The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The Bishop William Ward School is a friendly, welcoming community. Pupils learn to respect difference in its many forms.

Bullying is rare. Pupils trust staff to help them with any problems. Pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for.

Pupils enjoy learning across the full range of subjects. In lessons, pupils almost always listen attentively to teachers and other pupils. They take part enthusiastically when learning with others, but work equally well on their own.

Pupils behave well outside lessons. Lunchtimes are sociable occasions. Pupils... play together, attend one of the many activities on offer or talk with their friends.

Pupils respond positively to adults' high expectations of behaviour. Pupils who struggle to make the right choices get the help that they need to improve their behaviour.

Pupils value the variety of trips, clubs and activities offered.

These enhance pupils' classroom learning and enable them to follow their interests. Pupils voice their views through the school council. The girls' toilets were improved because the school council asked.

Pupils also helped to design the school's spiritual garden.

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

Leaders have high expectations of what they want pupils to achieve. Leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge, skills and understanding that they want pupils to develop in each subject.

Teachers have the training and skills to teach across the curriculum. They use assessment well to plan sequences of lessons that build on what pupils know and can do. Teachers organise ideas in a logical order that helps pupils to learn well across the curriculum.

This includes Reception, where adults help children develop the skills and attributes that support future learning. There are plentiful opportunities for children to develop their early reading, writing and mathematical skills.

Pupils enjoy learning in topics that grab their interest and capitalise on their positive attitudes.

Leaders have identified those areas where pupils' learning could be even better. They have adapted the curriculum to focus on these areas, particularly but not exclusively in English and mathematics.

Leaders make sure that everyone recognises the importance of reading.

They ensure that adults have the skills to teach pupils to read with fluency and understanding. Adults regularly listen to pupils read and check on pupils' progress. They help pupils who fall behind to catch up.

Leaders have bought high-quality, interesting books for the school and class libraries. Pupils like the books that teachers read to them. These capture pupils' interest and help to spark a love of reading for very many pupils.

Occasionally, reading activities are too hard for pupils. Some teachers do not check closely enough that pupils are choosing books at the right level. When these things happen, they slow pupils' development of reading skills.

Leaders have organised the mathematics curriculum so that pupils practise and go over important knowledge. This helps pupils to remember and use what they have learned. Pupils showed me how this helped them develop a good understanding of fractions.

They confidently use graph-drawing skills in their geography work. Teachers often use questions to check and probe pupils' understanding. Sometimes they do not, and so miss opportunities to extend pupils' learning.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) makes sure that teachers know the barriers to pupils' learning. She ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need. She works hard to get pupils external support, even when this is hard to find.

Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. Most make strong gains in their learning.

Pupils behave well.

Learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils know the importance of attending regularly. Few are frequently absent from school.

Leaders have helped improve the attendance of individual pupils. They know that more work is needed to improve the attendance of some pupils with SEND.

Leaders and governors have established an ethos where achievement and personal development are valued equally.

Parents and carers appreciate the high levels of care shown for their children. Leaders make sure that all pupils can join in with the many clubs and musical and cultural activities if they want to do so.

Leaders and governors want the best for pupils.

They know what is working well and what needs to improve. Leaders work effectively with other schools and a local authority adviser. They check that leaders are focusing on the right things and that changes are making a positive difference.

Staff appreciate the consideration leaders give to staff workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school's ethos plays a large part in keeping pupils safe.

Pupils know that staff care about them. Staff are vigilant. They are confident to spot and report the signs that a pupil is at risk of harm.

Leaders act on concerns promptly to keep pupils safe. Governors ensure that all safeguarding policies and procedures reflect the most recent guidance. Checks on adults who work in the school are thorough.

Pupils learn about keeping safe in a range of situations. They told me that they learn about fire safety and how to stay safe when working online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have identified areas of the curriculum where pupils' learning could be better.

They have chosen the approaches they want teachers to use to help improve pupils' learning in these areas. There are a few inconsistencies in how well teachers deliver these approaches, which can slow pupils' learning. Leaders should use their checks on learning to ensure that all teachers are equally effective in delivering the curriculum through leaders' chosen approaches.

. Leaders have rigorous systems in place for monitoring pupils' attendance. They provide help and have successfully improved the attendance of some pupils with previously low attendance.

However, a small number of pupils with SEND are absent too frequently, which affects their learning. Leaders should continue to refine and revise their strategies to improve the attendance of all pupils with SEND.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2010.

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