Bankside Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bankside Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to show how they aspire to be their 'Bankside best'.

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils in the school. Everyone works together to adhere to the 'golden rules' so they create a sociable school.

Adults encourage pupils to be 'loud and proud' when they speak to visitors.

Pupils talk about the exciting things they learn about. Pupils value their chance to have their say on all aspects of their school. They know it is an honour to represent the school as councillors and ambassadors.

During the inspection, the whole school was learning about cli...mate change. They spoke about their learning with passion and conviction.

Everyone is clear about the routines they must follow in school.

At all times, pupils exhibit exemplary behaviour. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. They have confidence that adults will help them to resolve any differences.

In lessons, pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work hard and enjoy their learning.

Parents and carers know their children are happy and safe. Staff welcome parents into the school.

They have lots of opportunities to visit the school during the day, including 'Family Friday'. This helps them to see how their children are learning.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum.

They have considered the needs and interests of all pupils. There are well-sequenced curriculum plans. Teachers have strong subject knowledge in mathematics.

Teachers provide the resources pupils need to develop their understanding. Pupils said that they like to do the hardest challenges they can.

Teachers use assessment to check what pupils have learned.

Some pupils struggle to link the knowledge they have built across the curriculum. For example, in science, pupils were using information about the radius of planets. They worked together to place them in order of size, but some pupils were unable to explain what they had learned about radius in mathematics.

The citizenship curriculum has evolved over time. It is a strength of the school. The subject gives pupils what they need to be able to develop strong opinions.

Pupils respond to the support they receive to recall information. They have learned about the effects of climate change. The culmination of their efforts led to a whole-school protest in the playground with speeches, chants and a march.

Pupils enjoyed this memorable experience.

The school has close links with the children's centre. Staff develop strong relationships with families before they join the school.

Many children who enter the provision for two-year-olds and early years have low starting points. Often their language and communication skills are underdeveloped. High numbers of early years children have complex needs.

Staff work hard to overcome difficulties so that children can access learning. Nursery children begin to learn about phonics. Teachers understand how to teach phonics and they do this well.

In Reception, there is a focus on developing reading, writing and mathematical skills. Staff read to children daily in early years and through to the end of key stage 2. However, some older pupils cannot read well enough.

Despite the extra help they receive, they have not become fluent readers. This is because the reading books they choose are not well matched to their needs.

Teachers and leaders know about their pupils.

They encourage pupils to develop their special talents. Pupils can sing and perform in assemblies, musical performances and talent shows. Physical activities feature across the school.

There are teams for different sports, including rugby and girls' football.

Pupils enjoy rich experiences to bring their learning to life. They talked with excitement about the trips and visits to museums, the seaside, the forest and a farm.

They liked to dress up in costumes when they were learning about the Stone Age.

The number of pupils who do not attend school often enough is high. This means they are missing important learning.

Their absence prevents them from doing as well as they could. Leaders know they need to work with families to encourage them to send their children to school. They work hard to encourage families to engage.

Leaders have created a school that is an integral part of the community. They recognise the richness and benefits of serving a diverse community. Staff are very positive about the school.

They feel valued. Leaders provide care and support for staff. All staff have high aspirations for their pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and know how to report their concerns about pupils.

Detailed safeguarding records are well kept. Leaders follow up on concerns and make timely referrals to external agencies. They make sure pupils and their families are well supported.

The procedures for checking and vetting ensure that all adults are safe to work with pupils. Staff teach pupils to understand potential risks and how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils know adults will listen to them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders work hard to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. However, school attendance remains low and persistent absence is high. Leaders need to identify which strategies are the most effective so that any improvements are sustained.

. Some pupils in key stage 2 continue to be weak readers, despite the interventions implemented to help them to catch up quickly. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the skills to support pupils to build their confidence in reading so they become fluent.

They also need to ensure that these pupils are provided with books that contain words they are able to read. . Some pupils struggle to make links between their learning across the wider curriculum.

Consequently, they are unable to recall information from other areas of the curriculum so that pupils make the connections they need. Leaders need to consider how to ensure that pupils retain and recall knowledge to help them with new learning.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2011.

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