Billingham South Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Billingham South Community Primary School is a highly inclusive school. It is characterised by warm relationships between staff and pupils.

All pupils benefit from the excellent quality of education and plentiful opportunities for their personal development.

The school's catchphrase is 'hearts in Billingham, eyes on the world.' This reflects the importance that staff place on preparing pupils for the next steps in their education.

The school has a much higher than average number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is an important and celebrated characteristic of the school. Pupils with SEND, and those pupils who are disad...vantaged, achieve exceptionally well.

Pupils are safe and very happy at school. Pupils are highly supportive of one another. This is especially evident when pupils work supportively together with their peers from the specialist SEND provision.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils. Pupils rise to meet these expectations.

Leaders carefully plan the way that school clubs, trips and visits enhance pupils' well-being and broaden their range of experiences.

The school cycling club uses adapted bikes for pupils with mobility difficulties. Pupils learn about community responsibility through litter picking and tree planting. Leaders are successful in their aim to 'give parents every opportunity to enjoy the achievements of their children.'



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

Pupils benefit from a high-quality curriculum that enables pupils to acquire deep knowledge and skills across a range of subjects. For example, in computing and in physical education, pupils have a very effective grasp of the technical vocabulary that supports them to learn the ambitious curriculum. The foundations of this curriculum are established extremely well in the early years.

Pupils with SEND are exceptionally well supported by the curriculum.

The school provides pupils with an ambitious and engaging mathematics curriculum. This begins in the early years, where staff expertly support children to understand number and measure.

Throughout the school, teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember. Misconceptions are quickly corrected. Pupils remember important mathematical knowledge and use this to choose the best methods to solve problems.

By the time pupils reach Year 6, they are well prepared for mathematics in secondary school.

The school teaches and promotes reading very effectively. Leaders have made phonics and early reading a high priority.

The reading programme is adapted particularly well for pupils with SEND. Some of these pupils find reading more difficult. Teachers have a very precise understanding of the additional support needed to help them.

The highly effective support for pupils with SEND extends into all areas of the curriculum. Teachers deftly use additional resources, including technology, to enable pupils with SEND to play and learn alongside their peers.

Pupils of all ages are very enthusiastic about the books they read.

In the early years, pupils engage enthusiastically with songs and rhymes. As they progress through the school, pupils read with perception, gleaning important information and insights from the texts that they read. In all year groups, pupils speak with confidence about different authors and genres.

Pupils passionately debate their favourite books. They write book reviews for a local literary competition.

The depth and scope of the curriculum for personal development is exceptional.

School leaders have ensured that personal development is at the heart of the formal curriculum and supported by a wide range of additional opportunities. For example, the history club adds depth to the history curriculum, which is further enriched by artefacts brought in from the British Museum. These planned connections give pupils a rich cultural experience that brings their learning to life.

Residential visits are ambitious. There is very high participation in the wealth of sporting opportunities on offer, along with success in tournaments and competitions.

The school develops the character and resilience of the pupils in extremely impressive ways.

Among numerous leadership opportunities, pupils are digital leaders. In this role, they deliver news bulletins that are streamed into classrooms on a YouTube channel. Pupils' knowledge of the digital environment and e-safety is exceptional.

The excellent conduct and behaviour in school are founded in the school values and embedded through developing a sense of responsibility in pupils.

Community engagement is a further strength of the school. The annual 'Glaston-Billy' music and arts festival engages parents and the local community.

Parents are exceptionally supportive and proud of the school. One parent summed up the views of many others by saying that, 'The staff go above and beyond in all that they do for the children.'

Staff at the school feel extremely well supported.

They have high-quality training that enables them to teach the curriculum exceptionally well. Staff know that their workload is well managed and that their well-being is a priority. Governors have strong links with the local community.

They know the school very well. Governors reflect the high ambition and exceptional inclusion that makes the school so effective.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.