Bolton Parish Church CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bolton Parish Church CofE Primary School Chadwick Street, Bolton BL2 1JN

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Outcome

Bolton Parish Church CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who spoke with the inspector said that they look forward to coming to school. They said that they have fun and make good friends. Pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for. Pupils live up to the three school rules about being ready, respectful and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations for all pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils rise to these expectations. They want to achieve well and most are successful. They enjoy rewards for their hard work, such as being named a ‘reading star’. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They behave well around school and in class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that staff will deal with bullying seriously. Pupils can speak to any adult in school if they are worried or upset. The pupils from the ‘ethos team’, the e-safety ambassadors and school councillors are also there to help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of after-school clubs, such as creative writing with a famous author, dodgeball and computing. They take part in residential trips, such as ‘A night at the museum’. Pupils understand when it is important to act selflessly. They regularly take part in fundraising activities for charities to support those less fortunate than themselves. The beloved school dog, Barkley, helps them to learn compassion for animals.

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

Leaders have put together a well-organised and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have mainly considered how pupils learn best and what essential knowledge they need to know and understand across the curriculum. However, in the early years, leaders have not fully ensured that the knowledge that children gain in some areas of learning relates to the curriculum in Year 1. This means that children’s learning in understanding the world, for example, is not linked closely enough to learning about history or geography in key stage 1. Therefore, children in the early years do not have a firm enough foundation on which to build by the end of the Reception Year. 7 and 8 December 2021

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Teachers clearly explain what pupils are learning. Teachers use ‘flashback’ questions at the start of lessons to help pupils recall previous learning. They revisit key ideas and knowledge at regular times throughout different topics. For example, in Year 3, pupils learn about volcanoes through studying the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in Italy, and later in Year 4, they study volcanoes in more depth through their research into Iceland’s volcanic eruption near Fagradalsfjall. Teachers check pupils’ understanding effectively during lessons. Teaching assistants break down the learning carefully to help pupils with SEND acquire the knowledge that they need. As a result, the majority of pupils learn effectively and remember what teachers have taught them.

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Leaders get children excited about books and stories from the moment they start school. Children in the Reception Year begin to learn phonics soon after they start. By the time pupils reach the end of key stage 1, the vast majority are confident and fluent readers. The few who need extra support receive intensive, daily help. This enables them to catch up successfully. Pupils develop their love of reading throughout key stage 2. Leaders encourage them in this by providing a wide variety of reading books in the school’s well- stocked library. Pupils relish opportunities to work with published authors. By the end of Year 6, pupils are fluent readers and writers.

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Pupils behave well almost all the time. During lessons they are attentive, cooperative and hard-working. Disruptive behaviour is rare, either in or out of class. This means that staff are able to teach the curriculum with very few interruptions.

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Leaders make sure that all pupils have a wide range of opportunities to explore their interests and broaden their horizons. Pupils are encouraged to develop their teamwork and social skills through sports clubs and outdoor education. Assemblies and personal, social and health education help pupils to understand moral values. After-school clubs are well attended. All pupils from Year 3 onward have opportunities to go on residential trips.

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Leaders make sure that they identify and assess the needs of pupils with SEND as early as possible. Leaders are knowledgeable and experienced. They enlist local professional services, such as speech and language therapists, when necessary. Pupils with SEND are well supported. For example, leaders provide pupils with any equipment that they need to access their work.

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Leaders, including governors, have made sure that staff’s workload is manageable. Staff have confidence in school leaders. Staff receive strong support for their well-being.

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Governors keep a good oversight of the school. They provide effective challenge to school leaders and hold them to account well. They have made effective staffing decisions to ensure the smooth running of the school. 7 and 8 December 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school takes safeguarding very seriously. All adults, including governors, receive high- quality training. Staff are vigilant about signs of abuse and report concerns in a timely manner. Leaders are fully aware of the specific risks that pupils face, both in and out of school. They make sure that they contact the right agencies to support families and keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide information for pupils to enable them to avoid harm when using the internet. Pupils have a developed understanding of how to use the internet and smart technologies safely. Parents and carers receive helpful guidance to keep their children safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The English and mathematics subject plans set out clearly what pupils should know and understand from early years to Year 6. However, the curriculum plans in some other subjects do not make it clear what children in the early years should learn. This means that children are not as well prepared to be successful when they start in Year 1 as they could be in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum planning for all subjects includes learning in the early years, so that children develop their knowledge and skills effectively to prepare them for key stage 1 and beyond.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2016. 7 and 8 December 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Bracegirdle

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 September 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up post in 2017.  The governing body manages the small breakfast club.  The school moved to its current location in September 2019.  The last section 48 inspection took place in June 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, members of the governing body and representatives of the local authority and the diocese. The inspector also met with subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader, teachers and support staff.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. This involved examining curriculum plans, speaking with leaders, visiting 7 and 8 December 2021

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lessons, speaking with pupils about their work and examining their workbooks. The inspector also observed pupils reading to an adult and spoke with teachers about the learning in the lessons visited.  The inspector evaluated the safeguarding arrangements in the school by examining the school’s child protection records, talking with safeguarding leaders and speaking with pupils, staff and parents. The inspector checked the school’s recruitment practices and safeguarding records.  The inspector observed pupils during an assembly and at breaktimes.  The inspector considered staff’s and parents’ views about behaviour and safeguarding as part of the review of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Zarina Connolly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 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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