Bottesford Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bottesford Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Emma Barker. This school is part of Learn Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Stef Edwards, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jeremy Benson.

What is it like to attend this school?

Bottesford Church of England Primary School is a happy and caring place to learn. Pupils feel listened to.

Mutual respect permeates the school. Pupils really appreciate the support that is available all around them. This makes them feel safe.

...Pupils are advocates for the school's 'Respect' values. These include equality, trust and self-belief. Older pupils relish taking on important roles, such as well-being champions, lunchtime champions and being in the sports crew.

They say they want to 'step up and give back', to help younger pupils.

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and wider opportunities. They value the number of opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

Favourites include playing football, learning Irish dancing, learning to play instruments and attending many sports events. Pupils appreciate that everyone gets a chance to take part. Lunchtimes and playtimes are harmonious.

The school encourages everyone to get active.

The school sets high expectations. Pupils appreciate that staff are quick to help them with any worries.

They are proud to receive praise and awards. Pupils want to do their best for themselves and their school.

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

The school aims to give pupils the very best education in each subject.

Staff review and refine the curriculum regularly. The school's curriculum is organised so that pupils' learning builds on what they already know. The school has ensured that pupils can develop their vocabulary in each subject.

In some subjects, the curriculum is new. It is too soon to see the impact on pupils knowing and remembering more in these subjects.

There have been several changes to staffing responsibilities recently.

This has meant that, in some subjects, monitoring does not identify precise strengths and areas for improvement. Where this is the case, staff do not always get all the support and information they need to teach the curriculum consistently well.

Pupils love to read.

The school promotes a love of reading through the study of carefully chosen, high-quality texts. Pupils enjoy using the well-stocked library and the inviting reading areas around the school. In the early years, children start learning to read as soon as they start school.

Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme well. Teachers make timely checks on how well pupils develop their phonics knowledge. Pupils who need extra support get the help they need to become fluent readers.

As a result, pupils learn to read well.

The school has made sure that the mathematics curriculum builds pupils' knowledge securely over time. Pupils enjoy using their increasingly speedy recall of number facts to tackle tricky problems.

Teachers use regular checks to spot pupils' errors or misconceptions quickly. They identify any mathematical knowledge that pupils need to revisit. Most pupils achieve well in mathematics.

The school is welcoming and inclusive. It ensures that barriers to learning for pupils are precisely identified. Extra support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is tailored and kept under constant review.

This enables pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum and to achieve their best.

Children in the early years make a strong start to their schooling. They quickly settle in well and learn appropriate routines.

The learning environments, both indoors and outdoors, support children's learning well. Children play and learn happily together. They are prepared well for Year 1 and beyond.

Pupils' mental health and physical well-being are a priority. Pupils learn about different beliefs and family structures. They have time to reflect on their beliefs during collective worship.

They have a clear understanding of right and wrong. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of relationships education. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

The school has been successful in improving pupils' attendance, including disadvantaged pupils. The school makes sure that parents understand the importance of high attendance. It works with parents to provide support where required.

Staff, including those new to the school, enjoy working at the school. Leaders are mindful of staff's workload and well-being. Staff are positive about the increased opportunities that joining Learn Academies Trust is opening up to them.

The school is ambitious to continue to improve and do the best for every pupil.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum for some subjects has recently been refined.

It is too soon to see the full impact on pupils knowing and remembering more in these subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculums for these subjects are consistently and securely embedded. ? The approach to monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of how well some subjects are delivered is not precise due to staffing changes.

Some staff do not deliver these subjects consistently well, as they do not get the support they need. The school must ensure that it monitors and evaluates the delivery of all subjects and ensure that staff get the support they need to deliver all subjects consistently well.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2014.