Bramble Infant School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bramble Infant School and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Many ingredients make up what one parent captured perfectly as the 'nurturing, supportive and creative environment, where staff have a genuine care for the children's well-being, growth and education'.

The incredibly strong partnership with parents rubs off on pupils, who are happily settled in school and attend well. They are appreciative of their teachers. The diversity of the school community and the many home languages are widely celebrated.

Parents welcome the workshops and invitations into the classroom s...o that they can be, as one described it, 'united in our children's education'.

Fostering pupils' personal development and well-being is at the heart of the school's success. Careful consideration of the care and development needs of the youngest children in Nursery sets the scene.

The school's 'STAR' values and high expectations are part and parcel of everyday life. Pupils work hard, so they are 'successful', can 'think' carefully about their learning and be 'aspirational' and 'respectful'. They treat each other kindly and learn how to manage their own feelings.

Pupils' enthusiasm for learning and curiosity is infectious. The skilfully designed curriculum ensures that they learn much more than the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils excitedly share the important knowledge they have learned as, for example, geographers, scientists or artists.

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

The school knows itself inside out. It is, rightly, proud of its many strengths and just as honest about what could be even better. Everything is centred on pupils, staff and leaders 'growing, caring and learning'.

Plans for further improving the school's work are carefully considered. As one parent observed, developments are 'all designed with thought to how the children will experience it and what messages they will take away, including about themselves'. Testament to this is the laser-like focus on pupils' learning in recent years and the improvements that has brought across the curriculum.

Most pupils acquire the early reading skills they need by the end of Year 1. The foundations are laid in Nursery, where children enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. Phonics teaching starts as soon as children are settled in Reception.

It is proficient and precise. Staff make sure that pupils who are not keeping up get the extra support they need. Equally, pupils' mathematical understanding and thinking are developed well.

The school has pinpointed why standards in writing are not as strong. Work with staff is strengthening the teaching of writing. The focus on explicitly supporting pupils to rehearse verbally what they want to say is already evident, as is reinforcing the correct use of punctuation whenever they write.

Teaching is typically skilful. The Nursery team are adept at promoting the learning and development of the children in their key groups. The 'Bramble stepping stones' keep key developmental milestones in their mind as they take account of the children's interests and needs.

Elsewhere, staff have good knowledge of the many subjects they teach. Training to enhance teaching means that it now builds pupils' learning systematically. Mostly, teachers move from explaining, through the class having a go together and on to pupils practising to consolidate their learning.

Checks on what pupils understand and remember are focused. Thorough oversight picks up pupils who need extra help. Staff are well trained to adapt activities or provide additional support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The same is true for those who are at an early stage of learning English.

In other subjects, the projects pupils explore fuels their thirst for learning and equips them with important information. Meticulous curriculum design ensures teachers know what essential knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils should learn and remember in each subject.

Collaborative working makes the most of staff's experience and expertise. The projects capture pupils' interest and imagination. Well-judged use of visits to the local area and beyond enrich learning.

Pupils talk with confidence, for example, about the geography of their city, having experienced the aerial view from the top of the Spinnaker Tower. 'Project outcome' sessions are much anticipated and well-attended highlights in the school calendar. Armed with prompts from staff, there is a tangible buzz as parents encourage their children to talk about their learning.

Pupils develop a mature sense of themselves and their place in the world. Sensitive care in Nursery helps children to settle and feel secure. Sensibly placed projects with an emphasis on pupils' emotional well-being and social skills help them to settle at the start of the school year.

Thereafter, pupils' personal development is woven systematically through the curriculum and assemblies, with extra support for pupils who need it. The 'Bramble Bookshelves' feature carefully chosen books that are popular with pupils and cultivate their understanding of important matters, such as sustainability and diversity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The focus on improving the teaching of writing is fairly recent. Pupils' attainment in writing is still not as high as it is in reading and mathematics. The school should ensure that it keeps a close eye on the implementation of its plans to enhance pupils' oracy and composition skills, checking on the impact on their writing and making adjustments as needed.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2019.

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