Brading Church of England Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Brading Church of England Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Brading school learn well together in an inclusive and supportive environment. All pupils are accepted as individuals, working together as part of a strong community.

Children entering the early years are very well cared for, so that they settle quickly. This builds their confidence. Pupils' individual needs always come first, reflecting the school's Christian ethos.

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve regardless of individual circumstances. Most pupils behave well. Learning activities are rarely affected by ...poor behaviour, so that all pupils can enjoy learning.

Pupils themselves celebrate their differences positively. One pupil said, 'Brading wouldn't be the same without all the different kinds of children.'

Pupils work hard and enjoy learning.

They are tolerant and want to help the school improve. They can do this as a 'mini governor', helping to improve the environment, or by helping their friends as a playground buddy. Pupils are happy and feel safe.

They say there is always someone to listen to them if they are worried. Pupils trust the staff so that if bullying does occur they are confident that it will be dealt with swiftly. Pupils are well supported both academically and socially.

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

Leaders have maintained a good standard of education since the previous inspection. Leaders and teachers are ambitious for all pupils. They want them to achieve and become good citizens.

Leaders have carefully considered how 'Brading pupils' learn. They have given careful consideration to what pupils need to learn and are committed to making learning for pupils of all abilities as effective as it can be. Leaders have reorganised effectively when pupils learn particular skills and knowledge.

When children start school, teachers focus on developing language and vocabulary. Teachers create an environment rich in language, helping pupils learn new words and phrases. This focus continues throughout the school.

Older pupils develop their vocabulary by challenging one another during class discussions. Teachers plan interesting lessons that pupils enjoy. For example, Year 5 pupils took part in the 'Mummification' Egyptian workshop, while Reception children made 'Moon rocks' as part of vocabulary development.

As a result, pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning.

Leaders have rightly considered in what order pupils should learn concepts in a range of subjects. More experienced staff in subjects such as English and mathematics have completed this work effectively.

They, and leaders, are supporting new subject coordinators but this work is less well advanced in other subject areas. They are focusing on making sure the sequence of learning is as good as it can be. Leaders recognise the importance of continuing this process of development.

Teams of teachers are working together. As a result, leaders make sure pupils have a range of good-quality experiences.

Reading is well taught in the school.

Reception children learn their phonics from day one. This helps children develop confidence in their reading quickly. Regular practise allows them to remember the sounds, increasing their vocabulary.

Pupils in Year 1 build on this strong foundation so that they reach higher standards in phonics than those achieved nationally. Pupils are encouraged to develop a love of reading. Teachers read to pupils regularly.

Events such as World Book Day and visiting authors help inspire pupils to read more widely. Older pupils focus on developing fluency and learning a wider range of vocabulary. This helps improve their understanding and comprehension skills.

Leaders have devised very individual programmes to help those pupils who have fallen behind in their reading, helping them to catch up quickly. This is one of the reasons why pupils have very positive attitudes to reading.

Pupils work hard in lessons and enjoy their learning.

Most pupils are well behaved. They understand that if they do not behave it affects their learning and that of their friends.

In mathematics pupils know their numbers well because they have lots of opportunities to practise basic skills.

Pupils successfully build on these skills, developing a good understanding of mathematical concepts. Teachers make sure pupils understand their learning before moving on.

Disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high-quality support.

Highly structured and individual programmes are in place to help these pupils know and remember more. Activities such as Lego therapy boost the confidence of these pupils, helping their learning in the classroom. Parents appreciate this support, one describing it as 'going above and beyond'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders focus on pupils' happiness, safety and security. They create a strong culture of safeguarding, reflecting the school's highly inclusive nature.

All staff are very well trained and are confident to act in the right way should a child protection issue arise. The recording of any incidents is detailed and all concerns are followed up meticulously. Leaders' work with outside agencies, such as social services, is very focused.

They make sure that pupils and families get the help they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders modified the curriculum effectively as the school moved from vertically grouped classes to single year groups. They have been largely successful in ensuring that the curriculum has been mapped from Reception Year to Year 6 so that the full entitlement of the national curriculum is covered.

Leaders need to continue using more experienced members of staff to develop the skills of less experienced coordinators to ensure that this is done consistently well in all subjects. Leaders need to continue to focus on the sequence of learning in individual subjects or topics, identifying opportunities for pupils to practise their skills and opportunities to overlearn, so that pupils know and remember more over time.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 13–14 July 2016.