Brackenbury Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

A positive, respectful and hard-working ethos underpins everything in this school community. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Parents and carers confirm this.

Pupils respond positively to the high expectations staff have for the way they behave and learn. Parents value the commitment of leaders and staff in helping their children to succeed.

Pupils trust that adults will help them.

They are confident that staff have their best interests in mind. The school is a calm and purposeful place to learn. Everyone feels welcome.

Pupils know what to do if they need help. They feel safe at school.Pupils behave well.

Off-task behaviour is dealt with quick...ly and all pupils are supported to participate in lessons. Pupils enjoy a range of visits and events that widen their horizons, for example performing in a choir at the local town hall.

Pupils agree that there is hardly ever any bullying.

Pupils could explain clearly what bullying is. They said it is extremely rare and, if it were to happen, staff would sort it out immediately and it would stop.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious.

They are knowledgeable about how to improve the school. They have developed the curriculum effectively and this is helping pupils to build their skills and knowledge over time. Leaders' curriculum thinking is set out so that pupils' knowledge builds in a logical order.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They recap the knowledge pupils have been taught previously. Pupils use what they know to support their learning of new content.

However, in a few subjects, leaders' curriculum thinking is not as well embedded as in others. In these subjects, implementation of the curriculum is not as consistent across the school, and pupils do not learn in as much depth as they could.

Leaders focus on supporting pupils to understand important vocabulary.

This starts in Reception and builds in complexity as pupils go through the school. For example, in music, pupils in Year 5 use subject-specific words accurately to describe and explore a piece of jazz music.

Staff have implemented a revised reading and phonics curriculum.

Pupils learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Staff choose books carefully so that pupils are able to decode text successfully. Reading is prioritised.

As a result, pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read are developing their phonics skills and reading fluency. Pupils enjoy reading and talk about stories and novels with enthusiasm. For pupils not making as much progress in reading, leaders provide small-group and individual support.

This helps pupils to catch up quickly.

Leaders and staff implement the behaviour policy effectively. Staff manage low-level incidents well and do not allow them to interrupt the flow of learning.

Children in Reception follow routines and settle well. Pupils show a keen interest in sharing what they have learned, know and understand. They take pride in their work.

Pupils trust and respect each other. This means that they work well together.

Teachers are well trained and knowledgeable.

Staff regularly check what pupils have learned. If they identify any gaps in learning, they provide effective support to fill these. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in lessons.

Support for pupils with SEND is well planned and delivered.

Pupils are taught about healthy relationships as part of the school's personal, social and health education programme. Pupils have many opportunities to talk about their feelings.

Pupils spoke with pride about their future goals and ambitions. They aspire to pursue different professions, including law and teaching. Pupils know the school values.

They learn about respecting people's rights and responsibilities. They are taught about faiths and beliefs, such as Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Judaism.

The early years classes give pupils a positive start.

Strong partnership between teachers and support staff enables children to enjoy and access a wide range of activities. Across the school, resources are well matched to pupils' interests. Staff use a wide variety of everyday objects, for example cooking ingredients, to develop pupils' vocabulary.

This helps pupils to communicate confidently.

Leaders and staff prioritise pupils' personal development. Their work to improve pupils' resilience and develop their character, confidence and self-esteem is embedded.

Parents are full of praise for how the school has helped their children to thrive both academically and personally. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to become active citizens in the school community, including becoming school council members.

There have been some significant changes to the school's leadership and staffing since the last inspection.

Members of the governing body have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They use this information to inform a well-planned programme of development for leaders.

Staff are positive about the school.

They receive a wide range of professional development opportunities and are appreciative of this. They feel they have the support of the school leaders and that the school is managed well. Staff are confident that leaders listen to their feedback and they consider the workload to be manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that the school has a well-developed culture of safeguarding. They have accurate records of safeguarding issues.

Staff receive regular training so that they are skilled in identifying potential risks that pupils may face. Leaders take swift action in seeking advice and support from external agencies to manage the needs of pupils and families.

Pupils are taught to stay safe in school and online.

They know that they can speak to any adult if they feel uncomfortable about anything. This starts in Reception, where adults teach children about the importance of 'trusted adults'.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum thinking in a few subjects is not as embedded as in others.

This results in inconsistencies in how these subjects are implemented by teachers. In these subjects, pupils do not learn in as much depth as they could. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking in all subjects is secure and that teachers are confident to deliver it effectively.

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