Brandwood Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff place a strong emphasis on being a community school where all pupils, including children in the early years, are welcome, irrespective of their faith or background.

Pupils and children benefit from encouraging and positive relationships with staff. They told inspectors that this makes them feel happy in school. Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any concerns or worries.

This helps them to feel safe.

Pupils take pride in behaving well. They are keen to live up to the high expectations that staff have of them.

Pupils are attentive during lessons. Learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils try their best....

They are keen to make the most of the learning opportunities that their teachers provide. By the end of Year 6, most pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Leaders have established effective systems to identify and deal with incidents of bullying.

When bullying does occur, it is dealt with quickly and effectively.

Pupils value the opportunities they have to take on responsibilities. These include being the head boy or head girl, water monitor or a telephone ambassador.

Pupils and children appreciate the opportunities to visit different places. These include trips to local galleries and a visit to London to learn more about crime and punishment.

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

In most subjects, leaders have clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn.

Leaders have ensured that these curriculums are suitably ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

For the most part, leaders have carefully considered when knowledge should be taught so that pupils can build successfully on earlier learning. Teachers have the expertise they need to introduce new learning to pupils with clarity.

Staff check on what pupils remember from earlier content. When needed, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. Many pupils know more and remember more over time.

Overall, pupils, including children in the early years, develop and achieve well.

In one or two subjects, leaders' curricular thinking is less clear. In these subjects, leaders have not made the knowledge that pupils and children should learn obvious enough to teachers.

Some staff do not know what content to teach and when this should be taught. Added to this, some teachers are hindered in checking sufficiently well if pupils have remembered earlier learning. Consequently, in these subjects, some pupils do not build their knowledge over time as well as they do in others.

Leaders place high priority on children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 developing a secure knowledge of phonics and learning to read with confidence. New arrivals to the school, including pupils who speak English as an additional language, quickly begin to learn phonics. All pupils benefit from a carefully constructed phonics programme, delivered by well-trained staff.

Children and pupils quickly begin to learn the sounds that letters represent. Staff are quick to identify those pupils and children who need extra help in reading. The support that these pupils receive helps them to keep up and catch up with their peers.

Children in the early years enjoy exploring books with the support of staff. Staff in the early years are highly skilled at supporting children's language development. The books that pupils and children read closely match the sounds that they are learning.

Most pupils who join the school in Nursery or the Reception Year become fluent and confident readers by the end of key stage 1. Leaders make sure that pupils experience the enjoyment that comes from reading a book.

Pupils in key stage 2 value ambitious and high-quality texts across different genres.

This helps staff to instil a love of reading among older pupils.

Leaders have ensured that there are effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders are responsive to pupils' and children's needs.

Staff work effectively with external organisations to secure additional support in a timely manner. Teachers adapt how they deliver the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well and follow the same curriculum as their classmates.

Pupils behave well. Children in the early years quickly learn the school rules and routines. They are considerate of one another and cooperate when learning.

Pupils regularly display good manners. Their positive behaviour shows that they understand the importance of respecting staff and each other.

Pupils benefit from a strong offer of personal development opportunities.

Leaders' careful planning ensures that many pupils are knowledgeable on aspects such as healthy relationships, human rights and mental health.

Governors are ambitious for pupils and the surrounding school community. Their knowledge of the school and of the local community enables them to support and challenge leaders effectively.

Leaders and governors are considerate of staff's workload and well-being when making decisions about policies and procedures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate and regular safeguarding training.

Staff are vigilant to signs that may indicate that a pupil is at risk of harm. Leaders work well with other professionals and external agencies. This helps to ensure that pupils and their families can access the support that they need in a timely manner.

Leaders ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn about the dangers that they may face. For example, pupils recognise the hazards of open water. They learn how to protect themselves from harm when working and playing online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn or when this content should be taught. This prevents teachers from designing learning that builds on pupils' knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum thinking in these areas so that pupils can build on prior knowledge when they are learning something new.

• In a very small number of subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have remembered and understood what they have been taught. This means that, in these subjects, some pupils do not have a secure enough foundation of knowledge on which they can build. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils' knowledge is secure.