Blueberry Park

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Blueberry Park continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are warmly greeted by leaders, staff and Alfie, the school dog, as they arrive at school each morning. This helps all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to feel welcome and safe in this 'school of sanctuary'. Staff and pupils share a strong sense of belonging to the school community.

Pupils are happy in school and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Pupils know how leaders and staff expect them to behave. The youngest children stop playing and tidy up when it is time to do so.

They behave impeccably. Older pupils know what is expe...cted of them too. They follow the school rules.

This makes the school a calm and orderly place.

Pupils are taught to care for themselves and for others. They trust the adults in school to help them when they need it.

This includes dealing quickly and well with issues such as bullying. That said, pupils who spoke to the inspector were adamant that 'bullying is banned'.

Leaders have improved the curriculum.

They have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils now achieve well across a range of subjects.

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

The school's leadership team has been strengthened by recent appointments.

Leaders have quickened the pace of curriculum improvement as a result. Leaders, governors and staff share a clear vision for what they want pupils to achieve by the time they leave the school. They have created a well-designed curriculum in response.

Leaders' plans build pupils' vocabulary across all subjects and broaden pupils' experiences. Pupils, including those with SEND, know and remember much of the curriculum. However, too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough to benefit fully from this ambitious curriculum.

Curriculum plans in most subjects are well established. Leaders have provided staff with regular training. Staff have built strong subject knowledge as a result.

They use this knowledge well. Teachers plan lessons that carefully introduce, revisit and check pupils' learning. Pupils gain secure foundations on which to build in these subjects.

For example, in mathematics, the two-year-old children learn to count through joining in with number rhymes and songs. By the Reception Year, children know that two towers of equal height can be built from ten cubes 'because five and five is ten'. In other subjects, leaders have refined their curriculum plans, but the changes are more recent and are not fully embedded.

Pupils do not have the same secure knowledge on which to build as they move through year groups.

Children begin to learn to read as soon as they enter the Reception Year. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme.

Staff have been trained to deliver this programme well. Children now learn more new letters and sounds each day. This continues into key stage 1.

Pupils practise their reading using books that match the sounds they are learning. Those who need extra support read regularly to adults. This helps them to develop their fluency and confidence.

The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that more pupils need this extra support. Leaders ensure that all pupils who need help to catch up receive appropriate support.

Leaders provide expert guidance to help staff to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

Leaders work well with parents and carers and a range of professionals. This ensures that pupils' needs are identified and they receive the support that they need. Pupils with SEND access a curriculum that is carefully matched to their needs.

These pupils and other pupils behave well in class. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to get the most from their lessons.

Leaders have thought carefully about pupils' wider development in their plans for the curriculum.

Pupils learn about diversity among people and families. They are respectful of other faiths and cultures. For example, pupils can explain how school prayers have been adapted so that everyone can join in.

Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise to their role. They are well equipped to offer leaders informed support and challenge.

Governors and leaders carefully consider the staff's well-being and workload. Staff appreciate the support they receive to help them carry out their roles.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know the pupils, their families and the school's context well. They work closely with a range of partner agencies to support families and protect pupils. These partner agencies include national charities who come to school to speak to the staff and pupils.

Staff are well trained. They know how to spot signs of potential abuse and how to record their concerns.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and when they are out in the community.

Younger pupils know what makes a positive friendship. Older pupils deepen their understanding of healthy relationships. They know about appropriate touch and consent.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have only recently identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Pupils' knowledge has not built equally well in these subjects as a result. Leaders should ensure that new curriculum plans are implemented fully.

This will help pupils to build on what they know and can do in all subjects as they move through the school. ? Some pupils have very low attendance. Their learning is frequently disrupted as a result.

Leaders have made pupils' attendance a priority, but there is more work to do. Leaders should continue to work with parents and other agencies to ensure that all pupils attend regularly so that they achieve as well as they can.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.