Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel safe and happy at the school. Girls and boys told inspectors that staff treat them fairly and equally. They learn to respect different people and families.

Pupils achieve well due to the high expectations of leaders and staff.

Pupils are polite and sensible in lessons and around the school. They fulfil leaders' high expectations of their behaviour, including those set out in the recently revised behaviour policy.

Pupils said, and inspectors' evidence indicates, that ...leaders deal well with issues of bullying. Several pupils are trained anti-bullying ambassadors and hold important roles at the school.

Pupils are well prepared to become active, contributing, thoughtful adult members of modern society.

They develop awareness of important aspects of British life, such as the monarchy. They learn to appreciate the work of artists such as O'Keefe and Miró. Pupils recognise the achievements of famous Jewish and non-Jewish men and women in history.

Pupils gain many new skills and extra knowledge through attending a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, such as history club and choir. Pupils undertake valuable trips as part of the curriculum, for instance to the beach at Formby Point to develop their knowledge of coastal erosion and dune formation.

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

Leaders ensure that the school's curriculum is suitably broad and ambitious.

In many subjects, they have carefully considered the knowledge that pupils should learn. Staff skilfully use the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEND. They inspire pupils to want to learn more.

Pupils achieve well but, in a few subjects, leaders have not thought deeply enough about the key information that pupils should learn. In these subjects, leaders have also not fully considered when staff should teach some essential knowledge.Teachers select learning activities that enable pupils to understand the intended curriculum.

They give pupils demanding work that builds on what they already know.Staff teach pupils any key knowledge that they have forgotten due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders strive to link secular and Kodesh learning in meaningful ways.

Pupils' good behaviour means that low-level disruptions to lessons are rare. Staff can fully focus on pupils' learning.

Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to find out how well pupils, and children in the early years, remember their prior learning.

They adapt teaching in lessons if pupils need further assistance to understand important concepts and ideas. In early years, leaders have successfully ensured that staff do not complete paper-based assessments too often. This gives staff more time to teach children.

Pupils learn to speak well. They can clearly explain their own ideas and what they have learned. This is because staff teach them to use and remember important new words.

Governors have invested substantially in a new phonics programme for staff to use to teach pupils. Teachers provide pupils with reading books matched to the sounds that they know. Leaders make sure that staff have the expertise that they need to teach phonics well.

Staff support the weakest readers effectively to catch up with their peers. As a result, most pupils read fluently and accurately.

From the Nursery class to Year 6, leaders ensure that pupils encounter a rich variety of fiction and non-fiction books.

Staff deliberately support and extend pupils' reading choices. They develop pupils' enjoyment and appreciation of books. For example, staff read well-thought-out stories to pupils frequently.

In addition, some pupils hold roles as reading ambassadors, working to support other pupils' reading skills.

Teachers and their colleagues identify the needs of pupils with SEND promptly and accurately. Staff skilfully help these pupils to follow and remember the same curriculum as other pupils.

Leaders provide pupils with a rich variety of learning to enhance their personal development. Pupils learn to debate different opinions and viewpoints and to speak publicly to an audience. They learn about animals at risk of extinction as well as about the organisations that work to protect nature.

Pupils learn about Britain's cultural heritage, including about the plays of William Shakespeare.

Teachers commented positively on leaders' actions to ensure that they have a reasonable workload. Staff said that leaders take their well-being and workload into account when making changes to the curriculum.

Most staff are very positive about working at the school.

Governors bring a range of valuable expertise to their roles. They challenge and support leaders well.

Senior leaders have developed the roles of middle leaders effectively to lead on important aspects of the school's work. Leaders work successfully with experts from outside of the school, including with other local schools, to develop the quality of education further for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders keep themselves and staff well trained and up to date about possible safeguarding risks to pupils. They understand that child protection and welfare issues can affect any pupil. Leaders and staff listen to pupils' comments and observe their behaviour and appearance.

Leaders speak with parents to check on pupils' well-being and safety. Leaders and staff notice when pupils are at risk of harm. They act to ensure that pupils receive the timely support that they need from outside agencies.

Leaders are careful in keeping records of safeguarding concerns and their actions and decisions.

Pupils at the school know how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders have not thought deeply enough about the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn, nor the order in which staff should teach this information.

This means that pupils do not learn some of the curriculum as securely as they should. Leaders should make certain that the curriculum content in these subjects is well thought out.

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 September 2016.

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