Bayton CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's vision is based on the 'Parable of the Sower'; nurturing, growing and thriving. Pupils love telling visitors why they enjoy school so much. They are especially proud of the pupil parliament, recently electing a prime minister, chancellor, cabinet and members of parliament.

They are very enthusiastic about the 'talk partners', where older pupils support younger ones in mixed-age classes. Leaders set high expectations for pupils. All pupils do well in reading.

Many achieve high standards.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They particularly value the 'talk hub.'

Here they can speak to an adult in confidence about anything worrying t...hem or their friends. Standards of behaviour are consistently very high, in line with 'The Bayton Way'. Pupils show respect and understanding for each other, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils experience settings very different to their own, including a residential trip to London and a visit to the Weston-super-Mare beach. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to support the local community. They engage in 'Food Bank Friday' and sing at the local supermarket at Christmas to raise funds.

Pupils take on responsibilities, such as becoming 'eco-leaders' and house captains, elected by their peers.

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

Leaders have redesigned the curriculum to make it sufficiently ambitious for all pupils. In each subject they have drawn up planning to ensure it is well sequenced.

This helps pupils recall previous learning and build on what they already know.

The change to a different phonics programme has led to significant improvements in reading standards. All adults teach the programme consistently well.

Children in Reception get off to a rapid start learning phonics from day one. All pupils, including those who find reading difficult, or those who need to catch up, gain the confidence and skills to become fluent readers, as shown in the recent phonics screening check and Year 6 assessments.

In mathematics, teachers deliver the well-designed and sequenced curriculum effectively.

Children in Reception can already count to 10 and know the difference between 'more than' and 'fewer than'. However, when pupils require additional support to catch up in smaller groups, this is not always of the same high quality and consistency. Consequently, not all pupils do as well in mathematics as in reading.

Planning for each subject in the wider curriculum sets out the key knowledge the school wants pupils to learn. The learning environments help all pupils to learn the key vocabulary. The school's assessment approach, introduced by the school in a number of subjects, helps teachers successfully identify what pupils have previously learned and where there are gaps or misconceptions to be addressed.

For example, pupils learning about maps in geography could draw on their previous knowledge of the location of the United Kingdom in Europe in the northern hemisphere. Older pupils can recall learning geography in Reception by walking around the local village.All curriculum planning takes account of adaptions to support pupils with SEND.

For example, teachers regularly provide opening sentences for pupils to complete or additional challenges. These meet their needs successfully by enabling them to access their learning.

The school has successfully increased attendance over a three-year period and reduced levels of persistent absence.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary. The school has not had to issue any 'red cards' so far this term.

Pupils are highly confident in making decisions about their learning and contributing ideas to improve the school.

They are always keen to help others, such as through an appeal for Ukraine. They recently supported World Mental Health Day. The very wide range of sporting clubs includes a football club, delivered by Kidderminster Harriers, 'jumping jacks' training and gymnastics.

There are academic clubs in craft and mathematics. Pupils have 'book buddies'. Other activities include street dance, circus skills and 'Bikeability'.

There are curriculum visits, for example a geography field trip to the Severn River at Bewdley and a science trip to Birmingham botanical gardens. Reception children enjoy caring for their tortoises.

Leaders have been highly successful in striking the balance between making significant improvements while maintaining a reasonable staff workload balance.

Everyone who responded to the staff survey was appreciative of this. All said they enjoy working in the school. Parents and carers say that the school is much better now.

All who responded to the survey said they would recommend the school to another parent.

The governors have acted strategically in enabling changes that were needed. They challenged previous underperformance.

The recent recruitments have added significant additional knowledge and expertise. Leaders at all levels have ensured that there is a good quality of education for all.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that the quality of the additional support some pupils receive in mathematics is as effective as the teaching in the classroom. As a result, not all pupils do as well in mathematics as they do in reading. The school should ensure that pupils who need extra help in mathematics receive the same high-quality additional provision as they receive in reading.

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