Brinsworth Manor Junior School

Overview

Brinsworth Manor Junior School is described as a “friendly and aspirational school” where “all aspects of the school have improved” under new leadership. Pupils receive a “good standard of education” within a community that is “welcomed by parents, carers, staff and pupils.” The report highlights a “strong sense of community” and notes that “there is much to celebrate.”

Strengths

• Leaders have created an “ambitious” curriculum where “topics are ordered so that pupils’ knowledge builds over time” in the majority of subjects.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “well supported” and “successfully access the same curriculum as their peers.”
• Staff are “knowledgeable and enthusiastic,” bringing learning to life while checking that pupils have learned important information.
• There are “strongly positive relationships between staff and pupils,” with high expectations for behaviour that are well understood.
• Leaders promote literacy effectively, ensuring pupils who need help with reading benefit from a “clear phonics-based approach” and quickly learn to read.

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, curriculum planning does not clearly identify component knowledge or how it builds on prior learning, meaning teachers lack clarity on planning sequences.
• There is not a consistent approach to ensuring pupils recall knowledge over longer periods, with some struggling to remember previous learning in subjects like PSHE and RE.
• At times, a few lessons are disrupted by off-task behaviour, although this is noted as the exception rather than the rule.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with strong systems in place to follow up concerns swiftly and detailed records maintained.