Broadgate Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Broadgate Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 12 December 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in November 2014.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and your capable team of senior and middle leaders have addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

Of note are the improvements to the early years provision which your team have achieved despite some... turbulence in staffing. Children, many of whom start with skills and abilities below those typical for their age, quickly settle into well-established routines. As a result, they quickly develop independence and they are confident in talking to each other and to adults.

They play successfully together and understand the importance of sharing and waiting for their turn with their favourite activity or toy. Adults have provided thoughtful and effective opportunities, indoors and outdoors, for children to develop their reading, writing and number skills. Since the previous inspection, you have made sure that middle leaders contribute effectively to checking on the quality of teaching and learning.

You are aware that some middle leaders are more effective than others and you have provided effective support in developing their skills. Middle leaders have led sessions to moderate teachers' assessments of pupils' work. This has helped teachers to understand the importance of looking at pupils' progress from their starting points as well as the progress they make in the short term.

In addition, the accuracy of teachers' assessments is more consistent. The previous inspection report noted that not enough of the most able pupils reached above-average standards at the end of each key stage. You and your team have been successful in ensuring that the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with the national average.

Teachers routinely identify the most able pupils and make sure that they have extension tasks to stretch and challenge them. For example, the most able pupils in Year 5 took on a 'Top Secret Mission' to extend their understanding of friction in science by investigating possible non-slip materials for James Bond's shoes. The most able pupils also benefit from some focused teaching in small groups, where they look at challenging texts and ideas.

However, this exciting approach is not embedded in day-to-day teaching and work is, typically, not offering enough challenge. You and your team have given a great deal of thought to the curriculum. You have established a curriculum designed to enrich pupils' experiences and help them to develop confident basic skills.

Pupils enjoy the exciting activities which hook their interest and motivate them to work hard. For example, pupils in Year 2, who were learning about the Great Fire of London, constructed Pudding Lane from cardboard boxes and watched as it was set alight on the playground. This helped them to appreciate how quickly the fire had spread and stimulated their creative writing.

You and your leaders carefully analyse any underachievement and generally take effective steps to make sure pupils catch-up quickly. For example, when teachers spot that a pupil has not grasped a skill or concept, they arrange some focused teaching, often on the same day, to make sure that the pupil has understood and can make the most of the next lesson. Leaders have also identified that girls do not do as well as boys in mathematics because they lack confidence and do not generally respond well to time pressures.

However, your team's plans to improve girls' confidence in mathematics are at a very early stage and it is too soon to evaluate them fully. Leaders have planned carefully to make sure pupils develop strong reading, writing and mathematics skills. For example, leaders identified that pupils in several year groups lacked fluency in basic mathematic skills and this was leading to pupils making mistakes in their calculations when they were tackling word problems and investigations.

You supported leaders in changing the timetable to make sure that pupils developed fluency in their arithmetic. Consequently, pupils are now equipped to solve problems and conduct investigations. However, pupils' work in topic is not typically planned as carefully and the progression of pupils' skills in subjects such as history and geography are not given the same detailed attention.

Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff benefit from regular training and updates.

As a result, they are well versed in the signs and symptoms which might indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff are vigilant and appreciate the need to report even the most minor concerns. You and the designated safeguarding lead have forged strong relationships with external agencies.

You and your team are quick to make referrals when they are needed and ensure that record-keeping is thorough and detailed. Backed by governors, you have ensured that pupils and families, whose circumstances make them vulnerable, have access to a range of support. The school provides a variety of clubs and groups to assist pupils in overcoming difficulties.

The 'bungalow' also provides a secure environment, access to learning mentors and, more recently, a family mentor. When there are delays in pupils accessing mental health services, the pastoral team step in and secure interim support. This careful provision has been particularly successful in helping pupils who have identified behaviour difficulties regulate their behaviour.

Pupils' behaviour around the school and their attitudes to learning are positive. They are keen to learn, and they are kind to each other. Pupils have faith in staff to act on their behalf should they need help.

Pupils report that any bullying is dealt with firmly and there are secure arrangements to make sure that any incidents are followed up systematically. Parents also have positive views about the school and most say that they think behaviour is good and that the school is well led and managed. The rate of pupils' absence and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is of concern and well above the national average.

You and other leaders are acutely aware of this and have put in place a range of activities to promote good attendance. The family and learning mentors make regular home visits, good attendance is rewarded, and office staff make sure that they ring home on the first day a child is absent. However, despite your best efforts, absence rates remain stubbornly high and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has risen since the previous inspection.

Inspection findings ? Pupils are becoming happy and successful learners. When we looked in pupils' books, we could see that pupils were inspired by visits and activities. They can write at length for a variety of audiences, building effectively on the skills they develop in the early years and key stage 1.

• We also noted how the curriculum is dynamic and responds to the different needs of different cohorts. For example, Year 6 boys enjoy writing playscripts, so teachers adjusted tasks designed to support pupils in learning about the Romans to include a playscript. As a result of this flexible approach, boys are increasingly enjoying different writing experiences.

• The curriculum is equally successful for the significant number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is because teachers and other adults scaffold the learning to meet their individual needs. Disadvantaged pupils also enjoy the variety of experiences.

The differences between the progress they make and that of their peers remain variable across the school but are reducing steadily. ? Pupils are developing an increasingly sophisticated vocabulary. They have plenty of opportunity to read a variety of challenging texts such as classic novels, poetry and playscripts.

Teachers are adept at helping pupils read for different reasons such as spotting meanings that are implied rather than stated explicitly. As a result, pupils are confident in exploring vocabulary, spotting root words and working out the meaning of unfamiliar words. ? When we looked at pupils' work, we could see that teachers planned work to encourage pupils to give reasons for their answers, and to investigate and solve problems.

This is strongest in mental mathematics books and for reading. However, this approach is not fully exploited across all subjects and consequently pupils' work in topic is weaker than it is in other subjects. ? When I spoke to girls and looked at their mathematics work, I could see that they preferred having plenty of time to solve problems and were less successful when they were required to make quick calculations.

• During our visits to lessons and when we looked at pupils' work, we could see teachers structuring work well to support the lowest-attaining pupils. We could also see evidence of teachers giving the most able pupils additional challenges and extensions. However, there were also frequent occasions when teachers' expectations of what the most able can do were not sufficiently high.

For example, we saw work in pupils' books where the most able pupils were starting with tasks they could already do and working to the same success criteria as low- and middle-attaining pupils. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? pupils' attendance improves and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent reduces ? pupils have more opportunities to develop their reasoning and investigation skills across all subjects, especially in topic ? teaching consistently provides more challenge for the most able ? girls' confidence in mathematics improves. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Leeds.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Joan Hewitt Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and other senior and middle leaders and five members of the governing body. I had telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority, a consultant who has previously worked with the school and the chair of the governing body.

I visited lessons with you and the deputy headteacher, looked at pupils' work together and I spoke informally with pupils. I heard five pupils read. I looked at the results from Parent View (Ofsted's online questionnaire) and considered 42 responses, including 32 written comments.

I evaluated the responses of 24 staff to Ofsted's survey. I also took account of the school's own surveys of pupils' views. I examined a range of documents, including information about safeguarding, attendance, and the school's self-evaluation and improvement plan.