Church Broughton CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Church Broughton C of E Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small, friendly village school with a caring ethos.

Parents from outside the local community choose to send their children here because they value the family atmosphere and good leadership. In this small school, all pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. Staff manage this well.

They plan lessons that cater for the needs of all pupils, regardless of age or ability.

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They are motivated to earn 'pride points' for showing positive attitudes to learning.

They are excited to spend their points in... the 'pride shop', where they are served by the older pupils.

Pupils told us that they feel confident about how to keep themselves safe. They say this is because they learn about safety in lessons and in the daily worship.

Pupils have a good understanding of bullying and know what to do if they are worried.

Pupils achieve well. Many say they especially enjoy mathematics because the lessons are interesting and make them think hard.

Leaders have introduced new ways to encourage pupils to read. Older pupils say they enjoy reading and understand why it is important. As one explained, 'You can learn a lot of things from books!' Pupils are proud of their library and explained how they help to run it by keeping the books tidy and organising termly competitions.

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

This school provides a good quality of education in the core subjects of English and mathematics. Achievement in reading and phonics dropped in 2019. Leaders quickly made changes to the teaching of reading which are already having a positive impact.

They have made sure that reading is at the heart of the curriculum. In the younger 'piglets' and 'pigs' classes, children get off to a strong start with learning phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). The well-trained staff lead daily phonics sessions, under the expert guidance of the senior teacher.

Pupils who need extra help to catch up in reading receive daily attention. Staff provide useful information for parents in how to help at home. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 were keen to read to me.

They did very well because the books they had were well matched to their reading ability. In the older 'ducks' and 'goats' classes, pupils told me about their favourite books and authors. When I visited a Year 5 and 6 guided reading lesson, pupils answered questions well and listened politely to each other's opinions.

Behaviour in lessons is good and relationships are positive, in all classes.

The teaching of mathematics is strong. Teachers and teaching assistants have good subject knowledge.

They present lessons well and introduce new concepts clearly. Pupils are confident mathematicians who have secure knowledge and skills.

Leaders have spent time reviewing the rest of the curriculum.

They have adopted a published scheme to ensure a steady progression of knowledge and skills across a range of subjects. This is in the early stages of introduction and there is more work to be done. The scheme has not yet been adapted to this school's unique context.

Subject leadership is not shared across the staff team.

During the course of our lesson visits, we saw how pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all lessons and activities. Each pupil with SEND has an individual plan, so that the support is matched to their needs.

Leaders and staff promote pupils' wider development well. Staff teach about safety, growing up and how to build strength of character. Pupils spoke freely with us about the importance of respect and tolerance.

They have a good awareness of a range of faiths and cultures. Pupils are well prepared as future citizens.

Pupils at Church Broughton enjoy taking on roles such as house captains and 'super students' who help the headteacher run the Friday worship.

A wide range of other activities is on offer, such as sports, dance and the outdoor ECO club.

Children in the early years are included in the Year 1 and Year 2 'pigs' class. As 'piglets', they also follow their own programme of activities led by a trained teaching assistant.

This means that they do not miss out on the important early steps in learning. They are already showing signs of being keen learners. They respond happily to routines and cooperate well.

Leaders give reading and mathematics high priority in the early years.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils told us they feel safe and 'guarded'.

They have had information from visitors and from staff about stranger danger and bullying. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Regular staff training keeps issues at the forefront of staff's minds.

As a small school, staff know the pupils very well and are alert to any welfare concerns. The safeguarding leader keeps thorough records, making sure that any issues are followed up quickly. Staff work professionally with external agencies.

Governors take safeguarding seriously and carry out their own checks on school procedures. Employment checks are complete and meet statutory requirements.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school's curriculum is not yet fully planned and sequenced across all subjects.

However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken that they are in the process of bringing this about. . Leaders should ensure that the foundation subject curriculum is monitored and refined so that it is adapted to the needs and context of the school.

. Leaders should strengthen subject leadership so that it is more widely distributed across the staff team, ensuring that staff receive effective support and training to fulfil their roles as curriculum leaders.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Church Broughton C of E Primary School to be good on 26—27 January 2016.