Bedale Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher is determined to enable pupils to develop personally and achieve well. As a result, staff are motivated well and pupils enjoy coming to school. Pupils develop very well.

They confidently acquire the personal skills they need to thrive in the wider community. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education. They are caring and respectful of others and know how to keep themselves well and safe.

Senior staff and middle leaders have brought about sustained, strong improvement in attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. They monitor the pupils' progress closely in these areas and use close analysis of perfo...rmance to bring about further improvement. Pupils are kept safe, and say they feel safe, in school.

They know they will always get help from a trusted adult if they are worried or have a concern. They understand that bullying is hurtful and their care for each other prevents this from happening. Pupils attain very well in reading, writing, mathematics and in the phonics screening check.

Current pupils are making very strong progress in English and mathematics in both key stages 1 and 2. Curriculum planning, in a wider range of subjects, is less precise than in English and mathematics. As a result, pupils' progress, although good, is not as strong as in English and mathematics.

The early years foundation stage is led very effectively. Staff use careful assessment of needs to enhance children's experiences and learning in a safe environment. Children thrive, making excellent progress.

A high proportion of children achieve a good level of development. Pupils attend very well. Their behaviour is impeccable during lessons and around the school.

They demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning. This contributes greatly to the progress they make. Pupils are keen to learn and to improve their work.

Pupils settle quickly to tasks, working very effectively with each other and when they work individually. Teachers build very positive relationships with pupils. They use their knowledge of pupils' learning to plan activities that engage and interest them.

Information about this school

Bedale Church of England Primary School provides education for boys and girls aged four to 11. It is a slightly larger than average primary school. The majority of pupils come from the immediate area.

A small number of pupils come from families in the armed forces. A smaller than average proportion of pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.

The school has a local authority resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health issues. The vast majority of work carried out by this team is conducted in a large number of primary schools across the local area. The previous inspection of denominational education given to pupils and the content of the school's collective worship, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, was carried out in January 2015.