Buckshaw Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Buckshaw Primary School is a happy school.

Pupils like their learning. Pupils say that the staff are caring, and the children are friendly. Many parents and carers appreciate leaders' actions to understand and meet their children's needs.

They said that they always receive a warm welcome.

Pupils behave well. They are polite, enthusiastic and welcoming.

They appreciate being able to talk to staff if anything worries them. They know that staff will do their best to help them. This helps pupils to feel safe.

Any incidents of bullying are dealt with well by leaders.

Pupils describe how the school has recently set up a school council. Th...ey enjoy being counsellors, sports leaders and mental health ambassadors.

They like helping their friends during social times. They value being able to make a difference to their school and local community, for example when collecting food for the local food bank.

The school's new leaders have set high expectations and aspirations of pupils.

The new leaders have quickly identified that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. There are gaps in pupils' knowledge across a range of subjects. Inconsistent assessment practices across the school mean that important information about what pupils know and understand is not used to develop future learning effectively.

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

The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Senior leaders have put in place systems which have improved learning behaviours. They have rightly prioritised the development of a new curriculum.

They have provided training to improve teachers' subject knowledge in reading and mathematics. However, in other subjects, improvements are at an early stage. Many subject leaders are new to their roles.

They have not been able to check how well the curriculum is helping pupils know and remember more.

Leaders have started to develop an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum. This is more developed in some subjects than in others.

For example, in subjects like mathematics and physical education, all staff understand the new curriculums. Leaders have identified the important small blocks of knowledge that pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn it. However, in other subjects, leaders are only just beginning to set out the precise detail of what they want pupils to learn.

This means that staff are not clear about the essential knowledge leaders want pupils to know. This stops pupils from building on their learning over time.

In many lessons, teachers present information clearly and confidently.

They select suitable activities and resources to help pupils understand their learning. Teachers usually revisit previous learning and pupils use what they know to learn more. However, in some subjects, teachers do not have a consistent approach to checking on pupils' learning.

In these subjects, teachers do not routinely check on what pupils know before they move on to new learning. This results in gaps in what pupils know and they can struggle to make connections between previous and new learning.

Leaders have made reading a priority.

Pupils enjoy reading and value their newly well-stocked book corners and library. Reading buddies talk proudly about the work they do in supporting less-confident younger readers.

More recently, leaders have changed the school's early reading programme to improve pupils' reading accuracy and fluency.

They have provided staff with training and clear guidance. This means that teachers know which sounds to teach and when to teach them. Pupils take home appropriate books and activities to practise the sounds they learn in class.

However, teachers do not carefully check how well pupils are keeping up with the phonics programme. This hinders them in their efforts to provide appropriate support for pupils when they fall behind in reading. This slows pupils' journey to becoming fluent, confident readers.

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Leaders make sure that they identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as early as possible. Staff work closely with outside agencies and specialist providers to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need.

Children settle quickly into the provision for two-year-olds and the nursery. Across the early years, children adopt the clear routines to help them work and play safely and purposefully. Children have many opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas and are helped by caring and supportive staff.

Leaders are in the process of developing the early years curriculum. However, they have not identified the precise knowledge that they wish children to learn by the end of the early years as they move into Year 1. This means that staff do not know exactly what is the most important knowledge to teach or when to teach it.

Pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. They behave well in lessons and during social times. As a result, the school is calm and orderly.

Learning is rarely disrupted.

Leaders promote pupils' personal, social and health education and personal development well. Pupils learn how to look after themselves.

This includes, for example, keeping fit and how to maintain healthy relationships. Pupils learn about the importance of respecting people from different faiths and cultures. This well-thought out area of school life helps pupils to be respectful, tolerant and resilient citizens.

Governors are committed to the school and its pupils. They understand the school's strengths and have acted quickly to bring about improvements. Staff feel supported and involved in the changes that leaders are putting in place.

They appreciate the professional support and training they receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school.

Leaders know their local community well. They understand the challenges that their pupils face. As a result, leaders make sure staff receive appropriate training to identify pupils who are at risk of harm.

When staff report concerns, leaders deal with them effectively. Leaders work well with external agencies. This means that families get the help they need at the right time.

Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum, assemblies and visitors coming into school to speak to them. This includes learning about online safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, including early reading, teachers do not routinely check what pupils already know and understand before moving on to new learning.

As a result, pupils' learning is not always secure. Leaders should ensure that there are thorough checks made on what pupils already know and understand before new learning is introduced. This is so that any gaps in their knowledge can be addressed and pupils can make better connections between new and previous learning.

• Leaders are still in the process of developing and implementing the curriculum. Different subjects are at different stages of development. In some subjects, leaders have not identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn or the order in which it should be taught.

As a result, it is difficult for teachers to know what to teach. This means that pupils are not learning in these subjects in sufficient depth. Leaders should ensure that, across the curriculum, teachers know what should be taught and when this should happen.

• Some subject leaders' work to check on the impact of the curriculums is at an early stage. This means that these subject leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of how well their new curriculums are helping pupils know and remember more. Leaders should ensure that in these subjects they gather the information they need to make sure that the curriculum is helping pupils to build up their knowledge securely over time.

• Leaders have not identified in sufficient detail the important knowledge that children in the early years need in preparation for learning in key stage 1. This means that teachers are not clear what earlier knowledge pupils have secured before they introduce new concepts. Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum identifies this important knowledge so that pupils can embed earlier learning and build securely on what they know.