Brockwell Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's motto, 'safe, smile, succeed', is at the heart of this caring school's ethos.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They arrive at school with smiles on their faces, ready to learn. They say that their teachers are kind and fair.

Relationships between pupils and adults are a strength of the school. Pupils have absolute confidence that every member of staff would help them if they had a problem, for example if they thought they were being bullied.

Pupils behave well.

They know exactly how they are expected to behave in lessons. Classrooms are calm places in which to learn. Pupils concentrate well and work hard.

They want to do their bes...t. Playtimes and lunchtimes are fun and lively. Pupils know that they are lucky to have such a large space in which to play together.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, academically and personally. Parents and carers and staff recognise the school's strong leadership.

One parent commented, 'Brockwell Juniors is a fantastic school. They have an exceptional headteacher, excellent teachers and wonderful teaching assistants.'

Pupils, staff, parents and governors are rightly proud to be part of the Brockwell Junior School community.

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

Leaders are determined that all pupils will learn to love reading. They have developed a well-thought-out curriculum that places an emphasis on learning to read fluently and with an in-depth understanding of the text. Pupils who struggle to read fluently are given extra help.

Teachers make effective use of whole-class teaching sessions to develop pupils' vocabulary and comprehension skills. Often, the books that teachers read are linked to pupils' work in other aspects of the curriculum. For example, Year 6 pupils were reading 'After the war', which was linked to their history unit about the Second Word War.

The knowledge that pupils had gained in history enabled them to discuss the issues included in the text, such as the Holocaust and refugees.

Leaders are reviewing their curriculum to make sure that it is the best that it can be. They have adapted existing subject plans to ensure that key knowledge is identified and logically ordered.

This helps pupils to build their learning up step by step. In many subjects, this has been achieved successfully. For a few subjects, these reviews have not yet taken place.

In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they do in other areas.

Teachers use regular assessments to check how well pupils are doing at key points in the school year. However, they do not consistently check that pupils have remembered the important knowledge that they have been taught over time.

Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) without delay. Support is put in place swiftly to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their classmates. The additional needs of pupils with SEND are well known to all staff.

Teachers use a range of effective strategies to make sure that these pupils achieve well. Leaders communicate well with parents. When needed, external agencies are used to provide further advice and support.

The school's work to support pupils' personal development is a strength. Leaders have clearly identified the character traits they want pupils to develop: to be respectful, be honest, be kind, be responsible, and be determined. Pupils strive to exemplify these values.

Pupils value the opportunities they are given beyond what they learn in lessons. They relish the trips and sporting events, and the chance to learn to play a musical instrument.

Governors have played a key role in supporting leaders.

They share leaders' ambitions for pupils. They work closely with leaders to steer the school in the right direction. They fulfil their roles and responsibilities with skill and confidence.

Staff appreciate that leaders are highly considerate of their workload and well-being.They say that they feel valued and listened to.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a culture of vigilance. They make sure that staff receive safeguarding training. Staff show high levels of concern for pupils.

They quickly spot pupils who may be at risk of harm. They report any concerns they have promptly. Detailed records are kept.

Safeguarding leaders take appropriate and timely action. They involve external agencies to make sure that pupils and families have the help they need.

Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe.

They are aware of the risks they may face and learn how to make good decisions.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have reviewed the curriculum for many subjects. However, some subjects have yet to be reviewed.

In these subjects, it is not fully clear what pupils should learn, and when. Pupils do not achieve as well in these subjects as they do in others. Leaders should ensure that these remaining curriculum plans are reviewed so that all curriculum planning is of an equally high standard.

• Leaders have not developed a systematic approach for checking that pupils retain key knowledge over time. Some pupils cannot remember the important knowledge they have learned in previous lessons. Leaders should ensure that a consistent approach is developed, so that teachers regularly check that pupils have secured this important knowledge in their long-term memory.

Also at this postcode