Bowesfield Primary School

Inspection of Bowesfield Primary School Northcote Street, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3JB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school. Pupils show tolerance and respect for other cultures and beliefs. They feel safe in school and know how to stay safe online. Pupils understand how to keep their minds and bodies healthy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Some behaviour out of lessons is not as good as it could be. Leaders are taking steps to make this better. Pupils understand what will happen if they misbehave. Bullying is rare. Pupils know whom to tell if they are worried. They are confident that adults will stop any bullying, should it happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents feel welcome in this school. They told inspectors that staff are friendly and approachable. Leaders and teachers help parents to support their children’s learning at home. One parent told inspectors that her daughter ‘was anxious when she joined the school, but now wants to be a teacher’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years get off to a good start. Adults help them to build the knowledge they need for later learning. This is not the same for some pupils. In key stages 1 and 2, support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not match their learning needs consistently. Some adults do not deliver the phonics programme well. Leaders have not developed the wider curriculum subjects as well as they have the core subjects, such as mathematics. Teachers do not address gaps in pupils’ knowledge in these subjects quickly enough.

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better?

Leaders have introduced a well-sequenced approach to the teaching of mathematics. This begins as soon as children start school. Teachers support children to develop a strong understanding of number. Across the school, teachers help pupils to explain their mathematical thinking. Teachers spot gaps in pupils’ understanding quickly and help them to improve. Pupils make good progress in mathematics.

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better?

Children in Nursery and Reception learn well. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Leaders have chosen activities that enrich the children’s knowledge and experiences. For example, a visit from the ‘Farm Bus’ this term is planned, to be followed by a family visit to a farm in the spring term. Leaders make sure that all adults support children’s learning well. Leaders provide effective support to all parents, particularly those who speak English as an additional language.

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better?

The wider curriculum, in subjects such as history and computing, lacks development. Leaders have not identified the knowledge that pupils will learn and remember over time. Leaders have not agreed the strategies for assessing pupils’ understanding. Pupils do not gain the knowledge they need for future learning in these subjects. Leaders have begun to make changes. They have not acted quickly enough. 5 and 6 October 2021

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Leaders prioritise the teaching of early reading. Teachers read to pupils daily. Pupils enjoy the stories that are shared and talk about them with enthusiasm. Leaders have introduced a structured approach to teaching phonics. This starts as soon as children begin their Reception Year. Teachers are clear about which sounds pupils need to learn each term. Pupils read books that closely match the sounds they are learning. The reading leader assesses pupils regularly to make sure they are learning well. Adults provide support to pupils who may be falling behind. Leaders have provided training for all staff. However, they have not checked that this has been successful. There are some inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics. Some pupils do not learn well.

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Provision for pupils with SEND is not consistent. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a good understanding of pupils’ needs. She supports families effectively. However, some teachers do not make sure that they carefully match provision within lessons to pupils’ learning needs.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Leaders work in partnership with agencies such as the police and charities to help develop pupils’ understanding of citizenship. Leaders make sure that pupils can take part in a wide range of clubs and educational visits. Pupils enjoy earning reward badges and prizes linked to the ‘Bowesfield Values’. Pupils know how to behave well. Behaviour in lessons is good. Leaders are taking positive action to address some poor behaviour in the playground.

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Teachers speak positively about the support they receive from the acting headteacher. The acting headteacher has taken positive steps to reduce teachers’ workload and is considerate of their personal and professional well-being. Governors are new to their roles. They are developing an understanding of how to support leaders effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A culture of safeguarding permeates the school. Leaders provide all staff with regular training. Staff are swift to act on any concerns they may have. Leaders are vigilant and make sure that the most vulnerable pupils quickly receive the support they need. Leaders took innovative steps to ensure that all pupils were safe during the period of remote learning. This included using online communication platforms to speak to pupils who were accessing learning from countries outside Great Britain.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors ensure that all adults who work in school are safe to do so. 5 and 6 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum plans for the foundation subjects do not support teachers to build pupils’ knowledge sequentially. Pupils do not build secure knowledge concepts within subjects. Leaders need to identify the key knowledge and skills that pupils must learn so that they achieve well in all areas of the curriculum.  Teachers do not use a systematic approach to assessment in the foundation subjects. They do not accurately assess pupils’ understanding and recall of key subject knowledge. As a result, foundations for new learning are not secure. Leaders should ensure that there is a clear plan to assess pupils’ learning. This will enable teachers to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge, which will have a positive impact on future learning.  Leaders have not systematically monitored the delivery of the curriculum in reading. Inconsistencies in the support for pupils, including those with SEND, has

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

gone unchecked. Senior leaders, including those responsible for governance, should ensure that subject leaders use robust monitoring systems to identify focused professional development for all staff.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 5 and 6 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher at the time of the previous inspection retired in April 2021.  The majority of the members of the governing body are new in post since the last inspection.  Two new teachers joined the school in the last academic year.  The school has one early career teacher.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the leader for early years, the SENCo, representatives from the governing body and the local authority. 5 and 6 October 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, religious education, physical education and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Members of the inspection team met with the leader for early years, looked at curriculum plans, reviewed the early years welfare requirements and observed children within the setting.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school, including at lunchtime. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school.  To judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record, checked the procedures for the safer recruitment of staff and held a meeting with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors met with staff to

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check their understanding of safeguarding and of the impact of any training received. Additionally, inspectors met with members of the governing body to discuss their statutory responsibilities.  Inspectors talked to parents at the start and end of the school day and considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, including 18 free-text responses. Staff were provided with an opportunity to meet with inspectors individually during the inspection to discuss their views on school leadership, school development, workload, well-being and professional development.

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Inspection team

Alex Thorp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew James Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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