Bosley St Mary's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bosley St Mary’s CofE Primary School Leek Road, Bosley, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 0NX

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Outcome

Bosley St Mary’s CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy in this welcoming school. They value the nurturing environment provided by the staff. Many pupils described the staff as wonderful. Pupils of different ages play and learn alongside each other. They are kind and make sure that everyone is included. If bullying should happen, leaders ensure that it is dealt with effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave according to the Bosley BEARS values, which include encouraging each other and pupils being the best that they can be. Pupils are motivated to meet these high standards, and they enjoy receiving rewards when their behaviour shines.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to do well. Leaders ensure that pupils access a high-quality curriculum. This helps pupils to meet leaders’ high expectations of their academic achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a wide range of enrichment opportunities for pupils. Pupils enjoy learning outdoors. They are proud of the skills that they have mastered, such as whittling and using a variety of tools. Leaders enhance curriculum learning through trips. For example, most pupils recently visited an art installation at Chester Cathedral.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke enthusiastically about opportunities to contribute to their school community. For example, younger pupils take responsibility for tasks such as watering plants. Older pupils enjoy leading extra-curricular clubs, such as the colouring club. These experiences help pupils to develop their independence.

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

Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children in the early years. For example, leaders provide opportunities for even the youngest children to learn a modern foreign language. 1 March 2023

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Leaders have thought carefully about how to design the curriculum so that it can be delivered effectively to mixed-age classes. They have specified the important information that pupils should know, and they have ordered the subject content from the early years to Year 6.

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Teachers and teaching assistants have a strong knowledge of the subjects that they teach. They work collaboratively to ensure that subject curriculums are delivered appropriately to pupils of different ages in each class. Staff know pupils very well. Leaders swiftly identify any additional needs that pupils may have. Staff provide support to pupils where it is needed to ensure that they are accessing the curriculum. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well.

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Teachers have a clear understanding of what pupils have learned before and what they will learn next. They use this information to ensure that learning activities build appropriately on what pupils already know. However, leaders have not ensured that there is a considered approach to revisiting learning in some subjects. Consequently, some pupils forget the important knowledge that they need for their future learning.

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Leaders promote reading well across the school. They encourage positive reading habits For example, pupils of all ages practise reading every day. Older pupils talked enthusiastically about engaging in reading challenges and choosing books from a visiting library bus. In the early years, staff use role play to immerse children in their favourite stories. Pupils enjoy reading.

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Children start learning phonics in the Reception Year. Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained so that delivery of the phonics programme is effective. Pupils who are not keeping up with the programme are identified quickly. They receive expert support which is carefully targeted to address the gaps in their phonic knowledge. This helps them to catch up and become confident readers.

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The atmosphere in the school is calm and orderly. Pupils enjoy their learning, and they are attentive to staff. Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. When pupils become distracted, staff refocus them quickly. Pupils behave sensibly as they move around the school. They know the school rules and most pupils adhere to them.

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Leaders provide an education which focuses on pupils’ personal development. Leaders have considered how the school curriculum can support pupils to make connections with their community. For example, they visit the local church. Leaders have also ensured that the curriculum broadens pupils’ understanding of the wider world, for example by learning about different religions. This helps pupils to develop an awareness of the world around them.

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Governors and trustees work closely with school leaders, supporting and challenging them to provide the best possible education. Leaders at all levels are mindful of the challenge of having a small staff body in which a few people hold a lot of responsibilities. Governors and trustees are knowledgeable about the actions that leaders have taken to reduce staff workload. Staff appreciate the consideration that leaders give to their workload and well- being. They said that they enjoy working at the school. 1 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the pupils and their families incredibly well. Staff are vigilant about identifying possible safeguarding issues. They are knowledgeable about the procedures in place to raise and record those issues. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils are closely monitored. Leaders work with external agencies to access appropriate support for those pupils who need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about practical elements of health and safety as part of their outdoor learning. For example, they learn about fire safety. Pupils are also taught about how to keep themselves safe through the wider curriculum, such as how to behave safely when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to revisit their learning in some subjects. This means that some pupils forget what they have previously learned. Leaders should ensure that subject curriculums are designed so that pupils can revisit their previous learning to make sure it is secure before they move on to new learning.

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Bosley St Mary’s CofE Primary School, to be good in October 2016.

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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. 1 March 2023

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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. 1 March 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Bosley St Mary’s CofE Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2021. When its predecessor school, Bosley St Mary’s CofE Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  This school is part of the Chester Diocesan Academies Trust.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Chester. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in July 2017.  School leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  Inspectors spoke with members of the governing body and the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and 1 March 2023

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physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of school. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures, including the school’s single central record. Inspectors met with leaders, staff and pupils to check on the effectiveness of safeguarding in the school.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation documents and minutes of trust board meetings.  Inspectors considered the free-text comments shared through Ofsted Parent View.

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There were no responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils or staff.

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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Samantha Birchall Ofsted Inspector 1 March 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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