Bookwell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Bookwell is an outstanding primary school with a friendly and welcoming environment.

Attainment in English and mathematics is high and the vast majority of pupils make outstanding progress. Their overall achievement in both academic and personal development is excellent. These very strong outcomes are due to: exceptional leadership and management; good and at times outstanding teaching; a curriculum of excellent quality; pupils' outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning, and excellent provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

All staff provide excellent care so that pupils feel fully safe in school and know how to look after themselves and one another extr...emely well. They gain an excellent understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle and exceptionally well-planned strategies are in place to develop pupils' understanding of their role in the local and wider community. Pupils love the excellent opportunities provided for them to experience responsibility.

There is a strong school council which plays a significant role in decision making especially with regard to charity work. The Early Years Foundation Stage is good and as a result, pupils get off to a good start to their formal education. While the provision is well planned to ensure opportunities for learning outdoors, the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not have the opportunity to move freely from classroom-based to outdoor activities.

This is due to the physical constraints of the building. As such, it limits children's choices for independent play and has a negative impact on their overall development. Teachers and support staff across the school know their pupils extremely well and work is well matched to pupils' needs.

The school's motto of 'Every Child Matters' is evident in the detailed way in which teachers and teaching assistants plan their lessons and monitor progress. However, while there are examples of assessment being used well to help pupils to understand how to improve their work further, this is not always consistent throughout the school. The curriculum includes a very strong emphasis on learning challenges covering a wide range of topics.

It is enhanced by a breadth of visiting professionals which adds an extra dimension to learning which the school cannot provide alone. Since the last inspection the overall effectiveness of the school has improved. This is thanks to the excellent leadership provided by the headteacher, senior staff and governing body.

All aspects of leadership and management are outstanding. The leadership team is rigorous in evaluating accurately how well the school is doing and taking steps to address any shortcomings found. It tirelessly drives forward and secures improvement well through a detailed school improvement plan.

Supported by a highly effective governing body, the school has an outstanding capacity to maintain the high performance of pupils as shown by its track record in accurately predicting outcomes for learners and making a detailed forecast for the next three years.

Information about the school

This is a smaller than average-sized primary school in which the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average as is the number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Most pupils are White British but there is a small proportion from minority ethnic backgrounds.

There are no pupils who speak English as an additional language. The school has Healthy School status and the Activemark award. Since the last inspection there have been changes in staffing including a new headteacher and deputy headteacher.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms