Buckland Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Throughout the school, there is a feeling of inclusivity, warmth and determination to succeed.

Leaders, staff and pupils work well together to create this atmosphere. Pupils are proud of their 'BEST' values: 'believe, excel, strive, together'. These are the foundation stones which help pupils to become active members of this school community where they develop into well rounded and confident young citizens.

This is enhanced by the wide range of rich experiences that leaders ensure that all pupils have. Pupils take genuine ownership of the school community and are highly motivated to make it the best it can be. They listen to each other and reflect on different views w...ith thought and interest.

Pupils behave well and show support and care for each other. Bullying is rare. Staff build strong and purposeful relationships with pupils and their families.

Pupils recognise that staff want the absolute best for them. The mutual trust and respect this creates lead to pupils having very positive attitudes towards their learning.

Pupils are inspired by the high ambition their teachers have for them.

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have their needs met well.

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

Leaders are determined that every pupil will receive a high-quality education. They are ambitious in the way that they think about the subjects that pupils will learn.

In doing so, they have made sure that pupils are not only able to make strong progress through the curriculum but that they also are prepared for the next steps in their education. Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to know and when they need to learn it. Overall, they ensure that pupils build on their knowledge in a way that helps them remember it and use it to learn more.

However, in a few subjects, this work is less well developed, and it is therefore not as effective.

Staff have strong subject knowledge due to high-quality training and support from leaders. They know pupils well and adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

In doing so, staff give every pupil from the youngest children in Reception Year the support they need to achieve well. Within this earliest phase, staff show skill in how they teach routines that help children to learn well. Staff are creative in the way they introduce rich vocabulary into the learning environment.

As such, children understand and use the words that help them to be ready to learn in Year 1.

Pupils benefit from a well-sequenced phonics programme. If pupils fall behind, teachers are quick to identify this and put in place activities and support to quickly close any gaps.

This helps pupils to be confident in their reading. The impact of this is clear in key stage 2, where pupils are enthusiastic about the books they read. Through the school, pupils read high-quality texts, including books that help them to learn about difference and equality.

Pupils focus well on their learning. Throughout the school disruption is minimal and attitudes are positive. On the rare occasion that low-level disruption does occur, staff are quick and skilful in their response to it.

Pupils are proud to be 'playground buddies' and 'digital leaders', where they can help to make a difference. They relish the opportunities to support their classmates and further improve the school. Pupils in these positions work well with their peers to encourage respect, kindness and equality.

Leaders have planned a wide range of experiences that deliberately build character and confidence exceptionally well. In doing so, leaders help all pupils to learn skills which prepare them for the next stage in their education as well as their wider lives.

Leaders celebrate the school's cultural diversity.

As a result, pupils' understanding of equality and their respect for individual choice and identity is excellent. Leaders ensure that the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and relationships and sex education (RSE) programmes teach pupils not just to understand equality, but to show it in all they do. The school's approach to this is practice worth sharing.

Staff are inspired by leaders and buy into the vision for the school. They feel supported and valued in their work. Governors work strategically with school leaders to ensure that vulnerable families have the support they need but the persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils remains too high.

Governors challenge subject leaders to ensure that the best curriculum is in place for all pupils. However, governors lack rigour in ensuring that all of their statutory duties are consistently fulfilled.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders recruit staff in line with safeguarding guidance. They ensure staff are well trained and know how to identify concerns early. Staff use this knowledge well and follow school processes consistently and quickly.

This means safeguarding leaders can get the right help for pupils and their families as soon as they need it.

Leaders have a robust understanding of the risks to pupils' safety and well-being. They make sure that the PSHE and RSE curriculums are both effective in teaching pupils how to manage risks and keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not embedded all of their changes to the curriculum. This means that pupils are not consistently learning well across the entire curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge they need in all curriculum areas to ensure that pupils can build coherent knowledge effectively over time.

• Some governors do not fully understand their statutory duties. This means that they do not provide consistently focused challenge to school leaders. Governors need to ensure that they are all fully trained and precise in their monitoring of the school's work.

• Persistent absence of the most vulnerable pupils remains too high. These pupils are not fully benefitting from all that school has to offer. Leaders should now carefully consider what additional strategies and support, both within and external to the school, the most vulnerable families need to further improve attendance.

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