Brookfield School

Overview

Brookfield School provides an education that meets the expected standard, with safeguarding standards also met. The report highlights a "nurturing and caring culture" that supports pupils with complex needs, particularly those with previously disrupted education, helping them build confidence and make steady progress.

Strengths

• Staff build "warm and trusting relationships" with pupils, fostering a "calm and usually orderly atmosphere" where bullying is rare and quickly resolved.
• The curriculum is "personalised to meet the complex needs of each pupil," with logical ordering that helps students build knowledge and essential life skills.
• Pupils are "well prepared to move on to suitable destinations" in further education, employment, or training, supported by high-quality careers guidance.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to provide targeted support, including counselling and wellbeing initiatives, for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils have a "genuine voice in the school," influencing decisions on enrichment activities and lunch menus, which fosters a strong sense of belonging.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should strengthen the consistency of teaching to "deepen pupils’ knowledge" and ensure misconceptions are addressed.
• Strategies to improve attendance for all pupils, particularly disadvantaged groups, need to be built upon, as absence rates remain high for some.
• Leaders and governors should develop more strategic oversight of pupil premium funding to evaluate its impact on attendance with greater precision.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing "an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns actively managed to ensure pupils feel safe.