Bishopswood Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bishopswood Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of the community at Bishopswood Junior School. They form positive and warm relationships. These are the hallmark of the school's life, contributing towards pupils being happy and safe.

Pupils behave well in lessons and listen carefully to their teachers. There are clear routines around behaviour, and teachers apply these consistently.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond well to staff's high expectations of their work and behaviour.

Pupils talk about how the values of the school help them. For... example, 'respect' reminds them that they should take time and effort over their work.

At break and lunchtimes, pupils play together with their friends from across the federation on the tyre track and trim trail.

Pupils enjoy the roles of responsibility they have in school. They are confident that adults listen to the opinions of pupil leaders to make the school even better. Reading ambassadors are proud of their role in selecting interesting books for the library.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. Teachers set learning challenges that capture the imaginations of pupils and help them to make links between the subjects they are learning. Strong relationships between adults and pupils mean that classrooms are happy and positive working environments.

As a result, low-level disruption is rare. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. Consequently, they are able to teach the curriculum with confidence.

They regularly check and revisit what pupils should know. This helps pupils to remember what they have learned. Teachers adapt their teaching so that all pupils, including those with SEND, can access the curriculum.

Staff are deployed effectively to support the needs of those with education, health and care plans. Teachers identify gaps and misconceptions swiftly and use their subject expertise to address these. In mathematics, teachers offer a rich and challenging curriculum.

However, the teaching of number facts and timetables is not as consistently strong as it could be. This means that not all pupils become fluent in recalling these key pieces of information as quickly as they could.

Pupils develop a love of reading because they learn that it is really important.

The school uses every opportunity to promote reading, including 'book cafes' and the celebration of reading in weekly assemblies. Adults read to pupils regularly, and books are carefully selected to build vocabulary and interest. Those who are still at the early stages of learning to read receive daily phonics lessons from well-trained teachers.

The books they read are matched to the sounds that they are learning. All pupils are encouraged to read at home and to staff in school. Pupils are also supported by well-trained volunteers, both in person and via online platforms.

This means that all pupils read aloud regularly, which boosts their confidence and fluency.

Pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities that stretch and develop pupils' talents and interests. For example, during their time at the school, all pupils receive specialist music tuition in three different instruments.

They also benefit from a range of clubs and activities, ranging from sports to crafts. The school has planned and implemented a clear social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) curriculum. Pupils are confident that Bishopswood Junior School is a tolerant and inclusive community.

However, leaders have not chosen the key content of some elements of the world's faiths that they want pupils to remember. As a result, some pupils do not understand enough about different religions.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They value the emphasis placed on their well-being and the support that they receive to develop professionally. Governors have an accurate understanding of the priorities of the school and challenge senior leaders well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

During the inspection, it was found that there were some minor inconsistencies in the recording of concerns by staff. These were rectified before the end of the inspection.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are minor inconsistencies in the implementation of the agreed pedagogical approaches in mathematics.

This means that not all pupils recall number facts as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff get the support they need to deliver the intended curriculum. ? The school has not chosen the most important content it wants pupils to recall in some areas of their work to enhance pupils SMSC development.

This means that pupils do not understand enough about the selected world faiths. The school should ensure that key content is identified and revisited so that pupils are more fully equipped for life in modern Britain.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 the school to be good in November 2014.

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