Bidford-on-Avon CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a nurturing environment where adults listen to pupils. This helps pupils feel safe.

Pupils attend well as they enjoy what the school has to offer for their learning, behaviour and wider opportunities. Pupils follow a curriculum that helps them to develop their knowledge and skills year-on-year. This enables pupils to achieve well.

Pupils enjoy their learning and talk enthusiastically about it. They have opportunities to develop their talents and interests beyond the curriculum. This includes music lessons and a wide range of clubs.

Older pupils talk excitedly about their residential visit. Pupils thoroughly enjoy bell boating as part of th...eir physical education curriculum.

Pupils show respect for one another and the adults around them.

They behave well during all parts of the school day. Older pupils serve as positive role models for younger ones, demonstrating kindness and helpfulness through their leadership roles. There are lots of games and activities for the pupils to enjoy at breaktimes.'

Blue bander' pupils help others to play together respectfully and engage in activities. Pupils benefit from the caring adults around them, and they trust them to offer help if they are worried.

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

The school's curriculum sets out what pupils need to learn in all subjects.

It makes sure that pupils build upon earlier work in later years. The curriculum approach makes links between subjects. This helps pupils to apply their learning in different contexts.

For example, pupils use their knowledge of democracy when studying Greek history. In most subjects, pupils can recall their learning well. They remember their 'sticky knowledge' to develop new knowledge.

However, in a few subjects, pupils are less secure in their understanding. This is because the important curriculum knowledge is not clearly identified. This leads to some gaps in pupils' learning.

Pupils have access to a wide range of authors and text types. They are encouraged to take books home to share. Children learn to read as soon as they start the Reception Year.

Staff work skilfully to develop children's vocabulary and language, for example learning rhymes and sharing books from the 'poetry basket'. Parents and carers are invited into school to see how phonics is taught. This helps them to support their child at home.

All these strategies culminate in most pupils learning to read well. There is extra support in place for pupils who struggle when learning to read. However, sometimes, limited opportunities to practise reading aloud hinders the development of their fluency skills.

The school has systems in place to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early. Supportive relationships between pupils and staff help pupils to have the confidence to engage in well-matched activities. As a result, most pupils with SEND achieve well.

The school has a range of checks in place to find out how well pupils are learning the curriculum. However, there are occasions when this information is not used well enough to adjust the curriculum when it is not working as effectively. As a result, some pupils' learning is not accelerated as quickly as it could be.

Pupils attend well. The school has clear systems in place to track patterns of non-attendance. The school knows which pupils are not attending as well as they should be.

When this is the case, it takes the right actions and involves the right people to improve attendance.

Pupils' personal development is at the heart of the school. This helps pupils appreciate that the opinions and beliefs of others might differ from their own.

Pupils build a stronger understanding of their local and wider community through different trips. These include visits to museums and wildlife parks. Pupils also take part in enterprise activities, for example raising money by running dressed up as Santa.

Pupils are proud to make a positive difference to their school environment and local community. There are many opportunities for pupils to undertake leadership responsibilities, for example 'eco-monitors' or 'Green Ninjas'. Pupils learn about changes to their bodies as they grow up and how to lead healthy lifestyles.

Staff are proud to be part of the school. Leaders consider the well-being of staff in everything that they do, and staff appreciate this. Governors work in partnership to further develop the areas identified by the school.

They are aware of their responsibilities and undertake regular training and updates.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the essential curriculum knowledge is not clearly identified to enable pupils to achieve long-term aims as well as they should.

This means that, sometimes, pupils do not securely build their learning on what they have learned previously. The school should ensure that, in all subjects, the key knowledge is clearly set out to support pupils in achieving the long-term curriculum aims. ? The school's oversight of curriculum implementation is not as robust as it should be.

Sometimes, it does not check with sufficient rigour how well teaching leads to pupils securely grasping new knowledge. This means pupils may have gaps in their knowledge that are missed. The school should check more thoroughly the effectiveness of how well the curriculum is implemented and identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge.

• The additional support for pupils who are struggling with their reading does not always include enough planned opportunities for them to rehearse reading aloud. This slows the progress pupils make to read with good fluency. The school should ensure that pupils have ample opportunities to practise reading aloud to develop their confidence and fluency.

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