Brady Primary School

Brady Primary School

Address: Wennington Road, Rainham, Essex, RM13 9XA Unique reference number (URN): 102314

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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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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders are resolute in their approaches to ensuring that all pupils attend school each day and on time. This, along with highly supportive relationships with families, means that attendance rates have remained consistently positive over recent years. Leaders use rigorous and regular analysis to spot patterns of absence early and to put in place timely and targeted support for those pupils who need this. The school's approach is highly effective in improving attendance for individual pupils, including for disadvantaged pupils. An increasing proportion of pupils have more complex special educational needs and/or disabilities and need specialist care appointments. The school provides extensive targeted support to enable these pupils to attend school as regularly as possible.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They conduct themselves with confidence and curiosity and readily speak to staff. In lessons, pupils show a strong desire to learn and sustain their concentration. Well ‑ trained staff make thoughtful adaptations for pupils who experience difficulty with managing their emotions, ensuring that these pupils remain engaged and successful. Derogatory or unkind language and behaviour are not tolerated, and incidents of bullying are rare. Parents and carers, teachers and pupils consistently report that the school feels safe and supportive. During social times, pupils play cooperatively and enjoy the wide range of activities available. They take pride in their achievements. For example, they relish opportunities to showcase their homework projects at the termly exhibition, reflecting a strong sense of belonging and accomplishment.

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Early years Strong standard

Children get off to a great start in the early years. From the moment they join the Nursery, children benefit from a consistently calm, purposeful and caring environment where they are expertly supported to demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and high levels of independence. Teaching also enables children to build successfully on previous learning and develop secure foundations, including in early reading, writing and mathematics. For example, focused mathematics teaching enables children to deepen their understanding of concepts they have learned previously. Staff's interactions with children are of consistently high quality. For example, staff's well-judged questioning and clear modelling of language, together with a strong emphasis on developing children’s vocabulary, all help children to become confident speakers who engage positively with their learning.

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Early years Strong standard

The curriculum provides frequent opportunities for children to practise and apply their learning, including purposeful writing, both indoors and outdoors. Children benefit from a range of effective support, helping them to access learning with increasing independence and focus. For example, across both Nursery and Reception, staff provide carefully selected pictorial and written prompts, which guide children towards becoming more independent in their learning.

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Early years Strong standard

Children understand routines well, sustain engagement and increasingly take responsibility for their own learning. Children achieve well from their starting points and are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have a precise understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. With support and challenge from the governing body, leaders consistently and swiftly drive improvements across the school. This work is carefully balanced alongside work to build on existing strengths. For example, leaders at all levels are sharply focused on improving published phonics outcomes. They have appropriate strategies in place to achieve this, with their work making a clear difference to pupils' learning in this area. In other areas of the school's work, leaders' actions to secure improvement have a similarly positive impact.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders consistently make decisions in the best interests of pupils. The school’s deep commitment to enriching pupils’ lives and cultural experiences underpins a wide range of opportunities that broaden pupils’ horizons and strengthen their personal development.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors fulfil their statutory duties fully. They provide sharply focused support and challenge, with governors ensuring that they have the information they need about the school's work to hold leaders to account effectively. This includes in areas such as safeguarding, pupil outcomes and professional learning for staff, where the governing body carefully checks that leaders make the right decisions.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff consistently report high levels of support for their workload and wellbeing. The school's professional learning offer, including for teachers at the early stages of their career, is a notable strength of the school. Teaching staff are committed to professional development to enhance the standard of education for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents and carers take a very active role in school life and speak highly of the school's work. In turn, the school is at the heart of its local community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education teaches pupils how to stay safe and covers important topics, including the safe use of technology. Pupils have a very secure understanding of online safety, including, for example, not sharing personal information or blocking inappropriate group chats or content. Through close partnership-working with external professionals, including the local police, the school organises talks about online risks, safe use of social media and how to stay safe in the community. These sessions strengthen pupils’ awareness of potential dangers and reinforce how to seek help when needed.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils, including those who face additional barriers to learning and participation, take part in 3 visits each year. These broaden pupils’ interests and deepen their understanding of the world beyond the classroom. For example, pupils visit wildlife reserves where they learn about local habitats and environmental responsibility. Pupils also benefit from the school’s ‘aspiration celebration’ day, where they listen to talks from a range of professionals, including barristers, vets and firefighters. These encounters help pupils to understand the breadth of opportunities available to them and raise their aspirations for the future.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, including, for instance, Spanish, cooking, choir and athletics. They take on a variety of leadership roles, such as librarians, eco ‑ warriors and

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Expected standard

computing monitors. These roles promote responsibility, confidence and a sense of contribution to the school community. The school plays an active part in the local area, with pupils contributing to a local allotment patch, fundraising events and support for the food bank, for example. This helps pupils to understand how to make a positive difference beyond the school gates.

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Expected standard

There is a strong culture of care at the school. Staff know pupils well. Pupils have trusted support from staff and other professionals. This helps them to manage difficulties and remain engaged in school life. In addition, PSHE education builds pupils' understanding of how to manage feelings. For example, children in early years use storybooks to explore and recognise emotions such as feeling left out, upset or embarrassed. Older pupils build on this by considering the consequences of their choices. They learn how emotions influence behaviour and practise strategies such as pausing, seeking help or using positive self ‑ talk.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve well in national assessments at the end of Year 6. Notably, over time, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils is also positive, with further improvements in the 2025 national assessments, particularly in reading. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make steady progress from their starting points and are typically well supported to access the full curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils' attainment in the Year 1 national phonics screening check has been lower than national averages over time. However, leaders have made improvements to the teaching of phonics, ensuring that these pupils catch up and are ready for their next phase of education.

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Achievement Expected standard

Across the school, most pupils develop secure knowledge and understanding in different subjects. For example, their responses in lessons and the quality of their work show that pupils know and remember much of what they learn and are prepared for their next steps in learning. However, on occasion, the overall quality of some pupils' written work is reduced when they are not fully secure in their handwriting and spelling skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum in different subjects is suitably broad and well sequenced. It is carefully designed to ensure that pupils practise and embed important knowledge. From the early years onwards, the curriculum enables pupils to explore important ideas and, over time, build on and extend their understanding, including for example, through relating knowledge to their own experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum prioritises pupils securing important English and mathematical knowledge. Leaders take purposeful actions to make improvements to the curriculum and teaching. This includes in early reading, where swift improvements mean that pupils are supported to read effectively. Staff are well trained and model sounds with precision. The books that pupils read are typically well matched to the sounds that they know. This helps them to read with increasing accuracy, fluency and confidence. Pupils who struggle to read are supported to catch up well. However, for some older pupils, the curriculum and teaching do not support them to develop their writing as well as they might, including in relation to the accuracy of their handwriting and spelling.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders develop staff’s expertise through a range of professional learning, including, for example, subject training. Teachers typically implement the school’s shared understanding of what makes effective teaching in subjects across the curriculum. This includes using generally well-tailored adaptations to teaching to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff identify pupils’ additional needs swiftly and accurately, including those of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have a clear understanding of the types of support that pupils require and how this support is implemented across the school. They track pupils’ needs carefully and check the impact of support. Leaders use additional funding appropriately to help disadvantaged pupils overcome barriers to their learning and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school’s inclusive ethos is evident in the positive relationships that staff build with pupils and their families. Generally, pupils with SEND learn well. Staff typically adapt the curriculum effectively to remove barriers and help pupils succeed. For example, staff use visual prompts such as ‘now and next’ boards to support pupils to follow routines or use symbols to strengthen pupils’ understanding of vocabulary.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive suitable training so they have the skills and knowledge needed to meet pupils’ additional needs. Leaders draw on external professional expertise to shape specialist training for staff. Overall, staff are clear on how to support pupils to progress through the curriculum. Nevertheless, there are instances when the information that the school provides to staff about how to best meet pupils' needs varies in depth and precision. In these instances, the curriculum that pupils access and the tasks they complete are not consistently fully matched to pupils' current needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

A small number of pupils with more complex needs benefit from a bespoke curriculum in the school’s specialist provision. This small class helps pupils to manage their emotions and behaviour and increasingly take part in school life.

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

Pupils benefit from the thoughtful way that leaders tailor the school's work to pupils' specific needs and experiences, including those pupils who join at different points during the year. For example, the school provides free after-school clubs and guarantees all pupils access to 3 educational visits each year.

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

Each morning, leaders and staff greet families and pupils personally, creating a warm and welcoming start to the day. Pupils benefit from respectful, nurturing relationships with staff. Families speak highly of the school. They say that staff listen carefully, act promptly when concerns arise and help their children to feel safe and happy. Staff, parents and carers overwhelmingly report that pupils enjoy school and feel secure.

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

Children make a very positive start in early years. Staff support children's learning and development effectively, ensuring that they are well prepared for Year 1. Throughout the school, pupils approach lessons with enthusiasm and curiosity. They build the knowledge and skills they need for the future and, typically, achieve well. Staff identify barriers to learning early and provide support that enables pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to generally make positive progress from their starting points. By Year 6, pupils are well prepared overall for the next stage of their education.

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

Pupils are well supported with their emotional development. They feel safe, happy and well cared for. Behaviour is consistently positive, both in lessons and around the school. Pupils speak confidently to staff and express themselves freely, supported by the school’s work on relationships and respect. Staff address any incidents of bullying quickly and effectively. They work closely with families to improve attendance, ensuring that pupils benefit fully from all aspects of school life.

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

Pupils enjoy a wide range of enrichment activities. These include activities such as crochet, book club and origami, as well as learning new skills, including playing chess, creative writing and cooking. The school ensures that all pupils, including those with more complex additional needs, are supported to attend trips and take part in the wider curriculum offer.

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Next steps

Leaders should extend and further enhance their work to ensure that teaching is consistently of the highest quality across the school, including ensuring that pupils develop and demonstrate accurate transcription skills, particularly in handwriting and spelling. Leaders should sharpen the clarity and precision of the information provided to staff to further strengthen how consistently they match tasks and adaptations to pupils’ current needs.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Jane Knight.

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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 (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and deputy headteachers, other leaders, the chair and other governors and a representative of the local authority during the inspection. They

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Team inspectors:

Nick Turvey, His Majesty's Inspector Emma O'Connor, Ofsted Inspector Patsy Cuncarr, Ofsted Inspector

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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 15 September 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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420

Above average also spoke with groups of pupils and groups of staff.

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420

This inspection took place on 15 and 16 September 2026.

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420

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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420

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

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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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 67% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 57% 60% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 73% 74% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 67% 73% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 77% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 80% 73% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 70% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 43% 46% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 44% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 62% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 67% 60% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 58% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 67% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 67% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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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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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 4.7% 5.2% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 4.8% 5.5% Close to average

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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) 14.2% 13.0% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 11.6% 14.6% 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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