Brandwood Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 January 2023

Leaders and staff place a strong emphasis on being a community school where all pupils, including children in the early years, are welcome, irrespective of their faith or background. Pupils and children benefit from encouraging and positive relationships with staff. They told inspectors that this makes them feel happy in school. Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any concerns or worries. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils take pride in behaving well. They are keen to live up to the high expectations that staff have of them. Pupils are attentive during lessons. Learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils try their best. They are keen to make the most of the learning opportunities that their teachers provide. By the end of Year 6, most pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders have established effective systems to identify and deal with incidents of bullying. When bullying does occur, it is dealt with quickly and effectively. Pupils value the opportunities they have to take on responsibilities. These include being the head boy or head girl, water monitor or a telephone ambassador. Pupils and children appreciate the opportunities to visit different places. These include trips to local galleries and a visit to London to learn more about crime and punishment.

What the school should improve

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn or when this content should be taught. This prevents teachers from designing learning that builds on pupils' knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum thinking in these areas so that pupils can build on prior knowledge when they are learning something new.
• In a very small number of subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have remembered and understood what they have been taught. This means that, in these subjects, some pupils do not have a secure enough foundation of knowledge on which they can build. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils' knowledge is secure.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)