Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bilsborrow John Cross Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a safe and happy place for pupils to learn. Pupils receive high levels of care, guidance and support.

Leaders and teachers ensure that pupils respect and care for one another. Staff forge positive relationships with pupils. Leaders deal quickly and effectively with any incidents of bullying or unkind behaviour.

Adults have high expectations for pupils' achievements. Teachers get to know pupils as soon as they join the school, enabling them to get off to a flying start. Staff engage pupils in their learning by preparing exciting activit...ies.

Pupils enjoy learning, and they are achieving well. Children in the early years are ready for the next steps in learning.

Staff expect pupils to behave well.

Children in Nursery and Reception listen carefully to their teachers. As they grow up through school, this positive behaviour continues. Pupils are respectful, thoughtful and kind.

They behave well in lessons. Teachers make sure that everybody keeps to the rules. Pupils enjoy being part of this calm and orderly school.

Pupils love the 'wellies in woods' activities. They learn the names of the trees and create beautiful artwork outside. Pupils gain a deep understanding of the local area.

They appreciate the wide range of enrichment opportunities they are given. This includes a mini zoo, an animal club and many other extra-curricular activities.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils.

This includes children in the early years. In the main, leaders have designed a curriculum that helps pupils to learn a great deal of knowledge about different subjects. Staff have thought carefully about the subject-specific vocabulary and language that pupils need to know for the next stage of their education.

However, in one or two subjects, the curriculum attempts to cover too much information. This means that some pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge that they should about important topics and concepts. Occasionally, pupils' knowledge in these subjects is shallow.

Nevertheless, pupils learn well overall, and children in the early years are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

Leaders have capitalised on the heritage of the local area in their curriculum offer. For example, teaching staff tell stories about local war heroes.

They use the woodland area to model knowledge in science. Teachers in the early years help children in the Nursery and Reception classes to learn about cold and hot seasons. Pupils in key stage 1 successfully build on this learning.

For instance, they observe the changes across the four seasons.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. Typically, they deliver new information well.

In most subjects, teachers skilfully use leaders' assessment systems to check when pupils have not understood new information. They repeat these aspects of learning in their teaching to help pupils remember important concepts. Teachers successfully address pupils' misconceptions in their everyday lessons.

The teaching of reading is a priority for leaders. They ensure that teaching staff are trained to deliver the curriculum for reading expertly. In Nursery, teachers introduce children to different sounds through songs and nursery rhymes.

Teachers use the same phonics approach across the school consistently well. Those pupils who fall behind with the phonics programme are helped to catch up. Leaders ensure that the books that pupils read match the sounds they are learning.

Leaders also foster a love of reading in older pupils. Pupils are well supported to read with fluency and with expression. Leaders provide a wide range of challenging and exciting books for pupils to read as they move through the school.

Most pupils become confident and capable readers by the end of Year 6.

Leaders work closely with parents to plan for pupils' additional needs. Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in a timely and efficient way.

Staff have suitable training, and they gain specialist knowledge to teach pupils with SEND. Teachers successfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum. This enables pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers.

Overall, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils learn, play and move around the school calmly. Teaching staff use praise frequently, and they give pupils reminders about behaviour, when required.

Teaching staff develop strong, nurturing relationships with pupils and children in the early years.

Pupils are given a suitably wide range of opportunities to access sporting events with local primary and secondary schools. Leaders and pupils work well together to support many varied charities.

The wider personal development programme successfully enables pupils to develop into responsible citizens.

Governors are knowledgeable and ambitious about the quality of education that pupils receive. They are keen to ensure that pupils are achieving well.

Leaders and governors are mindful of staff's workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have regular safeguarding training.

They know that safeguarding is everyone's concern. Leaders respond robustly when pupils who may be at risk of harm are referred by staff. When necessary, leaders refer pupils to external agencies in a timely manner.

Leaders keep accurate and detailed records about safeguarding incidents.

Leaders are attentive to pupils' worries and changes in their behaviour. For example, teachers are proactive in tackling online bullying.

They ensure that pupils learn about online safety and the potential dangers in the local area. Pupils know who to talk to if they need help.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum attempts to cover too much content.

On occasion, this means that pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge that they should about some important topics and concepts. Leaders should refine these curriculums so that pupils have enough opportunities to learn important information in sufficient depth.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018.