Burford Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

From the moment pupils enter the doors at this inclusive school, staff are warm and welcoming. Pupils' well-being is at the core of everything that happens at Burford. Staff develop positive relationships with pupils and their families.

Pupils feel safe and happy. They know that trusted adults will help them if they have any worries or concerns.

Staff have high expectations.

They want pupils at the school to live out the school motto, 'attend, aspire, achieve'. In the main, pupils across the school achieve well. However, children in the early years do not consistently benefit from a well-designed or taught curriculum.

Pupils behave well, and disrupti...on to lessons is rare. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities, such as being part of the safety or eco crew, which enable them to support younger pupils.

The school provides a broad set of experiences outside of the classroom.

This includes trips to broaden pupils' horizons and extra-curricular activities so that they can develop their interests. Pupils enjoy a range of clubs, such as axe throwing and bracelet making. They also have the opportunity to represent their school at different events, including as members of the pupil parliament.

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

The school has recently made changes to the curriculum. The important knowledge that pupils should learn has been set out clearly. Pupils now understand the differences between the subjects that they study.

In some subjects, pupils can connect their learning over time. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils are able to recognise how the skills that they have learned, connected to passing, can be applied to different ball games. In a minority of subjects, the school has not identified how teachers should help pupils to remember their learning.

This means that pupils do not routinely get the opportunity to recall previous learning and make links to their current learning.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They provide pupils with work which enables them to learn the curriculum.

In most subjects, teachers routinely check pupils' understanding and take action to address any gaps in their knowledge.

Reading is prioritised. Pupils read books that are matched to their understanding.

Older pupils talk positively about the books they read as part of whole-class reading. The school follows a phonics programme that helps pupils at the early stages of reading to identify and blend sounds. On occasion, staff do not check pupils' understanding.

Some pupils do not develop their knowledge as quickly as they could, including some of those who are at risk of falling behind their peers.

Staff promptly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school closely monitors these pupils' progress through the curriculum.

Staff support pupils with SEND well and ensure they are ready to learn.The implementation of the curriculum in the early years requires improvement. At times, the work provided to children does not help them to build their knowledge.

Consequently, children do not consistently benefit from high-quality teaching and are not prepared as well as they should be for the next stage of their education. However, children do benefit from positive relationships with staff. They make friends quickly and enjoy coming to school.

Pupils' behaviour is calm. They understand the importance of behaving well so that they and their peers can be successful. Staff feel supported in managing behaviour.

The school has invested in counselling services and other agencies to support pupils and their families.

Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. The school analyses the reasons for this.

Staff are tenacious in their actions to remove barriers to pupils' attendance. Their work is having a positive impact. The number of pupils who are persistently absent from school is decreasing.

The school promotes pupils' personal development well. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.

Pupils have an understanding of fundamental British values and protected characteristics. They recognise the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.

Governors and trustees know the school's strengths and areas that require further development.

They use this knowledge to hold the school to account. Staff value the training they receive from the trust to support them in their roles. Leaders are considerate of staff's workload and well-being.

Staff work hard to bring about positive change to the school. Many parents and carers appreciate the impact this has on their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The work provided for children in the early years is not always focused on the important knowledge that the curriculum outlines that children should learn. As a result, children do not build their knowledge as well as they should, and they are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they should be. The school should ensure that children consistently benefit from work designed to ensure that they develop their knowledge and understanding.

• When teaching phonics, there are occasions when staff do not check pupils' understanding. As a result, some pupils do not get the support they need and do not develop their phonics knowledge as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that staff develop the expertise they need to identify and address any misconceptions that pupils may have.

• In a minority of foundation subjects, consideration has not been given to how pupils revisit their learning over time. This means that pupils struggle to recall their prior learning and connect it to their recent studies. The school should ensure that pupils are given opportunities to recall and revisit their learning over time in each subject across the curriculum.