Bury CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher arrived in January 2017 at the end of an unsettled period for the school during which outcomes had dipped sharply. He has provided strong, inspiring leadership and has united the school community in a successful drive to improve teaching and ensure that pupils achieve well.

Staff have had extensive training to improve their practice. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved because teachers have a shared, accurate understanding of what constitutes effective teaching. The curriculum is a treasure-trove of exciting learning opportunities for pupils.

It is focused on providing pupils with the knowledge they need to b...ecome successful in a range of subjects. Pupils behave well, both in lessons and at free times. Older pupils look after younger ones, leading to a happy, harmonious school community.

Parents are full of praise for the school. They recognise the improvements since the headteacher took up post. All agreed that they would recommend the school to a friend.

Governors know the school well. They have effective systems in place to monitor all aspects of the school's performance and hold leaders to account. Children get off to a strong start in the early years.

Staff seize every opportunity to engage children in learning and provide them with the early skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities have their needs well met by well-trained staff. These pupils make good progress.

Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, improvements in progress have not had time to be reflected in standards at the end of key stage 2. Teachers expect pupils to work hard and do their best.

However, the presentation of written work in pupils' books is inconsistent. The school does not have an agreed approach to developing handwriting, so pupils are not clear about how to present their work consistently and neatly. At times, pupils are not moved on to more challenging work when it is clear that they have understood the current work.

Gaps still remain in pupils' learning as a result of historically weak teaching. These gaps are particularly noticeable in mathematics and spelling.

Information about this school

The school has undergone a period of turbulence since the last inspection, with a high turnover of staff.

The school was without a permanent headteacher for over two terms until the present headteacher started in January 2017. Bury CofE Primary School is much smaller than the average primary school. Some of its year groups of pupils are very small.

For example, Year 6 in 2017 consisted of three pupils. There were no pupils in the early years in the last academic year and only four in Year 1. There are three mixed-age classes.

One comprises key stage 1 and the early years. Another has pupils from Years 3 and 4, while the third has pupils from Years 5 and 6. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with that seen nationally.

The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average. The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. Bury CofE Primary School is a Church of England aided school. It had its most recent section 48 inspection in June 2018.