Bollington Cross CofE Primary School

Inspection of Bollington Cross C of E Primary School Bollington Road, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 5EG

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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 Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they are happy to come to this school every morning because their teachers are kind and staff know them well. They feel safe because they trust adults to resolve any problems that they may have. Staff deal with any occasional acts of unkindness or bullying swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff expect pupils to behave very well and pupils live up to these expectations. They listen respectfully to each other and are confident in sharing their opinions with other pupils and their teachers. Pupils said that the best day of the week is when it is their turn to play on the artificial grass at lunchtime. Pupils of different ages play together happily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff want the best for all their pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 try hard to live up to these high expectations. They enjoy their lessons and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many wider opportunities available to them. For example, they spoke enthusiastically to inspectors about the forthcoming trip for the whole school to a local zoo. They like the wide range of activities provided through the school’s outdoor learning area. Many pupils benefit from attending clubs, which include sports, music and drama.

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better?

Leaders and governors have taken steps to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and introduces pupils to a broad range of subjects. The curriculum in the early years is very well designed. Leaders and teachers have identified what children in the early years need to know so that they are well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

Leaders have designed most subject curriculums well so that pupils build logically on what they have learned before. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders have not defined carefully enough the knowledge that they want pupils to acquire. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not learn some of the building blocks essential for their future learning.

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better?

Teachers deliver the curriculum well. They have strong subject knowledge and they explain topics and concepts clearly. Children in the early years benefit from well- thought-through and creative approaches to developing speech, vocabulary and an understanding of numbers. Adults carefully choose the words that they use when they speak to children, to develop the range of vocabulary that children can use confidently.

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better?

Teachers know their pupils well. They are conscientious in checking that pupils have understood what has been taught. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not 7 and 8 February 2023

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identify across a series of lessons where gaps in pupils’ knowledge remain. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils are not fully secure in their understanding of aspects of the knowledge essential for their future learning.

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Leaders and governors have high aspirations for pupils with SEND. Leaders identify these pupils’ needs quickly. They provide staff with the information that they need to enable them to cater for all pupils with SEND in lessons. Staff know each pupil with SEND well and use appropriate strategies to help them to succeed.

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Recently, leaders made changes to the way that the phonics curriculum is taught in the early years and in key stage 1. These changes mean that pupils, including pupils with SEND, are becoming more confident and fluent readers. Teachers identify at an early stage any pupils who need extra help to keep up with their phonics learning. Well-trained staff support these pupils so that they catch up quickly. Pupils have responded enthusiastically to the ‘top 50 recommended reads’ in each year group. Teachers have ensured that there is a broad and diverse range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts for pupils to read.

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Children settle quickly into the Reception Year. They listen well and respond quickly and efficiently to the instructions of their teachers. They make good use of the attractive indoor and outdoor learning areas. Across the school, pupils are attentive in lessons. Staff support those pupils who find it more difficult to concentrate in lessons effectively. They help pupils to persevere even if they find their learning difficult.

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Governors and leaders provide pupils with an extensive extra-curricular programme. Pupils participate in many local sports competitions and communal music events. They support local campaigns to improve the environment. These experiences enhance pupils’ learning and prepare them well for life beyond primary school.

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Pupils learn to be responsible citizens. In lessons and assemblies, they learn about important issues. Leaders have made mental health a priority following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils have the chance to consider issues, such as loneliness, deeply.

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Leaders and governors work well together to promote the well-being of everyone in the school community. Governors are very well informed about all aspects of the school. They do not hesitate to challenge leaders when they feel it necessary to do so. Staff appreciate the recent efforts that governors and leaders have made to reduce their workload in a variety of ways.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Leaders provide regular safeguarding training for all staff so that they have the skills to spot if a pupil is in difficulty. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil. Those 7 and 8 February 2023

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responsible for safeguarding are knowledgeable and draw upon links with outside agencies when required.

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Pupils are knowledgeable about the potential dangers that they may encounter in the community or online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders and teachers are not clear enough about the curriculum content that pupils should learn. This means that sometimes pupils are not prepared for the next steps in their learning. Leaders should develop their curriculum thinking further in these subjects to ensure that all teachers know exactly what to teach and when to teach it.  In some subjects, teachers do not check well enough if pupils have understood and remembered what they have taught them. As a result, teachers sometimes do not build effectively on pupils’ prior learning. Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, teachers use assessment strategies well to identify and address any gaps in learning so that pupils know and remember more.

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.bollingtoncross.cheshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  This Church of England school is voluntary controlled. It last received a religious education inspection, carried out under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, in September 2017.

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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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders and a range of teaching and support staff. The lead inspector spoke with six members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 7 and 8 February 2023

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 The lead inspector spoke with the school improvement partner and a representative of the diocese and met with a representative of the local education authority.  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. They met with subject leaders, visited some lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and teachers. The lead inspector observed individual pupils reading to their teachers.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils from Years 2 to 6. They also observed breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding procedures and the checks made on staff. They met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documents, including those relating to the school development plans, self-evaluation documents, curriculum information and behaviour records.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff

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and pupils.  The lead inspector also considered the views of the parents and carers who responded to Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments received via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Timothy Gartside, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Joan Grant Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 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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