Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Jonathon Bull.

This school is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Rickeard, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Taylor.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's core values, which include friendship and respect, are ever present in this school.

Pupils are kind and caring towards each other. The relationships they have between their peers and with staff make this school an inc...lusive and welcoming place to learn. Pupils feel safe.

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to these expectations and do well. They are eager to learn.

Pupils set a good example to each other with their positive attitudes to learning. They are enthusiastic about many aspects of school life.

Pupils benefit from a broad, well-planned curriculum.

They enjoy a range of after-school and lunchtime clubs such as sport, cookery and a 'SEWcial' club. New initiatives for older pupils, like podcasting, help pupils develop interview skills.

Parents and carers are appreciative of the care and support provided for pupils.

One parent captured the views of many in commenting, 'my children move from strength to strength at Bishopton Redmarshall.'

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

The school has had a number of recent changes to leadership and staffing. The school has used this change as an opportunity to review the curriculum to ensure it is fit for purpose.

This curriculum in the early years is well connected to the curriculum in key stage 1. This ensures children are ready for their next steps in learning.

Important knowledge and skills are carefully mapped out through all year groups.

This ensures progression for pupils. The small steps of learning build carefully in subjects like mathematics and history. In early years, children learn about recent changes in history.

They understand the importance of people like Neil Armstrong. In lessons, staff emphasise the planned connections across the different historical topics taught. However, sometimes pupils do not make these connections independently or routinely remember and connect previous learning as well as leaders intend them to.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum offer. The school ensures that pupils can read well so that they can access the rest of the subject curriculum. Pupils of all ages enjoy a carefully curated selection of books.

Children in early years readily engage in their daily story time. Older pupils enthusiastically reflect on books past and present that they enjoy. Pupils at the earliest stages of reading benefit from clearly structured phonics lessons.

Adults use the same language, methods and resources to create a consistent approach in teaching phonics. Staff are adept in the use of questioning to make sure that pupils are on track with their reading.

The school supports pupils with SEND well.

Carefully considered adaptations, linked to purposeful targets, ensure that pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. The school liaises effectively with other professionals to provide specialist support where necessary.

Lessons are calm and orderly.

Pupils understand and articulate the high expectations the school has for them. Routines are well embedded across school. These start in early years.

Break and lunchtimes are happy sociable times. The family feel of the school is evident as pupils across year groups play together well.

The school provides a wide range of additional activities to further enhance the curriculum.

These are carefully linked to the local area as well as the curriculum. Pupils learn about retired racehorses and enjoy visits to local castles. Visitors to school, such as a local illustrator, bring books to life.

Pupils develop their speaking and listening through interviewing visitors to school. Pupils are proud to take an active part in school leadership. The curriculum linked to personal, social and health education equips pupils with the important knowledge that they need to be ready for life in modern Britain.

Pupils have a deep understanding of equality and protected characteristics. They can talk in detail about groups protected by law and the difference that this makes.

The well-being of leaders and staff is a high priority for those responsible for governance, including the trust.

Staff and leaders appreciate this. Staff are proud to work here just as the children are proud to attend this school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school has clear systems for keep pupils safe. Procedures and protocols to raise concerns about pupils and adults are clear. Training for staff is timely.

Adults are aware of issues in the locality that might impact the pupils who attend here. Those responsible for governance fulfil their safeguarding duties. Checks made to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils are robust.

Adults know where to take concerns to promptly. These are clearly recorded. Sometimes the actions that are taken to keep pupils safe are not recorded as effectively as they could be.

It is not always clear what actions were taken and in what order. The school recognises the need to strengthen this further.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some records linked to safeguarding are not held centrally and/or recorded as efficiently as they could be.

As such, the actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe are not consistently recorded in a clear chronological format. The school must ensure actions to keep pupils safe are recorded effectively. ? In a small number of subjects, the impact of the school's curriculum is inconsistent.

Pupils are not consistently building and connecting their knowledge and skills as effectively as they could. The school needs to ensure that the ambitious curriculum is implemented as leaders intend and plan for, so that pupils know and remember more of what they have been taught.

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 on 12 and 13 February 2019.