Broadhembury Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is not ambitious enough for its pupils. Pupils do not achieve well because the curriculum does not meet their needs.

Pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge. They are not ready for the next stage of their education.

The school's expectations of pupils' behaviour are low.

As a result, pupils do not behave well. This affects how well pupils learn.

Pupils are welcoming to visitors and keen to share their work.

Pupils know what it means to be a good friend. Older pupils are proud of their roles as buddies to younger pupils. Pupils know they can speak to an adult if they have any worries.

Pupils enjoy contributing to t...he local community. They take part in local events and work with the local church. For example, they make posters to celebrate religious events.

Pupils recently took part in a photography competition celebrated in the local village hall.

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

The school has experienced significant instability due to turbulence in leadership and staffing. This has resulted in a decline in standards.

It does not have a coherent and strategic plan to address this and to improve educational outcomes for pupils.

The school has not prioritised reading. The teaching of phonics is weak.

Too many pupils do not read well enough. In addition, the support to help pupils to catch up is not effective. Teaching does not check what pupils know and remember.

So it does not ensure that the sounds pupils learn, and the books pupils read, match what they know. As a result, pupils do not learn to read as well as they should.

The wider curriculum is not well designed.

The school has not set out the important knowledge and skills that it wants pupils to know and remember. Assessment in these subjects is not established. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Frequent changes to staffing means that gaps in pupils' knowledge have not been effectively addressed. While some pupils can discuss what they are currently learning, they cannot recall what they have learned previously. Pupils lack important knowledge, for example, of different countries taught in geography.

The curriculum for pupils' personal development helps them to understand healthy relationships. Pupils understand how to stay safe online. They also understand the importance of a healthy diet.

Although the school teaches fundamental British values, pupils are not able to recall their learning about these values. Furthermore, pupils do not have a meaningful understanding of different faiths and cultures. This means that pupils have a limited cultural base from which to link ideas and concepts about different communities.

Expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are low. While staff show care for pupils with SEND and identify individual needs this does not inform targeted support to overcome barriers to learning. Pupils do not complete work that is matched to what they can do.

Furthermore, a lack of oversight and ambition mean that the needs of pupils with SEND are not met. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve well.

The school has not supported staff to manage pupil's behaviour effectively.

Consequently, the behaviour of pupils is poor. Too often, low-level disruptive behaviour in classes is tolerated by staff. Some pupils choose to not take part in lesson activities.

This is not challenged by staff. Pupils are not supported well enough to re-join the learning. This means that the education of some pupils is disrupted by the poor behaviour of others.

Recently, the local governing body has been replaced by an interim executive board. The board, along with external professional support, has identified the significant issues that the school faces. However, due to the short period of time that the board has worked with the school, its impact is not yet evident.

Staff have not had the necessary professional development to be effective in their roles. The interim executive board, however, is ambitious and intent on improving the school so that pupils are better prepared for the next stage of their education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum is not strategically designed or well sequenced. The school has not identified the important content that it wants pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not build secure knowledge effectively over time.

The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is well structured and sequenced so that pupils learn the essential knowledge they need to progress through the curriculum. ? The curriculum for early reading and phonics is not implemented well. Pupils do not build confidence and fluency.

As a result, they do not learn to read effectively. The school should ensure staff are trained well to deliver the curriculum. The school needs to urgently improve the implementation of all aspects of the early reading and phonics curriculum.

• Teaching does not use assessment effectively to understand what pupils know and remember. Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified or addressed. Teaching does not adapt learning based on what pupils know.

The school needs to ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to assessment so that gaps in pupils' knowledge are effectively addressed. The school's expectations are not high enough for pupils with SEND. The curriculum is not suitably adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

As a result, pupils with SEND do not benefit from a high quality of education. The school must ensure that the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, so that they learn successfully. ? The school has not developed a culture where good behaviour is the norm.

As a result, pupils do not behave well and misbehaviour disrupts learning. The school must ensure that expectations of how to behave are established across the school, and that staff support pupils effectively to behave well. ? The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.