Broke Hall Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are taught to be 'ready, respectful and safe'. They know what bullying is and that it happens very rarely at their school.

Pupils feel safe. They trust adults to help them if they are worried about something.

At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils play well together and are kind and polite to each other.

Older pupils enjoy helping the younger ones to play games. During lessons, pupils listen carefully to each other and work well with others.

Pupils enjoy learning a broad range of subjects.

They almost always try to do their best. Pupils achieve well and can talk confidently about their learning. They value ta...king part in trips and visits that enhance their learning.

Pupils get opportunities to develop their interests and to try new things. Everyone has the chance to learn how to play a different musical instrument each year, for example. Older pupils enjoy having extra responsibilities, such as being a school councillor, a junior road safety officer or a member of the eco-council.

Pupils say that they make a real difference by helping to raise money for new equipment, developing the school garden or highlighting road safety to younger pupils.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious and well-planned curriculum for Year 1 to Year 6. This sets out clearly, in all subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to learn.

However, the early years curriculum is not so well planned out. This means that in some subjects the curriculum does not build from Nursery to make sure that pupils are consistently well prepared for all aspects of learning in Year 1.

In most subjects, such as mathematics, teachers regularly check carefully what pupils know and can do.

Teachers use these checks to help plan future learning. In some other subjects, teachers check what pupils know at the beginning and end of a topic. These checks are not always effective in identifying whether pupils have remembered the important knowledge that leaders intended.

Leaders are not using this information to check that the curriculum is being taught as they intend. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well in these subjects.

Staff have strong subject knowledge.

This means that they can support all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to access the same curriculum and make progress. The needs of pupils with SEND are quickly identified and appropriate support is given to them. This ensures that pupils with SEND have the same opportunities to learn and make similar progress to their classmates.

Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. Staff have had training and deliver this programme with confidence and clear subject knowledge. Children in early years make a strong start to learning to read.

In Nursery, children learn sounds and how to blend these together to make words. In Reception, they learn to read and write simple sentences. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that the pupils are learning so that by the end of Year 2, pupils have the skills and knowledge needed to be confident readers.

Pupils who need extra help with reading get the support they need to make sure that they catch up quickly. Leaders have developed a carefully chosen selection of books that teachers use during daily group reading sessions. Pupils find these books interesting.

This helps pupils to develop a love of reading and to read different types of books.

Pupils want to do well and rise to staff's high expectations. Leaders have created a culture where there are positive relationships and everyone supports each other.

In lessons, pupils are attentive and usually concentrate on their work, which means that little learning time is lost.

Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils' personal development, through assemblies and the curriculum. Pupils visit other places of worship and are taught to be tolerant of one another.

Teachers use 'sticky questions' to develop oracy and debating skills linked to assemblies on topics such as respect, democracy and the law.

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, provide a clear vision and effective training for all staff, including those new to teaching. Most staff say that leaders carefully consider their workload when making decisions and introducing new initiatives.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training, so they know how to identify and report any concerns that a pupil is at risk of harm. Concerns are acted on quickly.

Leaders work together to provide any support that pupils need. This is sorted quickly using school staff and support from outside agencies when necessary.

Leaders make sure that all necessary checks are carried out before a new member of staff joins the school to ensure they are suitable to work in school.

As a result of carefully planned learning, pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and in the local community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some of the specific areas of the early years curriculum, such as expressive arts and design, understanding the world and physical development, the key learning for Nursery and Reception classes has not yet been clearly planned out. This means that pupils at the end of Reception are not as well prepared for their Year 1 curriculum as they should be.

Leaders should ensure that they precisely identify the knowledge and skills that children will learn in all areas of learning in the early years. ? Assessment is not being used effectively across all foundation subjects. As a result, leaders do not know how well the planned curriculum is helping pupils to learn the intended knowledge and skills in some subjects.

Class teachers are not using assessment to identify gaps in learning and inform future planning. Leaders should ensure that assessment in all foundation subjects enables subject leaders to evaluate how well the planned curriculum is being taught and that teachers use it to identify any gaps in pupils' learning and inform their planning. This should be done in a way that does not add to teachers' workload.

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