Bincombe Valley Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher, other leaders and governors are ambitious for the school and set high expectations for the quality of teaching, behaviour and achievement.

Governors hold leaders to account for the progress pupils make, with increasing rigour. Since the previous inspection, improvements made to teaching, and to strategies used to check on what pupils know and can do, have improved and raised pupils' learning and progress. Teachers use this information effectively to target their teaching to address any gaps in pupils' understanding and to set appropriately challenging work for pupils.

As a result of good teaching, pupils achieve well and ...are well prepared for the next stage of their education. From their various starting points when they join the school in Nursery or the Reception Year, pupils make good progress across a wide range of subjects. Progress in writing is particularly strong.

Children in the early years settle into school well and make good progress, and by the end of the Reception Year the large majority have the skills required to ensure that they are well prepared to start Year 1. Pupils enjoy their learning. Their good behaviour, enthusiastic attitudes and respect for each other contribute well to the good progress being made.

Pupils feel safe because the school fosters a calm and caring environment in which they can thrive. The school provides extremely well for pupils' emotional development. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability achieve as well as other pupils because : adults support their needs effectively from an early stage.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : The quality of teaching in phonics (the sounds that letters represent) and handwriting across the school is too variable. Middle leaders do not consistently check that their advice on how to improve teaching has been acted on by teachers. While the school's self-evaluation is accurate, it does not analyse rigorously the impact of actions taken.

Identification of further development priorities lacks precision.

Information about this school

This school is larger than average. Pupils are organised in 14 classes, nine of which are single-age classes, with one mixed Year 3 and Year 4 class and one mixed Year 4 and Year 5 class.

There are two Nursery classes for three- and four-year-olds and a 'Bincombe Buds' class for two-year-olds. The headteacher took up his post in September 2014. The school is part of the Chesil Education Partnership, comprising 21 local schools.

The school hosts a Thrive Education Zone. This is specialist provision for pupils with additional needs from this school and other local schools. Most pupils are of White British heritage.

The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This is additional government funding for those pupils who are eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.

The school provides care for pupils through the breakfast and after-school clubs. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress at the end of Year 6. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.