Bournehall Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The well-planned transition arrangements mean children start the Reception Year feeling ready for their school journey. Pupils benefit from having staff who have high expectations and want the best for them.

The care and attention pupils receive puts them in the right frame of mind to learn the school's interesting curriculum. They achieve well by the end of Year 6.

Pupils typically behave and socialise well.

Younger pupils are proud to show the stickers they earn for their efforts. Older pupils enjoy taking on roles. For example, the school ambassadors show visitors around the school, while the library monitors help to organise the books.

The physic...al education programme, including clubs, teaches pupils to value exercise and sport. Pupils learn how to take part in team sports, including basketball, football and netball. Pupils feel proud of their efforts, no matter who wins.

The school's 'news and views' programme encourages pupils to share their thoughts. Staff support older pupils in leading discussions, which include younger pupils. Pupils share ideas for improving the school, such as suggesting extra-curricular clubs.

When they see their ideas become reality, pupils feel valued. Knowing that staff listen to them makes pupils feel safe and comfortable sharing any worries.

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

During the pandemic, leadership challenges affected staff morale and slowed the school's development.

However, the local authority and governing body collaborated to improve the situation. New leaders motivated staff by involving them in changes, such as discussing the adoption of high-quality schemes of work or collaborating with experts to shape the early years curriculum. This helped staff to understand key concepts and skills for each subject or area of learning in the early years.

Staff also value support systems, such as privately engaged speech and language services that create vocabulary lists with simple definitions and pictures. These aid pupils' understanding of new concepts and words.

Staff training needs are primarily based on self-reports about what staff feel they require.

While this approach provides some helpful tailored support, it overlooks gaps in subject knowledge or teaching methods that staff are unaware of. Additionally, the school does not always check how well training is being applied in the classroom. As a result, there are times when the explanations and instructions pupils receive lack the clarity necessary for them to understand new concepts and skills.

For example, weaker readers may receive prompts that are unhelpful because they do not align with the requirements of the phonics programme.

The school makes commendable efforts to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have decided to allocate school finances to engage private support services as a short-term measure.

These services include effective counselling and guidance from educational psychologists. These external experts help staff to meet the needs of a growing proportion of pupils with SEND. The school also collaborates with special schools in the area to access expertise and assessments that help to identify pupils' needs as early as possible.

Staff typically set clear, specific targets for pupils with SEND and plan activities that help pupils work towards achieving these targets. However, in some cases, the link between the targets and the activities could be stronger, limiting opportunities for pupils to practise and progress as effectively as possible.

The school elected to adopt a therapeutic approach to managing pupils' behaviour and, overall, it is working effectively.

As pupils grow, they develop the self-control and social skills needed to manage their feelings and resolve minor disputes. The school provides effective pastoral support. Parents and carers appreciate how the school maintains open and honest relationships with them, addressing concerns directly.

This approach extends to attendance arrangements. The school's clear and proactive strategy has resulted in pupils' attendance being significantly higher than the national average.

The school offers a robust personal development programme.

This includes a wide range of extra-curricular clubs that allow pupils to explore their talents and interests. Residential trips enhance this programme by fostering a connection with the outdoors and promoting independence in preparation for secondary school. The carefully considered personal, social, health and economic curriculum ensures that pupils learn about healthy relationships, equipping them with essential life skills.

Leaders, including governors, bring expertise and experience to their statutory duties, ensuring the education benefits all pupils. Their strong financial oversight keeps the school well-staffed and resourced, contributing to success in statutory assessments. Ongoing works maintain the building and facilities, creating a welcoming learning environment.

Proactive governors enable leaders to engage more effectively with the school community. Parents appreciate this, often praising the school's warm and supportive atmosphere.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Support for the few pupils who need to improve their reading and phonics skills lacks rigour. Consequently, it takes longer for them to catch up. The school should ensure staff use consistent and effective strategies for helping pupils improve their phonics and monitor the impact of these strategies so that pupils who need to catch up, do so.

• Leaders are in the process of embedding their expectations of how the curriculum and support for pupils with SEND should be delivered. Because of this, there are occasions when pupils' learning experiences do not link with their targets or help them to make as much progress as they could. The school should strengthen its oversight of curriculum implementation and provide support to staff as needed, ensuring lessons are effective in every year group.

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