Broadway First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Broadway First School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a high-quality and wide-ranging curriculum at Broadway First School. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning through interesting topics such as 'Amazing Africa' and 'Chariot Champions'. Leaders have car...efully designed the curriculum to enable pupils to successfully build on their previous learning. The education pupils receive lives up to the school's motto: 'Inspire, Challenge, Achieve', and pupils do achieve very well.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Staff and pupils care for one another. For example, pupils willingly support their friends on the 'rainbow bench' when they may be feeling sad.

Staff skilfully support pupils who need extra help to manage their behaviour. They deal with bullying quickly and make sure that it does not happen again. This means that pupils learn and play in a calm and positive environment.

They feel safe in school.

Pupils love coming to school. Staff have fostered a real sense of community.

Parents value the social activities in school, including joining their children for lunch and 'book and biscuit' sessions. Pupils enjoy the activities outside school such as music events, sports competitions and residential trips.

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

Leaders' work to develop the curriculum, including in the early years, has been highly successful.

They have taken time to design the curriculum to enable pupils in the mixed-aged classes to successfully build on their prior learning. They have carefully considered how pupils' learning is organised to ensure that pupils cover all the requirements of the national curriculum. Training and support for teachers and support staff have provided them with the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum extremely well.

Teachers know what pupils need to learn and remember, and when. They carefully check that pupils have secure foundations to build new learning on. For example, in mathematics, staff in the early years make sure that children have a deep understanding of number to enable them to achieve well in Year 1 and beyond.

Teachers are quick to spot and address any gaps in pupils' learning which may hinder their progress. When needed, staff provide additional support and guidance to help these pupils keep up with their peers.

Reading is a key priority in the school.

Staff receive regular training and support which continually develops their subject expertise in reading. They encourage children to develop a love of reading from the early years through songs and rhymes. In Reception, children quickly develop a secure understanding of phonics.

This enables them to begin to read and write simple words at an early age. Staff have an exceptionally detailed understanding of the sounds pupils know, and those that they need to practise more. They make sure that the books pupils read help them to learn the sounds they are focusing on.

Carefully planned extra help for some pupils enables them to catch up with their peers. Pupils love listening during story time. They also enjoy their trips to the local library.

The excellent approach to teaching reading successfully develops pupils into confident and fluent readers.

The SEND leader has ensured that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. This information is shared with all staff.

Clear targets, along with the support needed, are set to help these pupils access the curriculum. Teachers and staff receive training to help them understand and meet pupils' needs. In addition to this, specialist support is also sought to help pupils with more complex needs.

Leaders and staff have created a culture where all pupils, whatever their needs, are supported and welcomed in the school. This highly effective provision enables pupils with SEND to achieve extremely well.

Pupils really enjoy coming to school.

They appreciate the care that staff show them and are eager to work hard for them. Learning is almost never interrupted by poor behaviour. When some pupils struggle to manage their behaviour, pupils are very understanding and always try to help them.

Pupils' love of school is also reflected in their attendance. The pastoral leader provides excellent support for families who need extra help, to ensure that their child attends school regularly.

Pupils' personal development is exceptionally well supported from early years to Year 5.

This includes excellent mental health support for them. Pupils know that if they have a problem or worry, they can use the 'Let's Talk' box and someone will help them quickly. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum is comprehensive.

It provides pupils with a wealth of meaningful experiences to prepare them for their next school and beyond. Pupils learn about how to manage money, look after their mental health, keep themselves safe and about different types of families. Staff go above and beyond to provide exciting and enriching activities to supplement their learning in school.

Residential trips, visits to museums, sporting competitions, musical events and daily exercise are but a few of the regular activities pupils participate in.

Despite a number of staffing changes, the headteacher has successfully developed and improved the school. Careful support and guidance for new leaders have ensured that there is a strong and highly effective team now in place to further build on the improvements.

Governors are also a very experienced and highly effective part of the leadership team. Staff confirm that leaders have created a culture where 'mental health and well-being is at the heart of the school'. There is a real sense of teamwork across the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have developed highly effective safeguarding procedures to keep pupils safe. Staff understand their responsibility to identify and report any concerns, and they make sure they do.

The safeguarding leader follows up on concerns quickly, including seeking specialist support and advice when needed to get pupils the help they need to keep them safe.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both in and outside school. For example, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online during 'wise up' Wednesday sessions.

Pupils also learn about water safety and 'stranger danger'. Pupils speak maturely about the importance of keeping themselves safe.

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 December 2016.

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