New Brancepeth Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small, nurturing school with big ambitions. There is a strong sense of belonging, shared by pupils and staff. Parents and carers are made to feel welcome in school.

They appreciate regular opportunities to attend events such as phonics workshops and 'learning together' sessions.The school is committed to broadening pupils' life experiences and to raising their aspirations. The curriculum is enriched by frequent visits and visitors into school.

Each pupil has a 'pupil passport' to record their experiences. These include outdoor education residential experiences and visits to historical sites. Leaders build pupils' knowledge of their area alongside a deeper un...derstanding of the wider world.

The school has recently improved its curriculum. It has benefited from the expert support of the trust. Pupils achieve well.

However, this is not always reflected in published results due to very small year groups.

Pupils say they feel happy and safe in school. Staff create a calm and purposeful environment where pupils can learn without distraction.

Pupils have opportunities to reflect on their actions and learn from any mistakes that they may have made.

The school provides a varied offer of extra-curricular clubs, such as archery and craft. Pupils enjoy many special roles and responsibilities, for example, they can serve as librarians and house captains.

This develops their leadership skills and self-confidence.

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

Leaders are taking highly effective action to continually improve the quality of education that pupils receive. The curriculum is well designed to build on pupils' prior learning.

For example, children develop a secure understanding of number in the early years. This prepares them for more challenging problem-solving and reasoning tasks as they progress through school. Careful thought has been given so that pupils taught in mixed-aged classes learn the skills and knowledge in a sensible order.

For example, when learning map skills, younger pupils use four points on a compass while their older classmates are introduced to eight points.

Leaders have prioritised the development of language. Books are evident throughout the early years.

Children encounter new language through listening to stories. They apply this language when they tell their own stories. In key stages 1 and 2, subject curriculums identify the key vocabulary that pupils must learn.

Teachers revisit this vocabulary often and make regular checks to ensure that pupils remember it. However, sometimes pupils find it more difficult to recall what they have learned and to make links in their learning. This is due to the legacy of the old curriculum and previous gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Pupils love to read. The school has developed an impressive new library that pupils visit regularly. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors and novels that they have shared in class.

In the Nursery class, children learn songs and rhymes and to distinguish between different sounds. This prepares them well for the phonics programme that is introduced from the beginning of the Reception Year. The school has introduced a new approach to teaching phonics.

Staff are well trained to deliver the programme. Teachers regularly check how well pupils progress through the reading programme. Pupils at risk of falling behind receive the extra help that they need to catch up quickly.

Reading books are closely matched to the sounds pupils are learning. Pupils can use their phonic knowledge to read unfamiliar words.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well.

This is because their additional needs are identified quickly. Helpful support plans are written with class teachers and advice from external agencies. The use of additional adults and adaptations made to the curriculum help pupils to learn alongside their classmates.

Leaders know that for pupils to learn they must attend regularly. Attendance has been low since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as a result of the school's recent actions, pupils' rates of attendance have improved.

The personal development of pupils is a strength of the school. Leaders have developed a programme that is well suited to the school's context. The curriculum teaches pupils about world religions and different types of families.

They learn about the importance of healthy relationships. Pupils say that everyone is welcome at New Brancepeth Primary.

Leadership within the school is exceptional.

Effectively supported by the trust, leadership capacity has grown significantly since the previous inspection. There is a culture of 'grow your own' which reflects the school's commitment to professional development. Trustees keep a close eye on school improvement priorities and offer highly effective challenge and support.

Staff feel valued and listened to. They appreciate strategies that the school has introduced to reduce their workload and enhance well-being, such as access to a counsellor.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some areas of the curriculum are less securely implemented than others. This means that some pupils are not able to recall and connect knowledge in these subjects. The school should take further action to embed the curriculum and check that pupils are remembering and connecting their knowledge over time.