Bredenbury Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and parents and carers say that a lot has improved at Bredenbury. Pupils now want to come to school.

They are making better progress, especially in their reading and mathematics. Leaders have raised expectations of everyone at the school. They are deeply committed to making the school even better.

Leaders know that there is still work to do.

Pupils relish the chance to look after the school animals, including the guinea pigs and Bredon, the new therapy dog. Adults encourage pupils to take their responsibilities seriously.

Pupils learn to cooperate and work together in sharing interests, such as in the gardening and lunchtime activity clubs. Pu...pils say that if bullying happens, adults deal with it quickly. Pupils have confidence in the staff to keep them safe.

Behaviour has improved significantly. Most pupils are polite and courteous and show respect. The school is calm, and pupils follow routines well.

Occasionally, some pupils do not behave as well as they should. They lose focus in their lessons and do not work hard.

Leaders have improved the quality of education.

A more coherent curriculum is in place. It is in the early days of being implemented and the full impact is not yet evident.

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

Secure, stable leadership has halted the decline of this school.

The executive headteacher and head of school work tirelessly to improve the quality of education. They are ambitious and want pupils to achieve well. Leaders and governors have a clear vision and detailed plans to further improve the school.

Senior leaders have rightly focused on rapidly improving the teaching of reading, mathematics, science and physical education (PE). Staff now teach these subjects regularly, following coherently sequenced plans. Further work is needed to ensure that plans in other subjects are implemented effectively and teachers know what pupils should learn and the order in which the content is taught.

Leaders ensure that staff regularly check what pupils know and can do. Many pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to remember what they have previously learned. When staff prompt pupils and help them recall prior learning, pupils make better progress.

However, this is not yet consistent across the school. Some staff lack the subject knowledge to deal with misconceptions quickly or to challenge pupils effectively. Leaders know that there is more to do if all pupils are to reach their potential.

Teachers now use a consistent approach to teach phonics. Children quickly secure their sounds from the start of Reception. They practise reading using the new phonically decodable books.

This helps pupils develop fluency and confidence. Staff use regular assessments and quizzes to check the progress pupils make in their reading. Knowledgeable adults support pupils who need help to catch up.

Pupils across the school read every day. They like the wide range of books available in school.

Leaders work closely with external agencies to identify the specific difficulties that some pupils have.

They use this information to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support they need to access the full curriculum. Parents of pupils with SEND speak highly of the progress their children make.

Pupils are polite and well mannered.

Most pupils have positive attitudes to school and want to learn. Children in Reception, for example, talked enthusiastically about what they had learned about hummingbirds. In some lessons, a few pupils do not concentrate as hard as they should.

They do not engage fully in the learning taking place and occasionally disturb other pupils. This limits the progress they make.

Pupils are well cared for and staff have their best interests at heart.

Opportunities such as forest school and overnight camp enrich pupils' experiences outside the classroom. Pupils take responsibility for mini-enterprise projects, such as selling ice creams on a Friday. They learn about healthy relationships.

The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is not yet fully developed. Some pupils have limited knowledge of different cultures and British values.

Governors now take a more strategic role.

They are no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the school. They challenge leaders about the effectiveness of the action they take to improve the school. Governors are mindful of the workload of staff, particularly leaders.

They work positively with local schools to share and develop staff expertise. Governors are ambitious for the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have put in place improved, robust systems to keep children safe. Staff receive up-to-date training. They know what to do if they are worried about a child.

The new electronic record-keeping system is well used by the designated safeguarding lead. Strong links with external agencies ensure that vulnerable children and their families get timely support. Leaders and staff want pupils to thrive.

Staff work with pupils to help them understand the risks when working online or using social media. They ensure that pupils understand the risks in the rural environment in which they live.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The executive headteacher and head of school have led significant improvements to the curriculum and teaching in several key subjects.

Expectations have been raised. The effectiveness of the curriculum in other subject areas is not as well developed. Leaders should continue to develop the curriculum and further raise expectations, so that all pupils can achieve their full potential.

• While there are strengths in teaching, especially in English, including the teaching of reading, mathematics, science and PE, there are inconsistencies across the school. Some staff have underdeveloped subject knowledge, meaning that aspects of the curriculum are not taught as effectively as possible. Leaders should continue to support all staff to further improve their subject knowledge so they can support pupils to learn more and remember more over time.

• Behaviour across the school has improved and most pupils behave well. The behaviour of a minority of pupils sometimes disrupts the learning of others. Leaders should continue to work with pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning so that all pupils engage in their work effectively.

• Although leaders place a high priority on pupils' well-being, and work hard to ensure that pupils thrive, not all aspects of the school's work on personal development are equally strong. PSHE is taught infrequently and the PSHE curriculum does not ensure that all pupils know about different cultures and British values. Leaders should carefully sequence what is taught in PSHE so that over time, pupils acquire an in-depth knowledge of Britain today.