Brentside Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and sharing what they are learning with visitors.

Adults and children describe the school as a 'safe haven' for the community. Pupils are taught how to keep safe and how to ask for help. As a result, pupils, including children in early years, are kept safe and are well cared for.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum and typically produce work of good quality in different subjects. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

However, assessment is not consistently used well to identify and address misconceptions. This limits some pupils' understanding of key... concepts in different subjects, including writing.

Pupils demonstrate exemplary character.

The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to nurture their interests through clubs, including gardening and sports, as well as termly talent shows that all pupils can take part in. The school encourages pupils to learn about and celebrate different cultures, for example, Eid and Chinese New Year. Pupils take on responsibilities as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, librarians and members of the school council, and delight in contributing to how their school is run.

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

Pupils follow a curriculum that matches the breadth of what is expected nationally. In each subject, leaders have set out the important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. This is sequenced so that pupils build on what they know over their time at school.

For example, in science, children in Reception consider their own life cycle and the importance of making healthy nutritional choices. This helps older pupils to understand the different decisions athletes make to excel in their sports. Similarly, in computing, the curriculum is sequenced so that pupils practise using simple programming instructions before using more abstract symbols to programme a robot.

This enables pupils by the end of Year 6 to use more complicated coding to programme physical hardware.

However, in a range of subjects, assessment is not used with sufficient precision to check what pupils have learned. In these instances, errors and misconceptions are not identified or addressed swiftly meaning some pupils are not secure in key concepts before moving onto new content.

This includes pupils' writing which is not as accurate and fluent as it should be. This limits some pupils' ability to demonstrate what they know and can do in different subjects.

Reading is a top priority.

Leaders have ensured that staff receive training to support the implementation of the phonics programme. Pupils start learning to read as soon as they begin Reception. They practise through reading books that are well matched to the sounds they know.

Leaders identify pupils who need extra help with their reading and put support in place. A culture of reading is encouraged across the school through different initiatives, including visits from local sports people as part of the 'readathon'. As a result, pupils are avid readers and enjoy sharing their favourite books with others.

Leaders have processes in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders communicate regularly with parents and external agencies to ensure that needs are assessed swiftly, and appropriate support is put in place. Pupils' needs are also well considered in the wider life of the school, for example, by ensuring access to visits and additional activities alongside their peers.

Pupils' wider personal development is exceptional. Leaders reflect on how to make sure pupils understand contemporary issues of keeping safe. For example, older pupils have attended workshops about female genital mutilation, and pupils speak maturely about how this affects the health of girls.

Leaders have planned an extensive programme which complements the school's ethos. For example, pupils develop their understanding of respect through learning about being global citizens and challenging discrimination. Pupils are encouraged to put this into practice and contribute to their wider community.

For example, members of the school choir performed winter songs at a local care home and shared handmade cards.

Pupils behave well in lessons. Pupils are keen to learn and demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

Typically, pupils' behaviour around the school is sensible. Bullying rarely happens and if it does pupils feel confident to speak to trusted adults or use the 'worry boxes' to raise concerns. Leaders work closely with families to keep attendance and punctuality a priority.

Trustees and governors fulfil their statutory obligations. They work closely with staff and families to gather feedback and consider improvements. Staff, including those at the early stages of teaching, feel well supported by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Expectations of the writing that pupils produce are not consistent. This means that the quality of written work is variable.

Some pupils struggle to demonstrate what they know and can do in a range of subjects. The school should fully implement their plans to prioritise writing so that pupils are taught how to write with increasing accuracy and fluency. ? The use of assessment to check pupils' understanding is variable.

Errors and misconceptions are not consistently identified or addressed swiftly. As a result, some pupils do not learn the intended curriculum content. Leaders should continue to provide training to help staff to identify and address misconceptions so that pupils deepen their understanding across subjects.