Bassingham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bassingham Primary School Lincoln Road, Bassingham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN5 9HQ

p.1

Outcome

Bassingham Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils are polite and courteous. They hold doors open for their peers and adults. If someone is hurt or upset, pupils do whatever they can to help. The school’s well-being champions are on hand should anyone feel upset or lonely. Any pupil who might need help to follow the school’s rules are supported well.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ expectations of pupils are made clear in the school’s golden rules. Pupils know how these help them to behave and to be good learners. Any move up the school’s ‘reward board’ is seen as important. Any move down is viewed and treated as being unacceptable.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The work of the school council is regarded highly. Pupils speak proudly of their decisions and work to renew playground markings and to conserve water and electricity.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes are sociable occasions. Pupils make good use of the resources that are available to them, including the castle, the keep fit equipment, the trim trail, the outdoor library and the Japanese garden. The school’s forest area, with its firepit and den building opportunities, is very popular.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the difference between incidents of poor behaviour and bullying. They say that bullying is rare. This matches leaders’ records.

p.1

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

Learning to read is a high priority at the school. The phonics programme is well structured. It makes clear which sounds pupils should learn throughout the Reception Year and key stage 1. Effective training has resulted in the phonics curriculum being implemented well. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Over time, pupils read a wide range of texts and genres. Teachers read to pupils regularly. This helps foster a love of reading. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.1

2

The school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. In most subjects, the curriculum sets out what pupils will learn in each topic, each term. It is arranged in a carefully planned and logical order. Content is periodically revisited to help pupils remember what they have learned. Teachers ensure that, in most subjects, learning is sequenced so that pupils acquire new knowledge, built upon what they have previously been taught. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear enough the precise content that pupils are expected to learn and remember.

p.2

2

Children in the early years are looked after well. They are happy. They engage with activities enthusiastically. The early years’ curriculum sets out, across each of the areas of learning, what children should know and be able to do. However, some of this is too broad. In some cases, it does not build systematically on what has gone before. As a result, provision in the early years is not as strong as it could be.

p.2

2

Pupils’ personal development is well catered for. Pupils are taught to be respectful. As one pupil said: ‘We accept everyone for who they are’. Regular ‘enrichment’ afternoons encourage pupils to try new things, such as archery, mini golf, sewing and ‘CrossFit’. Pupils benefit from an extended programme of residential visits.

p.2

2

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well catered for. Their needs are carefully evaluated. The support that they will be given is made clear in written plans. Plans are shared so that all relevant staff know how best to support these pupils.

p.2

2

Senior leaders are relatively new to post. They have a clear and ambitious vision for pupils at the school. They have quickly secured improvements in the quality of subject and phase leadership. A long period of unavoidable staff absences has meant that senior leaders have worked hard to minimise the impact of this on pupils. However, many parents remain unhappy about the instability in staffing.

p.2

2

Some parents are not wholly happy about the work of the school. Parental concerns about teaching, poor behaviour and the prevalence of bullying differ significantly from the findings of this inspection. Nonetheless, there is work to be done to ensure that the school and parents work in partnership to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils. Leaders and those responsible for governance recognise this. A strategy to improve communication and the school’s standing in the community is in the process of being implemented.

p.2

2

Trustees and the local governing body share leaders’ ambitious view for the future. They provide an effective level of challenge and support. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that safeguarding is the school’s highest priority. Staff are knowledgeable and have up-to-date safeguarding training. Systems for reporting concerns are effective. Records are detailed.

p.3

Safeguarding

Staff carry out the necessary checks on the suitability of staff to establish whether they are safe to work with children. Pupils feel safe. They know who to go to if they have a concern. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of risk, including how to stay safe online and in the community.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear enough the precise content that pupils should know and remember. This means that the curriculum cannot be taught, or learned, as systematically as it could be. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, makes clear the precise content that pupils need to know and remember.  Some parents have concerns about some aspects of the school’s provision. There are missed opportunities for the school and parents to work more closely to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils. Leaders should take steps to improve communication and its relationships with the parental community. Leaders should ensure that the school and parents work in partnership to support pupils.  Overall, the early years’ curriculum is well planned and sequenced. However, some content is too broad and does not build systematically on what children know and can

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

do. This means that teaching in the early years is not as systematic as it could be. Leaders should ensure that the early years’ curriculum consistently sets out what children are expected to learn, across each of the areas of learning, at each stage of their education.

p.3

Background

When we have judged 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. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.3

4

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Bassingham Primary School, to be good in December 2013.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

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 .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 July 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10226905 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4 to 11

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy on 1 March 2018. When the predecessor school, Bassingham Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school uses no alternative provision.

p.5

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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).  The inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. The inspector listened to pupils read. He also looked at curriculum documentation for geography, computing and music. 5 and 6 July 2022

p.5

6

 The inspector met with representatives of the board of trustees and the local governing body, including the chairs. He met with the chief executive officer of Aspire Schools Trust.  The inspector took account of the 74 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and 53 written comments from parents. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding and attendance.  The inspector briefly visited an assembly, the playground during breaktimes and spoke informally to parents outside the school.

p.6

Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 July 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7