Bond Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils.

They strive to create 'confident, lifelong learners' and have designed a curriculum that is well planned and sequenced. Reading and communication is purposefully planned to be at the heart of all learning. The school supports all pupils to communicate well.

This clear focus on language starts in the early years.

Typically, parents and carers are happy with the school's support. The school works purposefully to forge close working relationships with parents.

They use this partnership with families to encourage ambitious expectations for academic work and high attendance.

The school teaches pupils how to... behave well. As a result, pupils are respectful to both adults and their peers.

Routines are well established and support pupils to make the right choices. Pupils value their working relationships with staff and feel safe in school. If any problems occur, pupils feel confident that staff will work to alleviate any issues.

Pupils are proud of their community and the school creates valuable opportunities to celebrate different cultures and heritages. For example, in the popular school 'Carnival' festival, pupils and families come together to create outfits and showcase their artwork. In addition to this, pupils benefit from the extra-curricular clubs on offer.

These range from gardening clubs to sporting activities.

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

The school has developed a well-constructed curriculum that starts purposefully in the early years. Staff are happy and feel supported by leaders to deliver the planned curriculum.

They value the impactful training on the curriculum that leaders design.

The governing body knows the school's priorities well and support the school in its drive to make continual improvements to both the curriculum and published outcomes for pupils. Historically, published data has been affected by the legacy of COVID-19 and pupil movement.

The school ensures that any gaps in pupils' knowledge have been addressed, with a particular focus on closing gaps in reading. Raising outcomes, particularly in Year 6, is an ongoing priority of the governing body and leaders.

The school carefully considers the knowledge and skills that pupils will need to make progress through the curriculum.

For example, in art, children begin with developing a clear understanding of colour before they move on to blending colours. Staff judiciously choose resources to help support pupils in their writing. This is having a positive impact where pupils typically use ambitious vocabulary in their extended writing in English.

Staff plan for opportunities for pupils to routinely revisit key learning, particularly in mathematics. This allows pupils to recall and remember essential knowledge over time.

Staff systematically check pupils' understanding of key learning and concepts in lessons.

This purposeful approach supports all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers quickly see if pupils have any misconceptions or gaps in their understanding. If they do, then teachers purposefully show pupils what to do so that they understand.

However, while teachers have a clear picture of what pupils have learned over time, they do not typically use this information to adapt the planned curriculum. This means that pupils do not fully secure all key knowledge.

Pupils with SEND access the same well-planned curriculum as their peers.

Leaders and staff understand the individual needs of pupils with SEND and plan lessons and interventions with pupils' individual needs in mind. This helps pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum from their different starting points.

The school puts in place measures to track attendance and acts swiftly if pupils are not in school.

However, the school's attendance rates, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, are just below national averages.

The school prioritises the teaching of early reading. Pupils, regardless of their entry point into the school, have access to a well-planned phonics programme.

Staff are early reading experts and help all pupils to make rapid progress from their starting points. Pupils receive additional phonics and reading sessions in key stage two to address any historic gaps that they may have had with early reading. The books that pupils take home are closely matched to their phonics knowledge and pupils regularly practise reading out loud to an adult in school.

Pupils value reading and will happily discuss the range of books that they are reading for pleasure.

In the Nursery, leaders deliberately teach children clear routines when they enter the school. This means that children are quickly able to listen to instructions and can concentrate on key learning.

As pupils move up the school, they are eager to share their work and disruptions to learning are rare.

The school offers a number of extra-curricular clubs and educational trips to enhance the taught curriculum. Pupils are proud to be members of the student council and know that their voices count.

Class reading books are deliberately selected to promote values of tolerance and empathy.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Despite robust efforts from the school to encourage regular attendance, the school's attendance rates are just below national averages.

This means that some pupils miss out on essential learning over time or have gaps in their learning. Leaders should continue to work closely with families and other stakeholders to remove any barriers to regular attendance.

• In some subjects, teachers do not make effective use of information from their checks on pupils' learning.

While they have a clear picture of what pupils have learned and remembered from the curriculum over time, they do not use this information to adapt the planned curriculum for further learning. This means that pupils' learning of key knowledge is less well developed. The school should develop teachers' understanding of how to adapt and adjust the curriculum in light of information that they receive about pupils' knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.

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