The Bromfords School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff and parents and carers agree that this school has improved since the previous inspection and considerably so in some areas.

Pupils enjoy coming here, where everyone is welcome. They know that they have a trusted adult to go to if they need help for any worries or concerns.

Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school. Staff build positive relationships with pupils, who feel cared for. Pupils are kind and respectful towards staff and each other.

The school has a high ambition for pupils' achievement. However, pupils experience some variability in the quality of teaching. Conse...quently, they do not always achieve as well as they should.

In the sixth form, students benefit from a well-planned curriculum and consistently high-quality teaching.

Pupils can develop their wider interests and talents. The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to enjoy.

This includes a number of different clubs, as well as trips and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Pupils are proud to take on leadership positions throughout the school. This helps pupils develop the skills that they will need for the next stage of their lives.

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

Previous weaknesses in the school's curriculum mean that pupils have not achieved as well as they should have done. Leaders have begun to address these weaknesses effectively. Staff now have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve.

However, in some subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been identified precisely. This means that teachers are not clear enough on the important knowledge that pupils will need to learn. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge in some subjects securely.

Overall, teachers have strong subject knowledge. However, too often, they do not check and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding. Where this happens, pupils do not make links in their learning and do not build their knowledge securely.

Therefore, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by the school. The school provides staff with the information that they need to give pupils the help that they need.

Teachers adapt the curriculum where needed so that pupils with SEND can access the curriculum. However, pupils with SEND experience the same variability in the effectiveness of teaching as their classmates, so they do not achieve as well as they could.

Students in the sixth form benefit from a curriculum that is well structured.

Teachers check routinely how well students understand the important concepts in the subjects they study. Students make progress in all areas of their learning. They receive well-considered guidance that helps them to make decisions on the next stage of their lives.

Reading is a high priority. The school makes sure that any pupils who need to catch up with reading are supported well. Staff provide a range of interventions to help these pupils learn to read fluently.

This means that pupils who are weaker readers can access the curriculum.

Pupils' attendance is high. This is because the school has worked resolutely to address historical issues and overcome any barriers to attendance that pupils face.

Staff work effectively with pupils' families to provide the help and support they require.

The school's work to promote pupils' personal development is a strength. Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to develop their interests.

They learn about the world around them through a precisely planned-out personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) education curriculum. The school promotes diversity effectively through assembles and form time activities. As a result, pupils know that discrimination is not tolerated.

Leaders have recruited a number of new teachers to the school. These teachers benefit from the high-quality professional development that they receive. Staff enjoy working at the school because they are supported by leaders and each other.

This means that there is now the capacity to improve further the effectiveness of teaching that pupils experience.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' checks on pupils' learning are not always effective.

This means teachers sometimes do not spot gaps in pupils' knowledge when pupils are not secure in their understanding and misconceptions are not addressed. This means pupils do not achieve as well as they should because they do not build effectively on what they have been taught previously. The school should ensure that teachers use their checks on pupils' learning to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge so that they can build on pupils' prior learning effectively.

• In some areas of the curriculum, the knowledge that pupils need to know is not precisely identified. As a result, it not always clear what pupils need to know and, therefore, how their knowledge can be built on. The school should ensure that the important knowledge that pupils need to learn is identified precisely in all subjects.