Broadfields Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Broadfields Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 11 June 2019 with Kanwaljit Singh OBE, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2015.

This school continues to be good The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Leaders have clear responsibilities and work together effectively to improve pupils' learning and development. Leaders provide timely support for staff so that pupils make strong progress.

Professional development is a... driving force for improvement. Diverse opportunities enable staff to keep their expertise up to date. Staff learn from experienced colleagues in the school, as well as through sharing successful practice with other schools, locally.

Staff turnover is generally low. This has helped to develop consistency and maintain effective practice in the quality of teaching. Inspection evidence confirms that leaders have responded well to the recommendations in the previous inspection report.

Pupils said that they understand and use the feedback that teachers provide to improve their work. They learn well because teachers explain key ideas clearly, including important vocabulary. Published assessment information indicates that overall rates of progress at key stage 2 have been strong for a number of years in reading, writing and, particularly, mathematics.

The differences in rates of progress between different groups of pupils, such as boys and girls, and disadvantaged pupils, are small. Increased challenge for pupils with higher starting points is further strengthening their rates of progress. Pupils' progress in the wider curriculum is not typically as strong as in English and mathematics.

You and your leadership team have strengthened the application of reading, writing and mathematics skills across the curriculum, and have plans in place to deepen pupils' understanding and use of subject-specific knowledge and skills. The school is inclusive and welcoming. The development of pupils' personal and social skills builds their capacity as learners and strengthens their aspirations for future success.

This is achieved through wide-ranging opportunities across the curriculum and leaders' care for pupils' well-being. Pupils work hard. They learn happily and thoughtfully, and develop a strong desire to succeed.

Parents are overwhelmingly appreciative of the care and learning opportunities that the school provides for all pupils. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose, and that records are detailed and of high quality.

Regular training helps to keep staff's understanding of possible risks and preventative measures up to date. Robust communication about possible concerns has helped to establish a culture of vigilance. Staff are confident and clear about how to report concerns.

Leaders take prompt and effective action in response to issues. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about safe and effective use of the internet and computers.

The school's focus on maintaining pupils' well-being encourages them to learn with confidence, and without excessive worry about risks. Governors have a strong understanding of the school's duty to safeguard pupils. For example, they understand risks that exist in the local area.

They check how well staff use the school's procedures, and the quality of record-keeping. Pupils and parents indicated through discussions and surveys that they have no significant concerns about safeguarding. This includes from bullying and other discriminatory behaviours.

Inspection findings ? Our first agreed focus for this inspection was to find out how leaders have managed to sustain high rates of progress in mathematics. From 2016 to 2018, the proportion of pupils who made strong progress in mathematics by the end of Year 6 was well above average, compared with other schools, nationally. There was little difference between different groups of pupils such as disadvantaged pupils, boys and girls, and the most able.

• Staff understanding of how to teach mathematics has been developed to a high level through a range of support strategies. Through visits to lessons, individual support and group discussions, staff receive specific advice to promote deep learning. As a result, teachers plan activities and approaches that best meet pupils' needs and abilities.

• Our checks of pupils' work showed that pupils carry out a wide range of activities, with lots of opportunities to practise and apply their mathematical understanding. They are opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical understanding across some subjects, such as science, computing and physical education (PE). This develops pupils' confidence with number, patterns, calculations, reasoning and graphical skills, and prepares them very well for their next stage of learning.

• The second focus of the inspection was to explore how well leaders have increased the proportion of pupils making good and deeper progress. Published data from 2018 showed that some pupils made average or below-average progress, particularly in reading and writing. ? Inspection evidence confirms that the vast majority of pupils make good and better progress.

• Any pupil making slower progress has their needs diagnosed promptly and accurately. Teachers closely monitor their progress. Teachers work with teaching assistants to provide effective individual and small-group support to address weaker areas of learning.

• Our final focus for the inspection was to evaluate the extent to which progress in the wider curriculum is as strong as that in English and mathematics. There is less information about this in published data about the school, and in your own action plan. ? Leaders have effectively supported staff to encourage pupils to apply their learning from English and mathematics in other subjects.

This has helped to lead improvements in learning. Further professional development opportunities have helped staff to develop subject-specific understanding. Nevertheless, overall, pupils typically demonstrate less detailed and precise understanding of key ideas and skills across the wider curriculum.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? pupils' work in the wider curriculum is more precise and detailed so that it equals their learning in English and mathematics. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Barnet. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Mehar Brar Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, my colleague and I met with you and the senior leadership team, five governors, including your chair of governors, a group of staff and a separate group of middle leaders. Additionally, we each met with a group of pupils. We considered 84 responses to Parent View, Ofsted's online survey, and your own parent and pupil surveys.

We visited lessons, jointly with school leaders, to observe learning, and reviewed pupils' work in books. We checked a range of documentation related to safeguarding. We evaluated further documentation, including the school's self-evaluation and improvement plans, monitoring information and the school's assessment information.