Brookhouse Primary SchoolOfsted report card, 22 Sept 2026

Brookhouse Primary School

Address: Troy Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 6NY Unique reference number (URN): 119344

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make positive progress from their starting points, securing the knowledge and skills they need to achieve well. Pupils learn to write fluently, read with confidence and accuracy using their decoding and blending skills. They develop increasingly secure mathematical knowledge. This is demonstrated in pupils’ books, which show clear progression over time across the curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils’ attainment is above that of their peers nationally in reading, writing and mathematics at the expected standard. Pupils’ outcomes in the Year 4 multiplication tables checks are also above the national average. As a result, they are well prepared for their next steps in education. That said, leaders are ambitious to improve outcomes further. For example, they are working to increase the proportion of pupils achieving greater depth in writing, ensuring that more pupils reach the highest standards.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a highly effective approach to improving attendance, resulting in sustained improvements. Staff work closely with families, carers and external agencies to promote regular attendance and support pupils in overcoming barriers to attendance, such as medical appointments for long-term health issues. Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly and value the rewards they gain as incentives, including extra ‘golden time'. Attendance for all groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is above the national average.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders place a high priority on maintaining positive behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons, focusing attentively and listening carefully. At social times, leaders provide a wide range of equipment, including a clamber stack and bicycles, which support pupils’ physical development and encourage positive play. Pupils share resources, play harmoniously and resolve minor disagreements sensibly. Relationships between staff and pupils are highly positive. When unkind behaviour occurs, such as bullying, pupils know how to report it and are confident that staff will deal with concerns quickly and effectively. Pupils who need additional support to manage their behaviour benefit from access to a pupil wellbeing officer and a safe space. This helps them to regulate their emotions and make positive choices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed a logically sequenced and ambitious curriculum that secures strong foundations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other barriers to learning. Pupils develop an increasingly secure body of knowledge and skills across the curriculum. This is demonstrated in their books, which show clear progress from their starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils engage positively in phonics lessons, developing their decoding and blending skills and improving their reading fluency. They develop an accurate pencil grip and learn to form and use letters and numbers confidently. There is a consistent focus on ambitious vocabulary. However, some pupils do not understand and apply newly taught vocabulary securely. Although lessons are generally well-delivered, at times, teachers do not identify misconceptions in vocabulary quickly enough. Consequently, some pupils do not use ambitious language accurately.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

When pupils with SEND require adjustments, leaders ensure that appropriate support is put in place. Pupils working below the national curriculum benefit from adapted provision. This supports them in achieving personalised targets matched to their needs. Teachers also adapt learning for pupils facing other barriers. For example, they use hearing loops for pupils with hearing impairments and use adapted approaches to support pupils with their sentence structure. This helps pupils in accessing and progressing through the curriculum successfully alongside their peers.

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Early years Expected standard

Children in the early years get off to a strong start in their education. Leaders have designed an appropriately sequenced curriculum that is well delivered. It builds progressively from pre-school to Reception and promotes healthy habits and routines from an early age. For example, children learn about the importance of brushing their teeth.

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Early years Expected standard

The early years environment is stimulating and purposeful. Warm relationships and clear routines help children feel safe and secure. Children play and learn harmoniously together. They take turns, share resources and show consideration for others, for example by helping one another to zip up coats.

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Early years Expected standard

Most children listen attentively and engage well with stories, anticipating key events. This broadens their vocabulary and develops their communication skills. Children also develop secure mathematical knowledge, exploring different ways to make the number 4 and explaining their thinking. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to learning, benefit from effective support. Staff adapt learning carefully, including through precise modelling of sounds and language.

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Early years Expected standard

Children achieve well across the early year’s curriculum. Typically, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is above the national average. Consequently, children are well prepared for key stage 1. Their positive attitudes, secure foundations and growing independence equip them well for the next stage of learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders pride themselves on the school’s inclusive ethos. They ensure that pupils and children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to learning are identified promptly and receive the support that they need without delay. Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively. For example, they have established an immersive multisensory room and have employed emotional literacy support assistants. This helps pupils who may be experiencing difficulties to develop resilience and regulate their emotions. Staff are trained in emotional coaching and receive ongoing professional learning opportunities to ensure that they are effective in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils with the most significant needs are well supported to succeed. For instance, leaders have provided teachers of pupils with significant speech, language and communication needs with opportunities to gain experience in Makaton. Leaders work effectively with

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Inclusion Expected standard

external agencies and professionals. They engage with the mental health team and speech and language therapists. This helps to reduce barriers to learning and supports pupils in accessing and progressing through the curriculum alongside their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are appropriately focused on refining targets in pupil support plans to ensure that they are effective and implemented consistently well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are committed to continuous improvement. They have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for further development. Their actions are focused appropriately on these priorities. For example, leaders recognise that the proportion of pupils achieving greater depth in writing could be increased further. This reflects leaders' ambitions for all pupils to live out the school's motto of 'Be the best that you can be'.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governance has been strengthened since the last inspection. Governors scrutinise published performance information. They challenge and support subject leaders about the effectiveness and impact of their actions through 'meet subject leaders' events. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including checking safeguarding arrangements and monitoring safer recruitment procedures.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders consider staff wellbeing and workload when introducing new initiatives. For example, staff are given fortnightly time for 'pupil conferencing' to discuss pupils' development and identify any additional support that pupils may require.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have developed a carefully considered programme of professional development. Staff benefit from a wide range of opportunities, including moderator training and nationally accredited leadership courses. Consequently, staff report feeling valued, and morale is high.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school plays a central role within its community. Leaders engage effectively with parents and carers, including through parenting workshops. They work closely with educational partners, sharing attendance strategies with other local authority schools and collaborating on curriculum design, including in personal, social, health and economic education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have designed a well-sequenced curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, learn age-appropriate topics in increasing detail over time. Parents and carers are consulted about potentially sensitive topics, including relationships and sex education and health education. This supports families in their understanding of what their children are learning and why.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Teachers develop pupils' understanding of protected characteristics and fundamental British values. Pupils can recall these concepts and are able to, for example, explain links between discrimination, tolerance and the rule of law. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain. However, pupils' understanding is not yet consistently deep and detailed, and they are sometimes unclear of how these concepts connect or influence their own lives and experiences.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn how to stay safe online. They understand the importance of secure passwords, the risks associated with sharing personal information and the benefits and potential risks of artificial intelligence. This helps them to make informed and responsible decisions online.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities that support their personal development. Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils purposefully to ensure that enrichment opportunities are available to all pupils, including those who may face barriers to participation. Pupils in Year 4 learn to swim, while pupils in other year groups have opportunities to play musical instruments. Pupils also undertake leadership roles with pride, including serving as junior active leaders and prefects. These experiences help pupils to develop their skills, talents and sense of responsibility. As a result of these factors, they are well prepared for the next steps in education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pastoral support is effective. Leaders have invested in additional provision, such as a highly effective pupil and family wellbeing officer. This ensures that any emerging concerns are identified and addressed quickly.

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

Pupils here take great pleasure in their learning. In lessons, they listen carefully to teachers and respond with curiosity to new learning. The work in pupils’ books reflects their pride in their studies and the positive progress that they make through the curriculum. Pupils attend school regularly. Their attendance is above that of their peers nationally.

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

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, attain well in national assessments. In reading, writing and mathematics, they achieve at the expected standard, and in the Year 4 multiplication tables check, pupils achieve outcomes above those of their peers nationally. In phonics, they achieve at the expected standard, and in writing at greater depth, outcomes are in line with national figures. Children also achieve well in the early years. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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

Pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities beyond the taught curriculum. They undertake roles of responsibility with pride. Older pupils support younger pupils at lunchtimes, helping them to develop good manners and use cutlery appropriately. As junior active leaders, they help supervise and encourage physical activity at breaktimes. These experiences help prepare pupils for future responsibilities. Clubs, including creative writing and choir, help pupils further develop their talents and interests.

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

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm, caring and respectful. Staff know pupils well and ensure that they receive the support they need to flourish. Any pupils who face additional barriers to their learning are typically well supported. Pupils behave kindly towards

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Facts and figures used on inspection

one another and strive to live out the school's values in their daily actions. Consequently, they feel safe.

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Next steps

Leaders should further review and embed the consistent use of pupil plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning so that support is identified and implemented promptly, enabling pupils to make stronger progress across the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that strategies to identify and address vocabulary misconceptions are used consistently across the curriculum so that pupils develop and apply ambitious subject-specific vocabulary effectively, leading to stronger attainment, including in writing at greater depth.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Zaheda Yousaf.

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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

This inspection took place from 22 September 2026 to 23 September 2026.

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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, governors, representatives of the local authority and a representative of children's social care 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 currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Kathryn Forsyth 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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About this inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 22 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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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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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) 80% 74% 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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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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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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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

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

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national average

2023/24 (final) 57% 62% 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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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

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

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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

2022/23 (3 term) 6.3% 5.9% 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) 14.7% 13.0% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 16.3% 16.2% 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. 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

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