Broad Town Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Broad Town Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school? '

A bright future for all' is an integral part of the day-to-day life of the school. Pupils enjoy attending Broad Town Church of England Primary School.

They are polite, kind and respectful towards one another. Relationships with adults are positive. Adults know the pupils and their families well.

As a result, pupils are happy and feel safe.

Pupils behave well. Staff have high expectations of pupils.

The school's values underpin these expectations. Pupils know that it is important to treat everyone equally. They talk confidently about differenc...e and learn about many faiths and cultures.

This supports pupils to be well prepared for life beyond Broad Town.

The school is very much at the heart of the community. Pupils make a positive contribution to the community and beyond.

They are 'village ambassadors'. They decorate the village bus shelter with themed events throughout the year. Pupils serve drinks and food to volunteers, governors and members of the village at the school tea party.

They understand the importance of making a positive contribution to society.

Staff and pupils are proud to be part of the school family. Parents are unanimously supportive of the school.

They appreciate the welcoming and supportive environment, where their children are happy.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In some subjects, leaders have identified the important knowledge they want pupils to know, and by when.

This helps pupils to build knowledge well over time. Where appropriate, adaptations support pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers. There is a strong focus on developing children's understanding of number from Reception Year.

Older pupils practise their recall of number facts and times tables through regular 'flashback 4'. This helps them to confidently solve problems and develop their reasoning skills.However, this is not the case in some wider curriculum subjects.

In history, leaders have not identified all of the substantive knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. This means that pupils do not develop a depth of understanding in some historical concepts. For example, pupils learn about important people such as Guy Fawkes; however, they do not understand why he is significant or the impact he had on Britain.

In some areas of the curriculum, leaders confidently check on the implementation of the subject and what pupils remember. They identify what is working well, gaps in pupils' knowledge and next steps. However, not all leaders have such an insightful overview of the effectiveness of the curriculum subject they lead.

This means they do not have an accurate understanding of how well pupils build knowledge or of the strengths and weaknesses in the subject.

Reading is a priority for leaders. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about books and their favourite authors.

There has been a strong focus on developing a love of reading. Pupils enjoy the 'reading cabin' as well as the book swaps that take place after school. Leaders have recently implemented a new phonics programme that supports pupils to learn to read well.

Children start to learn to read as soon as they start in Reception Year. Teachers use assessment effectively to identify pupils who need additional support to catch up. Leaders make sure that the books pupils read match the sounds they know.

As a result, pupils read with fluency and confidence. Older pupils develop an understanding of retrieval and inference. They confidently use texts to give such examples, and interpret figurative language used in stories.

Pupils' use of ambitious vocabulary is impressive.

Pupils of all ages play well together during social times. They move around the school calmly and sensibly.

From Reception Year, pupils are keen to please and eager to learn. Low-level disruption is rare. This helps pupils to focus on their learning and succeed.

Leaders provide many opportunities to broaden pupils' horizons. Pupils enjoy the varied roles and responsibilities they have. School council members say the decisions they make help to shape the school.

For example, Year 6 pupils set up and run a nature club for their peers. Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values. They say that democracy makes things fair and that individual liberty means they respect their peers' point of view.

Pupils appreciate the wide range of trips, including a recent visit to a solar farm, where they learned about the importance of renewable energy. The virtual tour of the Ashmolean Museum inspired pupils. All of this supports pupils to be well-rounded, confident citizens.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff know how to recognise signs of abuse.

They know and follow the school's agreed procedures to report any concerns. Leaders work effectively with external professionals to ensure that pupils and families get the support they need in a timely manner.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

Through the curriculum, they learn about medicines, drugs and the impact of smoking and vaping. They understand the dangers of online grooming and the importance of keeping personal information safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some wider curriculum subjects, the key knowledge leaders want pupils to know and remember has not been identified.

As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to identify the precise knowledge they want pupils to know and remember, so that they develop a depth of understanding in all curriculum subjects. ? Some subject leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the effectiveness of the curriculum.

As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed. Leaders need to check to see how well each subject is implemented, identify what pupils know and remember and help teachers to adapt the curriculum when necessary.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2018.