Bricknell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Outstanding leadership from the headteacher and a team of highly committed leaders and staff ensure that there is a relentless focus on driving up pupil performance.

As a result, all groups of pupils make at least good progress and many make excellent progress. By the time pupils leave in Year 6, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above the national average and have been for five years. Teaching is at least good and often outstanding.

Lessons are often exciting and work set in lessons is just at the right level for pupils of all abilities. Pupils contribute significantly to the successes of the school through ...their outstanding behaviour and readiness to learn. The excellent relationships between teachers and their pupils ensure lessons are purposeful and enjoyable.

Skilled teaching assistants provide excellent support in classes and small groups. Although closing rapidly and securely, some gaps remain in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school and nationally. Provision in the early years is extremely effective and children get an excellent start to school.

Inside and outside areas provide a rich variety of exciting learning activities so all children thrive and achieve extremely well. There is a very strong focus on checking on how well different groups of pupils are learning, so that any who are starting to fall behind can be immediately helped to make faster progress. Pupils love their school, which helps to explain why attendance is well above average.

The increasingly knowledgeable and well-informed governing body provides challenge and support to the staff team to make sure that the school continues to improve. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive and comment positively on the school's many strong features. Pupils feel very safe in school because of the school's rigorous approach to keeping them safe.

Information about this school

The school chose to convert to academy status in October 2013 as part of a group of eleven local schools (the ICA School's Partnership, of which the headteacher of Bricknell Primary is the Chair). When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good. The school is a strategic partner in the recently formed 'Tidal Teaching School Alliance' and is the strategic lead school for curriculum and professional development.

The school is the largest primary school in the city and much larger than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are from a White British background and speak English as their first language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.

Children in the Reception class attend full time. The school meets the government's current floor standard, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. There have been some recent staff changes and the senior leadership team has been extended.

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