Brooklands Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 June 2023

Pupils say that they feel happy and safe at Brooklands. They are well behaved in lessons and around the school. Staff care for pupils. The vast majority of parents and carers agree. Several parents commented on the kindness of teachers and other adults. There has been a lot of change at Brooklands over the last few years. There have been three different headteachers, three coordinators for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school has joined a multi-academy trust and has gone through the COVID-19 pandemic. The new leadership team, supported by the multi-academy trust, has brought stability to the school. A specialist team is overseeing SEND provision, led by the trust, until the new leader starts. There is a new behaviour policy and extra support for pupils who need it. Expectations are high and attendance has risen. Pupils behave well. Leaders make sure that pupils can try new things including sports and musical instruments. Older pupils are articulate and thoughtful. They understand that others may have different beliefs or lifestyles. Pupils are kind and respectful. They are well prepared for secondary school and for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have developed curriculum plans for the foundation subjects which set out the different types of knowledge pupils need to learn, step by step. They have not yet provided explicit guidance for teachers about how to use this knowledge to pose challenging questions in each subject. As a result, pupils do not have enough opportunities to combine and apply what they have learned from different strands of content. Leaders should consider how to build on existing curriculum plans so that teachers have guidance which helps them to understand the distinct nature of learning in each foundation subject.
• Documentation underpinning decision-making about SEND provision is inconsistent. Pupils on the SEND register are helped to learn the same curriculum as their peers through tailored adaptation of resources and approaches. On rare occasions, adaptations are significant without evidence of formal assessment and co-production of a plan. Leaders should ensure that they develop and embed rigorous processes for identification and assessment so that all pupils get the right help and support.

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