Bessacarr Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff provide a warm, welcoming ethos for all pupils at Bessacarr Primary. Pupils demonstrate a living understanding of the school's core values of collaboration, effort, resilience, independence, respect and pride.

These are evident through all aspects of school life. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the academic offer and pastoral care that their children receive here. One parent summed up the thoughts of many parents, saying, 'This is a caring school community that has pastoral care and academic progress at the heart of its ethos.'



Pupils access a broad and balanced curriculum. Leaders have high expectations that all pupil...s will access the ambitious curriculum. The curriculum in most subjects is clearly planned out and builds on pupils' previous learning.

Learning in lessons is focused on what pupils should know and remember at each stage.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and respectful. Pupils know the behaviour expectations in their school.

They understand how these help them to stay safe and to learn to get along with each other. Pupils say that bullying hardly ever happens in their school. If it does, they are confident that teachers help to sort things out quickly.

Pupils work hard and show positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour in lessons and around school is calm and orderly.

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

The teaching of early reading is strong.

Leaders have put in place a comprehensive phonics and reading programme. Staff have had training to deliver phonics with skilful precision, and they follow the programme with care. Pupils quickly learn how to use the sounds that they know to read words and sentences with fluency.

Leaders have thought carefully about the range of books on offer to pupils. These books include a representation of a diverse range of characters and authors. Pupils enjoy reading.

Older pupils in school take on roles as reading ambassadors. Leaders train them in this role so that they can support younger pupils with their reading. Pupils recognise the importance of this role and thrive on the responsibility that it brings.

Younger pupils enjoy having older role models who inspire them to read.

Since the previous inspection, leaders have successfully developed the curriculum offer for all pupils. The mathematics curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Teachers set work to meet their learning needs accurately. Teachers support pupils to challenge themselves so that there is no limit to their learning. Across the wider curriculum, subject leaders ensure that this builds on what pupils know and remember from Year 1 to Year 6.

This sequencing is stronger in some curriculum subjects than in others. For example, in science, pupils in Year 5 can use what they have already learned about the solar system to explain the changes in seasons and time. In some curriculum subjects, learning is built on children's starting points in the early years.

For example, children in Reception learn how to programme robots. This prepares children for learning about computing in key stage 1. However, this is not the case across all curriculum subjects.

Some subject leaders are unclear about how learning in the early years provides the foundation for learning the different curriculum subjects in key stages 1 and 2.

Leaders carefully plan pupils' wider character development. Leaders think about what pupils need to learn to prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils learn about the importance of treating people who have protected characteristics fairly. They study a wide range of inspirational figures from different backgrounds. Pupils are able to discuss these differences in a mature way.

They talk about how everyone at their school is made to feel welcome and treated with respect. Leaders have ensured there are well-planned opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep healthy, both physically and mentally. Pupils understand about healthy and unhealthy relationships.

This begins with the youngest children, who learn about what makes a good friend.

Pupils are taught about the fundamental British values. They share information on how their roles, such as school councillors, allow them to be democratic and have a say in what happens in their school.

Pupils are provided with opportunities to learn about different faiths and cultures through the religious education curriculum. Relationships between staff and children in the early years are positive and nurturing. Children are well cared for.

They develop strong independent skills and learn to become resilient. Where learning is carefully planned and shared with staff, children thrive. Adults use the environment well to support this learning.

Interactions are purposeful and support children to develop their language and social skills. Where the curriculum needs further refinement, for example some activities in Nursery, adults are unclear about what children should be learning, and the environment does not fully support children in their learning.

School leaders, governors and trustees want every pupil to succeed.

However, they are mindful of staff's workload. Staff feel well supported. Well-being is considered by leaders at all levels.

Staff say that they enjoy working at the school, which has a real 'family feel'. They value the opportunities that they are given to develop in their roles.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They know that they can speak to a trusted adult if they need to share any worries or concerns. They are taught how to keep themselves safe online and in their local area.

They recognise some of the dangers that they may face when using technology.

Leaders comprehensively record concerns and any actions that have taken place. Staff receive regular training related to safeguarding.

They remain vigilant to the local context and to any changing safeguarding issues. Staff know how to report and record concerns that they may have about a child.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders have not considered the early years curriculum as a starting point for learning in their subject.

This prevents learning from building systematically over time in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that the knowledge that pupils need to acquire is progressively planned, from children's starting points in early years through to Year 6. ? The curriculum design across some areas of the early years needs further refinement.

Sometimes, the precise knowledge that adults want children to learn is not clearly identified. As a result, the learning environment and curriculum activities do not always meet children's learning step by step. Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum, across all areas, identifies the crucial knowledge that they want children to learn step by step, and then set up the learning environment to support children to meet these goals.

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