Bures Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Bures Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Nayland Road, Bures, Suffolk CO8 5BX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 16 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 2 and 3 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy learning and their friends’ company. They play together happily at playtimes. Older pupils support younger ones. Bures is a happy, supportive place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They are confident that adults care and put them first. They talk to staff when they are anxious or worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations. Pupils behave and learn well. They are interested in their learning, listen to their teachers and respond to adults when they are reminded of the rules. Pupils do not feel judged when things go wrong. Teachers help them to put things right. Bullying is rare, but when it does happen adults help to sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that everyone is equal. They learn about a wide range of people, including different family arrangements and religions. They show respect for others’ views and values. They discuss world events and show a mature understanding of complex situations, such as the recent events around the World Cup.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take advantage of the wide range of clubs and activities that the school provides. They love taking on responsibilities such as supporting their friends as peer mediators or acting as school councillors.

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better?

Leaders want pupils to achieve well. They have developed well-thought-through curriculum plans from early years to Year 6 in most subjects. These plans lay out what pupils should learn and when. They provide detailed information about what subject knowledge teachers must teach and the order in which to teach it. This helps pupils build effectively on what they already know. In a few subjects, this is not the case. Leaders’ curriculum thinking in these subjects is less clear. They do not provide enough information about what subject knowledge and vocabulary teachers need to teach and assess. Nor do they identify clearly the order in which teachers should teach this content. In these subjects, pupils’ learning is more patchy.

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better?

Where leaders’ curriculum thinking is systematic and clear, teachers teach subjects effectively. Teachers help pupils by providing familiar routines and appropriate resources. They ensure that pupils remember their learning by checking regularly what pupils know and can do. This helps teachers adapt future learning when pupils are less secure in their understanding.

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better?

Leaders provide many opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge and skills of the subjects they teach. Teachers value this investment in them. Teachers teach confidently. Teachers know their pupils well and are proud of what they achieve. 2 and 3 February 2023

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The early reading curriculum is planned rigorously. Teachers know precisely what to teach and review each day. They ensure that pupils practise their reading regularly. Staff provide support and resources to help pupils get back on track if they fall behind. The books that pupils read independently match the sounds they know. This helps pupils to become confident and keen readers. Older pupils like reading. They talk about their favourite books and authors. They enjoy the books that teachers read to them. Pupils are inspired to write by the stories they hear. They use what they learn in their own writing.

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Children in the early years are prepared for Year 1. They learn well. Leaders prioritise reading and understanding of early number skills. Leaders ensure that children practise their new learning throughout the day so that they remember what they have learned.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. Leaders have systems for identifying pupils’ needs quickly. They have a range of expertise in school to support pupils to achieve their individual targets. As a result, pupils with SEND develop their confidence and independence, and achieve well.

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Pupils have positive learning behaviours. Lessons are rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. Relationships in the school are positive and warm.

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Governors are dedicated leaders of the school. School leaders appreciate their support and expertise. Governors think carefully about the priorities for the school and pupils. They work supportively with school staff, the local authority and the diocese to ensure their aims are put in place. They ensure priorities for improvement are at the forefront of everyone’s work and thoughts. Leaders consider teachers’ workload when planning school improvement. Teachers appreciate the support they receive to ensure their workload is manageable.

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Leaders have developed comprehensive plans to ensure that pupils’ personal development is a priority. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility for a range of school improvement priorities. They say this helps them understand the work that goes into leading a school. They understand the importance of having a healthy mind. This supports their wider social and moral development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained. They update their training throughout the year. They know the risks that pupils face. Leaders respond promptly to concerns from staff and support pupils and families well. They work effectively with other agencies to protect pupils if they need to.

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Safeguarding

Leaders undertake pre-employment checks to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with pupils. 2 and 3 February 2023

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The curriculum supports pupils to stay safe. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and what a healthy diet and lifestyle look like. They also learn how to stay safe when working online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified clearly the most important knowledge that pupils need to remember for future learning. Teachers are unclear as to what knowledge they should prioritise and the order in which this should be taught. As a result, pupils do not always recall their learning or use it in future learning, which slows their progress in these subjects. Leaders must ensure that, in all subjects, curriculum plans lay out clearly the important knowledge that pupils must learn and the order in which it should be taught, so that pupils build effectively on what they have previously learned.

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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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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. 2 and 3 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10211775 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Timothy Fairbairn

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 October 2007, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club for its pupils.  The school does not use alternative provision for pupils.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was in June 2018. The next one is due in June 2023.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors considered the design of the curriculum, spoke with subject leaders, visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work and listened to pupils reading. They also spoke with teachers and pupils. 2 and 3 February 2023

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 Inspectors spoke with leaders of other curriculum subjects, leaders, leaders responsible for pupils with SEND and leaders with responsibility for attendance.  Inspectors spoke with school governors, a representative of the local authority and a representative of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, meetings were held with the designated safeguarding lead, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also reviewed records, policies and documents related to safeguarding.  Inspectors reviewed 74 responses and 42 free-text comments submitted to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents and carers.  Inspectors reviewed 22 responses from staff submitted on the staff survey.  Inspectors reviewed 46 responses from pupils in response to the pupil survey. Inspectors also spoke to pupils, including at breaktimes and lunchtime, to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sharon Waldron His Majesty’s Inspector 2 and 3 February 2023

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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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