Ofsted conducted a monitoring inspection of Broughton Primary School on January 24, 2023, following two successive judgments of requires improvement. The inspection aimed to assess the progress made by the school since the last graded inspection. The findings indicate that while the school continues to require improvement, there have been notable advancements in several areas.
The leadership team, including the headteacher and senior leaders, has been actively working to address the identified areas for improvement. They have developed comprehensive action plans that outline the necessary steps to enhance the quality of education. The school has made progress in improving mathematics and the wider curriculum, as well as in the monitoring and evaluation processes led by subject leaders.
A significant aspect of the school's improvement has been the development of leadership capacity. The governing body has restructured the senior leadership team, appointing an assistant headteacher in January 2022. This restructuring has allowed senior leaders to collaborate more effectively with subject leaders, enhancing their understanding of how to lead their respective subjects. Subject leaders have engaged in additional training and have visited other schools to gain insights into effective curriculum design and implementation.
Since the last inspection, the school has adopted a new mathematics curriculum that clearly outlines the knowledge pupils should acquire and the sequence in which it should be taught. Staff training has been provided to ensure effective delivery of this curriculum, and teachers are now focusing on building pupils' knowledge progressively. Strategies such as revisiting previously taught content have been implemented, contributing to improvements in pupils' achievement in mathematics.
Efforts to strengthen the curriculum in key stage 1 and key stage 2 for subjects like history and art are ongoing. These initiatives are providing teachers with clearer guidance on the specific knowledge pupils should learn and how it connects with prior learning. However, there remains a need for greater attention to the early years curriculum. Leaders have not yet clearly identified or sequenced the knowledge that children in the Reception Year should learn in certain areas, which affects their preparedness for subsequent learning stages.
Subject leaders are now regularly visiting lessons to monitor the implementation of their subject curriculums. When areas for development are identified, they collaborate with staff to address these issues and ensure necessary changes are made. This approach has led to improvements in the curriculum for most subjects, resulting in a positive impact on pupils' achievement.
Systems have been established to ensure that pupils retain knowledge in reading, writing, and mathematics. Teachers have received training to accurately assess what pupils know and remember, allowing for lessons to be tailored to their learning stages. Leaders are using information about gaps in pupils' knowledge to plan additional support for those who need it.
The local authority issued a warning notice to the school in January 2022 and has since added members to the governing body to enhance governance. New governors have undergone training to fulfill their roles effectively, and the local authority has provided support to improve accountability. Governors are actively involved in monitoring the school's progress and ensuring that leaders' actions are positively impacting the quality of education.
Teachers have expressed a sense of improvement within the school, appreciating the professional development opportunities available to them. They recognize the positive effects of these initiatives on the school's overall progress. Subject leaders are given the necessary time to enhance their subjects, and staff feel that their workload and well-being are being considered by the leadership team.
