Bentley High Street Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extremely strong education here. The school's focus on providing 'every child, every chance, every day' is central to the decisions of leaders and to the collective actions of staff.

Consequently, pupils are supported to achieve well, regardless of any barriers.

Pupils are polite, respectful and friendly. They are inclusive of their peers and welcoming towards visitors.

During conversations, they are engaging and conduct themselves maturely. Acts of unkindness, such as bullying are rare. Pupils trust adults in the school to help them to resolve any such incidents.

In lessons, pupils are committed to their learning. At social ti...mes, they play well with each other.

Leaders have considered carefully the experiences that they want pupils to have during their time at the school.

The 'Bentley High Street experiences' programme ensures that all pupils benefit from these. Some are linked to the curriculum, such as taking part in a debate or participating in the annual social justice project. The school prepares pupils well for these opportunities.

Others, such as travelling by train, take account of the school's location. Many, including visits to museums and places of worship, are planned to build pupils' cultural capital.

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

The school has developed a highly ambitious curriculum, across all subjects and year groups.

It has precisely identified what pupils need to learn well and in what order. In multiple subjects, this goes beyond the expectations of the national curriculum. What pupils learn builds carefully on what they know already.

The activities that pupils complete in lessons focus consistently on the most important knowledge in each subject. As a result, lessons contribute strongly to pupils' understanding.

In each subject, teachers skilfully use assessment to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

When gaps are identified, the school ensures that pupils receive the extra support they need to keep up. This helps to contribute to pupils' strong knowledge of the curriculum. Pupils achieve very well in national assessments.

The school provides effective, personalised training for staff who teach its phonics programme. This helps adults to teach phonics with consistency. If pupils struggle to keep up, skilled staff support them to catch up quickly.

Over time, pupils learn to read fluently and with expression. Pupils' strong reading ability is reflected in their impressive outcomes in national assessments.

Children in the early years benefit from an extremely strong start to their time at school.

The school has constructed a comprehensive curriculum. It quickly identifies any gaps in children's knowledge. Skilled staff adapt their teaching to make sure that children routinely receive the support that they need.

Opportunities to develop children's vocabulary and reading are particularly well used. The school's high-quality provision means that children are very well prepared for key stage 1.The school quickly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

It works alongside external professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to secure the additional help that these pupils need. The school's refined use of assessment ensures that any gaps in pupils' knowledge are addressed swiftly. Consequently, these pupils make strong progress from their starting points.

Pupils' personal development is a high priority in the school. Pupils hold a range of meaningful leadership roles. The student council support their peers to identify additional clubs that they would like.

Other pupils lead on environmental or charitable work in different areas. The school's high-quality careers curriculum is aspirational. It draws on local labour market information to provide pupils with knowledge of future opportunities that may interest them.

Pupils have a secure understanding of the school's personal, social and health education curriculum. For example, they can talk about the benefits of eating healthily. Other pupils explain the importance of celebrating the diverse backgrounds of pupils who attend the school.

Pupils attend school regularly. The school analyses the reasons for pupils' absence carefully. It uses this information to provide support for pupils and their families.

By working effectively alongside families, the school ensures that attendance, including for disadvantaged pupils, continues to increase.

Those with responsibility for governance, and the trust, know the school extremely well. They provide effective scrutiny of the school's work.

Leaders at all levels consistently focus on ensuring that pupils achieve the best education possible.

Staff at the school feel extremely well supported. They know that leaders consider the impact of their decisions on pupils and on the workload of staff.

Leaders across the school are established and knowledgeable in their roles. In addition to supporting improvements in this school, they also contribute to developments across the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.