Bosbury CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils, staff and parents agree that Bosbury is a special place in which individuals are highly valued. Pupils are very happy at school and very proud to call it theirs.

They thrive in the nurturing and caring environment that staff have created. Pupils' well-being is at the heart of everything, helped along admirably by Otto and Teddy, the school dogs.

This is a small school that thinks big, offering pupils a vast range of exciting opportunities.

These include an impressive range of musical experiences in which pupils excel. Pupils also benefit from a multitude of sporting clubs.

Governors and staff are committed to providing the best for pupils... and want them to succeed.

Pupils typically achieve well and take pride in their successes. They produce work of high quality and listen carefully to the help and advice teachers and other adults give them.

Pupils behave well because staff set high expectations.

Pupils know that any issues will be sorted out quickly through restorative conversations and they appreciate this. Pupils are kind and considerate and get along very well. The atmosphere throughout this school is harmonious.

Pupils here are starting their educational journey in a very positive setting.

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

The school has designed and put in place a curriculum that is broad, ambitious and innovative. Teachers pose pupils 'big questions' that help put learning into meaningful contexts.

The school is precise about the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to learn and remember for each subject. For example, pupils talk about their science and geography lessons enthusiastically. They are able to tell inspectors about tectonic plates, ecosystems and even the role osmosis plays in plant respiration.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain things well. They strive to provide effective support to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including those in the early years. This ensures that they access and learn the full curriculum alongside their peers.

The school has worked hard to improve mathematics and knows that more work is needed. The mathematics curriculum is well structured. Pupils are becoming more secure with their times tables and other number facts.

However, some struggle to recall these quickly enough when solving problems. In some mathematics lessons, teachers do not pick up on misconceptions quickly enough. They sometimes move on to new learning before pupils are secure in what came before.

This means that a small number of pupils struggle because they have gaps in their knowledge.

Children get off to a flying start in Reception Year. They settle quickly into routines and behave positively.

They present as happy, secure learners very early in their school career. The approach to teaching phonics is effective. Staff are well trained to deliver phonics lessons.

They are skilled at checking the sounds pupils know and, if needed, they run extra sessions to prevent pupils falling behind. As a result of this, pupils quickly learn to decode words and soon become fluent, confident readers. They enjoy the books they read and the ones that teachers share with them.

They read widely and become discerning readers, often sharing recommendations with friends.

The curriculum extends well beyond the academic. The range and quality of wider opportunities that pupils get is exceptional.

Pupils are active partners in their school and take on leadership roles with relish. Whether they are raising money for charity, acting as peer mediators, or becoming ethos councillors, pupils make a genuine contribution. The school provides regular visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum and nurture pupils' talents.

They develop an excellent understanding of equality and diversity through the school's personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. This helps pupils develop respect for others and contributes to their positive behaviour and attitudes. Pupils are very well prepared for life as active citizens in modern Britain.

The take-up of extra-curricular clubs is extensive, including for pupils with SEND and for those who are disadvantaged. Over the course of a year, practically all pupils attend at least one club and many attend several. Staff go above and beyond to offer these clubs and pupils and their parents thoroughly appreciate this.

The school is active and outward-looking in seeking partnerships with the local authority and other agencies. This helps to develop and improve provision. Leaders at all levels are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

The training and coaching that the school offers is extensive and successful. This school is a highly caring community for staff and pupils alike.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In mathematics, teachers sometimes do not address misconceptions quickly enough and do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to rehearse key number facts. This means that pupils sometimes do not have the prerequisite knowledge they need to solve problems quickly and accurately. The school should ensure that teachers quickly recognise whether pupils have misconceptions or knowledge gaps by giving them regular opportunities to practise and recall key mathematical knowledge.

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