Brampton Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school and attend well.

They enjoy learning about new and interesting things. Pupils behave extremely well. Pupils are kind and helpful to one another.

Parents agree. A typical parental comment was: 'A lovely friendly school with children, families and their needs at the heart of everything leaders do'.

Classrooms are busy hives of learning.

Pupils are eager to learn. They concentrate and willingly contribute their ideas and views. Relationships with adults are warm and positive.

This helps to build pupils' confidence and resilience in learning.

Pupils make a strong contribution to daily school life. Everyone h...as a voice in making decisions.

This ensures that the school is a safe and happy place. Through their different roles and responsibilities, pupils develop a deep understanding of belonging to a community. For example, sports leaders plan and create playtime activities for other pupils to help develop health and fitness.

Pupils do not consider that bullying is a problem. However, they trust that adults would sort out any problems should they arise.

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

Leaders work across the three local schools in the association to design the curriculum and share subject expertise.

Curriculum plans are well structured across most subjects. Leaders have carefully considered the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. However, leaders have some plans still to complete in a few areas of the curriculum, such as design and technology.

These plans do not have all the detailed information to help teachers make further decisions about planning and delivery. Following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have focused on getting pupils back on track in subjects such as English and mathematics.

Subject leaders are knowledgeable.

They provide additional training and support for staff so adults can increase their subject expertise. Teachers have a secure understanding of how to adapt and deliver curriculum plans. Teachers check pupils' understanding to ensure pupils remember what they have learned.

The use of assessment is developing. Where it is strong, leaders identify where their plans are working well. This is not the case in every subject, especially where leaders have only recently introduced new assessment approaches.

This means that they do not have a secure understanding about how well their plans are working.

All staff have received the training they need to teach children to read. They deliver phonics teaching well.

Children learn to read as soon as they start school in the Reception Year. They quickly develop the phonic knowledge they need to tackle new and unfamiliar words. Pupils take home appropriate books that they can read.

These books match the sounds pupils know. Pupils who find reading difficult are starting to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. All pupils enjoy reading a range of authors and genres.

They look forward to their end of day stories.

Leaders are ambitious for the academic and personal achievements of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Adults identify pupils' needs well.

They adapt their plans and teaching to support pupils' learning. Pupils with SEND work alongside their classmates and thrive socially in the classroom.

Children in the early years make a good start to their education.

Children are encouraged to be curious and use their imagination in their learning activities. Children cooperate well together, building a vehicle using crates, pipes and old car tyres. Staff choose to build learning activities around stories that children enjoy.

However, leaders have not carefully considered what children will learn in a few areas such as expressive arts and design. It is not clear how children's learning is linked to the wider curriculum that they will meet in Year 1.

Leaders develop pupils' personal development extremely well.

Pupils take leadership roles and responsibilities. They actively contribute to decisions made about their learning and the school environment. Pupils have mature discussions about key values such as respect and difference.

There is a range of excellent clubs and activities to nurture pupils' talents and interests. Disadvantaged pupils' participation is rightly prioritised for these experiences.

The St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust (the trust) knows the school well.

It works with a local board of governors to check how the school is performing. It ensures that the school continues to improve from the support it provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The systems and routines to keep pupils' safe are rigorous and well maintained. Staff are well trained. They know how to raise and report concerns.

Leaders work well with other organisations to support pupils and their families. Leaders help families receive the appropriate support needed.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe.

Some pupils are digital leaders and help their peers understand about online safety. Pupils, therefore, develop a good understanding of the dangers when using the internet.

Staff have recently updated their understanding of child sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

School records show that any cases are reported and logged.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, such as design and technology, leaders have not fully completed their curriculum planning. They have not considered the order in which pupils will learn and build understanding.

Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans include the important knowledge and skills, so pupils build their understanding and make the best possible progress. ? In some subjects, such as science, leaders have only recently introduced their approaches to assessment. As a result, leaders do not know if their plans are working or whether teachers are delivering plans effectively.

They do not know what pupils have remembered over time and how well they are building their knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects are assessed to check that the curriculum is being delivered effectively. ? There are parts of the early years curriculum, such as expressive arts and design and understanding the world, that have not been fully developed.

The knowledge children need to learn is not sequenced so that children's understanding is built progressively. Plans do not link to some subjects in key stage 1. Leaders need to consider how early years links logically and builds towards the expectations of key stage 1.