Buxton School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Buxton School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff and pupils all embody the school values of ambition, honesty, academia, kindness and family. Members of the school community described how Buxton School is like a family.

Pupils value how attending an all-through school helps them to feel settled.

Staff know pupils very well, and because of this, they make sure that pupils are inspired by their learning. Leaders have developed a curriculum based on their high aspirations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff understand pupils' needs fully, including those ...who attend the additional resource provision (ARP).

These pupils benefit from well-tailored additional support, including support for accessing the curriculum.

Leaders have ensured that there is a clear behaviour system in place, with well-understood rewards and consequences. All staff have high expectations about the behaviour of pupils.

Pupils display positive attitudes to learning in their lessons. Pupils are kept safe.

Leaders use trips and other enrichment activities to increase pupils' exposure to the wider world.

They want all pupils to have certain key experiences, such as taking part in in-person work experience. Leaders also use the pupil voice to help them to decide on the extra-curricular offer. This has led to the introduction of clubs for ballet and debating.

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

Leaders have made curriculum development a priority in recent years. They have ensured that there is an ambitious curriculum in place for all pupils at the school, including children in early years. The curriculum matches the aims of the national curriculum.

Leaders have identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn in each subject. Starting in early years, what is taught in each year group builds on what has been learned before. Teachers use well-chosen strategies to make sure that pupils embed this learning into their long-term memories.

They use questioning purposefully to check pupils' understanding.

The history curriculum is an example of how leaders have carefully planned an all-through curriculum. For instance, in Year 5, pupils learn about empire and migration.

When they enter Year 7, pupils draw on this prior learning when studying the transatlantic slave trade. Leaders' curriculum thinking identifies and responds to gaps in pupils' knowledge, with modifications made to the future curriculum to address any gaps identified. Subject leads in the primary and secondary phases work closely together to make sure that the curriculum is sequenced to support strong progression in knowledge.

In the previous academic year, pupils' outcomes in national assessments were not as strong as leaders would have liked. In response, leaders have continued to develop the curriculum. They are providing training for staff to improve their understanding and delivery of the curriculum.

This has strengthened how well pupils are learning. However, some curriculum areas are more developed than others. This includes both the planned curriculum and how it is taught to pupils.

While pupils learn and remember knowledge better in some areas than others, leaders are doing the right things to ensure that pupils achieve equally highly in all subjects.

Leaders have high ambitions for the reading curriculum. They want all pupils to quickly develop fluency and to then grow a love for reading.

Leaders have put in place a phonics scheme that offers strong support and inspiration for pupils. All staff receive thorough training in the programme, and leaders provide further training as needed. In lessons, the scheme is followed with fidelity.

Pupils' phonics knowledge increases securely and in logical steps. Assessments identify gaps in pupils' knowledge, which are quickly filled through well-targeted extra help. Pupils enjoy reading.

They can recall the favourite stories they have read and have had read to them. Close checks on pupils' reading continue in the secondary phase. This also enables leaders to provide extra support for any pupil who is struggling to keep up in their reading.

Rigorous procedures are in place to identify children with SEND from day one of them entering the school. Leaders make sure that appropriate plans are put in place for those children, monitoring how these plans work in practice. If plans are not supporting the needs of the child, leaders are quick to make adaptations.

Similar approaches are used in the rest of the school. 'Learner profiles' allow staff to quickly know what strategies might work with a particular pupil. In lessons, adaptations give pupils with SEND the confidence to take part in learning, allowing them to follow the curriculum.

The ARP provides specialist education for small groups of pupils. The provision enables pupils to take qualifications appropriate to their stages of learning, supporting them in moving on to their next stage of education.

Leaders make sure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently.

Lessons are rarely disrupted. Leaders have created a kind environment, and pupils support this view.

Leaders have thought carefully about the wider development of pupils.

They ensure that there are many leadership opportunities for pupils at the school. These include membership of the student council and opportunities for pupils to lead their peers as prefects. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the offer of educational visits at the school.

They like that opportunities are tailored around their requests, such as mindfulness clubs and visits to the Tate Gallery. Pupils are also particularly appreciative of the careers support they receive.

The governing body knows the school well.

It supports and challenges leaders effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have a good understanding of the local context of the school, and they ensure that training delivered to staff and pupils reflects this.

There is a rigorous approach to safeguarding. Staff are alert to concerns, and they respond promptly and appropriately when these arise. When needed, leaders work closely with different agencies to support pupils according to their specific needs or circumstances.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils have trusted adults in school that they feel confident to talk to if they have a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is newer than others.

In these subjects, where the curriculum is new, the way the curriculum is designed and taught is not consistently enabling pupils to develop and retain their understanding in detail and in the longer term. Leaders should continue with their work to develop a rich and well-sequenced curriculum for all subjects and to provide training to allow all staff to successfully deliver the curriculum.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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