Bishop John Robinson Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school where staff know and care for pupils. The values of compassion, trust and forgiveness are embedded in the life of the school.

Working relationships between adults and children are warm and nurturing. Pupils know they can talk to someone if they are worried about anything. They feel safe and happ...y in school.

As a result, pupils are rarely absent.

Pupils benefit from the many leadership opportunities. For example, some older pupils are junior travel ambassadors.

Pupils can also join the school council, or become house captains, eco-warriors or 'happiness heroes'. The school ensures that it teaches pupils about how to look after their well-being and regulate their emotions.

The school has high expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

However, these expectations are not realised securely. The support for pupils' reading is not as effective as it should be. Across the wider curriculum, the school has not identified what pupils need to know and remember in each subject and the order in which it should be taught.

Consequently, the curriculum does not support pupils to achieve as well as they should, including in the early years.

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

The school has created a broad curriculum, which largely matches the scope of what is expected nationally. Leaders think carefully about how to engage and interest pupils in their learning.

As a result, pupils are motivated to learn. In some subjects, the curriculum is well developed. For example, in computing, pupils study the three key strands of computer science, information technology and digital literacy.

They study coding using 'micro-bits' in the older years. However, in many subjects, the curriculum is still in development. The school's curricular thinking, including in the early years, does not identify the key knowledge and skills they want children to learn over time.

In the early years, this means that children are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they should be. In other years, pupils learn some interesting facts but do not routinely develop a deep body of knowledge in each subject.

Leaders identify pupils with SEND swiftly.

Staff provide appropriate and effective support. As a result, these pupils are well supported to access the curriculum. However, the curriculum is not routinely taught effectively.

In some classes, pupils receive activities that are not closely matched to the aims of the curriculum. The checking of pupils' knowledge and understanding is not routinely embedded. This means that sometimes, gaps in pupils' learning are missed.

Consequently, pupils move on to new learning before they have mastered what they need to, which limits their readiness to understand new content. In early years, adults' interactions with children do not routinely encourage high-quality discussions.

In the Nursery class, children enjoy rhymes, songs and stories.

This prepares children for learning to read from the very start of Reception, where they are taught to recognise sounds and their corresponding letters. Staff know the phonics programme and follow the sequence of learning set out in the scheme. However, teaching does not ensure that pupils build up their phonic sounds securely.

Pupils do not routinely read books containing the sounds that they are learning. As a result, pupils do not recall some sounds accurately, and this prevents them from decoding unfamiliar words and reading fluently. Pupils who find reading more difficult receive support and intervention, but this does not happen regularly enough.

Where pupils receive extra support, this does not focus precisely on the key sounds that pupils need to learn. In 2023, published outcomes in phonics for pupils in Year 1 were low. Older pupils enjoy reading independently and discuss their class reading books with enthusiasm.

The school's core value of forgiveness underpins its approach to behaviour. Older pupils demonstrate maturity and care for younger ones. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and to staff.

They behave well in class and around the school. Pupils' attendance is very high. They clearly enjoy coming to school.

Leaders operate robust systems to address pupil absence swiftly and effectively.

The school gives careful thought to pupils' wider development. Collective worship supports pupils to reflect on how to 'be the best they can be'.

Pupils can join the 'Leading Lights' programme and assist with acts of collective worship, prayer and reflection. Many pupils attend the popular school choir. Pupils also attend clubs in science, coding, art, Spanish and tennis.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. They appreciate the consideration given by leaders to their workload and well-being. Governors show commitment to improve the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teaching in phonics does not offer pupils regular practise in hearing and saying the phonic sounds they are learning. Pupils do not have routine opportunities to read books with the key sounds that they are learning in them.

As a result, pupils do not recall some sounds readily, and this prevents them from reading with fluency. The school must ensure that pupils practise phonic sounds regularly and read books that are matched to the sounds they are learning. ? The curriculum in several subjects does not identify the important knowledge that pupils should learn and remember.

As a result, pupils do not develop their understanding successfully in these subjects. The school must ensure that it sets out clearly what they expect pupils to learn. This should be sequenced carefully so that pupils develop and embed their understanding over time.

• The checking of pupils' understanding during lessons is not routinely in place. As a result, misconceptions in pupils' learning persist. This limits what some pupils learn and remember.

The school must ensure that the checking of pupils' learning is effective so that any errors can be rectified swiftly. ? The curriculum in early years is at an early stage of development. The school has not identified precisely what they want children to learn in each area of learning and how this builds progressively.

This means that children are not as well prepared as they should be for future learning in Year 1 and beyond. The school should ensure that the curriculum in early years is coherently planned, well sequenced and closely connected to the curriculum for older pupils.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2014.