Pebble Brook Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Since the previous inspection, the school's effectiveness has improved and is now good. The headteacher provides excellent leadership and direction. She is strongly supported by the deputy headteachers and governors.

Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school's performance. Their evaluation is based firmly on rigorous and detailed monitoring of teaching and pupils' progress. As a result of decisive action to improve teaching and learning, pupils' achievement has improved rapidly since the last inspection and improvement continues.

From below and sometimes significantly below typical starting points, children's learning g...ets off to a good start. Good teaching, along with excellent relationships with adults and an exciting environment, promotes their interest and encourages them to learn. Between Years 1 and 6, pupils achieve well and by the end of Year 6, standards in reading and writing are broadly average and in mathematics they are above average.

The quality of teaching has improved and is consistently good; some is outstanding. Teaching is carefully tailored to meets the varying needs of pupils. All groups of pupils make good progress overall.

Behaviour is good. Pupils have very positive attitudes towards their learning and enjoy coming to school. Attendance has improved and is average.

Pupils have excellent relationships with each other and with adults. The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils feel totally safe in school.

Good promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development enables them to thrive in a very supportive learning community. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils are not always given the precise guidance they need to improve their work, particularly their writing, the accuracy of their spelling and the quality of their handwriting. Pupils are not yet fully involved in deciding next steps in their own learning.

Pupils at the early stages of learning English are not always given the support they need to understand key language and vocabularly when they learn alongside their peers as a whole class. Some middle leaders are new to the school and are still at the early stages of developing their roles, including in improving teaching and learning.

Information about this school

Pebble Brook Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school.

The large majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is lower than average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average and rising across the school.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is higher than average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action is lower than average and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Since the previous inspection, there have been changes in staff; several new teachers have joined the school. The headteacher and one deputy headteacher took up their posts in September 2013 and a second deputy headteacher took up his post in September 2014. The early years provision consists of two Reception classes.

The school operates a breakfast club each morning which is run by the family support lead in conjunction with sports coaches. The Brooks Children's Centre is adjacent to the school. It is inspected separately.