Brookside Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Brookside Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Tishauna McMaster-Isaacs.

This school is part of the Rosedale Hewens Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Marie Ashley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stewart Duguid.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and inclusive school, where everyone is known and valued.

Many pupils join at different points during the year. They are made to feel welcome, and they settle in very quickly. The school works hard to understand the needs of its ...pupils and ensure that these are catered for well.

Pupils are kept safe at school. They know that the adults in school will help them if they have any concerns.

The school wants pupils to 'strive for excellence every day'.

Pupils respond to these high expectations and work hard in lessons. They listen carefully to instructions. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well, particularly in writing.

The school's work to ensure that pupils achieve as highly across the whole curriculum is a top priority for leaders and staff.

Pupils behave well, in and out of lessons. They are courteous, polite and respectful.

Overall, the rates of pupils' attendance match those found nationally. Where the school identifies a concern, it does all that it can to help pupils to improve their attendance.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to engage with the local and wider community.

For example, pupils visit the local care home and lead school fundraising activities to support the local food bank.

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

The school has constructed a curriculum which is well considered and carefully arranged. In most subjects, the school is clear about what pupils need to know and remember in the long term.

Pupils successfully build on their knowledge to understand more complex learning. In mathematics, for instance, children in early years learn to identify simple shapes found in their environment. This prepares them to be successful in their learning when they study the properties of two-dimensional shapes in Year 1.

By the time they get to Year 6, pupils are confident at working out complex calculations involving the properties of and angles in two-dimensional shapes. Pupils achieve highly. In the few subjects where pupils do not achieve as highly as they do in others, leaders have revised the content of the curriculum.

In some instances, the changes designed to help pupils to develop knowledge are still embedding. As a result, some pupils do not know and remember as much as the school intends.

Pupils are supported well to use what they already know and can do to make sense of new learning.

They are encouraged to learn significant vocabulary specific to the subjects that they are studying. They receive ample opportunities to practise and consolidate their learning. In history, for example, pupils revisit their understanding of concepts such as 'empire' and 'kingdom', as well as how to use primary and secondary sources.

Teaching often provides pupils with models and examples to support their understanding of new learning. In a few instances however, these are not as accurate or helpful as they should be in building up pupils' understanding.

The school supports pupils to develop a love of reading and books.

Pupils start to learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception. The phonics curriculum is effective, and the school ensures that it is fully resourced. Pupils are supported by well-trained staff who are expert teachers of reading.

The school uses assessment information effectively. Pupils with SEND are identified at the earliest opportunity. Likewise, those who are falling behind the phonics programme are given prompt and effective support.

As a result, they catch up quickly.

Pupils display positive attitudes to learning. They confidently participate in discussions about the subject matters they are studying.

Disruptions to learning are rare.

Pupils are trusted with positions of leadership. They experience democracy first-hand as they elect their head boy or girl.

Through the curriculum, pupils are taught about healthy relationships, both online and offline. They are also taught to keep safe. For example, pupils talked with confidence about the differences between legal and illegal substances.

Pupils also know what to do to avoid, and report, instances of cyberbullying.

The trust is committed to ensuring that pupils, regardless of their background or starting points in their learning, can participate fully in school life. They deploy resources to provide all pupils with an enriched experience of the curriculum.

The trust provides the school with expert advice and support. The trust ensures delegated responsibilities are carried out diligently.

Staff said that processes are streamlined to help reduce their workload.

They appreciate that the school is pro-active in promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few areas of the curriculum, the changes made to the curriculum to improve pupils' learning are still being embedded.

How well pupils develop secure knowledge of the subject content in these areas is less effective than leaders' aspirational aims. The school should continue to implement these changes and regularly check that they have the desired impact so that pupils achieve as well in these subjects as they do in others. ? Occasionally, teaching provides models and examples that are not as accurate as they should be in supporting pupils with new learning.

When this happens, it reduces how successfully pupils are helped to acquire a secure understanding of new concepts. The school needs to ensure the models and examples used in teaching are accurate and effective in supporting the development of pupils' knowledge and understanding.

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 February 2019.

Also at this postcode