Bozeat Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils describe Bozeat Primary School as 'one big, happy community'. They are polite and courteous and conduct themselves very well around school.

At lunchtime, there are always many sporting activities for pupils to enjoy. Many pupils say this is the high point of the day.

Lessons are popular too.

Typically, one pupil said, 'I don't think that there is one boring lesson.' Most pupils get fully involved in their learning. They say they enjoy the challenges that their teachers provide for them.

Pupils feel safe at this school. They say that staff listen to them and that there is always someone who will take their worries seriously. Teachers select sto...ries thoughtfully when they teach pupils how to stay safe online.

Everyone is welcome at this highly inclusive school. The youngest children get off to the best possible start. Children in the Nursery and Reception Years learn routines swiftly and are eager to know more.

They take new situations, such as a visit to the local church, in their stride and concentrate exceptionally well.

The school council is proud of the tuck shop it has organised. Those who hold positions of responsibility, such as librarians, explain how they enjoy helping other pupils.

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

Everyone shares an ambition to get children reading as soon as they can. This begins with high-quality phonics lessons as soon as children start school. The youngest children listen with rapt attention to new sounds.

As pupils begin to read books, these are well matched to the sounds they know. Staff spot quickly when a pupil does not know a sound well enough. Pupils rapidly begin to decode texts and develop a love of reading.

Staff have identified precisely what children in the early years need to know to be ready for key stage 1. Pupils get plenty of chances to practise this when they play. For example, children in the Reception Year could name the colours of ice cubes they had seen the week before.

They could explain how the colours mixed as the ice cubes melted to make new, secondary colours. Carefully chosen questions prompted children to describe what they could see happening so that they could mix their own paint colours.

Many lessons help pupils build on what they already know.

The youngest children can explain how they recognise numbers quickly. Quizzes and questions help older pupils recall what they have recently learned. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not as well planned.

For example, pupils do not always get the chance to use what they learned before to help them make sense of new eras of history they are studying. This means that pupils sometimes do not learn to think as deeply as they might.

Expectations of what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will know and be able to do are high.

Teachers make sure that these pupils get the right help, so that they can access the same curriculum as their peers. However, what pupils with SEND need to know next is not always identified. This makes it harder for some of these pupils to make the rapid progress that the school intends.

Most parents speak highly of the school. They recognise the difference that recent changes have made. Comments such as, 'every staff member goes above and beyond' are typical.

Trustees and governors have established consistent leadership. They share a vision with staff to create a 'small school with big opportunities' for all. There are many clubs for pupils to join.

Visitors to school help pupils learn about how everyone is different. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the chance to sing in the choir and play handbells. They explain that there is always something to do.

The school wants all pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand that families come in different shapes and sizes. However, while the school wants pupils to learn about a range of faiths and cultures, pupils often do not remember what teachers want them to know.

Pupils find it hard to explain the distinctive nature of fundamental British values.

Pupils are now better prepared for the next stages of their education. The oldest pupils are looking forward to secondary school with confidence.

Staff feel very well supported by leaders. They say that leaders make sure that staff only do what is going to make things better for the pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, knowledge is not identified and sequenced as well as it could be. Pupils do not always recall important content and concepts as well as they should. The school should continue to refine the curriculum so that pupils get the chance to revisit and deepen their learning.

The school should make sure that there are appropriate checks that pupils are retaining and using this knowledge as they move through the curriculum. ? Some plans in place to support pupils with SEND lack precise targets. Gaps in what these pupils know are not always identified systematically or resolved promptly.

The school should clearly identify exactly what pupils with SEND do not know. It should make sure that it checks that these pupils secure this knowledge as swiftly as possible. The curriculum does not support pupils well enough to learn about British values, cultures and faiths.

Not all pupils can recall what they have been taught about the range of faiths and cultures in Britain. The school should refine the curriculum so that pupils deepen their knowledge about religious and non-religious traditions. They should check that pupils can explain the distinctive nature of fundamental British values and the contribution that they make to British society.