has 4 classes, from pre-school to Year 2. The school will eventually grow to educate pupils up to Year 6.

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About this inspection

The recorded number of pupils on roll does not fully reflect the number of pupils who attend the school. This is because a significant number of pupils have joined the school mid-year

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 14 July 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

as they move in to the newly built housing close to the school. At the time of the inspection, there were 118 pupils on roll.

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What does this mean?

The executive principal took up his role in January 2026 and the headteacher joined the school in April 2026.

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What does this mean?

Headteacher: Andrew Price The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 15.8% 13.0% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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