The Brookfield School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone makes sure that Brookfield is a happy and safe school.

High aspirations, positive relationships and commitment to individual pupils are clear to see. Leaders are focusing on improving the right things at the right time. They know that there is still work to do to improve the school further, such as ensuring that the new curriculum is consistently well delivered.

Attendance is getting better but is not yet good enough. Leaders expect pupils to attend school all the time and are having to work hard to get this message across. The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting some parents' and pupils' confidence in coming to school.

The school is generally a cal...m environment where pupils can learn. Pupils say that staff deal with bullying swiftly. Some pupils struggle to regulate their behaviour during lunchtime or when moving between lessons.

Staff have to keep a close eye on pupils at these times.

The school has developed strong relationships with outside agencies. Pupils get appropriate help for their social, emotional and mental health needs.

A lot of effort goes in to making sure that pupils are ready to leave school well prepared for the future.

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

There is a real sense of shared leadership at the school, from governance through to class staff. Everyone has been working together to develop a well-sequenced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.

The curriculum takes account of pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities. It enables pupils to work towards the goal of achieving suitable qualifications. Pupils are well prepared for the next phase of their life beyond school.

Parents and carers speak positively about the difference the school has made to their children.

Teachers are confident in their subject knowledge. They are beginning to put the curriculum into practice, but it is at an early stage of implementation.

Teachers know that pupils have gaps in their knowledge, either because of poorer teaching in the past, or because of a disrupted education. These gaps are having to be addressed, and schemes of work need further adaptations. When the curriculum is well delivered, pupils revisit prior learning to embed their knowledge.

In geography, for example, pupils showed an increasing confidence in their knowledge of world continents. They recalled this information quickly. Teachers make regular checks on pupils' learning.

Leaders are still developing ways in which they plan to assess pupils' learning in most subjects.

Pupils behave well when teachers provide carefully planned activities that build on pupils' prior knowledge. Staff model positive approaches to learning, usually giving appropriate help.

Overall, behaviour is improving, but physical interventions have recently increased.

Staff are helping pupils to become confident and fluent readers who enjoy reading. Pupils learn to decode words in books that match their phonics ability.

Teachers promote reading in every classroom. Older pupils who struggle with their reading get extra help.

Leaders have set out their expectations for a positive and tolerant school culture.

Pupils to whom the inspectors spoke agreed that their school was a welcoming place, regardless of pupils' differences or needs. A pupil explained, 'We're all humans.' Pupils feel that consequences for poor behaviour are appropriate and fair.

The curriculum helps pupils to learn about healthy relationships. This includes issues of consent and harassment. Staff work with external agencies to reinforce the risks associated with knife crime and gangs.

Pupils talked confidently about strategies to keep safe if they found themselves in a vulnerable position.

Pupils benefit from guidance and activities that help improve their behaviour and develop their personal interests. Pupils enjoy taking part in the school council.

They contribute to decisions to improve the school.

Governors and trustees have a renewed focus on improving the school in the right areas. Some governors are new to the role and have not yet had adequate training.

Subject leaders understand their roles well, but their work is at an earlier stage of development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors and staff receive regular safeguarding training.

They are aware of the risks that pupils may be exposed to in the local community. Staff understand pupils' additional vulnerabilities. Leaders liaise closely with external agencies when pupils are identified as being at risk of potential harm.

They make sure that pupils get timely support.

The school's curriculum ensures that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Leaders make links with support organisations such as Women's Aid.

This enhances the teaching of personal safety, relationships and consent. Pupils talked confidently about strategies to use if they found themselves in vulnerable positions.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders and staff are at an early stage of implementing the well-planned and sequenced curriculum, and of developing appropriate systems for assessment.

They should ensure that the curriculum is fully implemented in all subjects, addressing any gaps in learning, to enable pupils to develop their knowledge and skills over time. Assessment approaches across the curriculum should be clearly set out so that staff are able to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge. ? Some newly appointed governors do not have enough knowledge and understanding about the curriculum to be able to challenge leaders effectively.

The trust should ensure that governors are suitably trained to enable them to challenge and hold leaders to account for their actions. ? Subject leaders are relatively new to their role. They are not yet ensuring that the curriculum is implemented well.

Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders continue to be supported to further develop their role so that they can contribute to whole-school improvement, including monitoring the implementation of the curriculum. ? Attendance is improving but is still low. Leaders should continue their work with pupils and parents to further improve attendance for all pupils.

• Some pupils struggle to regulate their behaviour at certain times. There has been a recent increase in the use of physical interventions. Leaders should make sure that pupils continue to get appropriate support to self-regulate their behaviour so that physical interventions and behaviour incidents reduce.