Bobbing Village School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this warm and happy village school. They are welcoming, polite and respectful. They are encouraged to look out for and care for one another.

There is a strong sense of community across the school and areas like the 'zen den' support pupils' well-being.

Currently, the behaviour of pupils is not always good. Recently, a new behaviour policy is starting to ensure that staff and pupils know and understand the school's rules and expectations.

The impact of this new approach is yet to be seen. Some pupils continue to disrupt learning and the day-to-day life of the school and staff are not always consistent in addressing this. Action has been ...taken to ensure that pupils' positive behaviour is praised through the giving of reward points in line with the school's values.

Pupils value this.

Pupils are benefiting from the actions leaders have taken to improve the quality of education. The new 'discovery' curriculum is already helping pupils to learn and make important links in their knowledge across most subjects.

Many pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. They learn about life beyond their immediate environment. They enjoy finding out about other cultures and faiths.

Pupils believe in themselves and have aspirations to be successful. They take pride in their roles of responsibility such as reading and 'restorative justice' ambassadors.

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

The school has established an ambitious and interesting curriculum.

It has worked hard to improve the quality of education with the support of the trust. The school has ensured that the new curriculum is well organised and outlines what pupils need to know at each stage of their learning. This curriculum is currently being embedded and is mostly being taught effectively.

In mathematics, for example, pupils build their mathematical understanding effectively. Children in Reception recognise and use numbers confidently when counting. Older pupils use their understanding of terms to solve more complex multiplication problems.

In some subject areas of the curriculum, however, teachers do not routinely check well enough what pupils know before moving on to new learning. Assessment is not yet fully effective across all subjects and classes. Teachers sometimes move on too quickly before pupils have secured the necessary knowledge and understanding.

There are plans in place to address this as the curriculum continues to be refined.

Staff provide pupils with thoughtful support. Important information is shared about the identified needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Ongoing professional development ensures that staff have up-to-date expertise to meet differing needs through their teaching and specific support.The school promotes a love of reading.

Pupils enjoy listening to, and reading, a range of texts. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. They confidently learn and remember new sounds and words.

If pupils find learning to read more difficult, they receive the support they need to help them to catch up quickly.

In the early years, adults develop children's learning with skill. Children have frequent opportunities to use their developing literacy and numeracy skills.

They engage readily with books, rhymes and songs. They learn to take turns, ask questions and listen to each other's ideas. Numerous opportunities encourage children to be creative and use their imagination.

Children have strong relationships with adults and play happily with their peers.

Pupils enjoy learning, but this is disrupted at times. Some staff do not always demonstrate consistently high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour.

They do not ensure that pupils follow appropriate routines consistently enough. Some pupils present challenging behaviours that are not addressed effectively and disrupt the learning of others. Leaders have begun to work on a consistent approach to managing behaviour, but the impact of this is yet to be seen.

The school is working closely with parents and pupils to highlight the importance of attending school and to identify any barriers to good attendance. As a result, the attendance of the majority of pupils is high. There are, however, a small number of pupils who are persistently absent.

The school are continuing to support these individuals to help them attend more regularly.

The recently implemented programme for pupils' personal development is helping pupils to develop their knowledge of the wider world. Pupils understand why tolerance and respect matter.

They keenly describe what actions they can take to stay safe, fit and healthy. Staff take time to help pupils explore concepts such as democracy and healthy relationships with maturity.

Leaders and governors are committed to their roles and to working together to make the necessary improvements to the school.

However, they do not always have sufficient oversight of different aspects of the school's provision. Consequently, they are not always clear about what is working well and where further changes need to be swiftly implemented.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently use appropriate checks to see if pupils are secure in their knowledge before moving on to new learning. As a result, some lesson activities are not always adapted carefully enough to help pupils achieve as highly as they can. The school should continue to ensure that pupils' understanding is checked so that any gaps can be quickly identified and addressed.

• The behaviour of pupils is not always managed consistently. As a result, the behaviour of some pupils disrupts the learning of others. The school should continue with the work it has begun to ensure that there are clear behaviour policies and procedures in place that all staff follow consistently.

• Leaders, including those responsible for governance, do not always have a clear and sharp oversight of the school. They do not use information well enough to inform planned improvements. The school must make sure that all leaders and those responsible for governance have the expertise they need to make the necessary improvements to the school.