OFSTED
OFSTED REPORT - MAY 2018
On the 9th and 10th of May 2018, Ofsted inspected Brackenbury Primary School. Our overall grading was that the school required improvement. (Please click here to view our Ofsted Report.) OFSTED recognised that recent rapid improvements were seen in some areas and we have continued to build on that success. OFSTED used the phrase “legacy of underperformance” as they recognised that the school needed to close the gaps in learning that had been in place historically.
JOURNEY OF IMPROVEMENT SINCE MAY 2018
It is important to note that since May 2018, the school has been on a clear and sustained imporvement journey, We have raised outcomes in all key stages, including being in-line with national for EYFS, above national in writing at KS1 and only 1% below in reading and we have made positive progress from KS1 to KS2 in reading and maths. Reading, writing and maths progress are all now graded as average and no longer below the national average. (2019 data). This is a huge improvement from the first KS2 SATs results in 2017.
SUMMARY OF ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE SCHOOL AFTER OFSTED MAY 2018
To improve the provision for children in the Early Years.
EARLY YEARS We have improved provision in the EYFS by having clear systems, expectations and guidance, CPD and support from an SLE, investing in further personalised CPD from an Early Years Expert, phonics and early writing support and developing maths mastery in Reception. The impact can be seen through our results and EYFS review in March 2019 and February 2020 - For the first time the school reached the national average for GLD at the end of year in July 2019, despite low starting points as a cohort. An external review took place and found the provision to be good in both March 2019 and February 2020. The school has addressed the OFSTED points in the following ways:
EYFS 1 - Clear planning for long term, medium term and short term are now in place with a clear plan for implementation so staff are clear about end of year expectations. TFW, phonics and maths mastery are being embedded in 2019-2020.
EYFS 2 – activities are planned to be engaging for children so that they are eager to learn. Pupil voice, parent voice and monitoring have all shown this to be the case.
EYFS 3 - clear assessment systems are in place to assess understanding on entry and at other points in the year; half-termly phonics tracking and daily observations and assessment points within lessons, group and individual work.
EYFS 4 - Learning environment reflects learning, challenges are planned for in the environment and used by children; it is a stimulating place for children to learn and develop independence, skills and talk.
Our results show a significant improvement on previous results. In 2016, the results were as low as 39% achieving a good level of development. The use of daily focused assessments and a systematic approach to planning has been instrumental in improving outcomes for our Reception children.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT:
To improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and address the legacy of underperformance.
The school has put into place a teaching, learning and assessment policy that makes clear the school’s expectations. Through collaboration with all teaching staff, we have put together a quality first teaching document that underpins our approach to teaching and learning. A very significant area of development has been the bespoke coaching and mentoring of all teaching staff during the year, including NQTs. There has been a strong focus on disadvantaged pupils to ensure that they close gaps and have access to all opportunities. The impact can be seen in our end of key stage results in KS1 and KS2 and staff feedback on CPD. Our results show the school’s journey clearly.
TLA1 – We have worked to lift the ceiling on teachers’ expectations of what children can achieve through maths mastery, Same Day Intervention, Talk for Writing, Whole Class Guided reading at KS2, phonic teaching, focus on times tables, no-nonsense spelling, developing vocabulary, Brackenbury Best, consistent expectations. These clear systems enable our teachers to work in a coherent and consistent way.
TLA2 – Quality first teaching in classes with clear understanding of what that is; streamlining of interventions and reviews to see if fit for purpose, no-nonsense spelling, fluency block in maths, CPD for TAs leading phonics interventions.
TLA3 – accurate assessments and moderation across school and with other schools and the LA; clearer assessment system which has shared understanding from all; focus on assessment for learning and improving feedback.
The data tables below show a year on year improvement across both KS1 and KS2. This is a result of clear and focused planning and tracking and most importantly the raising of expectations within the school.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
To increase the effectiveness of leaders, managers and governors.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT: There is an SLT comprising of the head, assistant head/SENCO, English and Maths leads and two teacher coaches/KS leads. All teachers, except for the NQT, lead in at least one area/subject across the school. All leaders now complete their own action plans, review the impact of these and share impact with governors.
Monitoring is planned clearly across each term and is aligned with the school strategic plan. There is a clear monitoring wall in the head’s office which sets out the timetable and is checked regularly by the SLT and adapted according to findings. This ensures that we are continually being pro-active about acting on findings from monitoring.
We worked with another local school to develop leadership in English and maths by looking at rigorous monitoring and consistency. The impact was that we have subject SEFs in English and Maths where we report on the impact of our actions and have developed a clear and consistent approach to resources and classroom environments.
Governors regularly visit the school to monitor actions and are pro-active in challenging the headteacher as a result of their findings. For example, thorough monitoring and subsequent questioning by governors has led to changes on the Same Day Intervention systems which led to RAG rating these and ensuring that science is taught more regularly, rather than just being constricted to science weeks.
The headteacher has continued to galvanise the work of the staff team. She has their respect and loyalty. Her clear and accurate self-evaluation has been used effectively to draw up an effective plan for improvement. Priorities are based on the findings of the most recent Ofsted inspection alongside information gathered during regular monitoring and the school’s internal data. This plan is a working document and is regularly reviewed by all leaders to ensure that their planned actions bring about the anticipated improvements across the school. All members of the staff team who were interviewed could explain the school’s current priorities for improvement.
Local Authority School Review May 2019
OFSTED identified the following strengths in May 2018:
- The headteacher has shown determination to improve outcomes for pupils.
- Parents are supportive of the school and the headteacher. They appreciate the stability and sense of ambition she has brought to the school.
- Progress is beginning to improve.
- Leaders and governors are enthusiastic about their roles.
- Their expertise is developing, and they work productively with the headteacher.
- Some teachers have strong subject knowledge and plan lessons well to meet the pupils’ needs.
- This is increasing the rate of progress for some pupils.
- Most pupils enjoy their education and, as a result, attendance has improved.
- Arrangements to safeguard pupils are effective.
- Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe.
ONE YEAR ON FROM OFSTED
In June 2019, the headteacher did a One Year On From Ofsted meeting to share how far we had come. Please click here to review our progress.
TWO YEARS ON FROM OFSTED
In May 2020, the school was open to key workers and vulnerable children only. We had been expecting OFSTED to return to school but due to the Covid-19 pandemic OFSTED was no longer visiting schools. Our own self-evaluation showed that we judged ourselves to be good in all areas. This was done through systematic monitoring, support and reviews from local authority staff, two Early Years Reviews that noted good practice and with the knowledge that our Key Stage 2 data would improve again, with our robust predictions and moderation.
In January 2020, we also worked with a National Leader of Education to review our practice as a school, specifically looking at leadership and management. Monitoring was clearly shown to be strong as was the senior leadership team. We all have a clear and coherent message to share with OFSTED which is reflected in the wider school.
We await the return from OFSTED so we can all show our Brackenbury Best.