Bishops Itchington Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bishops Itchington Primary School Ladbroke Road, Bishops Itchington, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 2RN

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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Outcome

Bishops Itchington Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Bishops Itchington Primary School. They are happy in school and say that they always feel safe. Leaders want the best for all pupils. Parents and carers agree that the school does a good job. One commented, ‘A great deal of care and thought goes into everything they do for our children, and we couldn’t ask for anything more.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well mannered. For example, they greet visitors with a polite ‘good morning’ as they pass them in the corridor. In lessons and at break- and lunchtimes, pupils listen to instructions, work and play cooperatively and look out for one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what bullying is. Bullying rarely happens, but if it does, pupils know that they can talk to staff, anti-bullying ambassadors or peer mediators. They know that any of these people will help to sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils are welcome to join in the range of clubs on offer, and many do. From colouring to choir, netball to construction, there is something for everyone. Pupils also enjoy trips linked to their learning. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 recently visited Holdenby House to experience life as an evacuee before beginning to study the Second World War in history.

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

School leaders, staff, governors and the trust work together to make Bishops Itchington Primary School a welcoming, friendly place where everybody gets along.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported in their learning. This means that all pupils are fully included in everything that the school has to offer. 28 and 29 September 2022

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Leaders have prioritised reading. They ensure that all staff are trained to teach phonics in a systematic way. As soon as children start in Nursery, they learn to listen to the sounds around them. For example, they delight in listening to musical instruments and matching the instrument to the sound they can hear. They are ready to start learning to read as soon as they enter Reception. Pupils in all year groups enjoy the opportunities to practise reading. They enjoy reading with ‘Olive the sausage dog’ and in the outdoor reading shed. Older and younger pupils enjoy practising their skills together as reading buddies. Those who fall behind receive the right support to catch up.

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In some subjects, leaders have designed the curriculum well. For example, in mathematics, they have identified precisely what pupils should learn, and when. In these subjects, teachers ensure that pupils learn what they need to in the right order to build on their learning over time. For example, pupils in Year 6 explained how previous work on translating shapes on coordinate grids now helps them to reflect shapes. However, this is not the case in all subjects. In some subjects, leaders have not identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. As a result, teachers are not always able to ensure that pupils’ learning builds from one year to the next in these subjects.

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Leaders have implemented classroom strategies to help pupils remember more over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils frequently use ‘rewind’ activities to remember important number facts. Teachers use these activities to identify any gaps and to support pupils who may be falling behind in their learning. However, in some subjects, ‘rewind’ activities are not as focused. Teachers do not always know what important learning to check. They do not always use these activities to make sure that pupils can remember the right things.

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Pupils throughout the school, including children in early years, behave well. In lessons, they listen and join in. For example, in Reception, children enjoy listening to instructions and singing along to songs with actions. Pupils appreciate having ‘calm’ areas that they can use if they need a moment to themselves.

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There is a range of opportunities to promote pupils’ personal development. For example, all pupils in Year 5 were included in a residential trip. Leaders also make use of opportunities in the local area, such as visiting Ryton Pools and working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. However, some pupils do not remember some of what they are taught to prepare them fully for life in modern Britain.

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All staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They feel listened to and say that leaders always take their workload into account. Staff appreciate everything that leaders, governors and the trust do to support them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise safeguarding. They ensure that staff follow the correct procedures if they have concerns about a pupil. Staff receive regular training and know how to spot 28 and 29 September 2022

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potential concerns. Leaders ensure that they work closely with those providing external support. They are not afraid to challenge decisions in order to keep pupils safe.

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Leaders make sure that all staff have been subject to the required employment checks. In this, leaders are supported well by the multi-academy trust.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. Leaders have ensured that this includes local risks, such as water safety around local quarries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified the key content that pupils need to learn and the order in which this should be taught. As a result, some learning is not consistently sequenced in each year group in a way that helps pupils to build on what they already know and prepares them for what they will learn next. Leaders should ensure that, in these subjects, they identify precisely what pupils should know and remember in each year group so that pupils can build on what they learn.  In some subjects, checks to help pupils remember what they have learned over time are not focused enough on the right things. Teachers do not always use the information from these checks to ensure that pupils remember what they have learned or to address misconceptions. As a result, pupils do not always remember what they have learned over time. Leaders should ensure that these checks focus precisely on what pupils need to remember and that teachers use the information to help pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

remember more.  In some aspects of pupils’ personal development, pupils do not remember what leaders intended them to learn. Although pupils display values such as tolerance of others who are different from them, they are not as prepared as they could be for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that they continue to develop their personal development curriculum and opportunities so that pupils remember the necessary skills and knowledge to be fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 28 and 29 September 2022

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Bishops Itchington Primary School, to be good in December 2014.

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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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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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds in Ladybirds Nursery.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  Bishops Itchington Primary School is part of the Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where these were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to pupils read.  The inspector also spoke to subject leaders about some other subjects.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 The inspector held meetings with the chair and representatives of the local governing body and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspector spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to pupils and staff.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments. The inspector also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector talked to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 September 2022

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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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