Bankwood Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not develop the knowledge they need because the curriculum is poorly designed. Leaders' expectations of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are often too low.

Pupils like to come to school. They enjoy playing with their friends and feel that their teachers support them with their work. They say that their teachers are fair.

Many pupils behave well in lessons. However, there are occasions when a minority of pupils disrupt others from their learning. In addition, older pupils say that they often hear sexualised and offensive language, including racist remarks, at playtimes and lunchtime.

They also report ...that adults are not successful in preventing bullying from happening. As a result, some pupils do not report concerns to adults. Some pupils say that bullying is a normal part of school life.

Many pupils do not attend school regularly. They miss out on chunks of learning and, as a result, have significant gaps in their knowledge. Leaders do not have a rigorous system in place to encourage pupils to regularly attend school.

Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular activities that are on offer, such as woodwork and archaeology club. School councillors feel that they make a difference by contributing to the planning and development of the 'Gleadless valley partnership' with the local council. However, opportunities to engage pupils in the life of the school are limited.

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

Leaders and governors have an overly generous view of the school's effectiveness. Leaders do not understand the most pressing school improvement priorities. They have failed to take action to address weaknesses in the school.

As a result, the school's effectiveness has declined significantly since the last inspection.

Systems for monitoring and reviewing behaviour are not effective. While incidents of behaviour concerns are recorded precisely, leaders do not review these incidents to identify patterns or trends.

As a result, leaders do not put strategies in place to prevent incidents from reoccurring, such as homophobic bullying.

Leaders have not implemented a broad curriculum that prepares pupils for the next stage of their education. Pupils do not receive regular lessons in subjects such as religious education and history.

Leaders of these subjects do not have the time or support they need to develop the curriculum effectively. As a result, the curriculum from early years to Year 6 is poorly designed and implemented. Leaders have not set out the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember.

Teachers do not build on pupils' prior knowledge. In addition, teachers do not have effective systems to check what pupils have remembered. Pupils do not develop sufficient depth of understanding in these subjects.

Leaders have identified that staff need to develop children's communication and language in the early years. However, leaders have not set out the specific knowledge and vocabulary they want children to learn that will prepare them for Year 1. Staff do not routinely introduce new vocabulary to children while they are engaged in activities.

They miss opportunities to build children's knowledge. Children are not ready for Year 1 when they leave Reception.

Leaders are not doing enough to support pupils who are at the early stages of reading.

Staff do not receive the appropriate support to teach phonics effectively. As a result, there are inconsistencies in the teaching of early reading. Leaders do not ensure that pupils with SEND and pupils who are new to the country have the same opportunities as their peers.

Their learning is not prioritised and they often access inaccurate teaching. As a result, some of them are unable to read.

Older pupils love to read.

Teachers encourage pupils to write reviews from the carefully chosen '100 books' available in their class. Pupils love to listen to their teachers read to them every day. However, often teachers move on to new books without completing the one they are reading.

Pupils find this frustrating and lose interest.

Leaders have not carefully considered the curriculum for pupils with SEND. Often, expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low.

As there are no clear leadership plans in place detailing the provision available to support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum, teachers use their own initiative and experience. This leads to inconsistencies in support. Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

Leaders have a curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education in place. However, this is not delivered on a regular basis. As a result, pupils miss out on valuable learning, particularly older pupils.

Some pupils are not clear about fundamental British values, including democracy, and have limited understanding of other religions, faiths and protected characteristics. This means pupils are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.

A number of staff have concerns about workload and the support that they receive from leaders to manage this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff receive safeguarding training. As a result, staff know how to recognise and address issues such as peer-on-peer abuse.

However, staff have limited understanding about what the local safeguarding risks to pupils are.

Leaders and staff record any incidents, including safeguarding and behaviour, on a regular basis. Relevant staff are made aware of concerns.

However, records show that while incidents are recorded, often the actions that leaders have taken are not. This makes it difficult for leaders to have a clear understanding of any patterns that need to be addressed or any further actions that may be needed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not developed a broad and balanced curriculum that sets out the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember.

Senior leaders have not given subject leaders the appropriate support or time to develop their curriculum. As a result, teachers are unsure what to teach. Pupils do not remember what they have been taught.

Leaders should ensure subject leaders and teachers have the time and training to develop the curriculum so that pupils receive a quality education that is well planned and sequenced. ? The system to check that pupils have remembered the knowledge they need for their next stage of education is weak. Leaders have not identified the precise knowledge that they want pupils to remember.

As a result, teachers do not know what to check to ensure pupils' knowledge builds over time. Leaders should develop their assessment systems so that they can accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and support them to know more and remember more. ? Leaders do not have a clear oversight of attendance and behaviour issues in the school.

While they recognise and record safeguarding concerns, they do not analyse these well enough to identify any patterns, or to assure themselves that no further support is needed. There are no clear and consistent policies or systems in place for attendance and behaviour. Many pupils do not attend regularly or behave consistently well.

Leaders should ensure that they analyse the information that they have and use it to improve the systems and processes in place. ? Staff do not provide the right support for pupils with SEND to enable them to access the curriculum and know and remember more. Expectations for these pupils are low.

Leaders should ensure that they provide appropriate support for pupils with SEND to address their specific area of need, so that they can be successful across the curriculum. ? Pupils have limited access to a regular PSHE curriculum. This results in pupils not being fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

Some pupils do not know about fundamental British values and have limited understanding and respect for other cultures and faiths. Leaders should ensure that all pupils from early years to Year 6 have access to a regular PSHE curriculum to prepare them for life in modern Britain. ? Leaders and governors do not have an accurate view of the school.

Governors do not provide the right challenge to hold leaders to account. This means that the school is not improving. Leaders and governors must ensure that they receive the right training and support so that they have the knowledge and skills to identify the right priorities for the school and hold leaders to account for their actions.