Barnham Broom Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are happy and enjoy their time at Barnham Broom, where the school encourages them to 'reach for the stars'. The school is friendly and inclusive.

Staff take the time to listen to what pupils have to say. Pupils are safe. They trust adults to act if they are worried about something.

Pupils receive awards for showing positive attitudes to learning. These include 'house points' or certificates. Many pupils behave well in lessons and during lunchtimes.

However, the school's expectations of behaviour are sometimes too low. Consequently, some pupils do not show enough respect to each other or adults. This can lead to learning being disrupted.

P...upils enjoy roles of responsibility. These include being a school councillor or a house captain. Pupils have a voice in the school.

For example, the recently formed eco-council organised a successful 'no electric day' linked to their topics. Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular clubs on offer. For example, the Christmas craft club is extremely popular.

Older pupils value being responsible for running clubs, such as football, for the younger children.

Pupils are active in their community. For example, there are close links with the local church.

Pupils regularly attend and take part in the services. These encourage pupils to become reflective and thoughtful learners.

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

Pupils experience a broad and balanced curriculum.

The school has clearly identified the knowledge pupils will learn. They have considered the nature of the mixed-age classes well. This includes in the early years, where the school has designed the curriculum to give children access to effective learning.

Through a combination of adult-led and independent sessions children learn important knowledge. For example, vital routines and turn taking. These help children to quickly build positive relationships with adults and each other.

Children work and play well together. This helps to prepare children for their learning in Year 1 and beyond.

The way the school checks how well pupils are achieving is better developed in some subjects than others.

For example, in mathematics, teachers identify specific gaps in knowledge. They use this information to address pupils' misconceptions. In some subjects, teachers' checks on how well pupils retain knowledge is less effective.

When this happens, teachers do not address pupils' gaps in knowledge or their misconceptions as well as they might.

Staff choose a range of interesting and high-quality texts linked to the curriculum. These help pupils to enjoy reading.

Pupils who need help with reading are provided with books with words that they can read and sound out. This helps these pupils to develop their fluency. However, because training is infrequent, sometimes planned activities do not engage some pupils.

As a result, these pupils find it challenging to listen and learn. The school is aware that this needs to be addressed.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively.

Typically, personalised plans are detailed with precise and measurable targets. However, in part due to an increase in the high levels of need, staff do not consistently put the strategies in these plans into practice. When this happens, some pupils with SEND do not consistently get the support they need to access their learning.

There are an increasing number of pupils who require help to regulate their emotions, due to their additional needs. As a result, the school has recently reviewed the behaviour policy. The three key rules of 'ready, respect, safe' are clear for pupils to understand.

However, staff do not consistently apply the policy across the school. In lessons, some pupils do not routinely behave well or show respect. They can distract others and do not try hard enough to complete the work set by their teachers.

Staff expectations of pupils are sometimes too low. This includes what pupils can achieve and how they should behave. This is also reflected in the variable quality of pupils' work.

The well-planned curriculum for personal development ensures that pupils understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Pupils gain an age-appropriate understanding of what they need to know to be a valued citizen in the future. They learn tolerance, respect and the importance of making a positive contribution to society.

Governors fulfil their statutory duties. They are aware of the significant challenges the school has faced since the previous inspection. Together with support from the local authority, they are working to help the school to improve the quality of education pupils receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' expectations of what some pupils can do and how they should behave are sometimes too low. Staff do not consistently apply the school's behaviour policy.

When this happens, there is disruption to learning and pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff have the same high expectations for how pupils should behave and what they can achieve, while making reasonable adjustments where appropriate. They should also ensure that staff consistently apply the agreed approaches to managing behaviour so that learning is not disrupted.

Sometimes, staff do not consistently apply specific strategies identified on support plans for pupils with SEND. This means, sometimes, pupils with SEND do not always get the support they need to access the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff consistently use the strategies identified on support plans to help these pupils learn consistently well.

• In some curriculum subjects, checks on how well pupils are retaining key knowledge over time are not yet well developed. This means the school does not always have a sufficiently accurate picture of how securely pupils are learning or where they have gaps in knowledge. The school needs to ensure that the use of assessment in these subjects identifies gaps in pupils' learning so that teachers can plan future curriculum adaptions to ensure these gaps are addressed.